Sports

by Tom Coombe -

The Vermilion Ironmen’s record will show one victory Wednesday at Minnetonka, but all in all it can be argued the community college baseball team won twice that day.
Vermilion and Mesabi split a doubleheader on the artificial turf at Minnetonka’s Veterans Field,but the Ironmen may have picked up a victory just by getting out on to the field.
Vermilion dropped the opener 8-7 but bounced back and won the nightcap 8-3 behind the pitching of freshman Connor Knettel.
The contests were VCC’s first in a month and came after eight games were postponed in the previous two weeks.
Vermilion and Mesabi were set to open Northern Division play this weekend in Ely and Virginia, but the games were moved to Duluth and Superior, and later Iowa, and ultimately scrapped because of poor field conditions and anticipated wintry weather.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: this week the Echo previews Ely’s baseball and boys track teams. Golf, girls track and softball to be featured next week)

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -

ELY FANS in the stands brought signs and cheered for the Timberwolves during the Section 7A championship game played in Hibbing. Photo by Eric Sherman.

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe
All winter long, the Vermilion Ironmen leaned on a talented trio of sophomores.
Demetrice Mitchell, Denario Jackson and Bradlee Lewis dominated an array of statistical categories and formed what head coach Paul McDonald called “a three-headed monster” for the Ironmen.
Those efforts were noticed by league coaches, who placed all three on the 10-member All-Region Team, which was announced earlier this month.
It was an impressive feat for the trio as well as the Vermilion program.
“There are 10 guys who make it and we had three of them,” said McDonald. “It was the first time in a long time that we had three guys on the all-region team.”
Combined, no team in Minnesota got the contribution from three players as Vermilion did from Mitchell, Jackson and Lewis.
“Those guys carried us basically,” said McDonald. “Basically they gave us 60 points and 25 rebounds a night.”

SMILES ALL AROUND - With a lopsided playoff victory in hand, Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald cracked a smile on the bench and laughed along with Wolves Patrick Vanderbeek, Carter Gaulke, Dylan Fenske and Collen Seliskar. Photos by Eric Sherman

Echo staff report -

The number two seed Ely boys basketball team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Section 7A tournament with a 74-44 win over Mt. Iron-Buhl Wednesday night.
The seventh seeded Rangers advanced to play Ely by dismantling Northeast Range on Monday, 88-29.
The Timberwolves had beaten Mt. Iron-Buhl twice this season but McDonald knew his team couldn’t take anything for granted. He also knows tough defense is needed to advance in the tournament.
“It was 30-22 at halftime and we didn’t shoot the ball very well in the half but played pretty good defense against them,” said Ely head coach Tom McDonald.
“We came out in the second half and started shooting better and getting good looks out of our offense and started to pull away from them. I thought we clamped down on defense in that half also.”
Senior Carter Gaulke put up his first career triple double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

Second annual Ely Blue Line Skills Competition. Pictured are: Back row: coaches: Joe Majerus, Tim Hegman, Tony Harding, Frank Udovich, Kevin Niskala, Ben Johnson, Bill Forsberg, Justin Zemke, Luke Macho, Nicole Carlson. Peewees: Kadein Zupancich, Ty Walker, Jackson Hegman, Tommy Homer, Jace Conaway, Sam Leeson, Chase Anderson, Brecken Sandberg, Drew Marolt, Logan Loe, Wes Sandy, Deegan Richards. Squirts: Eli Olsen, Ryland Sandy, Blake Schaller, Hunter Halbakken, Ely Hall, Jace Huntbatch, Owen Brekke, Cazmiro Carlson, Brady Eaton, Alex Merriman, Tyler Forsberg, Sylvia Shock, Jayden Zemke. Mites: Stig Majerus, Brady Forsberg, Oscar Shock, Sean Merriman, Evan Leeson, Violet Udovich, Brayden Akins, Cooper Mayranen. Front: Squirt Goalie Ben Leeson