Hermantown blitzed Rock Ridge 21-0 in a Section 7AAAA football quarterfinal on Tuesday night at Centricity Stadium in Hermantown. The third-seeded Hawks (6-3) advance to face No. 2 seed Duluth Denfeld (7-1) in a 7AAAA semifinal at 2 p.m. Saturday at Marv Heikkinen Field in West Duluth.
Grand Rapids defeated visiting Cloquet 48-22 in a second 7AAAA quarterfinal. The fourth-seeded Thunderhawks (5-4) will travel to face top-seeded North Branch (7-1) Saturday.
Click here to help support our HowieHanson.com community news and sports publishing efforts! Note: Sports Notebook is powered by Perrault Construction, the trusted roofing, siding and window company in Duluth. Today's Prep Events Football Hermantown (2-1, 1-1 Northeast Red) at Grand Rapids (2-1, 1-1) Duluth East (2-1,
Friday Results Esko 66, Mora 8 Duluth Denfeld 46, Pine City 6 North Branch 28, Hermantown 21 Cloquet 17, Duluth East 16 Proctor 32, Hibbing 12 New Richmond 48, Superior 8 Grand Rapids 27, Rock Ridge 6 Ely 8, South Ridge 0 Mille Lacs 20, Chisholm 0 Aitkin 22, Greenway/
Friday Games North Branch at Hermantown Esko at Mora Duluth Denfeld at Pine City Two Harbors at Pequot Lakes Rock Ridge at Grand Rapids Mesabi East at International Falls South Ridge at Ely Hibbing at Proctor
Ogilvie at Carlton-Wrenshall, 4 p.m. Cook County at Bigfork, 6 p.m. Hermantown (1-0) vs. Cloquet (0-1), 7 p.m. in Proctor Grand Rapids (1-0) at Duluth Denfeld (1-0), 7 p.m. Proctor (0-1) at Esko (1-0), 7 p.m. Cass Lake-Bena at Cherry, 7 p.m. International Falls
This is a bet that Hughes ages cleanly, that his body cooperates, that the cap continues to rise, and that the surrounding cast can be managed without suffocation. It’s a bet that Minnesota can finally pull off the superstar contract that doesn’t end in regret.
This time, the leverage isn’t casino revenue. It’s downtown frustration — visible poverty, safety complaints, business dissatisfaction and the persistent sense that downtown Duluth has not lived up to decades of promises.
Twelve games per team. A defined start in April. A defined finish in July. Balanced home-and-away slates. Built-in byes. Repeat matchups that suggest geography matters again. It reads less like a marketing flyer and more like an operating plan.
Minnesota’s home schedule begins in Week 7, when Nashville visits. Kentucky comes to Minnesota in Week 8.
