FOOTBALL
COOK COUNTY
The Vikings punched its ticket to the Section 7 nine-player championship game with a dominant 49-0 victory over Bigfork in the section semifinals on Oct. 31.
Playing at home on Halloween, the Vikings drew a crowd to Lyle Anderson Field with costumes on the sidelines and trick-or-treating activities while rolling to the shutout win. The victory secured a spot in the section title game and kept Cook County’s postseason run alive.
The Vikings will now face South Ridge on Nov. 6 at Cheever Field in Hibbing for the Section 7 championship.
Cook County enters the championship game with confidence after defeating South Ridge 46-6 during the regular season on Sept. 18. The matchup will feature the section’s top two remaining teams, with the No. 1-seeded Vikings looking to repeat their earlier success and claim the section crown.
TWO HARBORS
The Agates capped their season with a pair of memorable results against Proctor. After posting a 47-0 road win over the Rails on Oct. 9, Two Harbors duplicated the score in the Section 7-3A quarterfinals on Oct. 27, earning another 47-0 shutout victory to advance to the semifinals.
In the playoff win, Junior Lucero rushed for 53 yards and two touchdowns, Silas Fournier added a rushing touchdown, Axel Morsette threw for 61 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a score, and Zeke Gomez caught a touchdown pass. The Agates finished with 246 rushing yards and recorded a pair of defensive touchdowns in the shutout.
Two Harbors’ season came to an end in the Section 7-3A semifinals with a 42-6 loss to Pequot Lakes. Deegan Ekroot scored the Agates’ lone touchdown on a 35-yard run.
Head coach Tom Nelson credited the Patriots after the game, stating, “The game did not go as we had hoped. PL has a very good and senior-led team that overwhelmed us today.”
The team placed six players on the Northeast All-District Team as selected by district coaches: Junior Lucero, Axel Morsette, Ryan Stone, Silas Fournier, Beau Lampela and Zeke Gomez. Brody Fellersen and Ziggy Hietala earned honorable mention recognition.
SILVER BAY
The Mariners opened postseason play with a comeback victory, defeating Littlefork-Big Falls 24-6 in the Section 7 nine-player quarterfinals on Oct. 27.
The Vikings grabbed a 6-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Mariners responded with 24 unanswered points to take control and punch their ticket to the section semifinals. The win ended Littlefork-Big Falls’ season and kept Silver Bay’s playoff hopes alive.
The victory set up a semifinal matchup against South Ridge on Oct. 31. Facing the No. 2 seed, the Mariners battled but saw their season come to an end in a 32-6 loss.
Silver Bay finished the year with a postseason victory and a trip to the Section 7 semifinals. The Mariners’ playoff win over Littlefork-Big Falls marked a highlight of the season and gave the team an opportunity to compete for a spot in the section championship game before being eliminated by South Ridge.
VOLLEYBALL
TWO HARBORS
The Agates opened Section 7AA North Subsection play with a thrilling five-set victory over Aitkin before seeing its season come to an end in the semifinals.
The Agates outlasted Aitkin 3-2 in the subsection quarterfinals on Oct. 26, winning by scores of 25-21, 18-25, 22-25, 25-20 and 15-4. After falling behind two sets to one, Two Harbors rallied to win the final two sets and advance.
Olivia Hagglund led the offense with 28 kills while also adding 26 digs and six solo blocks. Olivia Smith recorded 40 set assists, Alicia Hurd added 33 digs, and Chloe Larson contributed five service aces. The Agates finished with 43 kills, 41 assists, and 105 digs in the postseason victory.
Two Harbors’ season ended two days later with a 3-0 loss to Mesabi East in the subsection semifinals. Hagglund paced the Agates with six kills and 11 digs, while Hurd collected 13 digs and Smith totaled nine assists.
Head coach Ashley Paulson praised the team’s determination and resiliency throughout the year.
“Finishing the season 20-7 is something to be extremely proud of,” Paulson wrote after the team’s final game. “These girls showed so much grit, determination, and resiliency. They fought back from behind on multiple occasions. It’s easy to give up when you think things are stacked against you, but giving up was never an option with this team.”
Paulson also thanked seniors Jonah, Ryan, Alicia, Elaina, Chloe, Isabel, and Sara for their leadership and contributions to the program. Looking ahead, Paulson expressed optimism about the future of Agate volleyball, noting the large group of athletes that participated in the program this season.
“To the 55-plus girls who played THHS Volleyball this year, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing to walk into our gym every day,” she wrote. “I’m sad this year is over, but there is so much to look forward to in the future.”
COOK COUNTY
The Vikings saw their season come to an end in a hard-fought five-set loss to Floodwood in the Section 7A South Subsection quarterfinals on Oct. 26.
The Vikings entered the postseason hoping to avenge an earlier 3-1 loss to the Polar Bears on Sept. 17 and nearly accomplished the feat before falling 3-2 in a closely contested match. Despite the disappointing finish, Cook County battled throughout the evening and pushed the higher-seeded Polar Bears to the limit.
The playoff loss brought an end to an otherwise successful season for the Vikings, who finished with an 11-9 record and secured a winning season.
Cook County showed improvement throughout the year and remained competitive in the rugged Polar Conference, earning a home playoff match and giving Floodwood all it could handle in the postseason opener.
Although the Vikings came up short in their bid for postseason revenge, the team finished the year above .500 and provided plenty of highlights for fans throughout the 2026 campaign.
SWIM & DIVE
The Two Harbors Agates Swim & Dive team capped a successful week in the pool by capturing the Iron Range Conference Championship on Oct. 29 and following it with the JV team finishing as a runner-up at the Black and Blue Championship the next day.
Two Harbors scored 457 points to win the conference title, finishing well ahead of Mesabi East’s 379 points. It is the second year in a row the Agates have captured the title.
The team was led by several conference champions, including senior Harper Smith, who set a new meet record in diving with 338.76 points while also winning the 100 backstroke in 1:09.94.
Senior Lucy Lane added conference titles in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, while freshman Rylee Schmitz won the 100 butterfly. Junior Brynn von Goertz captured the 50 freestyle title by just 0.02 seconds.
Additional top finishes came from Claire Dreier, Natalia Smith and Aria Oswald-Swenson, while Two Harbors also posted runner-up finishes in both the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay.
The conference meet also produced a large group of all-conference selections. Lucy Lane earned honors in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, Brynn von Goertz in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, Rylee Schmitz in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly, Harper Smith in diving and the 100 backstroke, Aria Oswald-Swenson in the 100 breaststroke, and Claire Dreier as part of the 200 freestyle relay.
For the second consecutive season, divers Wynne Scandin and Harper Smith finished first and second in conference competition.
The following day, Two Harbors’ JV team finished second overall at the Black and Blue Championship with 476 points.
Schmitz led the way with victories in both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle. Ninth-grader Wynne Scandin won the diving competition, while Claire Dreier claimed first place in the 300 freestyle.
Scandin also finished third in the 100 individual medley and contributed to a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay alongside Quinn Johnson, Schmitz and Dreier.
Johnson added runner-up finishes in the 100 individual medley and 300 freestyle, while Dreier took second in the 50 butterfly. Lucy Wright posted fourth-place finishes in both the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle.
Additional scoring performances came from Brooke Symons, Natalie Symons, Izzy Bergman, Britta Dreier, Maggie Smoot, and Kaitlynn Kinsey as the Agates continued their strong late-season run.
