Vikings Weekly: Football advances to state, three cross country runners compete at championships

Welcome to Vikings Weekly, where we track the latest results from Cook County high school athletics.

Two Harbor Agates Swim Team

The Two Harbors Agates girls swim team did not compete this week.

The team’s next competition will be the Section 7A meet, which begins Nov. 12 at Hibbing High School. The section finals are scheduled for Nov. 14.

Cross country

Three Cook County runners competed in the Minnesota State High School League Class AA state cross country championships Saturday at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake. More than 150 runners competed in each race.

In the girls race, sophomore Sophia Schut finished 69th with a time of 20:04.

In the boys race, freshman Sam Swartz finished 74th with a time of 16:52. Sophomore Atley Beckstrand placed 97th with a time of 17:14.

Football

The Cook County Vikings cruised to the Section 7 nine-player football championship Friday with a 47-6 victory over the South Ridge Panthers.

Despite penalties that stalled several drives and the ejection of MaCoy Fairbanks, the Vikings relied on their dominant defense and explosive plays to secure the victory.

South Ridge threatened to make it a competitive game late in the second quarter, putting together a touchdown drive through the air to cut Cook County’s lead to 14-6.

The Vikings responded with a 50-yard touchdown run by Talon DeBoer. Sophomore River Foster then intercepted a South Ridge pass, setting up another touchdown run by Graham Oberholtzer.

Cook County took a 27-6 lead into halftime and shut out the Panthers in the second half.

Foster finished the game with two interceptions. Aside from South Ridge’s lone scoring drive, the Vikings defense largely contained the Panthers’ passing attack.

Cook County has allowed an average of just 4.4 points per game this season.

The victory sends the Vikings to the state tournament, where eight teams remain in contention for the nine-player state championship.

Cook County will face the Kittson County Central Bearcats in a rematch of last year’s state tournament, when the Bearcats defeated the Vikings 49-0.

The Vikings will travel to Moorhead High School for the state quarterfinal Thursday, Nov. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., with live coverage on WTIP.

Josh Hinke November 8, 2026