Prep Boys Basketball
Cherry 78, Duluth Denfeld 41. Noah Asuma scored a game-high 25 points and his brother Isaac, a Gophers recruit, added 12 for the Tigers, who improved to 18-2.
Carlton-Wrenshall 78, Northland 65
Prep Girls Basketball
Cloquet 67, Grand Rapids 65
Esko 61, Carlton-Wrenshall 22
Barnum 67, Two Harbors 34
Mountain Iron-Buhl 83, Cherry 17
Hibbing 68, Duluth Denfeld 28
Prep Boys Hockey
Hermantown 6, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 1
Proctor 2, Superior 1
His stat line towered over the league: a .383 batting average, 17 home runs, 68 RBIs, 23 doubles, three triples, 48 runs scored, 28 walks, and 15 stolen bases over 52 games. His OPS landed at 1.252, powered by a .471 on-base percentage and a .781 slugging percentage.
This isn’t corporate sports media. This isn’t fluff. Howie Sports is Independent. Local. Unfiltered. Fifty years in the game — telling you who’s hot, who’s not, and who needs a swift kick in the butt.
Plante said he plans to return to Minnesota Duluth next season, with the opportunity to play alongside his brothers, Zam and incoming freshman Victor.
The structure of the opening weekend leaves little room for gradual buildup. For Albany, it is a chance to reaffirm its position. For Minnesota and the rest of the field, it is an early test of whether preseason projections hold or begin to shift.
Tom Pohlad has continued to express a commitment to winning, but the roster construction has yet to reflect that urgency. The absence of a clear replacement for Pablo Lopez, combined with instability at shortstop and in the bullpen, suggests a team operating below the standard required to contend.
