Section Football Playoffs: Denfeld, Esko & Chisholm advance to semifinals
On Tuesday night, three teams advanced to their respective section semifinals, as Esko football took down Hibbing 22-6, Chisholm narrowly beat South Ridge 14-12, and Duluth Denfeld protected home turf against Cloquet winning 28-20.
In the Section 7AAAA quarterfinals, Duluth Denfeld had a big lead heading into the half, but Cloquet’s offense gave them a scare towards the end of the game. They narrowed their deficit to just eight instead of the 15 points they once faced, but the Hunters held on to win 28-20. Denfeld looks to carry their momentum into a semifinal matchup with No. 2 Hermantown, who they fell to by 12 points on October 16th. Kickoff is Saturday at 6 p.m. at Hermantown.
In the Section 7AAA quarterfinals, Esko beat Hibbing for the second time in three weeks, their first win coming on October 4th. All of Esko’s scoring came before halftime, with their final score coming off a punt return touchdown by Graham Hartlieb to win 22-6. Esko will turn to visit No. 1 Pequot Lakes in the semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m.
In the Section 7A quarterfinals, Chisholm went on the road and took down South Ridge 14-12, with all of their offense coming in the first half as well. The Bluestreaks next visit No. 1 Deer River in the semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m.
For more Section tournament scores, Click here.