By Sarah K. Simon
And just like that, the regular season has wrapped up for our North Shore football teams. The weeks of Friday night lights have flown by, and now it’s playoff time. Two local varsity teams are set for section quarterfinals, while another will rest and wait for its opponent in the semifinals.
Cook County heads into the postseason undefeated at 7–0, earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Their final regular-season game—a 28–21 win over Littlefork-Big Falls—was a close one. Ahead of the matchup, Assistant Head Coach Mike Theismann predicted it would be their toughest test yet, as Little fork-Big Falls had won the last two meetings. This time, Cook County delivered, closing out the season with a hard-earned victory over their fellow Vikings.
The Cook County Vikings will next play in the Class 9-P, Section 7 semifinal on Saturday, October 25. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of the October 21 quarterfinal between North Woods (4–4) and Bigfork (1–7). Cook County defeated both teams earlier in the regular season.
Two Harbors wrapped up its regular season with a 5–3 record after a tough 28–6 loss to Esko. The Agates are dealing with multiple injuries, including players out for the season, but remain determined heading into the playoffs. Their lone touchdown against Esko came in the third quarter, when senior Anders Hastings recovered a fumble and ran it in for a 10-yard score. The team’s two point conversion attempt was un successful.
The Agates faced Hibbing in the Class 3A, Section 7 quarterfinal on Tuesday, October 21. Hibbing entered the matchup at 3–5, having lost to Two Harbors earlier in the season, 28–12, at Cheever Field. Two Harbors looked to build on that performance and keep their playoff run alive.
Silver Bay closed its regular sea son without a win, most recently falling to North Woods 26–6 at home on October 15. Though the team only had a couple of injuries throughout the year, one in particular had a big impact.
“It’s been quite a season. A real challenge, but our largely sophomore and junior team has gone from being sort of an inexperienced almost JV type team to an emerging competitive varsity team. We’ve made every team have to work hard for their wins against us and we’ve been close to winning a few of them,” said Head Coach Ward Kaiser. “So, with this whole team intact next season, I think they could compete and do fairly well.”
The Mariners traveled to Littlefork-Big Falls on Tuesday, October 21, for their Class 9-P, Section 7 quarterfinal, facing the No. 2 seed in what promised to be a tough matchup. The winner will advance to play either Carl ton-Wrenshall or South Ridge, giving Silver Bay a chance to continue building experience and momentum despite the season’s early hurdles.
This news article was prepared ahead of the October 21 games. We’ll be sure to share results in an upcoming issue.
Congratulations to all our local football teams for their success and growth throughout the 2025 season!
