Sports Roundup: Agates avoid lightning, get win

• The Agates Celebrate

The Agates celebrate after quarterback Jon McDannold ran for a touchdown against Aitkin in the first quarter Thursday. The Agates won 23-20. Matt Suoja
• Agate Cheerleaders

Agate cheerleaders have made their return after a hiatus for a few seasons. Matt Suoja
• Bill Sell

Agates running back Bill Sell ran for 100 yards against Aitkin. Jill Innis

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Two Harbors football

Quarterback Jon McDannold rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns as the Agates topped Aitkin 23-20 Thursday in the season opener. The game was stopped for about one hour in the second quarter because of lightning.

“It should not have been that close,” said head coach Tom Nelson. He said the team had five turnovers which contributed to the closeness of the game. “We got to hold onto the ball a lot better.”

The Agates had the lead the whole game other than when it was tied 7-7 going into the hour-long lightning break. Bill Sell had 100 yards rushing on 15 carries.

“Defensively, I thought we did some nice things,” Nelson said. McDannold and Adam Martin each had an interception.

Nelson was also happy with his coaches. “A lot of these guys give up money to be compensated. Nobody takes their full pay.”

Lightning didn’t deter the Agates offense, or its fans.

“I appreciate fans coming out … a decent crowd came back [after the break],” Nelson said. “The cheerleaders did a nice job.”

The cheerleaders had been missing the last few years from games. Melanie Ross and Tanya Peterson are the coaches of the newly formed Agate Cheer Squad, a group of eight girls.

Cheer squad members pay the same fee other high school athletes pay. The money will go to Community Education and pay for the advisors and equipment. They’ll also be doing fund-raising to help cover the costs of uniforms and transportation.

Silver Bay football

The Mariners scored twice in the final quarter of play and pushed the Cook Little Gophers to the limit, but ended up the losing side of things by a score of 21-14 in the opening game of the season played at Silver Bay.

Cook scored the only touchdown of the first three quarters of play on a 10-yard run by Brian Linn and led 6-0 going into the final quarter of play.

They scored on their third possession of the game after both teams turned the ball over on fumbles the first two times they had the ball. Before the first half ended, Cook would turn it over two more times via fumble and the Bay would do so once more, while the second half was turnover free.

The Mariners had just 32 yards of offense along with two first downs in the first half, before regrouping for 100 yards in the second half when they went to the big play via the air. While the Mariners were doing this, Cook was content to just keep grinding it out on the ground.

Cook went ahead 14-0 early in the final quarter on a 4- yard run by Zach Linn, who led all rushers with 115 yards. Matt Bergman ran it in for the two-point conversion.

The Mariners quickly struck back with a 41-yard pass from quarterback Luke Thun to Holden Panetti that brought the ball down to the Cook 5-yard line.

Two plays later, Thun hit Cody Larson with a 4-yard pass for a touchdown. The pass for two failed. With 5:40 left to play the Mariners tried an onside kick and Cook recovered on their own 49. They then went 51 yards in seven plays ending with a 20 -yard run by Zach Linn.

The Mariners needed only three plays to respond when Thun found Kyle Blood for a 60-yard touchdown pass. A run by Panetti for two made it 21-14 with 1:30 to go. Another onside kick failed and Cook was able to run out the clock.

Cook ran for 276 yards and completed one pass for 8 yards. Bergman ran for 55 yards and quarterback Mason Wilhelmy added another 81. Thun led the Mariner offense with 17 yards on the ground and was 5-of-8 through the air for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Larson caught three of his five passes. Panetti had the most tackles at 19 and Thun had 9.

Baruch Fischer, Thun and Henry Mitchell each recovered fumbles.

Larson recovered a fumble, blocked an extra point attempt and had 17 tackles with a number of them in the backfield for losses.

Two Harbors girls soccer

The Agates lost to Grand Rapids 3-2 last Wednesday in overtime.

The Agates were down 2-0 with 20 minutes left in the second half. Goals then came quickly from Ivie Brooks (penalty kick) and Lacey Myrdal to tie it up.

Head coach Jeff Peterson said the Agates had some chances in overtime, but just couldn’t score.

They also fell to Academy of Holy Angels 4-1 Friday. The Angels came out strong scoring three consecutive goals before Agate Hayley Horgan (assisted by Nina Bukowski) scored in the second half.

Lucy Bukowski and Hannah Broadbent combined for nine saves.

The Agates lost to Duluth Marshall 4-0 Tuesday. It was all Hilltoppers in the first half as they scored four unanswered goals.

The Agates did shutdown Duluth Marshall in the second half. Lucy Bukowski had six saves in the game.

Two Harbors boys soccer

The Agates were dumped on last Wednesday, as Duluth East outscored Two Harbors 10-0.

“We played the best team we are going to play all season,” said head coach David Lukkonen.

It was an especially rough first half for the Agate as six goals were allowed. The Greyhounds scored four more times in the second half. Lukkonen said the team did have some scoring chances, but just could capitalize on them.

Sam Strom had six saves for Two Harbors. The Agates had three shots on goal.

Two Harbors-Cook County cross country

The Two Harbors-Cook County cross country team had a strong showing at its first meet of the season Thursday – the Viking Challenge at Cook County.

On the girls team, Anna Schield of Two Harbors, placed 12th with a time of 17:27. Sara Schield finished with a time of 20:04.

“We were anxious to see how our rebuilding of the girls’ state meet team, which lost six of its top nine runners, was going [to do], and how our young but talented boys’ team would fare,” head coach Chris Hegg said.

The girls finished fourth.

“We have a long way to go to return to state, but this was a decent start,” Hegg said.

Kieran Scannell of Cook County was the top boys finisher with a time of 17:17 – easily a record for the Viking Challenge Meet. Josh Ensign of Two Harbors was close to a personal record with 19:00 for 11th place while Drew Christiansen, of Two Harbors, finished with a time of 21:13 on the 3.1-mile course. The boys finished third.

Duluth East, Hibbing, Proctor, Carlton, AlBrook, Wrenshall, and Duluth Central participated in the meet.

In the junior high boys event, the team placed third with Owen Cruikshank at 11:46 for 14th and Fletcher Kasell with a time of 13:06 for 21st. Both are from Two Harbors.

Two Harbors swimming

The Agates defeated Virginia Thursday, 110-70.

The Agates 200-meter medley and 200-meter free-

style relay teams both won with top individual performances also coming from many swimmers as well.

Mara Boulanger won the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter breaststroke. Jennie Dwyer won two events in the 100-meter freestyle and 500 freestyle.

Other top competitors who won their events include Emily Riemer (200-meter individual medley), Kiersten Haaversen (100-meter backstroke), Heather Fynboh (100-meter butterfly), and Rebecca Ronning (diving).

The THHS swim team thanked Do North Pizza for the donation of pizzas for a victory party.

It was another victory for the Agates Tuesday as they took on the Lumber-

jacks from Cloquet-Esko-

Carlton. The 200-meter medley relay teams finished first and second respectively.

The Agates dominated the 200-meter freestyle with Ronning placing first with a time of 2:20.32 and Brooke Fletcher a very close second at 2:20.69. Boulanger took first in the 200 individual medley and won the 100-meter backstroke.

Heather Fynboh won the 100-meter fly, while the Agates controlled the 500-meter freestyle race with Dw-

yer finishing first and Fletcher second. Riemer and Leann Fynboh took first and second in the 100 breaststroke with times of 1:23.11 and 1:26.22.

Silver Bay volleyball

The Mariners lost to Babbitt-Embarrass 3-0 Thursday.

“We played good defense,” said head coach Tom Frericks.

Marina Carter led the team with six kills and six blocks.

Silver Bay lost to Cook County 3-1 Tuesday. Shay Viola had 15 digs and Carter contributed three kills and four ace-blocks. Taylor Guzzo had six kills.

“We just have to get better,” Frericks said. “We’re kind of a young team.”

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