Brainerd/Little Falls and Grand Rapids/Greenway get most of the accolades as top teams from the north, but don’t sleep on another high-powered conglomeration of schools in Cloquet-Esko-Carlton.
The senior-heavy Lumberjacks returned 17 of their 20 varsity players from last season, and all that experience has added up to an 11-2-0 overall record and 2-0-0 mark in the Lake Superior Conference standings.
Seniors Taylor Nelson (16 goals) and Kiana Bender (15 goals) give No. 3-1A Cloquet-Esko-Carlton a dynamic one-two scoring combination.
All five of the most recent games for Champlin Park/Coon Rapids (9-6-0, 6-3-0) have been one-goal affairs, with the Bluebirds winning four of them. Sophomore Abby Ness is the team’s scoring leader with 12 goals.