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Duluth Denfeld football coach Erik Lofald on Saturday's Class 4A, Section 7 semifinal at Hermantown – "We're very excited about getting another chance to compete against Hermantown in the semifinals. We don't take for granted the fact that we are still playing football. I thought we played ok in our first meeting against them last week (a 31-19 Hunters home loss), but failing to convert on fourth down and then giving up the big TD run the next play was the defining moment of the game.
"If we clean up the mistakes, not turn the ball over and can limit the run game we will have a legitimate chance of winning tomorrow night. I think every team still playing has some bumps and bruises they have to deal with. We had a very physical game with Cloquet (a 28-20 Hunters home victory) on Tuesday, but should be set for Hermantown."
Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer on facing Duluth Denfeld in a win-or-go-home game – "I thought our first game came up a little short with all the hype that was raised about it. We were pretty sloppy in the first half and had some unnecessary penalties. Credit Denfeld for part of that, but we thought there were moments where if we weren't our own worst enemy that maybe we could have taken a little more control of the game.
"We allowed Denfeld access to some momentum and that's all they needed for their playmakers to make our lives more uncomfortable than it had to be. Obviously, Taye (Manns, senior halfback) had a nice game against us (142 rushing yards, one touchdown), which is to be expected from a player of his caliber. I just thought, in the end, we were able to counter Taye with a few more big plays of our own.
"Martin Sleen was fantastic for us, but we had others step up and play effectively, namely our offensive line. I liked the way our offensive line played. Overall, we know we will need to be better if we want to beat them again. We need to make sure we control the ball, eliminate the penalties, have our playmakers perform to the level we expect from them, and then limit Denfeld's big plays. If we do that, I like our chances.
"We need to make sure that we keep our emotions in check and not allow ourselves to get rattled by any potential momentum swings It should be a fun night of football and we are looking forward to it. It will be the last time our seniors ever get to play at home and I believe they will be up for the challenge. We have dodged a few bullets in that we haven't had any major injuries. But like all teams at the end of the regular season, we have some nagging things, along with some bumps and bruises, but nothing that is going to keep anyone out of a game such as this.”
