High School Sports and Activities

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.

All three schools’ high kick routines qualified for state, while Brainerd and Crosby-Ironton also advanced with their jazz performances.

The two Northern Minnesota schools are among the 16 advancing from section competitions.

The first of two Native American Heritage Nights Jan. 20, 2026, included drumming, dancing and an Ojibwe-language broadcast. The second is Jan. 30 against Grand Rapids.

The same announcers from the historic Minnesota Wild Ojibwe-language broadcast in November will announce hockey games against Cloquet-Esko-Carlton and Grand Rapids on Jan. 20 and 30, 2026.

Plus: The Bagley City Council is deliberating whether to expand its police department or disband it to contract with the Clearwater County Sheriff's Office; 3 Northlanders medaled at the state swimming and diving meet; and Northland football teams end season after semifinal losses.

Park Rapids' Avery Schueller placed third in the 50 freestyle and fifth in the 100 freestyle, and Two Harbors' Bella Imholte ended seventh in the 200 freestyle.

Grand Rapids, Mahnomen/Waubun, Fertile-Beltrami and Kittson County Central all lost, despite multiple attempts at fourth-quarter comebacks.

Grand Rapids, Mahnomen/Waubun, Fertile-Beltrami and Kittson County Central will play Nov. 13-15, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in the 2025 state football semifinals.