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HERMANTOWN — Martin Sleen began his homecoming night with a kickoff return of about 90 yards for a touchdown. The Hermantown homecoming king then rushed for 248 yards and three more scores, leading the unbeaten Hawks to a 35-6 victory over Cloquet on Friday at Centricity Stadium.
Hermantown improved to 4-0 (3-0 Northeast Red), while Cloquet fell to 2-2 (1-2).
Sleen carried only 15 times but averaged 16.5 yards per attempt, including a 77-yard run. The Hawks led 7-0 after one quarter, added two touchdowns in the second and carried a 21-6 advantage into halftime. They scored once in each of the final two quarters.
Hermantown gained 294 yards rushing on 24 attempts, an average of 12.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Sawyer Senst supplied the Hawks’ other rushing touchdown and finished with 12 yards on three carries. Owen Simonson added 18 yards on three attempts. Hermantown produced 316 yards of offense on just 31 plays, with Sleen accounting for most of its ground production and four of its five touchdowns.
Cloquet ran 57 offensive plays but could not turn that advantage into points. The Lumberjacks finished with 243 net yards, including 150 rushing on 42 attempts. Keith Diver III scored their only touchdown on the ground and completed 11 of 15 passes for 97 yards, but Hermantown sacked him twice and intercepted him once. Cloquet also lost two fumbles; the Hawks committed no turnovers.
Jack Horvat led Cloquet’s rushing attack with 66 yards on 13 carries. Quinn Waters caught six passes for 58 yards, while Jacob Parks had three receptions for 23 yards. Cloquet converted six of 12 third downs, but Hermantown’s long gains and three takeaways kept the Lumberjacks from closing the gap after halftime.
Hermantown travels to Grand Rapids (4-0, 3-0) on Friday.
