DULUTH — Another week, another six-touchdown game for Duluth Denfeld’s Taye Manns, and the Hunters look a little like a juggernaut.
Erik Lofald’s team turned in a complete performance Thursday in a 56-0 win over Pine City, and Manns scored four touchdowns — including a pick-6 — before the clock hit 6 minutes in the first quarter.
The Hunters are first this week, but the schedule gets a lot tougher. Even with a loss, I think Hermantown is nipping at their heels. The Hawks lost in a barn-burner at North Branch that came down to a last-second play (more on that below)
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Perhaps overlooked in last week’s rankings was Barnum. The Bombers are 3-0 with wins over Moose Lake/Willow River and always-dangerous Deer River last week. Coach Bob Minkkinen has his team playing well, a real surprise to me after some painful losses, including 2023 All-Area selections Hayden Charboneau and Caden Sheff.
Two Harbors fell to a sixth-ranked Pequot Lakes team, a tough reminder that even with Esko (maybe) a little down, winning Section 7AAA is no easy task. They still have a strong squad that can put up some points, but the Patriots looked excellent Friday night.
Finally, Cloquet got a much-needed win Friday against Duluth East after two lackluster games against Hermantown and Two Harbors. I don’t think the Lumberjacks were nearly as bad as they looked in their first two games and it was nice for Coach Jeff Ojanen and company to get into the win column.
— Jamey Malcomb
Rules of the Five
- This list and its comments are based on games prep sports reporters Jamey Malcomb and Reagan Hoverman have watched and/or stats that have been submitted to the Duluth News Tribune.
- This is a ranking of the top five 11-man football teams in the Northland, regardless of class size.
- We are allowed to be prisoners of the moment. If a struggling team gets a fun win, they might pop up on the Five and disappear the next week.
On to the ranking …
1. Duluth Denfeld (3-0)
Through three games, the Hunters have looked utterly dominant — not only with Taye Manns, but also junior Deon Bergner.
While Manns has two six-touchdown games, sandwiched in between those is a five-score performance by Bergner at Grand Rapids.
Through three games, Denfeld has scored no less than 48 points and a gainst Pine City, the defense showed up in a way that it didn’t the first two nights and gave the Dragons nowhere to go. After giving up 42 and 28 in the first two weeks of the season, the Hunters accomplished what they wanted.
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Let’s be honest, though, Pine City is down a class and, more importantly, they are struggling. I don’t want to trash the Dragons’ players, but I think we need to recognize that this was not a true test for the Hunters.
This week Denfeld hosts Duluth East before traveling to North Branch for what could be the top seed in the section playoffs next month. The Hunters should be wary of overlooking their crosstown rivals this week — the Greyhounds are frisky and they’ll cause trouble if Denfeld isn’t on their game.
— Malcomb
2. Hermantown (2-1)
The Hawks moved up a spot despite a loss Friday to North Branch, but man, oh man, did they give the Vikings a game.
Hermantown took the lead with 53 seconds left, only to watch North Branch drive 70 yards for a game-winning score with just 8 seconds left.
The game-winning play — a 19-yard pass into the end zone — will give coach Mike Zagelmeyer nightmares for years to come.
On the other hand, quarterback Alex Schott and the Hawks receivers looked to be getting on the same page. Schott was 13-for-16 for 183 yards and two scores, while Landon Burg had seven catches for 89 yards.
This week Hermantown travels to Grand Rapids for another test, but I think every fan in Section 7AAA has the Oct. 16 season finale against Denfeld circled. That could be one of the most fun games we’ve had around here in a long time.
— Malcomb
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3. Barnum (3-0)
Perhaps no team in our coverage zone is flying under the radar more than Barnum. The Bombers are off to a 3-0 start with wins against strong programs in Moose Lake/Willow River and Deer River, the latter of which is a Class A program that has received top-10 votes in the Minnesota high school state football rankings this year.
The Bombers notched a gritty 9-6 win at Moose Lake/Willow River in the season opener before thrashing Chisholm 49-16 a week later. Barnum bested Deer River 38-13 in their home opener on Friday, marking the second-straight year Barnum has started 3-0.
After losing four-year starting quarterback Hayden Charboneau and a multitude of weapons from a team a year ago that went 10-1 and played in a Section 7AA title game, a rebuild would have been more than understandable.
Instead, the Bombers have reloaded. Their hot start is a credit to the job head coach Bob Minkkinen has done this fall, and their success has firmly cemented Barnum’s place in conversations surrounding the race for a Section 7AA championship.
— Reagan Hoverman
4. Two Harbors (2-1)
Two things I know. The Agates looked awesome when I saw them against Cloquet in week one.
But holy cow, Pequot Lakes looked a whole lot better on Friday.
The Patriots were bigger and dominated the line of scrimmage all night, but the Agates had some miscues at crucial moments that tilted this one.
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After turning it over on downs deep in Pequot Lakes territory, Two Harbors struggled to move the ball with anyone besides their 200-pound workhorse Zack Libal.
The loss sets up a big game with Esko in two weeks that could decide who gets the second seed in Section 7AAA.
In the Esko game and any potential rematch with Pequot Lakes, the Agates will need to figure out a way to get the ball to UMD recruit Tate Nelson on the outside. His speed is what makes the Agates go and it could open up even more space for Libal on the inside.
Two Harbors will play at Proctor Friday.
— Malcomb
5. Cloquet (1-2)
I think it’s safe to say that the first two games of the season — a pair of lopsided defeats — were not what the Lumberjacks were expecting. After falling 37-14 to Two Harbors in week one , Cloquet went to Hermantown and suffered a 35-6 loss.
The first two weeks were a one-two punch in the mouth, something that seemingly lit a fire under a Cloquet team that has largely been overlooked by outsiders this season. The ‘Jacks responded in week three with a return to vintage Cloquet smashmouth football.
Hosting Duluth East on Friday night, Cloquet dominated at the line of scrimmage and amassed more than 400 yards of offense in a 47-22 dismantling of the Greyhounds. Cloquet’s 47 points are the most the ‘Jacks have scored since the 2022 season opener against Proctor.
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Senior running back Blair Chartier tallied 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries against East. A dominant win over a previously undefeated Greyhounds team was just what the doctor ordered for a Cloquet squad looking to build confidence.
— Hoverman
The Trust Project
