FRIDAY RESULTS
Prep Softball
Hermantown 10, Esko 9 (8 innings)
Superior 7, Cloquet 3
Cloquet 8, Carlton-Esko 2
Duluth East 7, Coon Rapids 5
Moose Lake-Willow River 12, South Ridge 1
Prep Baseball
Hermantown 8, Rock Ridge 0
Duluth Marshall 10, Roseau 1
Duluth Marshall 8, Warroad 3
Duluth Denfeld 4, Princeton 2
Cloquet 9, Chisago Lakes 7
Esko 2, Proctor 1 (8)
Northwestern 18, Ashland 8
Howie's daily column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen Bar. University of Minnesota Duluth honored six players with its 2025-26 men’s hockey team awards Wednesday, headlined by sophomore forward Max Plante, who capped a historic season as the Bulldogs’ most valuable player. Plante, a Hermantown native, received the
A group that could have fragmented chose to remain intact, and that continuity alters expectations in a meaningful way. Teams that stay together tend to become harder to play against, not just because of talent, but because of familiarity and shared understanding.
Plante said he plans to return to Minnesota Duluth next season, with the opportunity to play alongside his brothers, Zam and incoming freshman Victor.
If arena football stabilizes, history will trace it back to whether Jerry Kurz succeeds. Kurz understands the league’s past because he lived it. His challenge is preventing nostalgia from becoming policy. Expansion discipline, ownership vetting and media credibility all run through his office.
The IFL said the shift in distribution represents a multi-thousand percent increase compared to its YouTube-only model from two years ago, when live audiences were significantly smaller.
Company officials said the sale aligned with long-term strategic goals after Vireo Growth approached the group with an offer for the site. Vireo focuses on cannabis operations with an emphasis on safe access and community restorative justice.
AF1 is a professional arena football league, the circuit of the Minnesota Monsters, focused on high-scoring gameplay and fan accessibility. Games are streamed live each weekend on the league’s official website, with additional content available across its social media platforms.
