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Hermantown boys basketball head coach Andy Fenske and his staff have a daunting task ahead as preseason camp gets underway Monday. Without question, the Hawks will begin a major rebuilding effort following the graduation of Abe Soumis and fellow starters Peyton Menzel and Nathan Hill, who combined for 70 points in a 95-82 Class 3A, Section 7 championship game loss to North Branch a year ago.
“There will be growing pains, probably a lot more than we'd like as a coaching staff,” Fenske acknowledged in an annual preseason interview Thursday. “But, as always, our goal is to be making a run in March, not in the early weeks.”
Hermantown, which finished 21-8 a year ago, begins regular season play November 27 at Proctor. The Hawks will face likely Section 7AAA contenders Duluth Denfeld and Cloquet twice each and North Branch once, and travel to Delano for a holiday tournament on December 27-28.
“We’re looking to some other guys to step up and fill massive roles,” said Fenske. “Having seniors Blake Sundland and Alex Schott lead the way will be a great start for what we need. Those two bring a lot of experience back and have been a big part of our program success the past few seasons.”
Hermantown will also rely on strong junior and sophomore groups, as they begin to make their marks on the varsity team.
“Lance Janson also brings some starting experience back from last year, which is going to be exciting. He added some more aspects to his game this off-season,” said Fenske. “We'll also be looking to Landon Burg and Grant Johnson to step up their games and contribute a lot every night.”
The sophomore group?
“Guards Ayden Love and Ben Sundland provide a lot of threat on both ends of the floor and they're anchored by big man Sawyer Senst. All will be fighting for not just minutes but starting roles," said Fenske.
“Our numbers are high at the sophomore and freshman levels, which is a great sign," Fenske added. "We have kids who are excited to be in the gym and get after it. Not having the experience that we've had to start the season the past few years, we're going to depend on game experience to develop a deeper bench than we've had.”
2024-25 Hermantown Boys Basketball Schedule
Nov. 27 – at Proctor
Nov. 30 – Princeton
Dec. 6 – Hibbing
Dec. 14 – at Columbia Heights
Dec. 19 – at Duluth Denfeld
Dec. 21 – Chisago Lakes
Dec. 27-28 – at Delano Tournament
Jan. 2 – Milaca
Jan. 7 – at Duluth East
Jan. 9 – at Cloquet
Jan. 14 – Bemidji
Jan. 21 – Duluth Denfeld
Jan. 23 – at Duluth Marshall
Jan. 28 – at Bemidji
Jan. 30 – Grand Rapids
Jan. 31 – Cloquet
Feb. 4 – at Mounds View
Feb. 6 – at Grand Rapids
Feb. 11 – at St. Francis
Feb. 14 – St. Paul Harding
Feb. 20 – Superior
Feb. 21 – Rock Ridge
Feb. 25 – at Mound Westonka
Feb. 27 – at North Branch
Feb. 28 – Duluth East
Mar. 5, 7, 13 – Section Tournament
Home games listed in boldface.