FOOTBALL
Cook County
Cook County stayed hot at home on September 25, rolling past Blackduck 48-8 to move to 3-0. It was their game from the opening whistle. By halftime, they were up 40-0, a sharp contrast to Blackduck’s undefeated start that included a win over Silver Bay the week before.
The Vikings will host Northome/Kelliher on October 2, hoping to keep their regular-season streak alive after going unbeaten last fall.
MaxPreps listed Graham Oberholtzer as a top performer on both sides of the ball. He went 19-for-25 for 244 yards and four touchdowns through the air, added 123 rushing yards and another score on 12 carries, and kept the offense humming all night. MaCoy Fairbanks pulled in five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Devan Rude led the defensive picks, and Aitan Siem paced special teams.
Silver Bay
Silver Bay had a tough Thursday at South Ridge, falling 0-30. The Mariners struggled to generate offense and spent most of the night trying to slow a South Ridge team that has settled into a 2-2 rhythm.
The Mariners return home October 2 to face Littlefork-Big Falls, and both programs will be looking to break through for their first win of the season. It’s a chance for Silver Bay to reset on their own field and try to build some momentum heading into the second half of the schedule.
Two Harbors
Two Harbors went on the road to Pine City on September 25 and controlled the game from start to finish. Junior Lucero opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run and added the two-point conversion. He repeated the pattern in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 16-0.
Haydn Stahl punched in a three-yard touchdown in the third, and Lucero added another two-point run. In the fourth, Lucero scored again from four yards out before Jon Grover broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown with 5:44 left. Beau Lampela’s extra point closed out a 37-0 win.
Two Harbors carries a 3-1 record into Friday’s home game against Hibbing, and it shapes up as one of the more interesting early October matchups. The Bluejackets are also 3-1 and come in riding the momentum of a 61-0 win over Proctor last week. The teams split outcomes last season with the Agates taking the regular-season meeting, and Hibbing having edged them 13-12 in the Quarterfinals. It gives this one a little extra charge as Two Harbors looks to keep its strong start rolling.
VOLLEYBALL
Silver Bay
Silver Bay went on the road to Floodwood on September 24 and fell 1-3. The Mariners have dropped a run of matches but had a stretch of late September downtime to re-group before returning to play. They were 4-8 heading into their October 1 home match against Cook County, with results to be reported in our next edition.
The Mariners swept the Vikings in all three meetings last season, and they’ll stay at home again on October 6 to face Carlton-Wrenshall before traveling to Greenway on October 8.
Two Harbors
Two Harbors pushed Barnum to five sets on September 24 at home, winning the third and fourth frames before the Bombers closed out the match 3-2. The night also marked a major milestone for the Agates. Junior captain Olivia Hagglund reached 500 career kills, a benchmark her coach Ashley Paulson celebrated with a note of pride on the team’s Facebook page: “Way to go kiddo, so proud of you!”
Two Harbors pushed through a four-set match on September 28 but couldn’t quite turn the momentum their way, falling 3-1 to Proctor on the Rails’ home court. Proctor came out sharp, taking the first set 25-8 and the second 25-18 before the Agates settled in and answered with a strong 25-15 win in the third. The Rails closed out the night 25-16 in the fourth. The loss moves Two Harbors to 10-4, still a solid early-season mark as they work through a busy stretch of matches. Proctor’s win bumped the Rails to 9-6.
Their September 29 match against Duluth Denfeld will be covered next time along with their October 1 meeting with Carlton-Wrenshall. The Agates will host Floodwood on October 6 as they move deeper into the fall schedule.
Cook County
Cook County swept McGregor at home, winning 3-0 in a steady match that kept the Vikings on the front foot throughout. They traveled to Silver Bay on October 1, with those results to be reported in our next edition.
The Vikings will host Fond du Lac Ojibwe on October 5 before heading to New Life Academy on October 8 as they move through a busy early October stretch.
SWIM AND DIVE
Two Harbors Swim and Dive hosted Cloquet-Esko on September 22, winning both varsity and JV by wide margins. The Agates opened with strong relay work, taking the varsity medley in 2:12.00 behind Harper Smith, Aria Oswald-Swenson, Natalia Smith and Claire Dreier. The JV group set the tone as well, winning their medley in 2:45.35.
Lucy Lane kept the varsity rolling with wins in both the 200 free and the 500, pulling away early in each race. Toby McDonald and Elizabeth Larson followed her in the 200 free to give the Agates a sweep of the top three spots. Rylee Schmitz and Natalia Smith went one-two in the 200 IM, and Schmitz later added a win in the 100 fly.
Brynn von Goertz led the sprint group with a 27.39 in the 50 free and a 1:00.77 in the 100, with Dreier, Larson and Oswald-Swenson stacking points behind her. Harper Smith won varsity diving with 169.30, and Wynne Scandin added a third-place finish.
The relays stayed sharp throughout the meet. The varsity 200 free relay of von Goertz, Smith, Schmitz and Lane won in 1:54.02, and the Agates’ top 400 free relay posted an exhibition time of 4:12.33 that out-paced the field.
JV depth carried its side of the meet as well, with wins from Lucy Wright in the IM and breaststroke, Lilly Chirhart in the 100 free, Ari Gilder-Pulotu in the backstroke, and a sweep of both JV freestyle relays.
Two Harbors finished with a 98–72 varsity win and a 96–44 JV victory, continuing a strong early-season run in the pool.
