Thirty-six of Hermantown’s 42 points in its final girls basketball game last season were scored by three players who are not listed among coach Eric Borndal’s early building blocks for 2026-27.
The turnover leaves Hermantown with substantial production to replace after an 18-10 season that included a 6-5 conference record, the No. 2 seed in Section 7AAA and six consecutive victories before the semifinal loss.
“We lost a lot of big contributors from last year and it will take some time for us to replace the scoring that will be missed,” Borndal said.
Hermanson finished her career with more than 1,000 points, while Aurora Decker, Danika Bolf, Brooke Wiese, Avea Harriman, Alexis Chandler and Claire Niksich formed a senior class that gave Hermantown depth, physical maturity and lineup flexibility.
The next rotation will be built differently. Instead of organizing the offense around established scorers, the Hawks will turn to a seven-player senior group expected to divide possessions, defensive assignments and late-game responsibility.
“However, we have an excellent group of senior leaders returning including Bryden Giesen, Vienna Kolenda, Kenzie Zagelmeyer, Payton Holt, Sophie Schulz, Maddi Morgan, and Greta Kiel,” Borndal said. “Their leadership will be vital for our season to be a success as we learn to play together.”
Giesen has already shown she can provide offense, scoring 15 points in a 70-55 victory over Thief River Falls last January. Her performance that afternoon came as Hermantown worked through early foul trouble, and it offered a glimpse of the larger role she could assume.
The remaining seniors will also receive opportunities that were not consistently available within last season’s veteran lineup. Hermantown will not be young, but it will be inexperienced in several of the situations that decide varsity games — creating quality shots against pressure, managing difficult stretches and executing during the final possessions.
Borndal believes the Hawks’ collective understanding of the game can shorten that adjustment period.
“Add in junior Audra Schott to the mix and we have a very smart team that will be able to become very competitive by the end of the season,” he said.
That timeline is important. Hermantown does not need to identify its leading scorer in November. It needs to establish dependable ball handlers, develop multiple shooting threats and create an offense that does not become predictable when opponents increase their pressure.
A roster without an obvious replacement for Hermanson may ultimately be harder to defend if several players become credible options. That development will require patience, however, because increased playing time does not automatically produce comfort with increased responsibility.
The Hawks will also have a new voice on the bench.
“We are happy with the addition of Coach Drew Johnson to our staff as well,” Borndal said.
Johnson joins a program that has advanced to the Section 7AAA semifinals in consecutive seasons under Borndal. Hermantown’s next step is reaching the championship game, something it came within four points of doing last winter.
Rock Ridge eventually won the section title with a 77-41 victory over Cloquet. The Wolverines, Lumberjacks, Hawks and the remainder of the bracket will enter the new season without an overwhelming favorite, creating an opportunity for the team that improves most between the opening weeks and the postseason.
“Our summer went very well with great numbers 9-12 and with a section which is wide open, it will be an exciting season for sure,” Borndal said.
The strong turnout gives Hermantown options. Varsity jobs can be contested rather than assigned, and younger players can develop without being forced into prominent roles before they are ready. Competition within the program could become particularly valuable as the staff searches for combinations that can score without sacrificing defense and rebounding.
Lake Superior Conference play will provide an immediate measure of that progress. Proctor and Duluth Marshall finished ahead of Hermantown last season, while Cloquet demonstrated its postseason danger by recovering from a difficult start and eliminating the Hawks.
Several Hawks basketball players are still preparing for fall sports, and Borndal wants the confidence and competitive maturity gained during those seasons to follow them into the gym.
“For now, we wish all the girls the best of luck in their fall activities and hope that they can have success and growth that can carry into the basketball season,” he said.
Hermantown’s final record will depend less on finding one player capable of replacing everything that left and more on whether its senior class can make the game easier for one another. The Hawks have experience, numbers and a realistic opportunity in Section 7AAA.
What they do not yet have is a settled identity. Building one will be the season’s central assignment.
