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Articles written by Greg Oakes


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  • Lumberjacks poised for intense stretch run

    Greg Oakes|Oct 14, 2022

    One year removed from making it to the Section 7AAA finals, the Cloquet volleyball machine continued to crank out wins and headed into the last two weeks of the season with an impressive 18-5 record. In class AAA, the Lumberjacks are currently ranked 13th out of 61 teams. In the entire state, they are ranked 60th out of 405 schools. The 'Jacks are also undefeated at home at 5-0, with only one remaining match, versus rival Hermantown on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Cloquet's two biggest wins this season...

  • Cloquet, Esko out of gate quickly in volleyball

    Greg Oakes|Sep 16, 2022

    The volleyball season is in full swing as teams have all played four or five opponents. This is the time of year when trends start to develop and coaches are able to start solidifying their lineups. The cream rises to the top, and observers begin to learn which teams may be contenders for the state tournament in November. The three best teams in the area by division - Cloquet in AAA, Esko in AA and South Ridge in A - have all started fast out of the gate. Cloquet is 3-1, with victories over...

  • Previews: Area volleyball offers wide mix of talented programs

    Greg Oakes|Aug 26, 2022

    Another exciting high school volleyball season is about to begin as the calendar turns to September. Lots of optimism fills the gyms throughout Carlton County as fresh faces try to replace the graduates. Before previewing this upcoming season, let's recap how things ended in 2021. The state has four divisions for volleyball: AAAA - the largest schools dictated by enrollment, followed by AAA, AA and A. Duluth East is the only AAAA school in our area. Rankings are based on a Quality Results Formul...

  • Grand Rapids blocks Cloquet's state bid

    Greg Oakes|Nov 12, 2021

    Cloquet volleyball had a busy week in pursuit of its first ever trip to the state tournament. The final week began with a semifinal victory over Hermantown last Wednesday, Nov. 3. The Lumberjacks beat Hermantown 3-1 to advance to the section finals. Senior Breea Rasmussen led the way with a career-high 15 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore sensation Ava Carlson continued her successful season with 16 kills and 18 digs. Senior middle hitter Geneveve Fonoti had nine kills and four blocks, junior Aili Bu...

  • Lumberjacks hit cruise control

    Greg Oakes|Oct 1, 2021

    In front of a raucous crowd of competing student sections, the host Cloquet volleyball team defeated Esko on Tuesday, 3-0. The Lumberjacks, now 12-4 and ranked 11th in AAA, defeated the Eskomos by the scores of 25-14, 25-21 and 25-13. Esko's record falls to 10-7. The win comes after a weekend championship at a tournament in Virginia, which proved to be the remedy for a 3-1 loss to Greenway on Sept. 23. Cloquet coach Heidi Anderson said the Tuesday home game, invaded by scores of Esko fans, was...

  • Cloquet grad takes giant leaps into tech

    Greg Oakes|Jan 8, 2021

    Have you ever had a conversation with someone so intelligent that 10 minutes into the exchange, you start to feel inferior? That maybe you should have accomplished more in your lifetime? That is how my interview went with Luke Heine. After our two-hour talk, I needed two Tylenol to soothe my aching brain. I looked up his name online just to see if I had missed anything. I found multiple stories of Luke's accomplishments. Did I mention he is only 26? Just out of curiosity I searched for my name....

  • Living with Covid takes its toll

    Greg Oakes|Nov 20, 2020

    Covid-19 couldn't happen to us. We were careful. We wore masks. We avoided crowds. We washed our hands incessantly. We carried hand sanitizer everywhere we went. We are homebodies. We only visited with people who we knew are also very careful. We were wrong. We got Covid. My wife Kim tested positive on Oct. 17. I tested positive four days later on Oct. 21. It's been an emotional and physical rollercoaster. On Oct. 13, Kim started feeling sick after dinner. We just thought maybe she ate...

  • Sports cards have dual values

    Greg Oakes|Oct 23, 2020

    My favorite baseball idol died recently. Joe Morgan was a Hall of Fame second baseman for my hometown Cincinnati Reds. During the 1970s, Morgan won Most Valuable Player awards in 1975 and 1976. The Reds won the World Series in those same years. He was the igniter of arguably the best baseball team ever assembled, the Big Red Machine. The news of his passing brought back memories of my adolescent years when I collected sports cards for a hobby. There was a thrill of going to a gas station to buy...

  • Volleyball teams set for limited run

    Greg Oakes|Oct 9, 2020

    Ready, set, stop! That has been the confusing world of volleyball programs throughout the Northland. In mid-March, just as the club season was about to begin, the schools were shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the coaches had already gone through tryouts to determine which players would be on which club teams. Fees had been paid, uniforms handed out and a schedule of tournaments was set. Players were getting used to new coaches, teammates and for some, new positions. And then-...

  • Brothers from Africa light up soccer field

    Greg Oakes|Sep 25, 2020

    A remarkable goal by freshman Elijah Aultman last Thursday pretty much cemented the soccer player's standing on a new team in a country he's called home for less than a year. Elijah and his brother, Jordan, came to Carlton County from Sierra Leone last year, after being adopted by John and Jackie Aultman of Esko. They went from a place that is tropical all year to Minnesota in winter, and from a country that is ranked as one of the poorest in the world to one of the wealthiest. The constants in...