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The ultimate test awaits Hermantown against top-seeded North Branch in the Class 4A, Section 7 prep football championship game Friday night in Duluth, legendary Hawks coach Mike Zagelmeyer opined Monday.
“It’s the game we’ve had internally circled on the calendar since the season began,” said Zagelmeyer.
The Vikings (7-2) clipped the Hawks (8-1) 48-44 on September 13 in North Branch. A rematch was assured Saturday when Hermantown, seeded second in 7AAAA, pounded third-seeded Duluth Denfeld 41-21 at Centricity Stadium and host North Branch edged No. 4 Grand Rapids 20-14.
“We will have to play our best game against a very disciplined team that does what they do offensively extremely well,” said Zagelmeyer of the final. “There are not a lot of secrets between us, just a history of really good football games and Friday night should be no different. We are really looking forward to it.
“To say a section championship is a goal is one thing, but we must go out and achieve it now. No more words, just actions.”
Hermantown punched its ticket to the final with a convincing victory over Duluth Denfeld, which lost three of its final four games to finish 6-4 overall. Hawks superstar Corban Peterson returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, and Hermantown led 41-7 early in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously, it was a big win for us,” Zagelmeyer said of his team’s second lopsided win against the Hunters in 10 days. “I thought the opening kickoff return was a tone-setter for us. The kick return squad did exactly what they were coached to do. Sometimes when you practice something all week in preparation for it, it doesn't go as planned in the game, but the opening kickoff went exactly how our coaching staff – namely Coach Homstad – envisioned it. I was happy for Corban Peterson who showed off his speed on that return. He's had a rough season injury wise but he has never given up or checked out. So it was rewarding to see.”
Hermantown amassed 405 yards of total offense against the Hunters, led by super-sophomore Martin Sleen who exploded for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Alex Schott threw for 104 yards and one touchdown, completing five of seven passes.
“Offensively, I thought we were able to have a balanced attack versus Denfeld which was necessary with how they were playing us,” said Zagelmeyer. “Martin Sleen was tremendous in the run game. It was nice to have Landon Burg back (two catches for 74 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown snag from Schott). He made a tremendous catch for us in a big spot and had a nice long connection with Alex for a touchdown later in the game. We just seemed to always be able to respond to Denfeld on Saturday and never really allowed them much momentum.”
Hermantown’s defense also stepped up big-time against the run-happy Hunters.
“Denfeld and Taye Manns (who rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns) made some plays against us, but I thought for the most part we had him bottled up and the score got a little closer at the end than how the game played out,” said Zagelmeyer. “It's tough to stop Taye, but I thought we really limited him and rallied to the football nicely.”
The Hawks’ defense will need another strong effort to hope to be successful against North Branch on Friday night.
