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Sophomore halfback Martin Sleen considers fellow Hermantown senior Alex Schott, Mason Humpheys and Aidan Adamski “ultra-elite superstar teammates.”
“All three were born leaders, their football IQ’s are through the roof, and they drive our bus,” Sleen said of the Hawks’ rock-star starting quarterback/defensive back, two-way lineman and fullback-defensive end. “Alex is the best QB up north, Mason is a motivated beast and Aidan is a man’s man.”
Hermantown’s Big 3, Sleen and their talented, highly-physical teammates will be asked to play perhaps the best games of their careers Friday night, when second-seeded Hermantown (8-1) battles top-seed North Branch (7-2) in the Class 4A, Section 7 championship at Duluth Denfeld.
The Hawks lost to the Vikings 48-44 on a last-second play earlier in the season, in North Branch.
“The North Branch loss left a very sour taste in our mouths, and we have something to prove Friday night,” said Sleen, who has rushed for 978 yards and 15 touchdowns in the last five games, all Hermantown victories. “North Branch was a heartbreaking loss, something none of us want to feel again. But we used it as a motivator. Friday’s rematch will be won or lost in the trenches, and mostly won by our defense.”
The Hawks blitzed Duluth Denfeld 41-21 in a 7AAAA semifinal last Saturday at Centricity Stadium, when Sleen rushed for 230 yards – on only 18 carries, for a 12.8 yards per-rush average – and three touchdowns.
Schott also rushed for a touchdown and was 5-of-7 passing for 101 yards and a score, for a 153.3 passer rating.
Speedy, sure-handed wide receiver Landon Berg had two catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
“Our overall execution on both sides of the ball since the North Branch loss has improved greatly, and it’s been crazy to see our wide receivers making pancake blocks downfield,” said Sleen of the Hawks’ week-to-week improvement. “We’ve built chemistry while sharing the pain and workload. We still have a lot to prove, and North Branch is the perfect opponent to continue to do it against.”
Meanwhile, Sleen, a 5-foot-11, 162-pound game-breaker, appreciates his role in the Hawks’ explosive offense.
“I’m not afraid to put my head down when I have to, and speed and vision are my God-given strengths,” he said.
Legendary Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer said Sleen is a fun player to watch and “can take it to the house in a split second.”
“Martin is a tremendously nice and humble kid who wants desperately to have a future in football, and I think there are definite possibilities for him there,” said Zagelmeyer. “He is a special back who is already starting to draw comparisons to some of the greatest running backs that have come through Hermantown. And we have had a ton of them. Remember, we used to run the ball a lot at Hermantown.”
Sleen maintains a 3.95 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and is enrolled in a Lake Superior College composition online class this semester.
“The goal is to graduate high school with an A.A. degree,” said Sleen. “I want to continue to play football, until I can’t, and plan to get a bachelor’s degree in business and possibly be a real estate agent.”
In the meantime, Hermantown’s entire student body, teachers and staff, and the community is “pumped up” for the North Branch rematch, Sleen said.
“Win first, then we’ll celebrate,” Sleen added.
