By DANA KAZEL

St. Louis County's request for funding to stabilize the eroding shoreline of the privately-owned Scandia Cemetery, has cleared an important hurdle. The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) today voted to include $1.44 million for the project on its list of recommendations for 2027 allocations. The list will next be presented to the Minnesota legislature for final approval during next year's session. 

Scandia Cemetery dates back to 1881 and is located overlooking the shore of Lake Superior in Duluth. Erosion from the Great Lake has uncovered human remains and left numerous other graves precariously close to the edge. The private association that owns the cemetery does not have the means to address the issue, so St. Louis County stepped up to address the concern in a permanent way.

County engineers estimate it will cost $2.3 million to construct a permanent concrete retaining wall, stabilize the Lake Superior shoreline, and construct an access road for future maintenance and operation needs. The county will continue working to identify other sources for remaining needed funds.

"While this is by no means a done deal, it's an important step toward correcting this serious situation," said Commissioner Patrick Boyle, whose district incudes the Scandia Cemetery. "Major credit goes to Representative Roger Skraba and Senator Jen McEwen who both sit on the LCCMR. They recognized the need to find a respectful solution for the people who have loved ones buried there, and rreally advocated on our behalf.

Funding for the project would come from the state's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF)

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Kats placed a league-high eight players on the 2026 Arena Football One All-Arena first team and 11 overall as the league announced its top two all-star units ahead of Saturday’s Arena Crown championship game.

Nashville claimed five of the nine first-team offensive positions and three of eight defensive spots. The Kats added three second-team selections, giving the league’s top-seeded championship finalist nearly one-third of the 34 available positions.

Expansion finalist Michigan finished second with nine total selections, including eight on the second team. Minnesota placed four players on the first team, while Albany had four selections across the two units.

Nashville quarterback Tyler Kulka headlined the first-team offense after leading AF1 with 2,835 passing yards and 2,817 yards of total offense. He finished second with 56 touchdown passes while guiding the Kats to an 11-1 regular-season record and the No. 1 playoff seed.

Kulka was joined by first-team receivers Malik Honeycutt of Nashville, Darien Townsend of Albany and Jovohn Tucker of Oceanside. Desmond Maxwell of Nashville was selected at fullback, while Nashville’s Derrick Ziegler, Minnesota’s Toree Boyd and Michigan’s Alex Westcott formed the offensive line. Nashville kicker Kyle Kaplan completed the unit.

Honeycutt led AF1 with 1,047 receiving yards and averaged a league-best 95.2 yards per game. He caught 19 touchdown passes and scored 114 points. Townsend led the league with 24 touchdown receptions and 144 points, establishing himself as the most productive scorer on an Albany offense that finished second only to Nashville in total points.

Maxwell led AF1 with 12 rushing touchdowns, providing an important power element within Nashville’s high-volume passing offense. Kaplan scored 131 points, the second-highest total in the league and a remarkable finish for a kicker.

The first-team defense included linemen Jaquan Artis and Roderick Perry of Nashville and Claude Davis of Minnesota. Minnesota’s Chei Hill was selected at MAC linebacker, with Albany tackling machine Drew Singleton chosen at JACK linebacker. Washington’s Byron Edwards, Minnesota’s Delvon Randall and Nashville’s Omari Alexander were the three defensive backs.

Singleton produced one of the season’s most overwhelming statistical performances, setting an AF1 record with 89 solo tackles — 24 more than any other player. His range and production made him the clear centerpiece of Albany’s defense.

Edwards led the league with nine interceptions, while Randall and Alexander finished tied for second with seven apiece. Randall also led Minnesota with 56 solo tackles. Hill recorded nine sacks for the Monsters, and Artis finished second in AF1 with 10.

Minnesota’s four selections reflected the strength of a team that reached the AF1 semifinals in its first season after moving from The Arena League. Boyd represented the Monsters’ offensive front, while Davis, Hill and Randall gave Minnesota three first-team defenders.

Michigan quarterback Malik Henry led the second-team offense after throwing an AF1-best 59 touchdown passes and finishing with 2,700 yards despite the Arsenal’s difficult start. He helped Michigan recover from a 1-4 record to reach the league semifinals.

Henry was joined on the second team by Michigan receivers Daniel Williams and Jairus Grissom and Beaumont receiver Zuri Davis. Ricky Weaver of Michigan was selected at fullback. Nashville’s Payton Muljo and Pika Leota joined Albany’s Colby Byrd on the offensive line, with Michigan’s Oscar Roden selected at kicker.

Williams caught 77 passes for 829 yards and 20 touchdowns during the regular season. Grissom had 64 receptions for 807 yards and 19 scores, giving Henry two of the league’s most productive targets.

That Michigan combination reinforced its selection with a spectacular semifinal performance against Nashville. Henry passed for 452 yards and 11 touchdowns in the Arsenal’s 92-76 loss, while Grissom caught 13 passes for 232 yards and six scores.

The second-team defensive line consisted of Beaumont’s JD Griggs, Michigan’s Chris Fitzgerald and Washington’s Michael Badejo. Michigan’s Michael White was selected at MAC linebacker and Washington’s Tywon Buckley at JACK. Michigan’s Berdale Robins, Albany’s Markus Smith and Nashville’s Derrick Jones were the defensive backs.

White finished the regular season with nine sacks, while Fitzgerald recorded seven. Robins intercepted five passes for a Michigan defense that became more disruptive during the Arsenal’s late-season surge. Jones ranked second in AF1 with 65 solo tackles.

Nashville led every team with 11 selections, followed by Michigan with nine. Minnesota and Albany had four each, Washington had three, Beaumont two and Oceanside one.

The results reinforced the identities of the league’s top contenders. Nashville’s selections were spread across every phase, Michigan’s late-season charge was reflected throughout the second team, Minnesota was rewarded for its defensive strength and Albany placed the league’s most productive receiver and tackler on the first team.

Individual awards, including most valuable player and offensive and defensive player honors, are scheduled to be announced Friday at the AF1 Awards Banquet in Clarksville.

The Kats, who improved to 12-1 by defeating Michigan in the semifinals, will host defending champion Albany in the Arena Crown at 3 p.m. CDT Saturday at F&M Bank Arena. The Firebirds are 10-3 after defeating Minnesota 69-56 in the other semifinal.

Thirty-six of Hermantown’s 42 points in its final girls basketball game last season were scored by three players who are not listed among coach Eric Borndal’s early building blocks for 2026-27.

The turnover leaves Hermantown with substantial production to replace after an 18-10 season that included a 6-5 conference record, the No. 2 seed in Section 7AAA and six consecutive victories before the semifinal loss.

“We lost a lot of big contributors from last year and it will take some time for us to replace the scoring that will be missed,” Borndal said.

Hermanson finished her career with more than 1,000 points, while Aurora Decker, Danika Bolf, Brooke Wiese, Avea Harriman, Alexis Chandler and Claire Niksich formed a senior class that gave Hermantown depth, physical maturity and lineup flexibility.

The next rotation will be built differently. Instead of organizing the offense around established scorers, the Hawks will turn to a seven-player senior group expected to divide possessions, defensive assignments and late-game responsibility.

“However, we have an excellent group of senior leaders returning including Bryden Giesen, Vienna Kolenda, Kenzie Zagelmeyer, Payton Holt, Sophie Schulz, Maddi Morgan, and Greta Kiel,” Borndal said. “Their leadership will be vital for our season to be a success as we learn to play together.”

Giesen has already shown she can provide offense, scoring 15 points in a 70-55 victory over Thief River Falls last January. Her performance that afternoon came as Hermantown worked through early foul trouble, and it offered a glimpse of the larger role she could assume.

The remaining seniors will also receive opportunities that were not consistently available within last season’s veteran lineup. Hermantown will not be young, but it will be inexperienced in several of the situations that decide varsity games — creating quality shots against pressure, managing difficult stretches and executing during the final possessions.

Borndal believes the Hawks’ collective understanding of the game can shorten that adjustment period.

“Add in junior Audra Schott to the mix and we have a very smart team that will be able to become very competitive by the end of the season,” he said.

That timeline is important. Hermantown does not need to identify its leading scorer in November. It needs to establish dependable ball handlers, develop multiple shooting threats and create an offense that does not become predictable when opponents increase their pressure.

A roster without an obvious replacement for Hermanson may ultimately be harder to defend if several players become credible options. That development will require patience, however, because increased playing time does not automatically produce comfort with increased responsibility.

The Hawks will also have a new voice on the bench.

“We are happy with the addition of Coach Drew Johnson to our staff as well,” Borndal said.

Johnson joins a program that has advanced to the Section 7AAA semifinals in consecutive seasons under Borndal. Hermantown’s next step is reaching the championship game, something it came within four points of doing last winter.

Rock Ridge eventually won the section title with a 77-41 victory over Cloquet. The Wolverines, Lumberjacks, Hawks and the remainder of the bracket will enter the new season without an overwhelming favorite, creating an opportunity for the team that improves most between the opening weeks and the postseason.

“Our summer went very well with great numbers 9-12 and with a section which is wide open, it will be an exciting season for sure,” Borndal said.

The strong turnout gives Hermantown options. Varsity jobs can be contested rather than assigned, and younger players can develop without being forced into prominent roles before they are ready. Competition within the program could become particularly valuable as the staff searches for combinations that can score without sacrificing defense and rebounding.

Lake Superior Conference play will provide an immediate measure of that progress. Proctor and Duluth Marshall finished ahead of Hermantown last season, while Cloquet demonstrated its postseason danger by recovering from a difficult start and eliminating the Hawks. 

Several Hawks basketball players are still preparing for fall sports, and Borndal wants the confidence and competitive maturity gained during those seasons to follow them into the gym.

“For now, we wish all the girls the best of luck in their fall activities and hope that they can have success and growth that can carry into the basketball season,” he said.

Hermantown’s final record will depend less on finding one player capable of replacing everything that left and more on whether its senior class can make the game easier for one another. The Hawks have experience, numbers and a realistic opportunity in Section 7AAA.

What they do not yet have is a settled identity. Building one will be the season’s central assignment.

By Howie Hanson, Downtown Reporter / For years, the conversation about downtown Duluth has centered on what we've lost. Office workers aren't returning in the same numbers they once did. Remote work has permanently changed the demand for traditional office space. Empty floors in commercial buildings have become symbols of uncertainty, while debates about crime, homelessness, public safety and economic vitality continue to dominate public discussion.

Those are real challenges, and they deserve serious attention. But perhaps we're asking the wrong question. Instead of asking how we fill vacant office buildings, what if we asked what kind of economy belongs in them? What if Downtown Duluth became the place where rural health care is coordinated for an entire region?

That may sound ambitious, but so did the idea decades ago that Duluth could become the medical center for northeastern Minnesota. Today, thousands of patients travel here every week because the city has built one of the Upper Midwest's strongest regional health care networks. Hospitals, clinics, medical education and specialized care have become as much a part of Duluth's identity as shipping, tourism and higher education.

The next chapter may not require another hospital tower. It may require another kind of infrastructure altogether. Imagine a modern office building overlooking Lake Superior. Instead of insurance companies or corporate headquarters occupying its floors, the building hums with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, behavioral health specialists, information technology professionals, cybersecurity experts, artificial intelligence engineers and care coordinators.

On one floor, registered nurses monitor thousands of patients living independently across northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. Connected blood pressure cuffs, glucose monitors, smart scales and wearable devices quietly send health information to secure monitoring systems. A patient's weight rises unexpectedly overnight, signaling possible heart failure. Within minutes, a nurse contacts the patient. A physician adjusts medications before the condition becomes an emergency.

One hospitalization avoided. Another patient remains safely at home.

On another floor, primary care physicians in Ely, Grand Marais, International Falls and Silver Bay connect instantly with specialists in Duluth. A family physician evaluating a complicated neurological case doesn't spend days arranging referrals or asking patients to travel hundreds of miles. Instead, a neurologist joins the examination virtually. Diagnostic images are shared in real time. Treatment begins immediately, while the patient remains in the local community whenever possible.

Elsewhere in the building, behavioral health professionals conduct virtual appointments with patients who previously faced months-long waits or lengthy drives for care. Pharmacists review medications. Care coordinators arrange follow-up appointments. Social workers connect families with community resources. Artificial intelligence assists clinicians by organizing medical records, identifying subtle changes in patient conditions and reducing the administrative burden that too often pulls physicians away from patient care.

None of this replaces the family doctor, the emergency department or the community hospital. It strengthens them. The hospital of the future will always need operating rooms, emergency physicians, intensive care units and bedside nurses. There will always be a need for face-to-face medicine. But increasingly, expertise will move digitally while patients remain closer to home.

That distinction matters enormously in northern Minnesota.

Distance has always been one of our greatest health care challenges. Winter weather, aging populations and physician shortages create obstacles that technology alone cannot solve. Yet technology can narrow those gaps in ways that were unimaginable only a decade ago. A specialist in Duluth can consult on a patient in Cook County within minutes. A teaching physician hundreds of miles away can participate in complex case reviews without boarding an airplane. Rural clinicians can collaborate with colleagues throughout the region while remaining in the communities that need them most.

Perhaps even more exciting is the opportunity to connect regional health systems with academic medicine in entirely new ways.

Imagine a teaching hospital partnership where medical residents participate virtually in patient consultations throughout northern Minnesota. Faculty physicians conduct multidisciplinary case conferences with community providers every day. Researchers study rural medicine using real-time clinical information gathered across an entire regional network. Students learn that innovation in health care doesn't happen only in Minneapolis, Rochester or Chicago. It can happen in Duluth.

That kind of collaboration could make the city not only a destination for patients, but also a destination for medical innovation. The economic implications deserve equal attention.

Downtown redevelopment conversations often focus on restaurants, entertainment, retail and housing. All are important. But a thriving downtown also depends on stable employment. A digital health operations center would bring hundreds, perhaps eventually thousands, of highly skilled professionals into the heart of the city every day. Physicians, nurses, software developers, cybersecurity specialists, data analysts, medical coders and health information managers would support restaurants during lunch hours, apartments after work and local businesses throughout the week.

Those are exactly the kinds of knowledge-based careers communities across America are competing to attract. The beauty of this vision is that many of the pieces already exist.

Duluth is already the medical hub of the Arrowhead. It has major regional health systems. It has medical education. It has nursing programs, allied health programs and a growing technology workforce. It has fiber connectivity, commercial office buildings and decades of experience serving patients from rural communities. The challenge isn't creating something entirely new. It's connecting what already exists in a way that prepares the region for the next generation of health care.

No one should pretend this transformation would be easy. Broadband access remains uneven in some rural communities. Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve. Payment models must continue adapting to telemedicine. Artificial intelligence requires careful oversight and thoughtful regulation. Most importantly, no technology should ever replace the compassion, judgment and human relationships that define excellent medicine.

Those are not reasons to dismiss the idea. They are reasons to begin planning. Every generation inherits an opportunity to redefine its downtown. One generation built railroads. Another built shipping terminals. Another invested in hospitals, universities and tourism.

The next generation may build digital infrastructure that allows world-class medical expertise to reach every corner of northeastern Minnesota without asking every patient to make the trip to Duluth. That's a vision worth discussing. Not because we know exactly what health care will look like in 10 years. But because communities that ask bold questions today are often the ones best prepared for tomorrow.

Perhaps the next great chapter in Downtown Duluth won't be written by asking how to recreate the past. Perhaps it will begin by imagining a future where the city's greatest export isn't iron ore, grain or even tourism. Perhaps it is expertise itself.

By Howie Hanson, Downtown Reporter / After covering Duluth for more than five decades, I've learned that cities rarely suffer from a shortage of ideas. They suffer from a shortage of confidence. Master plans are commissioned. Consultants produce thoughtful reports. Public meetings generate spirited debate. Elected officials cast unanimous votes. Yet some downtowns flourish while others struggle, and the difference often has less to do with architecture, zoning regulations or tax incentives than with something far more difficult to build: trust.

That is why the Duluth City Council's recent unanimous adoption of a Downtown Development Strategy and sweeping modernization of the city's zoning code deserves far more attention than a routine municipal vote normally receives. On paper, the actions focus on housing, development, investment and streamlining regulations. In reality, they represent something much larger. They offer Duluth an opportunity to answer a question confronting not only our city, but downtowns throughout Minnesota and across America: How do you persuade people to believe in the heart of their city again?

That question should not be interpreted as criticism of downtown, nor should it be dismissed as pessimism. Rather, it reflects the reality confronting cities that are trying to redefine themselves after years of economic disruption, changing work habits and evolving public expectations. Spend enough time listening to Duluth residents and you'll hear two very different stories. One celebrates cranes on the skyline, successful restaurants, growing tourism, expanding housing, remarkable civic amenities, a vibrant waterfront and private investment that continues despite economic uncertainty.

The other focuses on vacant storefronts, visible homelessness, addiction, mental illness, public disorder and concerns about safety that cause some residents to avoid downtown unless they have a specific destination. Those accounts are often presented as competing narratives when, in fact, both contain elements of truth. Downtown can simultaneously experience meaningful investment while confronting serious social challenges, and acknowledging one reality does not require denying the other.

The greater mistake would be pretending that perception no longer matters. Whether concerns about crime, drug activity or public disorder perfectly align with statistics almost misses the point. Human beings rarely make decisions based solely on data. Families don't study crime reports before deciding where to eat dinner. Visitors don't analyze economic development plans before strolling along the Lakewalk.

Grandparents don't compare public safety metrics before taking grandchildren to Bayfront Festival Park, Glensheen or the Great Lakes Aquarium. Employers recruiting talented professionals don't begin with spreadsheets; they begin by asking whether a community feels vibrant, welcoming and full of opportunity. Every one of those decisions is shaped by confidence, and confidence influences where people spend their money, invest their time and ultimately choose to build their lives.

That reality should neither discourage nor divide us. In fact, it should inspire us because Duluth possesses every ingredient necessary to write a different story. Our greatest strength has never been our buildings. It has always been our people. During the City Council meeting, speaker after speaker returned to remarkably similar themes. Downtown Duluth Executive Director Kristi Stokes spoke about adding as many as 1,500 new residential units while removing unnecessary barriers that slow development. Shawn Floerke reminded councilors that healthy downtowns provide the tax base supporting the services every neighborhood depends upon.

Chamber President Matt Baumgartner argued that housing is economic development because employers cannot recruit or retain workers if people have nowhere to live. Councilor Arik Forsman challenged the community to ensure the new strategy becomes a living document rather than another report collecting dust on a shelf. Each speaker addressed a different aspect of downtown's future, but together they described something much larger: a community determined to compete rather than settle for decline.

Now comes the difficult part. Plans do not revitalize cities. People do. Zoning changes matter. Housing matters. Public investment matters. Private investment matters. But none of those achievements alone answer the question every resident quietly asks before deciding where to spend an evening: "Do I want to be there?" That question cannot be answered by another study, another consultant or another marketing campaign. It can only be answered through everyday experiences that gradually rebuild confidence one visit, one business, one conversation and one positive interaction at a time.

The first step is honesty. Residents already know homelessness exists. They know addiction exists. They know mental illness exists. They also know downtown remains home to exceptional restaurants, successful small businesses, major employers, nationally recognized attractions, a spectacular Lake Superior shoreline and thousands of people who work there every day. Trust grows when leaders acknowledge both realities without exaggerating either one. It erodes when public conversation becomes polarized between those who insist downtown has no significant problems and those who portray every negative incident as evidence of irreversible decline. Neither narrative reflects the complete picture, and neither one inspires lasting confidence.

The second step is accountability. If the Downtown Development Strategy truly is intended to guide the next chapter of Duluth's future, the city should create a publicly available Downtown Dashboard that measures progress every month. Not public relations. Not politics. Just facts.

Show residents how many housing units have been completed, how many businesses have opened and closed, how storefront occupancy is changing, how much private investment has occurred, what public improvements have been completed, how foot traffic is trending, how beautification efforts are progressing and what measurable steps are being taken to improve public safety. Communities earn trust by demonstrating progress, not merely promising it.

The third step is collaboration. Downtown belongs to no single organization. It does not belong exclusively to City Hall, Downtown Duluth, the Chamber of Commerce, Visit Duluth, developers, law enforcement, social service providers or business owners. It belongs to every one of them, and ultimately it belongs to every resident who chooses to spend time there. That is why Duluth should establish a permanent Downtown Leadership Council that meets monthly around one table, establishes common priorities, measures shared goals and reports regularly to the public. The future of downtown is simply too important for fragmented leadership or competing messages.

The fourth step is activation. Successful downtowns are not places people simply drive through on their way somewhere else. They are places where people choose to linger. More outdoor concerts. More public art. More family programming. More sidewalk dining. More winter festivals. More local retail. More reasons for someone to finish dinner and decide to stay another hour.

Vibrant downtowns generate their own momentum because people attract people, activity attracts investment and investment creates even more activity. Duluth already possesses extraordinary natural advantages. Our challenge is creating experiences that encourage residents and visitors to return again and again.

The fifth step is communication—not marketing, but storytelling grounded in measurable progress. Every new restaurant matters. Every renovated building matters. Every entrepreneur willing to invest matters. Every successful festival matters. Every cleaner block matters. Too often, positive developments are treated as isolated announcements while negative incidents dominate social media for days. That imbalance gradually shapes public perception.

The answer is not to ignore difficult issues. The answer is to communicate honestly about both the progress being made and the work still ahead. Transparency builds credibility. Credibility builds confidence. Confidence builds trust.

Finally, this effort requires something from every one of us. Here's my challenge to Duluth. If you haven't spent meaningful time downtown recently, come back. Have lunch at a locally owned restaurant. Walk Superior Street. Attend a concert. Visit the library. Browse an independent shop. Watch families enjoying the Lakewalk. Talk with a business owner. Experience downtown for yourself — not through Facebook, not through headlines and not through somebody else's opinion.

Then ask yourself an honest question: Is downtown moving in the right direction? If the answer is no, tell city leaders what you believe needs to change. If the answer is yes, tell your neighbors. Communities are strengthened when citizens participate, not when they retreat.

I've watched downtown Duluth reinvent itself before. I've seen Canal Park evolve from aging industrial property into one of Minnesota's premier waterfront destinations. I've watched entrepreneurs invest when conventional wisdom suggested they shouldn't, and I've watched civic leaders make difficult decisions whose greatest benefits became visible only years later. Every generation inherits the responsibility of leaving downtown stronger than it found it. Ours is no different. Twenty years from now, few people will remember the council vote that adopted the Downtown Development Strategy or the technical amendments to the zoning code. They will remember something much more enduring.

They will remember whether this was the moment Duluth chose not simply to build more housing or attract more investment, but to rebuild trust in the heart of its community. Because in the end, downtown's future will never be determined solely by concrete, cranes or construction projects. It will be determined by whether the people of Duluth once again believe that downtown belongs to them—and whether they choose to make it part of their lives again and again.

That is a future worth building together.

A 54-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after investigators said they observed him selling drugs in the 200 block of No. 2 Alley in Downtown Duluth.

Michael Clark was booked into the St. Louis County Jail pending charges of second-degree sale of fentanyl and second-degree sale of methamphetamine, according to the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force.

Investigators reported seizing 5.6 grams of fentanyl and 3.6 grams of methamphetamine during a search following the arrest. The drugs were packaged for sale, authorities said.

Clark was on probation for felony domestic assault and third-degree possession of fentanyl at the time of his arrest, according to the task force.

A 17-year-old male was arrested early Friday after a confrontation involving armed party crashers ended with a gun being fired outside a residence in Duluth's Harbor Highlands neighborhood, according to police.

Officers responded at about 1 a.m. to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of East Harbor Highlands, the Duluth Police Department said. When officers arrived, they found the 17-year-old with a head injury and a semiautomatic pistol nearby.

According to the preliminary investigation, a party was taking place at the residence when three masked males attempted to force their way inside. Police said one of the suspects displayed a firearm while trying to enter the home.

Investigators said the 17-year-old confronted the group while armed with his own handgun. During the confrontation, he was struck in the head with a pistol, and a firearm was discharged. Police said no one was struck by the gunfire.

The three suspects fled before officers arrived and had not been located as of Friday.

The 17-year-old was treated for his injuries at a local hospital before being booked into the Arrowhead Juvenile Center on allegations of possessing a pistol without a permit and carrying a firearm while intoxicated.

By DANA KAZEL

St. Louis County's request for funding to stabilize the eroding shoreline of the privately-owned Scandia Cemetery, has cleared an important hurdle. The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) today voted to include $1.44 million for the project on its list of recommendations for 2027 allocations. The list will next be presented to the Minnesota legislature for final approval during next year's session. 

Scandia Cemetery dates back to 1881 and is located overlooking the shore of Lake Superior in Duluth. Erosion from the Great Lake has uncovered human remains and left numerous other graves precariously close to the edge. The private association that owns the cemetery does not have the means to address the issue, so St. Louis County stepped up to address the concern in a permanent way.

County engineers estimate it will cost $2.3 million to construct a permanent concrete retaining wall, stabilize the Lake Superior shoreline, and construct an access road for future maintenance and operation needs. The county will continue working to identify other sources for remaining needed funds.

"While this is by no means a done deal, it's an important step toward correcting this serious situation," said Commissioner Patrick Boyle, whose district incudes the Scandia Cemetery. "Major credit goes to Representative Roger Skraba and Senator Jen McEwen who both sit on the LCCMR. They recognized the need to find a respectful solution for the people who have loved ones buried there, and rreally advocated on our behalf.

Funding for the project would come from the state's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF)

The overwhelming majority of calls handled by the Duluth Fire Department do not involve fires. The department recorded 15,344 medical and other nonsuppression calls in 2025, compared with 290 calls for fire suppression. That works out to roughly 53 medical and nonfire calls for every reported fire.

Many of those calls require an immediate emergency response. Others might be handled more economically by a nurse, community paramedic, social worker or smaller medical unit.

That distinction could become increasingly important as Duluth confronts a projected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall and rising employee costs.

Police and fire account for about $55.3 million, or 49%, of Duluth’s $113.2 million general fund. Police spending is budgeted at $30.5 million in 2026, while the Fire Department receives $24.8 million.

Duluth cannot resolve its projected deficit by trimming office supplies and travel. But it may be able to control public safety costs by changing how it responds to thousands of calls that do not require a conventional police officer or a fully staffed fire engine.

Cities from Denver to Houston are experimenting with that approach. Instead of cutting emergency services across the board, they are creating different levels of response based on the urgency and nature of each call.

For Duluth, one of the first tests is fire overtime. The Fire Department exceeded its 2025 overtime budget by $1.3 million. The city added three firefighters and placed an $850,000 cap on fire overtime for 2026, betting that additional regular staffing will cost less than repeatedly calling employees back at overtime rates.

The result will depend on whether the city can control the vacancies, sick leave, vacation coverage and minimum staffing requirements that generate overtime.

Duluth’s budget calls for a yearlong review of the department’s staffing model and overtime trends. It also calls for refining lower-priority dispatch protocols and measuring how often fire apparatus is used.

The city has not promised that those changes will produce a specific amount of savings. To determine whether they work, officials would need to publish overtime by station, shift and cause, along with the cost of the additional firefighters and any changes in emergency response times.

Medical calls offer a potentially larger opportunity. Under a tiered system, dispatchers could continue sending full fire and ambulance responses to cardiac arrests, serious crashes, breathing emergencies and other life-threatening incidents. Less urgent calls could be transferred to a nurse, handled by a community-paramedicine team or assigned to a smaller vehicle instead of a fire engine.

Houston uses an emergency telehealth program that allows selected 911 patients to speak remotely with a physician. In one reported year, 92% of the 6,008 people served by the program were directed to transportation other than a Houston Fire Department ambulance.

Seattle operates Health One, which pairs firefighters with case managers to handle nonemergency medical complaints, behavioral-health cases and frequent 911 callers. The program responded more than 1,300 times in 2024, allowing conventional emergency units to remain available for higher-priority incidents.

Such programs do not eliminate costs. Nurses, paramedics and social workers must still be paid. The savings come when a lower-cost response actually replaces a more expensive one, reduces repeat calls or allows a city to operate with less overtime and fewer additional emergency units.

The same principle could be applied to Duluth police. The Police Department recorded 86,013 calls for service in 2025, up from 83,555 the previous year. The department reported 130 sworn officers and 29 professional employees.

Duluth already operates the CORE behavioral-health program, which pairs police officers with social workers. It also has a substance-use response team that connects people with treatment and other services.

Those programs can reduce repeated contact with police, hospitals and the county jail. But a co-response still requires an officer.

A more substantial cost reform would allow civilian crisis workers to respond without police to carefully screened calls involving homelessness, intoxication, welfare checks and mental-health concerns when there is no reported weapon, violence or immediate threat.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, has made civilian response a separate city department. Albuquerque Community Safety reported handling more than 45,000 calls during fiscal 2025, primarily involving mental health, homelessness and substance use. During one recent reporting period, civilian responders requested police assistance in less than 1% of their calls.

Denver’s Support Team Assisted Response program sends a paramedic and behavioral-health clinician instead of police to selected low-risk calls. A peer-reviewed study of the pilot found a 34% reduction in reported low-level offenses in areas served by the program, without a detectable increase in serious crime.

Duluth could also reduce costs by reserving sworn officers for duties that require police powers. Professional employees could take delayed theft and vandalism reports, process evidence, conduct some background investigations, manage records and handle traffic control. Online and telephone reporting could replace officer visits when a crime is no longer in progress and no suspect is present.

Regional cooperation provides another possibility. Duluth already participates in regional training, specialized response teams and a Metro SWAT operation. Additional cooperation with St. Louis County, Superior and nearby communities could reduce duplication in dispatch, fire investigation, hazardous-material response, training, fleet management and specialized equipment.

None of the reforms would be immediate. Changes involving staffing, overtime, callback pay and minimum crew levels would require collective bargaining. Regional consolidation could carry startup costs and provoke concern over local control.

Savings also would disappear if Duluth created civilian programs without reducing overtime, leaving vacancies unfilled or adjusting future police and fire staffing.

The choice is not simply between cutting public safety and preserving it unchanged. Duluth could instead reserve its most expensive emergency resources for calls that genuinely require them.

With personnel costs rising faster than city revenue, the question is no longer only how many police officers and firefighters Duluth can afford. It is also whether every call requires one.

The City of Duluth could eliminate its zoo subsidy, cancel travel, fire its lobbyists and slash outside contracts — and still fall well short of resolving the city’s projected budget deficit.

The numbers point to a harder conclusion: Duluth’s financial problem is rooted primarily in employee compensation and the cost of maintaining its current level of public services, not in one conspicuous pocket of government waste.

The city entered 2026 after closing a projected $7.3 million general-fund gap through overtime controls, staff reductions, additional revenue and one-time money. City officials nevertheless projected another shortfall of about $5.8 million for 2027, warning that expenses were rising considerably faster than revenue.

Duluth’s 2026 general fund totals $113.2 million. Salaries, wages and benefits account for approximately $93.8 million, or nearly 83% of that amount, according to the city’s approved budget.

That leaves relatively little room to balance the budget without affecting employees or services.

General-fund salaries and wages increased by about $3.5 million from the 2025 budget, while benefits rose by another $1.7 million. The combined $5.2 million increase occurred even as the city reduced its authorized workforce by 3.8 full-time-equivalent positions.

Police and fire services alone consume 49% of the general fund. Police spending is budgeted at $30.5 million, while the Fire Department receives $24.8 million. Parks, libraries and city facilities account for another $16.6 million, and public works receives about $12.1 million.

Closing a $5.8 million gap exclusively through compensation reductions would require cutting more than 6% of the city’s salary-and-benefit budget. That could mean layoffs, leaving vacancies unfilled, renegotiating labor costs or reducing services.

Overtime remains one potential target. Duluth budgeted $1.72 million in premium pay for 2026, including about $861,000 for the Fire Department and $490,000 for police. Fire overtime exceeded $1.6 million in 2025, prompting the city to add three firefighters in hopes that additional regular staffing would reduce overtime expenses.

Whether that strategy produces savings will be an important test. Adding employees can reduce overtime, but it also creates continuing salary, health care and pension obligations.

Several smaller accounts are likely to attract scrutiny. The general fund includes $150,000 for lobbyists, $234,200 for travel and training, $605,500 for contract services and $279,000 for other professional services.

Eliminating all four categories would save about $1.27 million — less than one-quarter of the projected shortfall. Some of that spending also supports required audits, legal work, technology, employee certification and other services the city cannot simply abandon.

Another $1.68 million is budgeted under the broad heading of “other services and charges.” That account deserves a vendor-by-vendor public review, but its title alone does not establish that the spending is unnecessary.

The Lake Superior Zoo has emerged as another possible target because it receives $510,000 in annual tourism-tax operating support. The Great Lakes Aquarium receives $310,000, Spirit Mountain receives $400,000 and the Greater Downtown Council receives $280,000.

Closing the zoo, however, would not provide an immediate $510,000 general-fund saving. The money comes from Duluth’s tourism-tax fund, which is restricted to tourism-related purposes. The city also owns the zoo property, and relocating more than 300 animals would carry substantial costs. A 2020 estimate placed relocation expenses alone at no less than $500,000.

The tourism budget contains larger expenditures that could face closer examination, including $1.8 million for a tourism marketing firm, $695,000 in discretionary tourism grants and $663,000 for Visit Duluth convention and event sales.

Those programs should be required to demonstrate measurable results, including additional hotel stays, visitor spending and tourism-tax revenue. Reducing them could preserve tourism-fund reserves or redirect money to other visitor-related priorities, but it would not necessarily balance the general fund.

Other large tourism expenditures are debt obligations rather than optional annual programs. Duluth budgeted nearly $4.48 million for Amsoil Arena debt service, $2.05 million for St. Louis River Corridor projects and $900,000 for Spirit Mountain-related debt. Those bills generally cannot be erased without refinancing, selling assets or defaulting on obligations.

The budget therefore offers no painless collection of ceremonial events, consultants and subsidies large enough to resolve Duluth’s structural problem.

A credible deficit plan would likely combine several measures: stricter overtime controls, a hiring freeze or vacancy review, consolidation of administrative functions, competitive bidding for professional services, performance requirements for outside organizations, employee attrition and new discussions about which parks, libraries and public facilities the city can afford to operate.

It could also require additional revenue through taxes, fees or economic growth.

Mayor Roger Reinert acknowledged the scale of the challenge after the 2026 budget was approved, saying the city’s expenses were growing faster than its revenues and warning that maintaining the status quo was not an option.

Duluth can find efficiencies, and its contracts, subsidies and vaguely described accounts deserve greater scrutiny. But the budget’s central fact is difficult to avoid: The city cannot eliminate a multimillion-dollar structural deficit without confronting employee costs, service levels or taxes.

That is where the money is — and where the difficult decisions will be.

Two men were arrested Wednesday morning after Duluth police linked them to a series of vehicle prowls across the community, authorities said.

Duluth police responded about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, to a report of a vehicle prowl in which a computer, wallet and checkbook were stolen.

A Community Service Officer identified two suspects and located them near North Central Avenue. Officers responded to the area and were speaking with one suspect when the second suspect fled on foot, police said. Following a brief foot pursuit, officers apprehended him.

Police said 28-year-old Parker Swor was lodged at the St. Louis County Jail on pending charges of computer theft, financial card fraud, fleeing a police officer and theft from a motor vehicle.

Police said 23-year-old Spencer Swor was arrested on a pending charge of felony possession of stolen property.

Investigators later linked the two men to 13 additional vehicle prowls reported in the community, according to police.

Howie's daily column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen Bar.

A proposed round of budget reductions totaling more than $4.2 million across Duluth Public Schools would cut staff positions, scale back programs and increase class sizes in some buildings as district leaders work to balance the 2026-27 general fund.

The district’s “Estimated General Fund Budget Reductions Breakdown” report outlines $4,296,067 in projected savings, affecting every school site as well as district-level operations. The plan relies on standard cost estimates of $50,000 per non-certified position and $100,000 per certified position, though officials noted that seniority rules mean listed cuts do not necessarily correspond to specific employees.

District-level reductions account for the largest share at $970,000, followed by cuts at Duluth East High School ($450,000), Ordean East Middle School ($350,000) and Denfeld High School ($303,500). Elementary and middle schools across the district would also see reductions ranging from about $70,000 to $300,000.

Additional savings of $607,000 are projected through reductions in contracted services and other districtwide expenses.

The plan includes eliminating or reducing dozens of positions, including teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors and administrative staff. Several positions would not be filled after retirements, while others would be reduced or reassigned.

Among the most significant changes, the district would cut one counselor each at East and Denfeld high schools, returning staffing to pre-pandemic levels. Career and technical education positions at Denfeld would be reduced by 1.9 full-time equivalents, while multiple teaching sections across high schools would be eliminated based on enrollment.

At the elementary level, some schools would see larger class sizes. At Laura MacArthur Elementary, the removal of a fourth-grade teacher would increase class sizes from about 15 students to more than 22 per class. A second-grade teacher cut at Piedmont Elementary would similarly raise class sizes to nearly 23 students per class.

District officials said they attempted to keep reductions away from classrooms when possible, instead targeting administrative roles, support services and programs with declining enrollment. Still, several academic and intervention positions — including reading and math specialists — are slated for cuts.

The district would also eliminate or scale back a number of programs and services, including early release at high schools, PEAK programming and several software subscriptions and digital tools. Officials estimate those changes alone would save nearly $300,000.

In addition to cuts, the report details targeted reallocations designed to preserve key student supports. For example, Denfeld would retain five of six “Check and Connect” mentors through reallocated funding, while Laura MacArthur Elementary School would add a social-emotional-behavioral specialist by shifting resources from other reductions.

Other reallocations include maintaining a first-grade teaching position at Piedmont using federal Title II funds and preserving limited counseling and mentoring support at multiple sites.

District leaders said the reallocation strategy reflects an effort to prioritize mental health services and early-grade instruction despite overall reductions.

The report emphasizes that all figures are estimates and could change as staffing decisions are finalized. It also notes that “full-time equivalent,” or FTE, is used as a standard measure of workload and does not necessarily represent a single individual.

The proposed reductions come as school districts across Minnesota face financial pressure from rising costs, enrollment shifts and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funding.

District officials have not yet announced a final timeline for implementing the reductions but said further review and adjustments are expected before the 2026-27 budget is adopted.

Howie's column is powered by Lyric Kitchen · Bar

It always begins with something small. A resolution on a Tuesday night. A vote that sounds procedural. A quote about “keeping up our buildings.”

Then, weeks later, taxpayers learn they’ve inherited another $38 million in debt.

The Duluth school board has authorized the sale of general-obligation bonds under Minnesota’s long-term facilities-maintenance program. On paper, it’s about roofs, electrical, boilers and plumbing. In practice, it’s a way to borrow tens of millions without ever asking voters’ permission.

They’ll tell you this is normal. They’ll call it routine, even boring. But the real story lives inside the fine print: repayment doesn’t start until 2029.

Interest pushes the total to more than $50 million. And the entire cost — every dime of principal and interest — will be carried on local property-tax bills.

If that feels familiar, it should. This is the same financial DNA that fueled the Red Plan, the last time Duluth trusted a small circle of insiders to decide how much debt the city could absorb.

School administrators describe the process as “annual maintenance,” which is technically true and strategically cunning. Calling it maintenance turns extraordinary borrowing into routine business.

It also slides under the state statute that requires voter referenda for most construction bonds. 

Under Minnesota law, long-term facilities-maintenance bonds don’t need an election as long as the district files its 10-year plan with the Department of Education and shows the debt service fits within projected revenue.

So the district submits a spreadsheet, gets a bureaucratic blessing and proceeds to market the bonds. 

Legal? Absolutely. Transparent? Not remotely.

What the public rarely sees is the arithmetic. The district already carries more than $125 million in debt. Add this issue and total obligations creep toward $160 million — roughly the size of the district’s entire annual operating budget.

Debt service already consumes about 60 percent of the school levy. 

With this addition, Duluth is entering a decade in which the school system will spend more paying off past repairs than teaching future students.

The repayment schedule — delayed until 2029 — isn’t financial prudence; it’s political choreography. By waiting four years, the board ensures that the new payments won’t collide with the retirement of an older bond. 

To the casual observer, the levy line may look “stable.” In truth, it’s debt daisy-chaining: one bond rolls off, another rolls on, and taxpayers keep writing checks.

Ask any homeowner still paying down a Red Plan-era assessment what “stable” feels like. The district refinances the calendar, not the cost.

When the 2029 payments start, Duluth residents will owe about $10 million a year for five straight years just on this one bond. For a median-valued home, that could mean an additional $300 to $400 a year in school taxes, depending on property-value growth and state-aid offsets.

Officials point to the district’s A3 credit rating as proof of fiscal health. It’s a decent rating — but it exists because taxpayers have always paid their bills. The rating agency doesn’t judge whether borrowing is wise, only whether citizens are reliable.

Moody’s calls it “low credit risk.” Translated: Duluth always pays up. 

That reliability has become the district’s favorite collateral. Every time it borrows without a vote, it bets on the same thing — taxpayer compliance.

The most striking part of this saga is what no one has asked in public session: Should we? Should a district with flat enrollment and a shrinking birth rate continue to load future levies with new debt?

Should elected officials have the right to bypass voters indefinitely under the banner of “maintenance”? When millions are borrowed without consent, transparency isn’t a courtesy — it’s an obligation.

Every large institution learns to weaponize vocabulary. “Routine.” “Maintenance.” “Investment.” Each word lowers the emotional temperature.

But beneath that comfort language are figures that would alarm any city auditor: an additional $12.8 million in interest over five years, layered onto a property-tax base already strained by city and county levy increases. 

The phrase “we do this every year” is meant to reassure. It should terrify. Because once debt becomes annualized, so does opacity. Taxpayers stop noticing. Bonding becomes habit. And habit is how accountability dies.

Under the state’s long-term facilities-maintenance program, districts must submit a 10-year plan to the Minnesota Department of Education by July 31 each year.

The plan must outline expected costs for facility upkeep — roofs, HVAC, electrical systems — and detail how those costs will be financed through a combination of state aid and local levy. 

If a district chooses to issue bonds instead of paying as it goes, it can do so without a referendum as long as projected debt service fits within its LTFM revenue stream. It’s a legal loophole carved by good intentions: help rural and aging districts maintain buildings without constant elections. 

But it has become a back door for quiet borrowing statewide. The Duluth board simply walked through it.

The decision to postpone repayment until 2029 buys time for administrators and board members alike. It spares current leadership from the backlash that would follow an immediate tax spike.

It also guarantees that by the time bills arrive, today’s decision-makers can point to tomorrow’s successors and say, “That wasn’t us.” 

No one runs for office on the promise of higher taxes four years from now. By then, the borrowing is baked into the levy, hidden inside the same line where last year’s bond used to be.

The district will argue that not borrowing would be irresponsible — that roofs leak, boilers fail and kids need safe buildings. Fair enough. But responsible maintenance doesn’t require financial sleight of hand. It requires honesty about costs and the courage to ask voters directly.

If the plan is as necessary and well-designed as officials claim, taxpayers would likely support it. 

Duluth has always backed its schools when asked straight. What people resent is the end-around — the belief that bureaucrats know better than the public how much debt a community can bear.

Fifteen years after the Red Plan, the district still seems addicted to the same method: centralize decision-making, outsource transparency and assume forgiveness later.

The Red Plan built new schools but fractured public trust. 

This bond won’t spark the same protests because the sums look smaller and the language softer. But the principle is identical: borrow now, justify later.

Residents deserve a simple chart: how much total debt the district owes, how much will be added, how long it will take to repay, and what it means per $100,000 of taxable value. No marketing gloss, no “routine” adjectives — just math. 

They deserve to know how much of each dollar goes to classrooms versus creditors, to see the state-aid assumptions and what happens if those projections fall short, and to hear a straight answer to one yes-or-no question: Would you still borrow this money if you had to put it on a ballot?

The irony is that Duluth’s schools may truly need the repairs. Nobody disputes that roofs wear out. The question is whether the system that keeps writing checks on the public’s behalf has earned the public’s trust to do it again.

Debt is easy. Transparency is hard. 

The district chose the easier path. It may take taxpayers another generation to pay for it — again.

Howie Hanson is Minnesota’s Columnist, writing about power, money, sports and civic life across the state. This column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen . Bar of Duluth.

George Goldfarb has been named chief executive officer and chairman of Maurices as the Duluth-based retailer announced an administrative update to its governance structure.

The company said the change does not affect ownership, operations, strategy or leadership continuity.

Maurices has been backed by the same private equity fund and group of investors since 2019, and that ownership structure remains in place. The transition involves a change in the advisory firm supporting the fund. OpCapita will step aside as its founder pursues other opportunities, with advisory responsibilities shifting to Torpen Capital.

As part of the transition, Chris McDermott will continue to support Maurices through Torpen Capital. McDermott has been connected to the brand since 2019, providing oversight and strategic guidance.

Goldfarb will continue to lead day-to-day operations while also chairing the board, maintaining responsibility for company performance and direction. The leadership team, operating model and strategic priorities remain unchanged, the company said.

“Chris’s continued involvement ensures stability and deep continuity during this transition,” Goldfarb said in a statement. “This change does not alter how we operate, how we serve our customers, or how we execute our strategy.”

He added that from an operational standpoint, “nothing changes,” describing Maurices as financially strong and focused on executing its plans.

The company said customers, partners and employees should expect no disruption as a result of the transition.

Sawyer Senst is already one of Hermantown High School’s finest athletes, an imposing 6-foot-5, 225-pound presence who starts at quarterback, contributes along the defensive front and ranks among the Northland’s elite power forwards. He does not need a senior-year breakthrough to establish his standing. His performance in two sports, along with his work ethic, character and leadership, already has done that.

What remains uncertain is how soon Senst will have another opportunity to add to that resume.

Senst is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his knee. He is slightly more than halfway through a demanding rehabilitation process and hopes to return for Hermantown’s football season opener at Duluth Denfeld on Sept. 4.

“I’m not back to full strength yet, but I’m attacking rehabilitation,” Senst said. “I’m doing physical therapy twice a week and working out three days a week. I’m starting to run and jump again, and I hope to be back for opening week.”

The summer Senst envisioned was supposed to include AAU basketball tournaments, college football camps and offseason workouts with his Hermantown teammates. Instead, it has become a demanding cycle of physical therapy, strength training and carefully monitored progress as he rebuilds stability and confidence in the repaired knee.

There is no self-pity in his voice and no attempt to make the situation sound more dramatic than it is. That is Senst’s nature. He is poised, unfailingly polite and thoughtful, carrying himself with a maturity that extends far beyond the football field or basketball court.

Senst’s knee trouble began during Hermantown’s Christmas basketball tournament at Minnesota Duluth. He twisted the knee, continued playing and experienced several additional episodes before suffering the ACL and meniscus tears in the Hawks’ final game of the season.

The physical demands of rehabilitation are difficult, but the separation from competition may be even harder. Senst is accustomed to moving directly from one sport into the next, trading basketball shoes for football cleats without much time between seasons. He should be playing AAU basketball, demonstrating his ability at football camps and preparing Hermantown’s offense for another championship run.

Instead, he has been forced to watch.

Senst has attempted to make the most of the interruption. 

“My dad and I have gone fishing, and that has been good,” Senst said. “Everybody is working with me and supporting me. I feel like I’m ready to go, but I know I still have work to do.”

Nobody outworks Senst. Nobody.

That is not an empty piece of praise handed to a prominent high school athlete. His commitment is visible in the way he has approached two demanding sports, accepted the responsibility of playing quarterback and responded to a major injury that eliminated nearly his entire summer competition schedule. He cannot control how quickly the knee heals, but he can control how faithfully he completes the work required to return.

Senst’s high character is just as important as his physical ability. He is respectful without sounding rehearsed, confident without becoming boastful and competitive without making every conversation about himself. He is a born leader, on the field and away from it, because teammates recognize that his standards are genuine. He does not ask others to make sacrifices he is unwilling to make himself.

Hermantown has plenty riding on Senst’s recovery. During his first full season as the Hawks’ starting quarterback, he completed 45 of 83 passes for 709 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for more than 120 yards and six touchdowns, giving Hermantown another powerful option in short-yardage situations and near the goal line.

Those numbers do not fully describe the problems Senst creates for a defense. His big frame allows him to stand tall in the pocket, see over the offensive line and drive the football downfield. When a play breaks down, he is strong enough to run through arm tackles and athletic enough to extend the possession.

“My size helps, no doubt,” Senst said. “I’m a big body, I throw a tight spiral and I can see over the linemen. I’m willing to take a hit, and when I run, I’m not afraid to run through somebody. I think my vision and the run-pass option fit what we do.”

Senst acknowledged that it took time to become comfortable as the Hawks’ starting quarterback. Playing the position required more than arm strength. He had to read defenses, manage the huddle, protect the football and remain composed after a difficult play. His command of the offense improved as the season progressed.

“I thought I did well stepping in at quarterback,” Senst said. “It took me some time to become comfortable, but once I settled in, I felt good running the offense. We have a lot of talent coming back, and I think we can make a run.”

Hermantown finished 8-2 but lost twice to Grand Rapids, including a season-ending defeat in the Section 7, Class 4A championship game. Those losses left the Hawks with unfinished business and a clear understanding of what separates a good football team from a championship team.

Hermantown will open at Denfeld before visiting Proctor on Sept. 11. The Hawks’ home schedule begins against Duluth East on Sept. 18 and continues against Cloquet on Sept. 25, Esko on Oct. 9 and Rock Ridge on Oct. 14.

The most important road test arrives Oct. 2 at defending section champion Grand Rapids. Hermantown completes its regular season at North Branch on Oct. 21. 

The offense will again be built around Martin Sleen, who rushed for 1,908 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior. Owen Simonson provides another option in the backfield, giving Hermantown the personnel to combine its traditional power running game with play-action passes and run-pass options.

“It’s crazy to watch Martin,” Senst said. “You hand him the ball and think he’s going to be tackled, and then he’s running 50 or 60 yards downfield. He’s fun to watch. His speed and strength are like nothing I’ve seen before. He can do anything you ask of him.”

Even while discussing his own comeback and college opportunities, Senst instinctively redirects attention toward a teammate. That is another indication of his leadership. Leadership is not always delivered through a fiery speech or a loud voice in the huddle. Sometimes it is demonstrated by knowing when someone else deserves the credit.

Senst is also expected to contribute at defensive tackle, adding another significant responsibility to his senior season. Burly linebacker Fletcher Wrazidlo returns after recording more than 100 tackles, giving the Hawks an experienced defensive leader behind Senst.

Grand Rapids remains the section standard, and North Branch should also contend. Senst believes Hermantown has the returning talent, experience and motivation to challenge both.

“Grand Rapids and North Branch will be strong, but I think we’ll make a run,” Senst said.

College football programs have begun recognizing Senst’s potential. He visited Bethel University and received his first scholarship offer from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. Some programs are evaluating him as a quarterback, while others see the frame, hands and athletic background of a potential tight end.

“I’ve gotten looks for football, which would be amazing,” Senst said. “It’s exciting to see those opportunities starting to come.”

Football may be generating more recruiting attention, but Senst is also one of the area’s premier basketball players. He averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and one blocked shot per game as a junior, using his strength, soft hands and court awareness to control possessions around the basket.

“We were OK, but we were better than the year before,” Senst said of Hermantown’s 2025-26 basketball season. “We had a lot of freshmen playing up.”

Missing the AAU summer basketball season cost Senst valuable recruiting exposure and development time. It did not diminish what he already has accomplished or change the qualities that made him an elite power forward. His ability has been established. His senior basketball season will provide another opportunity to demonstrate it.

First comes football and the final stages of rehabilitation.

The knee injury temporarily took away Senst’s opportunity to compete. It did not change who he is. He remains an exceptional athlete with uncommon versatility and the potential to play college football at several positions. More importantly, he remains a young man of high character whose poise, politeness and leadership are every bit as noticeable as his imposing size.

Senst is the athlete younger Hawks can watch and emulate, the teammate coaches can trust and the quarterback willing to accept responsibility. He is already one of Hermantown High School’s finest athletes. His senior year could add another memorable chapter, but it will not define him.

His work ethic, character and leadership already have.

Hermantown enters the 2026 boys soccer season with something it did not have a year ago: the distinction of defending Lake Superior Conference champion.

The Hawks finished 9-5-4 overall and captured the conference title with a 7-1-3 league record, finishing with 24 points, eight points ahead of runner-up Duluth Marshall. Hermantown outscored its opponents 40-29, posted a 1.61 team goals-against average and received 154 saves from its goalkeepers while earning the No. 3 seed in the Section 7A tournament.

The season featured several signature victories. Hermantown defeated Duluth Marshall 3-0 after losing the first meeting, swept Grand Rapids with two one-goal victories, defeated Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 1-0 and earned conference ties against Duluth Denfeld and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton. The Hawks also recorded shutout victories over Mesabi East Area, Proctor twice, Hibbing/Chisholm and Legacy Christian.

Hermantown advanced to the Section 7A semifinals by defeating Legacy Christian 8-0 before its season ended with a 4-2 loss to Duluth Marshall.

Although several seniors graduated, much of the team's foundation returns.

Goalkeeper Ethan Aysta returns after gaining varsity experience during his junior season, giving Hermantown continuity at one of the game's most important positions. The Hawks also return an experienced defensive group that includes juniors Eyan Winkelman, Owen Dennee, Emmett McDonald and Niccolo Annoni.

The midfield, traditionally the strength of Hermantown's possession-oriented attack, also returns significant experience. Quinn Raukar, Liam Sundell, Keegan Bradley, Jack Johnson, Finn Johnson and Kestan Bradley all return for their senior seasons after contributing throughout last year. Center midfielder Parker Clennon also returns after earning varsity minutes as a sophomore.

Junior forward Trevor Arntson is the Hawks' top returning attacking player and is expected to play a larger offensive role this fall as Hermantown replaces production lost to graduation.

“Parker Clennon is a fantastic player,” said legendary Hawks coach David Thompson. "Ethan, our goalkeeper whom I nominated for all-state a year ago is the best 'keeper in the region this year. Fellow captains Keston Bradley and Quinn Raukar are elite players."

Experience should be one of Hermantown's biggest advantages entering the season. Nine returning upperclassmen played meaningful varsity minutes during last year's conference championship run, giving the Hawks an experienced nucleus that already understands the demands of competing for league and postseason championships.

The conference race is expected to remain competitive. Duluth Marshall, Duluth Denfeld and Grand Rapids all finished within four victories of Hermantown last season, while Cloquet/Esko/Carlton proved difficult to beat in two closely contested matches.

For Hermantown, the formula that produced last year's conference championship remains straightforward: defend consistently, control possession through an experienced midfield and capitalize on scoring opportunities. If the returning core builds on the experience gained during the 2025 season, the Hawks should again contend for the Lake Superior Conference championship and another deep Section 7A tournament run.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Cloquet will not need a new set of opponents to measure its progress in 2026. The Lumberjacks face the same eight regular-season opponents, in the same order, that produced a 3-5 record last fall. The locations are reversed, beginning with a Sept. 3 trip to Grand Rapids and ending Oct. 21 at Duluth Denfeld.

The first four games should provide an immediate indication of whether Cloquet is ready to improve on last year’s 3-6 overall finish. The Lumberjacks opened 2025 with losses to Grand Rapids, Esko, North Branch and Hermantown, getting outscored 138-65 during an 0-4 start. Grand Rapids won 46-8, North Branch defeated Cloquet 30-16 and Hermantown earned a 41-21 victory. The Lumberjacks’ 21-20 loss at Esko was decided by one point.

Cloquet recovered from that difficult opening stretch by defeating Mora 26-14, Rock Ridge 46-6 and Duluth East 21-20. The Lumberjacks outscored those three opponents 93-40 before closing with two losses to Denfeld. The Hunters won 25-7 in the regular-season finale and eliminated Cloquet 18-12 in the Section 7-4A quarterfinals.

The Lumberjacks return considerable experience at quarterback and receiver, but replacing their leading rusher will be the primary offensive question.

Cloquet averaged 178.7 rushing yards and 60.1 passing yards per game last season. Aiden Nelson, who has graduated, led the offense with 683 yards and 10 touchdowns on 113 carries. Nashton Johanson, another senior, added 229 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 9.2 yards per attempt.

Together, Nelson and Johanson accounted for 912 of Cloquet’s 1,608 rushing yards and 14 of its 21 rushing touchdowns.

Jack Horvat and Ade Banjo are the leading candidates to carry a larger share of the ground game. Horvat, who was a junior last season, rushed for 282 yards and three touchdowns on 50 attempts. Banjo produced 308 yards and three touchdowns on 50 carries as a sophomore. They combined for 590 yards while averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.

Jacob Parks, Milo Wilson and quarterback Keith Diver also are eligible to return. Parks rushed for 51 yards, caught three passes for 26 yards and led the return game with 332 yards and a touchdown on 16 kick returns. Wilson gained 42 yards on 18 carries.

Diver handled nearly all of the passing responsibilities as a sophomore. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback completed 42 of 86 passes for 534 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. His experience gives Cloquet continuity at the position, but the Lumberjacks will need greater production from a passing game that averaged slightly more than 60 yards.

Max Jazdzewski gives Diver an established target. Jazdzewski, listed at 6-4 and 185 pounds last season, caught 21 passes for 295 yards and one touchdown. He accounted for more than half of Cloquet’s receiving yardage while averaging 14 yards per catch.

Several other receivers are eligible to return, including Jayce Laine, Parks, Davis Snesrud, Connor Etter and Cavan Fjeld. Laine caught three passes for 27 yards, Snesrud had five receptions for 25 yards and Etter caught two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown. Cloquet returns players responsible for 393 of its 541 receiving yards.

The defensive roster also has an experienced group eligible to return. Horvat recorded 39 tackles in four games included in the submitted statistics. Snesrud and Etter each finished with 28 tackles, while Parks had 22, Banjo 21 and Caden Larsen 20.

Fjeld intercepted two passes as a junior, and Easton Peterson had one as a sophomore. Those were Cloquet’s three reported interceptions.

The Lumberjacks lost several senior linemen, including Ben Frerich, Carter Kalli, Joe Kalm, Hank Nelson, Connor Tibbets and Damion Newcomb, but they have size eligible to return. Carter Oswald was listed at 5-11 and 340 pounds last season, Jaimie Petite at 5-10 and 250, and Lucas Hyry at 6-1 and 240. All three were juniors.

Cloquet also had several large sophomore linemen on last year’s roster, including 6-4, 260-pound Casius Sather, 6-foot, 320-pound Evan Hartwig, 5-7, 260-pound Wyatt Hansen and 6-foot, 250-pound Nathan Nynas. Their development could determine whether the Lumberjacks can continue relying on the running game while improving defensively.

The schedule offers Cloquet four home games and four road games. Esko, North Branch, Mora and Duluth East visit Cloquet. The Lumberjacks travel to Grand Rapids, Hermantown, Rock Ridge and Denfeld.

There is little mystery surrounding Cloquet’s path to improvement. The Lumberjacks must replace more than half of last season’s rushing production, develop a more productive passing game and avoid another slow start. With Diver, Jazdzewski, Horvat, Banjo and several experienced defenders eligible to return, Cloquet has a foundation around which to build.

Cloquet 2026 schedule

Sept. 3 — at Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — Esko, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — North Branch, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — at Hermantown, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 — Mora, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 — Duluth East, 7 p.m.

Oct. 21 — at Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.

Cloquet 2025 results

Grand Rapids 46, Cloquet 8

Esko 21, Cloquet 20

North Branch 30, Cloquet 16

Hermantown 41, Cloquet 21

Cloquet 26, Mora 14

Cloquet 46, Rock Ridge 6

Cloquet 21, Duluth East 20

Duluth Denfeld 25, Cloquet 7

Section quarterfinal: Duluth Denfeld 18, Cloquet 12

Aug. 22 — Bloomington Jefferson, 10 a.m.
Aug. 27 — at St. Francis, 5 p.m.
Aug. 28 — Two Rivers, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 — Esko, 3 p.m.
Sept. 8 — Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 — Hermantown, 4 p.m.
Sept. 14 — Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 — at St. Cloud Tech, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 — at Irondale, 2 p.m.
Sept. 21 — at Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 24 — at Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 — North Branch, 11 a.m.
Sept. 29 — at Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 1 — Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 — at Hermantown, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 — Zimmerman, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 — at Esko, 7 p.m.

Aug. 27 — Two Rivers, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 — Columbia Heights, 11 a.m.
Sept. 1 — at Chisago Lakes, 6 p.m.
Sept. 2 — at Mesabi East, 5 p.m.
Sept. 10 — Hermantown, 7 p.m.
Sept. 14 — at Hibbing, 4 p.m.
Sept. 17 — Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 — Proctor, 4 p.m.
Sept. 22 — at Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 — Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 — Princeton, 1 p.m.
Sept. 29 — Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 — at Hermantown, 1 p.m.
Oct. 6 — at North Branch, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 — Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 — at St. Cloud Tech, 3 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – North Branch, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 -- Big Lake, noon
Aug. 31 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 -- Coon Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Duluth Denfeld, noon
Oct. 1 -- at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 – Duluth East, 5 p.m.

Aug. 29 – at Esko (scrimmage), 9 a.m.
Sept. 4 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 11 -- at Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 -- Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2 -- at Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 -- Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 – at North Branch, 7 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – North Branch, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 -- Big Lake, noon
Aug. 31 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 -- Coon Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Duluth Denfeld, noon
Oct. 1 -- at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 – Duluth East, 5 p.m.

Aug. 27 – Holy Family, 6 p.m.
Aug. 28 -- at Mesabi East, 5 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Duluth Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- at Superior, 6 p.m.
Sept. 21 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Bemidji, 11 a.m.
Sept. 28 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 – Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28 — at Grand Rapids, 2 p.m.
Aug. 31 — Roseville, 6 p.m.
Sept. 8 — at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Sept. 10 — Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 — at Hibbing, noon
Sept. 15 — at Hermantown, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 — Duluth Marshall, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 — Cloquet, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 — Duluth East, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 — Hermantown, noon
Sept. 28 — Princeton, 6 p.m.
Oct. 1 — at Proctor, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 — at North Branch, 1 p.m.
Oct. 6 — Esko, 6 p.m.
Oct. 8 — Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 10 — at Columbia Heights, noon

Aug. 28 — at Mahtomedi, noon
Aug. 29 — at Chisago Lakes, 11 a.m.
Sept. 3 — Lakeville South, 4 p.m.
Sept. 4 — Lakeville North, 10 a.m.
Sept. 8 — Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 — Hermantown, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 — Hibbing, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 — Grand Rapids, 2 p.m.
Sept. 22 — North Branch, 6 p.m.
Sept. 24 — Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 — at Washington Technology Magnet, noon
Sept. 29 — at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 — Proctor, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 — at Superior, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 — at Hermantown, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 10 — Princeton, 11 a.m.

Aug. 24 — Cloquet, 9 a.m.
Sept. 1 — Aitkin, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 — at Rock Ridge, 6 p.m.
Sept. 8 — at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 — Moose Lake, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 — at Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 — Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 — at Mesabi East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 — at Hermantown, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 — St. Paul Johnson, 2 p.m.
Sept. 29 — at Two Harbors, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 — Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 5 — Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 — at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 — at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 — at Proctor, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 — at Zimmerman, 7 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – North Branch, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 -- Big Lake, noon
Aug. 31 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 -- Coon Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Duluth Denfeld, noon
Oct. 1 -- at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 – Duluth East, 5 p.m.

Aug. 27 – Holy Family, 6 p.m.
Aug. 28 -- at Mesabi East, 5 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Duluth Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- at Superior, 6 p.m.
Sept. 21 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Bemidji, 11 a.m.
Sept. 28 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 – Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – Holy Family, 6 p.m.
Aug. 28 -- at Mesabi East, 5 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Duluth Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- at Superior, 6 p.m.
Sept. 21 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Bemidji, 11 a.m.
Sept. 28 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 – Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 – at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Aug. 26 -- Buffalo and one other team, 9 a.m.
Sept. 1 -- at Grand Rapids, 9 a.m.
Sept. 2 -- at Rock Ridge, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Superior, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Stella Maris Academy, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Duluth Marshall, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 23 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28 -- at Hibbing, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 1 – at Superior, 4 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 24 – at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Aug. 26 -- Buffalo and one other team, 9 a.m.
Sept. 1 -- at Grand Rapids, 9 a.m.
Sept. 2 -- at Rock Ridge, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Superior, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Stella Maris Academy, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Duluth Marshall, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 23 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28 -- at Hibbing, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 1 – at Superior, 4 p.m.

Aug. 29 – at Esko (scrimmage), 9 a.m.
Sept. 4 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 11 -- at Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 -- Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2 -- at Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 -- Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 – at North Branch, 7 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – North Branch, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 -- Big Lake, noon
Aug. 31 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 -- Coon Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Duluth Denfeld, noon
Oct. 1 -- at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 – Duluth East, 5 p.m.

Aug. 27 – Holy Family, 6 p.m.
Aug. 28 -- at Mesabi East, 5 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Duluth Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- at Superior, 6 p.m.
Sept. 21 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Bemidji, 11 a.m.
Sept. 28 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 – Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – North Branch, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 -- Big Lake, noon
Aug. 31 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 -- Coon Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Duluth Denfeld, noon
Oct. 1 -- at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 – Duluth East, 5 p.m.

Aug. 24 – at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Aug. 26 -- Buffalo and one other team, 9 a.m.
Sept. 1 -- at Grand Rapids, 9 a.m.
Sept. 2 -- at Rock Ridge, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Superior, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Stella Maris Academy, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Duluth Marshall, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 23 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28 -- at Hibbing, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 1 – at Superior, 4 p.m.

Aug. 27 – North Branch, 4 p.m.
Aug. 29 -- Big Lake, noon
Aug. 31 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 -- Coon Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Duluth Denfeld, noon
Oct. 1 -- at Two Harbors, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 11 a.m.
Oct. 6 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 – Duluth East, 5 p.m.

Every great sporting event has a moment when it stops being local and begins becoming something much larger. It is rarely obvious at the time. The people involved are usually too busy building, competing and surviving to appreciate what is unfolding around them. Years later, however, history tends to reveal the turning points with remarkable clarity.

For Grandma's Marathon, those turning points arrived wearing Minnesota running shoes.

Long before the event became one of the premier destination marathons in North America, before elite athletes arrived from Kenya, Ethiopia and around the globe, before tens of thousands of runners and spectators filled the North Shore each June, two Minnesota distance runners helped establish the credibility that transformed a young race into an internationally respected event. Their names remain forever linked to Grandma's Marathon history: Garry Bjorklund and Dick Beardsley.

Today, it is difficult to imagine Duluth without Grandma's Marathon. The race has become one of the city's defining annual events, generating millions of dollars in economic activity, attracting visitors from across the United States and beyond, and serving as a showcase for the city, the North Shore and Minnesota itself. But in the late 1970s and early 1980s, none of that was guaranteed. Grandma's Marathon was a startup sporting event competing for attention in a crowded running landscape. It needed legitimacy. It needed star power. Most of all, it needed athletes capable of convincing the running world that something special was happening along the shores of Lake Superior.

That is where Bjorklund entered the picture.

A native of Twig, just northwest of Duluth, Bjorklund was already one of the nation's premier distance runners when Grandma's Marathon debuted in 1977. His running résumé included NCAA All-America honors and international competition, making him arguably the most accomplished runner ever to toe the starting line of the inaugural event. When Bjorklund won that first Grandma's Marathon in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 54 seconds, the victory represented much more than the first championship in race history. It gave organizers immediate credibility. If one of America's best distance runners believed the event was worth running, other athletes would take notice as well.

The significance of Bjorklund's early support cannot be overstated. New sporting events fail all the time. They struggle to attract participants. They struggle to attract sponsors. They struggle to attract media attention. The involvement of an athlete of Bjorklund's stature instantly elevated Grandma's Marathon above the level of a local novelty. It became a legitimate race with legitimate aspirations. In many ways, Bjorklund served as the event's first ambassador long before anyone was using such terminology.

Then came 1980.

By that point, Grandma's Marathon was still a young event searching for a broader identity. Bjorklund delivered the breakthrough performance organizers could only have dreamed about. His winning time of 2:10:20 shattered the existing course record and established Grandma's Marathon as a course capable of producing elite-level performances. Even more impressive is the fact that the mark remains one of the greatest performances ever recorded by an American at Grandma's Marathon. More than four decades later, Bjorklund's 1980 effort still stands among the fastest times in race history and remains the second-fastest marathon ever run by an American on the course.

That performance mattered because the running world pays attention to times. Athletes can appreciate beautiful scenery and enthusiastic crowds, but elite competitors ultimately chase fast courses and fast results. Bjorklund proved Grandma's Marathon offered both. His 1980 race provided the first real evidence that Duluth's North Shore course could produce performances worthy of national recognition. The race was no longer simply growing. It was beginning to emerge as a serious player in American road racing.

And then Beardsley arrived. If Bjorklund built the foundation, Beardsley constructed the first skyscraper.

By the time Beardsley won Grandma's Marathon in 1981, he was already developing a reputation as one of America's most promising marathon runners. What happened that June transformed both his career and the future of Grandma's Marathon. Beardsley finished in 2:09:37, establishing a course record that would stand for an astonishing 33 years. At the time, it represented one of the fastest marathon performances ever recorded by an American and immediately elevated Grandma's Marathon into the national spotlight.

The magnitude of that accomplishment becomes even more impressive when viewed through a modern lens. More than 45 years later, Beardsley's 2:09:37 remains the fastest marathon ever run by an American at Grandma's Marathon. Not one American runner has surpassed it. Thousands have tried. Many of the nation's finest marathoners have competed on the course. Yet Beardsley's mark remains untouched, a testament both to his talent and to the extraordinary nature of that performance.

Course records often fall within a few years. They are meant to be broken. Athletes improve. Training methods evolve. Equipment changes. Records disappear. Beardsley's survived more than three decades.

That alone tells the story.

His victory also arrived at precisely the right moment for Grandma's Marathon. Running was exploding in popularity across America. The marathon boom was underway. More recreational runners were entering races than ever before, and media coverage of distance running continued to expand. Beardsley's performance provided the kind of headline-making result capable of attracting attention far beyond Minnesota. Suddenly, runners in Boston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles were hearing about a marathon in Duluth.

The following year, Beardsley returned and won again.

Shortly thereafter, he became a national sports figure through his legendary duel with Alberto Salazar at the 1982 Boston Marathon, widely regarded as one of the greatest marathon races ever contested. Although Beardsley narrowly finished second in Boston, the race elevated him into the upper tier of American running icons. As his national profile grew, so did awareness of Grandma's Marathon. The event benefited enormously from its association with an athlete who had become one of the most recognizable names in distance running.

The relationship worked both ways. Grandma's Marathon helped showcase Beardsley's talent, while Beardsley helped showcase Grandma's Marathon to the world. It was a partnership that neither side could have fully appreciated at the time but one that proved enormously valuable for the long-term growth of the event.

What is remarkable looking back today is how much of Grandma's modern identity can be traced directly to those early years. The race's reputation as a fast course began with performances like Bjorklund's and Beardsley's. The race's ability to attract elite competitors grew from the credibility they established. The race's standing within the national running community emerged because respected athletes demonstrated that world-class performances could occur in Duluth.

Today, runners from dozens of countries travel to Minnesota each June to compete. Elite international athletes regularly challenge course records. Hotels throughout Duluth and the surrounding region fill with visitors. Restaurants, retailers and local businesses benefit from one of the most important tourism weekends of the year. The race has become both a sporting event and an economic engine.

None of that happened by accident.

It happened because visionary organizers built an event worth supporting. It happened because thousands of volunteers embraced the race and helped create one of the friendliest marathon experiences in America. It happened because sponsors invested in a long-term vision. But it also happened because elite athletes chose to compete when the race was still trying to establish itself.

Bjorklund and Beardsley did exactly that.

One gave the race its first champion and its first measure of legitimacy. The other delivered a record-setting performance that announced Grandma's Marathon to the broader running world. Together, they provided the foundation upon which everything else was built.

Their contributions extend far beyond statistics and record books. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon remains one of race weekend's signature events and serves as a permanent reminder of his role in Grandma's history. Beardsley continues to be celebrated as one of the race's most beloved ambassadors, a living connection to the event's formative years and one of the most enduring figures in Minnesota sports history.

As Grandma's Marathon continues to grow and evolve, new champions will emerge. More records will eventually fall. Additional generations of runners will create their own memories along the North Shore.

But some names become larger than results. Some athletes become part of an institution's identity.

For Grandma's Marathon, Bjorklund and Beardsley are not merely former champions. They are the two men who helped transform a promising local race into a world-class event. Their footprints remain embedded in the course, their influence remains woven into the history of the race, and their legacy continues every June when thousands of runners make the journey from Two Harbors to Duluth.

The world knows Grandma's Marathon today because of many people. But it first started paying attention because of Bjorklund and Beardsley.

Howie's daily column is powered by Lyric Kitchen Bar in Downtown Duluth. Contact Howie at HowieHanson@gmail.com

Howie's daily column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen Bar.

The story of Grandma's Marathon has always lived in pieces scattered across the Northland — in shoeboxes filled with fading race bibs, newspaper clippings tucked into basements, volunteer jackets hanging in closets and family photo albums showing exhausted runners wrapped in foil blankets near the finish line in Canal Park.

Starting this month, much of that history will finally live in one public place.

Grandma’s Marathon officials will formally open a new historical museum exhibit Monday evening inside the historic St. Louis County Depot, offering a five-decade look at one of Minnesota’s most recognizable sporting events ahead of the marathon’s 50th annual race weekend in June.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with remarks planned from Executive Director Shane Bauer and Board of Directors Chairperson Kristi Schmidt.

The exhibit will be free and open to the public beginning Monday, May 11, and continue through race day on June 20. Hours will run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Depot’s regular operating schedule.

For an event that began in 1977 with little more than local ambition and a scenic stretch of Highway 61, the museum represents both a celebration and a reminder of how dramatically Grandma’s Marathon has reshaped Duluth’s identity.

What started as a relatively modest regional race with fewer than 200 participants has evolved into one of the largest and most respected marathons in the United States, annually drawing tens of thousands of runners, volunteers and spectators to the Twin Ports.

Today, marathon weekend functions as both an international sporting event and an unofficial civic holiday in Duluth.

Hotel rooms disappear months in advance. Restaurants fill. Sidewalks in Canal Park become packed shoulder-to-shoulder with spectators ringing cowbells before sunrise. Families mark the weekend on calendars the way other communities circle state fairs or major holidays.

The course itself became part of the legend long ago.

Runners begin north of Duluth near Two Harbors before following the shoreline of Lake Superior south along Scenic Highway 61 into Duluth. The route passes rocky shoreline, dense forest and some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks before finishing beneath the roar of crowds near Canal Park and the Aerial Lift Bridge.

The cool June temperatures and relatively flat terrain eventually helped establish Grandma’s Marathon as a destination race for elite runners chasing fast times and Olympic qualifying standards. At the same time, the event maintained an identity far different from the massive corporate marathons in larger metropolitan areas.

Organizers have long leaned into the phrase “world-class event, small-town charm,” a description that remains central to the race’s branding and reputation.

Over the decades, the event expanded far beyond a single marathon.

The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon debuted in 1991 and quickly exploded in popularity, eventually rivaling — and in some years surpassing — the full marathon in participation. Additional races, including the William A. Irvin 5K and youth events, transformed the weekend into a multi-day festival tied closely to Duluth tourism and the start of summer along the lakefront.

The museum exhibit aims to document that transformation.

According to organizers, the display will feature photographs, memorabilia, archived materials and storytelling elements chronicling the race’s rise from local curiosity to international event. The exhibit also highlights many of the volunteers, civic leaders, sponsors and community partners who helped sustain the race across generations.

That volunteer backbone remains central to the event’s identity.

Thousands of Northlanders work race weekend every year — staffing aid stations, transporting runners, directing traffic, handing out medals and supporting logistics that now resemble a major professional sporting event operation more than a small community road race.

The economic impact on Duluth has also become enormous.

Marathon weekend routinely floods the city with visitors from across the country and around the world, filling hotels from Canal Park to the Iron Range while creating one of the region’s busiest tourism stretches of the year. Restaurants, bars and retail businesses frequently describe Grandma’s Marathon weekend as one of the strongest revenue periods of the summer season.

The race also survived moments that threatened its continuity.

In 2020, Grandma’s Marathon was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the first interruption in the event’s history. Organizers later rebuilt participation quickly, and interest surged again entering the milestone 50th anniversary celebration.

The 2026 race weekend is scheduled for June 18-20, highlighted by the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon on Saturday, June 20. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon also will be held June 20, while the William A. Irvin 5K is scheduled for June 19.

Organizers have already reported extraordinary demand surrounding the anniversary year.

The 2026 marathon sold out after registration opened, continuing a trend of rapid sellouts that has become increasingly common for Grandma’s Marathon weekend events. Race officials previously announced expectations for heightened national interest tied to the 50th annual running.

For longtime Duluth residents, however, the history attached to Grandma’s Marathon often extends beyond finish times and elite runners.

It lives in memories of high school kids volunteering at water stations. Families gathering near Lemon Drop Hill. First marathons. Final marathons. Warm afternoons in Canal Park when strangers embraced near the finish chute.

And now, for the first time, much of that shared history will sit behind museum glass inside the Depot — preserved as part of Duluth’s civic story rather than simply another annual event on the calendar.

Aug. 24 – Hibbing and six other teams at Princeton, 9 a.m.
Aug. 27 -- at Duluth Marshall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Esko, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- at Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Proctor, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 -- North Branch Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Greenway, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- at Hibbing, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- Duluth East Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 22 -- Superior, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 -- at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 -- at Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 -- Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9-10 -- STMA Midwest Fall Classic, TBD
Oct. 20 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – opponent TBD, 5:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 – Holy Family, 6 p.m.
Aug. 28 -- at Mesabi East, 5 p.m.
Sept. 1 -- Duluth Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Hibbing, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Proctor, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 -- at Superior, 6 p.m.
Sept. 21 -- at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 -- at Bemidji, 11 a.m.
Sept. 28 -- Grand Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 -- Cloquet, 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 -- Duluth East, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 – Duluth Denfeld, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 – at Duluth Marshall, 4 p.m.
Aug. 26 -- Buffalo and one other team, 9 a.m.
Sept. 1 -- at Grand Rapids, 9 a.m.
Sept. 2 -- at Rock Ridge, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- at Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 8 -- Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- Superior, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 15 -- Stella Maris Academy, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 17 -- Duluth Marshall, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 22 -- Duluth Denfeld, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 23 -- at Cloquet, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28 -- at Hibbing, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 1 – at Superior, 4 p.m.