Esko School District

Over 100 student-athletes from rural Northern Minnesota will wrestle at the 2026 state tournament in St. Paul, with a strong representation from the north-central region.

The Ely boys and Cook County girls will also compete Feb. 11-12, 2026, at Giants Ridge, along with individual qualifiers from Bemidji, Ely, Proctor-Hermantown, Grand Rapids, Two Harbors and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton.

Student-athletes competing for Cook County, Brainerd, Proctor-Hermantown, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton and Detroit Lakes will race in the state alpine meet in Biwabik on Feb. 10, 2026.

The five Northland teams are all underdogs, set to face some of the top teams in the state in the 2025 state volleyball tournament.

Plus: Bipartisan legislation for a land transfer in the Chippewa National Forest cleared a key Senate committee; and the Esko girls' soccer team will advance to the state semi-finals on Oct. 29, 2025.

No. 4 Esko moves on to face top-seeded and defending Class A champion Providence Academy on Oct. 29, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Thunderhawks advanced despite being the third-seeded team in their section, while Esko held the top seed in theirs. The state tournament begins Oct. 21, 2025.

The Drakes will represent Northern Minnesota along with Brainerd, Esko, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River and Moose Lake/Willow River at the 2025 state softball tournament.

The legislation changes the exemption process for districts with Native American mascots. It also would also help fund the cost of mascot replacement for districts like Esko.

Nearly 40 student-athletes from rural schools across the Northland will race at next week's state meets at Giant's Ridge.