Hermantown football coach Mike Zagelmeyer on his team's 21-0 Section 7AAAA quarterfinal victory over Rock Ridge on Tuesday night, and looking ahead to Saturday's semifinal at No. 2 seeded Duluth Denfeld – "I thought our defense and us having the ability to run the football was the story of the game. Defensively, we were able to get them off the field on third and fourth down which is obviously key to any team's success. I thought we pressured their quarterback enough to where he was mechanically not doing the things that have made him successful in the past. We didn't allow him to step into his throws much at all. They were not able to run the ball much at all because of our front four. It was a fun game to watch for anyone who likes defense. Offensively, I thought we ran the ball pretty well, which has been a struggle for us at times during the season. I thought Zach Thorsten gave us a great effort as he surpassed 100 yards in the game.
As far as Saturday goes, we look forward to the challenge of playing Denfeld again. It should be a heckuva game. We need to play mistake free, turnover free football. I guarantee it will be a physical game."
