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  • Cardinals advance, Raptors ousted

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 27, 2023

    Section 5 nine-man football playoff action started with a bang Tuesday night as Carlton County featured two of its teams in action. Cromwell-Wright came in as the No. 3 seed and opened at home against No. 6 Bertha-Hewitt, while the Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors were the No. 7 seed and opened on the road at No. 2 Ogilvie. The Cardinals upheld their end of the bargain by downing Bertha-Hewitt in a game Cromwell-Wright led 29-2 at halftime and ended up winning 44-14. Throughout the game the Cards were... Full story

  • Bombers, Rebels move toward rematch after playoff openers

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 27, 2023

    Two local teams entered the Section 7AA football playoffs as the top two seeds Tuesday night. Barnum entered the tournament with an undefeated record and as the top seed, while next-door-neighbor Moose Lake/Willow River is the No. 2 seed with only one blemish on their record, and that was to Barnum in the season opener. Barnum (9-0) played at home against No. 8 seed Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin and the Bombers proved worthy of the top seed by beating the Titans handily, 56-7. Moose Lake/Willow... Full story

  • 5 straight to State and just as sweet

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 20, 2023

    The atmosphere at Members Cooperative Credit Union Stadium on Tuesday was nothing short of electric. The first game of any type to be played on the new turf field featured the Lumberjacks taking on North Branch in the Section 7AA girls championship game. The host Cloquet-Carlton didn't disappoint as they avenged an earlier season loss by winning 3-0. "We didn't play our best game when we played them earlier in the season," said senior forward Kiley Issendorf. In that 3-2 loss, the Lumberjacks... Full story

  • Cardinals depth overmatches FDL's grit

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 20, 2023

    Thursday's varsity girls volleyball game between Cromwell-Wright and Fond du Lac featured one team with a host of veterans versus a young squad looking to improve each night they hit the court. While the Cards came out with a 3-0 victory over the Ogichidaa, the match featured hard work on both sides of the net. "Fond du Lac has a very, very young group, but, boy, do they work hard," said Cards coach Amy Granholm. "I was impressed with how hard they work on the defensive end, and they are... Full story

  • 'Jacks volleyball faces tests before playoffs

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 13, 2023

    To say the Cloquet volleyball team has been on a tear would be putting things mildly. The Lumberjacks are 22-2 on the season. They won 15 straight matches in September and, after a narrow loss to Hermantown, have won three matches in a row with two matches left in the regular season. On Thursday, Oct. 5, Cloquet marked its senior night by defeating Superior, 25-14, 25-23, 25-21. With 17 assists in the match, senior setter Carly Johnson surpassed 1,000 career set assists the same night.... Full story

  • Denfeld spoils 'Jacks homecoming

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 13, 2023

    A slow start for the Cloquet football team proved costly against Denfeld in Proctor Friday, during Cloquet's homecoming-away-from-home game. Denfeld raced out to a 20-0 first-quarter lead and by halftime they were up 34-8 on their way to a 40-16 win. "They're an explosive and fast team," said Cloquet head coach Jeff Ojanen. "You can't give them back-to-back possessions on a short field, and that is exactly what we did." Denfeld took the opening kickoff and returned it to the Lumberjacks 48-yard... Full story

  • Lumberjacks fight to the finish in section

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 13, 2023

    The team portion of the season ended for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls tennis team last week when the Lumberjacks fell to Cambridge in the opening round of the Section 7AA tennis tournament. CEC came in as the No. 12 seed and were playing the No. 5 seeded Blue Jackets. The 'Jacks fought hard but came up short in the 5-2 loss Tuesday, Oct. 3. Lumberjacks got a win at No. 2 singles from Addison Ranta, who defeated Isabelle Sullivan by a score of 3-6, 6-3 and 10-4. "Addison started slow, but got...

  • 'Jacks hungry for a big playoff push

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 6, 2023

    After many years of dominating the Section 7AA girls soccer tournament, the Cloquet/Carlton Lumberjacks are once again one of the teams to beat. "I really think we're on the cusp of some good things," said coach Dustin Randall. "We have only two seniors, so we will need the younger players to step up and continue to improve, and so far we've been seeing that." The Lumberjacks' lone two seniors are Madison Frederickson and Kiley Issendorf. Frederickson is a defender and Issendorf a forward in... Full story

  • Streak has CEC boys soccer team poised for deep run

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 6, 2023

    After opening the season by losing two of their first three games, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys' soccer team has reeled off 12 straight wins and is the prohibitive favorite in the looming Section 7AA playoffs again. Last Saturday, the Lumberjacks throttled Hermantown, 4-0, and on Tuesday they downed North Branch, 7-0. Against Hermantown the 'Jacks recorded the first goal of the game at the 10-minute mark when Logan Kunze rammed home a ball off a corner kick by Anders Gunnelson. "It's nice and i... Full story

  • Lumberjacks set improvement pace

    Kerry Rodd|Oct 6, 2023

    While the fall football and soccer seasons are starting to reach the end of their regular seasons, boys and girls in cross country still have about a month of running ahead of them. That time will be used to make sure teams are continuing to train as they try to lop time off their runs in hopes of winning a section title. "I'm happy with how hard our kids are working," said Cloquet boys and girls cross country coach Chandra Allen. The Cloquet boys team has made continuous improvements and has... Full story

  • Esko keeps rolling, scoring at will

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 29, 2023

    Esko played what most folks predicted would be the football team's most competitive game of the regular season against Pequot Lakes Friday night. They crushed the Patriots at home. Esko won 60-0 and sent notice to the rest of the state that they are the team to beat in Class AAA, with talent to spare. The two teams met in last year's section final, with Esko escaping and going to state. The Patriots came in ranked as the No. 5 team in the state. Esko came in ranked at No. 3. Esko has scored at... Full story

  • Lumberjacks get even at 2-2

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 29, 2023

    After opening the season with two straight losses, the Cloquet football team picked up their second win in a row Friday with a 38-12 win over Rock Ridge. The home game was played at Proctor's Egerdahl Field because Cloquet's home field is still not ready for play after getting turf this summer. The game was played in a dense fog where at times the fans could not see the opposite side of the field. "We just don't see fog like that when we play at our field in Cloquet," said Cloquet coach Jeff... Full story

  • Raptors continue to learn despite routs

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 29, 2023

    When Cromwell-Wright and Carlton/Wrenshall took the field on Friday night, both teams knew the Cardinals were the heavy favorite. The Raptors are trying to meld a program together, while the Cards are one of the top nine-man teams each year in northern Minnesota. When the dust cleared, the Cards had won 76-0, but the Raptors had earned the respect of the opposition. "Brent had his kids playing hard and excited to play football," said Cardinals coach Jeff Gronner. "For us, our kids have never... Full story

  • 'Jacks sweep Esko

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 29, 2023

    Two of the top teams in northeastern Minnesota did battle at Cloquet Middle School Tuesday, when Cloquet defeated Esko 3-0. "It's always fun to play Esko," said Cloquet coach Heidi Anderson. "They have a talented team and they make you work for everything." The Lumberjacks came in fresh off winning the Duluth East tournament championship over the weekend. The talented team showed just how tough they are by dominating at the net and controlling play as they moved their record to 16-1 on the seaso... Full story

  • Deep Lumberjacks are on a roll

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 22, 2023

    Optimism is running high for the Lumberjacks boys soccer team. Heading into Tuesday night's game against Superior, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton had reeled off six straight wins and improved its record to 7-2. "Our two losses were to a Top 10 team in Class AAA and the top-ranked team in Class AA," said CEC head coach John Sundquist. "We feel that we have all the pieces to make another strong run at the end of the season." CEC finished third at the Class AA state tournament last year and they are loaded... Full story

  • It's domination for Esko on the court

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 22, 2023

    Esko and Barnum met in girls volleyball Thursday with Esko dominating its southern neighbor, and improving their record to 11-3 with the win. "So far so good," said Esko coach Pete Stasiuk. "We lost to Hermantown in the second week of the season - a game I thought we should have won - but since then we've been playing well, although I'd like to see some more consistency." While Esko has a deep team, the Bombers are entering a new era with a new coach. Amanda Nordstrom has taken over the program... Full story

  • Senior captains lead young Lumberjacks team

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 22, 2023

    A young Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls swim team had the dubious honor of having to open the season against the three toughest teams in Section 7 this season. Starting with Grand Rapids, Proctor-Hermantown and Hibbing was tough, but the Lumberjacks' young swimmers continue to show improvement this season. "It's been a rebuilding year for us," said CEC coach Rachel Peterson. "We have a lot of young swimmers. It will take a while, but the girls are working hard and doing what they need to do to... Full story

  • The Hall comes calling

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 15, 2023

    It's still sinking in for Cloquet native Jamie Langenbrunner. Already a revered hockey player from the high school, professional and national team ranks, he will become a hall of fame inductee in December. "I was up playing golf at Giants Ridge a week ago and, when we drove by the (United States) Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, it kind of hit me that this time next year I will be there," Langenbrunner said from his home in the Twin Cities area. Langenbrunner has known since July that he will be...

  • Homeless 'Jacks are in a 0-2 hole

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 15, 2023

    When does a high school home opening football game not feel like a home game? When your home game is played 12 miles away in another town, that's when. Such was the case last Friday night when Cloquet opened its home season at Proctor playing against the Hermantown Hawks. The game was moved because the new Members Cooperative Credit Union Stadium is not quite ready for a home game. "Anytime you get to play football under the lights on a Friday night is special," said Lumberjacks head coach Jeff... Full story

  • Bombers get a win for the century

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 8, 2023

    Local football fans got a treat Friday when Barnum defeated Moose Lake/Willow River for the first time since 1998. It wasn't easy, but the Barnum defense got it done during a second overtime, stopping the Rebels at the 5-yard line to pull out a 28-22 victory. The brown jug finally made its way back to Barnum. "It was a lot of fun and a good game between two good teams," said Barnum coach Rob Minkkinen. "I was proud of how resilient our team was all game long. There were a few times where they... Full story

  • Cardinals catch Raptors at right time, sweep

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 8, 2023

    One team is learning to play together for the first time while the other school returns six players who either started full- or part-time last season. Such was the case when Carlton/Wrenshall hosted the first home game in their cooperative's history Aug. 31 against an experienced Cromwell-Wright team. Cromwell/Wright swept the match by scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-17. "Right now, we are just trying to figure things out," said Raptors coach Barb Soukkala. "We have to be patient and try to fit... Full story

  • Esko routs East, wins by 57

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 8, 2023

    Esko fans have been anticipating the high school football season ever since the team lost in the state quarterfinals last year. On Aug. 31, Esko showed its optimism was warranted, demolishing Duluth East on the road, 63-6. "I knew we had a lot of pieces on both sides of the ball," said Esko coach Scott Arntson. "I knew we'd be good, but you still have to get on the field and prove it." Esko has team speed to burn and plenty of big strong athletes. They were so overwhelming that by the end of the... Full story

  • 'Jacks hit road in tennis

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 8, 2023

    It's been an interesting year for the 43-member Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls tennis team. With construction of the new $4.7 million Members Cooperative Credit Union Stadium complex going on, the 'Jacks have played all their matches so far on the road, and at this point they are not scheduled to have a home game this season. "That's been tough, especially because we have 13 seniors who would like a chance to play at home," said head coach Derek Johnson. "There is excitement for what the future hold... Full story

  • Cards hang tough, run out of gas

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 1, 2023

    It's nice to open a football season at home. What wasn't so nice for Cromwell-Wright last Thursday was its opponent, defending Section 5 nine-man champion Ogilvie. While the Cardinals played tough, the Lions pushed through for a 42-21 win. "They returned eight of nine starters on defense and seven starters on offense," said Cardinals coach Jeff Gronner. "They are big and physical and we knew they'd be tough." Cromwell-Wright gave the Lions everything they could handle and then some as they... Full story

  • A dramatic draw for next-door foes

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 1, 2023

    When the Cloquet/Carlton and Esko girls soccer teams met Tuesday night, the game featured the Class AA and Class A Section 7 champions from last year. It also featured quality defensive efforts by both teams, ending in a 1-1 tie. Esko evened up the score in the last 53 seconds on a goal by Kaitlyn McConnell. "We haven't had a lot of time to practice set pieces," said Esko coach Sharon Lahti, referring to things like free kicks and corner kicks. "What we tell the girls is just get a body part on... Full story

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