It’s summer now, the stretch of the year when football usually sits behind lake days, summer jobs, and everything else that fills June in the Northland. But on June 18 in Duluth, a group of Two Harbors players spent their afternoon proving that the offseason still matters.
The Agates entered the Perrault Passing Camp 7‑on‑7 tournament for the first time and finished as champions, winning the event outright against teams from several larger 4A and 5A schools. Along with the title, they brought home the tournament’s championship belt, a prize the players were quick to celebrate.
The program shared the update on Facebook, noting that the boys “did a lot of awesome things while learning and improving from their mistakes” and that the day doubled as valuable team bonding.
Head coach Tom Nelson said the group handled the new format well.
“This was the first time we competed in this 7‑on‑7 event,” Nelson said. “The guys did a fantastic job and had a great time together as a group.”
The Perrault Passing Camp, held on the Duluth Marshall campus, uses a fast, 20‑minute running clock and a one‑hand‑touch, no‑blocking format that puts the focus on timing, spacing, and decision‑making. Possessions start at the 40. First downs come at the 20. Defenses can play man or zone. A four‑second “sack” forces quick throws, and each team gets one full blitz per game. Scoring rewards both sides of the ball, with points for touch‑downs, interceptions, defensive stops, and PAT plays.
The belt left the hands of Duluth East, last year’s champs, and headed to Two Harbors, tucked into a summer that is just getting started. There will be more workouts, more passing sessions, and more days when the group is scattered across jobs and lake plans. But June 18 showed what they can do when they come together. The belt will sit with them until the next event, when they will have to prove it again.
