Hermantown plows through Cloquet in playoff opener

Jeremy Peterson broke a hand prior to Hermantown's game in the snow a year ago against Eveleth-Gilbert, so he hadn't experienced playing in a whiteout before.

But the junior running back did his best Steve Van Buren imitation Tuesday night as Hermantown beat Cloquet 18-7 in the first round of the Section 7AAAA high school football playoffs.

Peterson rushed for 115 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Hawks (6-3) to their fifth consecutive victory and a berth in Saturday's semifinals at top-seeded Bemidji.

"This was a lot of fun; I like playing in the snow," Peterson said.

The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder broke off a 59-yard scoring run on the third play of the game -- before the grass field at Corey Veech Field turned to mush -- and then scored two more short touchdowns after Cloquet mistakes in the red zone. By that point, Peterson's running recalled images of Van Buren leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the 1948 NFL title in a blinding snowstorm.

"We've been counting on him all season," Hawks coach Daryl Illikainen said. "He's a big horse for us."

The condition of the field and numbing cold from a gusty wind that blew throughout the game may have changed the Lumberjacks' offensive game plans more than those of Hermantown, which rarely throws downfield. Still, the weather meant defense and special teams likely would decide matters.

"You can't run quick pitches, you can't pass," Illikainen said. "I thought our special teams did a nice job giving us good field position."

That was evident late in the second quarter after Cloquet (5-4) had taken a 7-6 lead on quarterback Kellin Lamirande's 22-yard keeper. Trent Moe's punt caught a stiff breeze and hit the line, ending up as a minus-3-yard effort and giving the Hawks the ball at the Cloquet 7.

Peterson walked into the end zone on the next play for a 12-7 lead.

Each team lost three fumbles, the most crucial being a Cloquet miscue at its own 8.

"(Coach) was talking about all week to take advantage of their mistakes," Peterson said.

That's what Peterson did three plays later with a 2-yard scoring run late in the third quarter.

"We knew the ball would be slipping all over," Illikainen said. "We had a few (turnovers) and they had a few. But the way these guys are playing now, they're making their own breaks."

Each team rushed for more than 150 yards. Cloquet's Stefan Pease had 113 yards on 22 carries to give him 883 yards for the season.

Cloquet 7-0-0-0--7

Hermantown 6-6-6-0--18

H -- Jeremy Peterson 59 run (run failed)

C -- Kellin Lamirande 22 run (Trent Moe kick)

H -- Peterson 7 run (run failed)

H -- Peterson 2 run (run failed)