Football
Two Harbors
Two Harbors and Duluth Denfeld traded scores throughout last Friday’s game, but the Agates kept finding answers when they needed them.
Denfeld struck first in the opening quarter, but Two Harbors answered six minutes later. Axel Morsette broke free for an 18-yard touchdown run, then connected with Junior Lucero on the two-point conversion to move the Agates ahead 8-7.
The Hunters regained the lead late in the quarter, though Two Harbors took control again in the second. With 3:20 left in the half, Haydn Stahl pushed in a four-yard touchdown run. Morsette kept the ball on the conversion and ran it in for a 14-16 Agates lead.
Denfeld closed the half with another touchdown, and the Agates reclaimed momentum in the third. Isaac Imholte found Ziggy Hietala for a 30-yard touchdown strike. The conversion run was stopped, but Two Harbors moved ahead 22-20. They added insurance in the fourth. With 8:36 remaining, Zeke Gomez punched in a nine-yard touchdown run. Morsette looked to Lucero again on the conversion, but the pass fell incomplete. The score stood at 28-20, and the Agates held it there.
Two Harbors next takes on Mora in a home game on Friday, September 18.
Cook County
Cook County opened its season on September 11 with a home game against Silver Bay, a matchup that carried extra weight after last year’s undefeated run into the playoffs. The Vikings wasted no time establishing control. Their offense stacked up a 28-0 lead in the first half, moving the ball steadily and finishing drives with confidence. They also bumped the kickoff earlier in the evening to stay ahead of a fast-moving storm. Even so, the Friday night lights ended up competing with Friday night lightning. With weather closing in, Silver Bay conceded the game and the opener went into the books unfinished. Cook County turns its attention to September 18, when the Vikings travel to South Ridge. It’s the same opponent they never managed to face last season after a postponement, and the trip gives them a chance to settle that unfinished business.
Silver Bay
The Mariners never had a chance to chip away at the deficit in the second half against Cook County. It was a frustrating way to open the season, especially after the Vikings built their lead early, but the Mariners will regroup for a home game against Blackduck on Friday, September 18. Last fall, Silver Bay fell 58-27 in that matchup, a game that slipped away in the second half. This time they are looking to settle that score, find their first win of the season, and show what they can do when the weather stays out of the way.
Volleyball
Two Harbors
The Agates came out strong over the weekend, finishing on top of five teams at the Duluth Marshall tournament. It marked the third straight year Two Harbors has claimed the tournament title, a steady early-season pattern that shows how well the group settles in when the bracket format gives them room to build momentum.
On Monday, September 14, the team traveled to Mesabi East for a matchup that stretched into four sets. Two Harbors pushed the Giants throughout the night and kept rallies alive with long defensive stands, but Mesabi East held on for a 3-1 win. Last season the two teams split their meetings, with the Agates dropping the first round and then winning on the road, so the familiarity between the programs showed in how tight the sets stayed.
Two Harbors next faced Esko on September 17, with results to be reported in a future release. After that, the Agates return home and will host Duluth Marshall on Monday, September 21, a chance to bring the energy of their tournament win back onto their own court.
Cook County
The Vikings kept their early-season momentum rolling with a road win at Carlton-Wrenshall on September 8, edging out a tight 3-2 match. It was the kind of steady, composed play that carried them through last year’s schedule, and they looked comfortable closing out the fifth set on the road.
Cromwell-Wright interrupted that rhythm in the next outing. Cook County never quite found its footing and dropped the match 0-3, a result that forced them to reset before the weekend. The Vikings joined the other North Shore teams at the Duluth Marshall tournament, then traveled to Littlefork-Big Falls on September 14. That trip proved to be the spark they needed. Cook County battled through another five-set match and came home with a 3-2 win to steady their season again.
They hosted Floodwood on September 17, with results to be reported in our next issue. On Monday, September 21, the Vikings head to Northeast Range for an away match. Last season Cook County swept Northeast Range 3-0, so they will look to bring that same energy back on the road.
Silver Bay
The Mariners opened their week with a narrow 2-3 loss to Moose Lake/Willow River on September 8, a match that slipped away late. They turned things around quickly. On September 10, Silver Bay hosted South Ridge and outlasted the Panthers 3-2, a win that showed how well the group responds when the sets stretch long.
That momentum carried into the Duluth Marshall tournament, where the Mariners put together one of their strongest collective efforts of the season. They battled Two Harbors to three sets in the opener, a meaningful step forward after falling 3-0 to the Agates in the season’s first match. Silver Bay then beat Cook County in two, stumbled briefly in the afternoon against Marshall, and regrouped to top Fond du Lac. They advanced, beat Marshall in three, and finished second overall after another tight three-set match with Two Harbors. It was a full day of volleyball that showed how quickly the Mariners are sharpening their play.
Silver Bay traveled to Cherry on September 15, then returned home to host Cromwell-Wright just a couple of days later. We will report on those results in our next edition. The Mariners next take the court on September 24 in an away match at Floodwood.
Swim and Dive
The Two Harbors Agates kept their early season moving in the right direction with a win over Chisholm in their most recent dual meet. The lineup stayed balanced across the board, and the depth in both lanes and diving helped them pull away as the night went on.
They followed that performance with a strong showing at the Spartan Relays in Superior, where they pieced together enough relay points to take home the Runner-Up trophy. It was the kind of meet that rewards teamwork and consistency, and the Agates looked comfortable in the format.
We will report on their home Neon Meet from this week in our next Sports Shorts edition, once results are finalized and the glow-stick atmosphere settles.
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