Sports Roundup: Soccer teams continue to struggle
The Two Harbors boys soccer team held a 2-1 lead with 11 minutes left against Superior Thursday, but just couldn’t hold on losing 4-2.By: Matt Suoja and Steve Gow, Lake County News Chronicle
- Brandon Willemarck
- Shay Viola
- Sara Shepersky
Two Harbors boys soccer
The Two Harbors boys soccer team held a 2-1 lead with 11 minutes left against Superior Thursday, but just couldn’t hold on losing 4-2.
The teams were tied 0-0 in the first half. In the second, the offensive flood gates opened. Superior scored the first goal in the 44th minute. Six minutes later Caleb Hamp-Sill scored to tie it and then Eli Hebl scored to give Two Harbors a 2-1 lead. Superior then rattled off three straight goals to take the win.
“Superior put constant pressure on the goal,” head coach David Lukkonen said. “When they scored to tie it, that really deflated us.”
Sam Strom had 16 saves for the Agates
Lukkonen said Hebl, who’s in ninth grade, stepped up his game and scored “a big-time goal” giving Two Harbors a brief lead.
On Saturday, the Agates lost to Hayward 3-1.
Hayward had a 1-0 lead at the half and added another in the second half to make it 2-0. Then Hamp-Sill scored with six minutes left, which was followed up by another Hayward goal.
“We were very competitive in the game,” Lukkonen said. “The defense stepped up.”
Lukkonen said defender Steve Frikken shutdown Hayward’s star player.
Two Harbors girls soccer
The Two Harbors girls soccer team fell to Cloquet 4-1 Thursday.
Two Harbors took an early 1-0 lead in the fourth minute with a goal coming from Ivie Brooks, but that’s the only offense the Agates could muster. Cloquet fought back with three goals in the first and scored one more in the second to take the win.
The Agates topped Duluth Marshall 3-2 Monday.
“We played a much better game,” head coach Jeff Peterson said. “We’re heading in the right direction.”
Two Harbors had a solid first half scoring three goals including two from Lacey Myrdal. Hayley Horgan also hit the back of the net as the Agates shut out Duluth Marshall in the first half. The Hilltoppers came back in the second half scoring two goals in the span of three minutes, but it wasn’t enough.
Lucy Bukowski had nine saves in goal.
Peterson said a tough part of the team’s schedule is forthcoming beginning with a home game against Apple Valley at 5 p.m. Friday.
Two Harbors football
The Two Harbors football team fell to Esko 24-7 Friday as Two Harbors was shut out in the first three quarters of the matchup.
“It was a frustrating loss as I was not pleased with how we played,” head coach Tom Nelson said. “I give Esko credit as their intensity was at a greater level than ours and that showed in the outcome. After watching the tape we made some uncharacteristic mistakes at bad times and those mistakes were huge.”
Esko carried an 8-0 lead into the half after a first quarter rushing touchdown and continued run the ball well in the second half scoring two more on the ground.
The Agates only score came at 1:38 left in the final quarter as Devin Nelson scored on a 4-yard run.
“We also lost Drew Fleck (RB/LB) for the season with an ankle injury and we need other kids to step up big as Drew was a very good player for us as well as a team leader,” Nelson said. Fleck, a senior, recently painted his van to show team spirit.
Senior tight end Brandon Willemarck also injured his knee and the team is awaiting results on the injury.
“We have a very difficult stretch of games coming up and we have to step our play up greatly,” Nelson said.
Two Harbors is at Deer River at 7 p.m. Friday.
Silver Bay football
The Silver Bay football team fell to 0-3 on the season with a 43-6 loss at Dolan Field in Mountain Iron to a very fast Mountain Iron-Buhl Rangers team.
The Mariners turned the ball over three times compared to two for the Rangers and deterred four drives via penalty. Passes were also dropped and overthrown.
The Mariners received the opening kickoff and moved 15 yards before they had to punt. Deven Rowe, of MIB, took a hand off from quarterback Ryan Buria on the team’s first play from scrimmage, cut back and raced around the end for a 75-yard touchdown. The score remained at 6-0 after Cody Larson blocked the extra point kick attempt.
After a Mariner turnover, Jake Stevens got wide open behind the Mariner secondary and Buria found him for a 33-yard score and a 12-0 Ranger lead after one quarter of play.
A 64-yard run by Buria made it 20-0 at the half. Buria ran for two more in the second half and Rowe added another. The Mariners got on the scoreboard in the final quarter via a seven-play, 58-yard drive that saw Larson running it in from 3 yards out.
Larson led the Mariners with 77 rushing yards followed by Henry Mitchell with 47, Holden Panetti with 35, and Luke Thun had 28. Larson caught four for 37 yards and Panetti had two for 38. Thun was 7-of-19 for 75 yards. Panetti and Leif Maxwell recovered fumbles for the Mariners.
Two Harbors swimming
The Two Harbors swimming team defeated Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 101-67 at its home meet Thursday.
The junior varsity also won by a score of 101-73.
On Saturday, the Agates finished in third place at the Soderlind Invitational at Morgan Park Middle School against seven area teams.
Rebecca Ronning took first place in the diving event
while Jennie Dwyer won the 100-yard and 500-yard free events. The 400-yard free relay team (Brooke Fletcher, Mara Boulanger, Dwyer, and Ronning) finished second as did Boulanger in the 100-yard backstroke.
Emily Riemer finished third in the 200-yard individual medley while Boulanger took the same position in the 50-yard free. Fletcher finished third in the 500-yard free event.
Other top finishers included the 200-yard medley relay (Heather Fynboh, Boulanger, Riemer, and Dwyer) who placed No. 4, Fynboh (fifth in the 100-yard fly), and Riemer (fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke).
Two Harbors-Cook County cross country
After a week off and lots of tough hill training, the Two Harbors-Cook County Vik-
ings cross country team headed to the Eveleth Invitational Thursday where the girls team finished third and
the boys were fourth. There were 15 teams in the meet.
“Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have been showing a lot of progress, the girls working to replace the loss of 6-of-9 from last years’ state meet team, and the boys patiently building a strong varsity team from our youthful team,” head coach Chris Hegg said.
Anna Schield, of Two Harbors, had climbed up to fifth before being nipped in an exciting sprint finish, finishing sixth while Sara Schield finished 42nd with a time of 20:12. In the team standings, the girls finished behind Pequot Lakes and International Falls. Ailee Larson, of Cook County, won the event.
“After a big win in the Viking Challenge two weeks ago, we were anticipating another win, in pretty much the same fashion,” Hegg said about the boys team.
Kieran Scannell, of Cook County, won the event with a time of 17:19. Josh Ensign, of Two Harbors, was No. 14 with a time of 19:13. Drew Christensen, of Two Harbors, finished the race at 22:43. The boys team finished fourth overall.
In the junior high race Owen Cruikshank and Fletcher Kasell, both of Two Harbors, ran the event in 11:17 and 11:23 respectively.
Two Harbors volleyball
The Two Harbors volleyball team lost 3-0 to Floodwood Thursday in three sets.
Sasha Fjeran had eight set assists while Kaley Peterson had four kills.
“We have played some really tough teams the last few games, but we have played really hard and given everything we had every game,” head coach Brooke Chaffee said. “One thing that we need to improve on is cutting down on hitting and serving errors. We need to be smart hitters and recognize when we are out of position so that we can adjust and make a smart attack over the net and get the ball into their defensive holes.”
On Monday, the Agates lost another to Hermantown in three sets.
Fjeran had a strong game with 14 set-assists while Peterson had two blocks and six kills. Sarah Stark also had six digs.
“I think our passing is improving, but our serve-receive is still causing us some difficulties,” Chaffee said. “If they are serving well, we have a tendency to get down right at the beginning of a match. … We are all itching for a win and we will continue to work hard to improve as the season moves forward.”
The Agates lost to Moose Lake-Willow River in four games Tuesday. Peterson had nine kills and three blocks while Fjeran had 14 set-assists and 11 digs. Madison Olson had six kills and five ace-serves.
Silver Bay volleyball
The Silver Bay volleyball team topped Wrenshall in three games Thursday.
On Saturday the Mariners played in a Barnum tournament. The team lost to McGregor in a close match 23-25, 23-25. Against Barnum, they lost in three games 25-19, 15-25, and 5-15. The Mariners also lost to Cromwell in two sets, 17-25, 16-25.
East Central defeated Barnum in the championship game of the tournament while Cromwell was third and McGregor placed fourth.
Tags: two harbors, schools, sports, silver bay, sports roundup, soccer, football, swimming, cross country, volleyball
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