Vikings Weekly: Cook County football rolls past Bigfork, cross-country teams prepare for conference meet
Welcome to Vikings Weekly, where we track the latest results from high school sports teams based in Cook County.
Volleyball
The Cook County Vikings traveled to Moose Lake on Monday to face the Rebels.
The Vikings won the opening set 25-20, but Moose Lake rallied to take the next three sets, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-20, securing a 3-1 victory.
“A great effort was given by the Vikings. They held their heads high and now have new heights to reach for,” head coach Colette Mueller said after the match.
The Vikings rebounded Thursday, sweeping Fond du Lac Ojibwe 3-0.
Cook County currently ranks fourth in the Section 7A South Subsection standings. However, the Vikings defeated third-ranked Carlton-Wrenshall in head-to-head competition, which could factor into the final tournament seeding.
The Vikings will host the Two Harbors Agates on Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Pam Taylor Gymnasium.
Cross Country
The North Shore Storm competed in two meets this week as the teams prepared for the upcoming Polar League Conference meet.
The Storm traveled to the Pequot Lakes Cross Country Invitational on Oct. 6.
The girls’ team finished sixth despite competing without Sierra Geatz and Sparrow Schmidt. Elizabeth Swartz placed 11th with a time of 20:46, while Sophia Schut finished 15th in 21:01.
The boys’ team finished second, just five points behind Chisago Lakes. Sam Swartz placed sixth with a time of 16:52, followed closely by Atley Beckstrand in seventh at 16:54.
The Storm returned to competition Thursday at the Ely Invitational.
With two meets scheduled during the week, the Storm rested several varsity runners and gave junior varsity athletes an opportunity to compete.
The girls’ team finished seventh. Sparrow Schmidt led the team with a 33rd-place finish in 23:54.6, followed by Hiver Moody in 42nd at 25:27.
The boys’ team placed ninth. Lucas Oberg finished 32nd with a time of 19:30, while William Richner took 40th in 20:37.
Both teams will compete in the Polar League Conference meet Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Pincushion Mountain Ski Trails.
Football
The Cook County Vikings continued their unbeaten season with a dominant 57-0 victory over the Bigfork Huskies.
The Vikings hold the top spot among Minnesota’s nine-player football teams in the Minnesota-Scores.net Quality Results Formula (QRF) rankings. The Minnesota Star Tribune ranked Cook County sixth in its most recent poll.
Cook County faces a short turnaround before traveling to face North Woods on Wednesday. WTIP will broadcast the game, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Josh Hinke October 11, 2026
