(Summaries taken from Duluth News Tribune)

Game 1 - September 3, 2004 at Halsted Field, Two Harbors

TWO HARBORS 49, SILVER BAY 8

The Agates won their home opener for the first time since 1995 as they piled up 489 yards in total offense and 23 first downs.

Three backs went over 100 yards in rushing: Anthony Christensen (180 and two TDs), Casey Morsette (139 and a TD) and Jake Peterson (102 and two TDs).

TH -- Casey Morsette 45 run (run failed)

TH -- Anthony Christensen 5 run (Christensen run)

TH -- Andy Morsette 1 run (Jake Peterson run)

TH -- Jake Peterson 4 run (Kent Osberg pass from Andy Morsette)

TH -- Peterson 6 run (Christensen run)

TH -- Christensen 12 run (Nate Stroozas kick)

TH -- Blake Holm 2 run (kick failed)

SB -- Logan Fischer 8 run (Andy Pearson run)

Game 2 - September 10, 2004 at Halsted Field, Two Harbors

TWO HARBORS 46, DULUTH MARSHALL 12

Anthony Christensen rushed for 246 yards on 35 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the Agates to a Polar League AA conference win at home.

Two Harbors (2-0, 1-0) rushed for 505 yards.

Jake McDonnell caught and threw a touchdown for the Hilltoppers (1-1, 0-1).

DM -- Adam Machones 27 pass from Jake McDonnell (kick failed)

TH -- Anthony Christensen 10 run (Christensen run)

TH -- Jake Peterson 6 run (Christensen run)

TH -- Mike Levitt 40 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 6 run (Andy Morsette run)

DM -- Nick LaBounty 25 pass from McDonnell (kick failed)

TH -- Christensen 11 run (Kent Osberg pass from Morsette)

TH -- Christensen 10 run (Morsette run)

TWO HARBORS - Anthony Christensen rushed for a school record 409 yards on 34 attempts and scored five touchdowns to lead unbeaten Two Harbors past Deer River 46-28 in a high school football game Friday night.

The Agates (3-0) had 525 yards total offense.

TH -- Andy Morsette 1 run (Anthony Christensen run)

DR -- Dusty Dahlberg 1 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 59 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 4 run (run failed)

DR -- Derek Moehling 34 run (Ross Nason pass from Dahlberg)

TH -- Christensen 46 run (run failed)

DR -- Cody Krafke 1 run (Ayers pass from Dahlberg)

TH -- Christensen 45 run (Christensen run)

TH -- Christensen 73 run (run failed)

TH -- Casey Morsette 1 run (kick failed)

DR -- Dannyl Huju 5 run (run failed)

ESKO - Most of the hype preceding the Esko-Two Harbors high school football game Friday night surrounded the Agates' running attack, specifically Anthony Christensen.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior entered the Polar League AA contest averaging 280 yards rushing per game, easily leading the Northland. He rumbled for 409 yards -- tied with Braham's David Price for eighth all-time in state history -- against Deer River last week.

"We knew when he ran for 409 yards last week we had it in for us," Esko senior Steve Hicks said. "We had to prepare for him."

Christensen still gained his yards -- 238 on 34 carries -- but the Eskomos showed their running game is top-notch as well by gaining 262 yards in a 34-20 victory.

Senior Andrew Barnes led the way with 114 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.

Barnes' running proved crucial on the first drive of the second half when he gained 29 of the 46 yards, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown, and on a fourth-quarter drive after Two Harbors had closed the gap to 27-14. On that possession, Barnes carried seven times out of the first eight plays for 39 yards to set up Hicks' 6-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Jon Rahkola.

"Our line is pretty solid this year," Barnes said. "They did a good job picking up their blocks, reading the defense."

That was especially true in the first half as the Eskomos (4-0, 3-0) built a 14-0 lead over the Agates (3-1, 2-1), thanks to a 225-102 advantage in yards.

"We wanted to try and pound it at them, run the clock down," said Hicks, who finished with 60 yards on 11 carries. Joe Sunnarborg added 90 yards on seven carries.

When the Agates concentrated on stopping the run, Rahkola burned them through the air. He completed five passes for 103 yards in the opening half, including a 23-yard scoring pass to Brian Lewis on fourth-and-14 for a 14-0 lead.

Rahkola took over in the second week of the season after starter Joe Plinski broke his lower leg. Being undefeated despite that loss puts a smile on coach Bill Hudspith's face.

"With Plinski, I figured we'd be 3-1," he said. "After losing him, and at 4-0, we're very happy."

Two Harbors rallied for 20 points in the fourth quarter. Christensen broke away on a 66-yard scoring run to trim the score to 27-14. He gained 172 of his yards in the second half, giving him 1,080 on the season.

Despite the gaudy numbers, Christensen wasn't pleased with his team's performance.

"I think we played horribly," he said. "We weren't running hard, weren't blocking, weren't tackling, just didn't play very well."

• Two Harbors running back Casey Morsette was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center after getting hit at the line of scrimmage by Sean Smith, Jon Pederson and Barnes late in the third quarter. Morsette was knocked unconscious and taken off the field on a stretcher. No information on his condition was available late Friday night.

Two Harbors 0 0 0 20--20
Esko 6 8 13 7--34

Esko -- Andrew Barnes 2 run (kick failed)

Esko -- Brian Lewis 23 pass from Jon Rahkola (Keith Loftgren pass from Rahkola)

Esko -- Barnes 1 run (Michelle Maunu kick)

Esko -- Steve Hicks 2 run (run failed)

TH -- Jake Peterson 2 run (pass failed)

TH -- Anthony Christensen 66 run (Christensen run)

Esko -- Hicks 6 pass from Rahkola (Maunu kick)

TH -- Christensen 14 run (pass failed)

Anthony Christensen rushed for 207 yards and scored five touchdowns, including a return of the opening kickoff for a score, as the 4-1 Agates dominated the 3-2 Vikings. 

Two Harbors 22 19 6 6--53
Cook County 0 8 0 6--14

TH -- Anthony Christensen 83 kickoff return (Christensen run)

TH -- Christensen 22 run (Kent Osberg run)

TH -- Christensen 50 pass from Andy Morsette (Osberg pass from Morsette)

TH -- Jake Peterson 1 run (kick failed)

TH -- Christensen 8 run (Nathan Struzas kick)

CC -- Jason Donek 6 run (Kyle Ford pass from Kenny Bockovich)

TH -- Peterson 2 run (Struzas kick)

TH -- Christensen 8 run (kick failed)

TH -- Robert Peck 3 run (kick failed)

CC -- Tait Sande 30 pass from Tim Braford (run failed)

GREENWAY 21, TWO HARBORS 20

Jacob Castle scored on a 2-yard run with six minutes remaining and the Raiders (4-2) beat the visiting Agates (4-2) in a Polar League AA conference game.

Jason Castle rushed for 174 yards on 21 attempts, scoring twice for Greenway.

Two Harbors' junior running back Anthony Christensen, the leading rusher in the area, was sidelined for the game.

G -- Jason Castle 65 run (Derek Peterson kick)

TH -- Kent Osberg 1 run (Andy Morsette run)

TH -- Mike Levitt 6 run (kick failed)

G -- Castle 59 run (Peterson kick)

TH -- Levitt 63 run (run failed)

G -- Jacob Castle 2 run (Peterson kick)

Game 7 - October 14, 2004 at Halsted Field, Two Harbors
(Final game of regular season)

MOOSE LAKE-WR 34, TWO HARBORS 22

Brett Solomon had three touchdowns as the Rebels (5-2, 4-1) won a Polar League AA game on the road.

Anthony Christensen had 151 yards rushing, 32 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Agates (4-3, 2-3) before leaving due to an injury in the second half.

TH -- Anthony Christensen 60 run (Christensen run)

TH -- Christensen 56 run (Kent Osberg pass from Andy Morsette)

MLWR -- Brett Solomon 43 run (pass failed)

MLWR -- Sam Gay 1 run (kick failed)

MLWR -- Solomon 68 run (Gay pass from Cameron Routon)

MLWR -- Solomon 7 pass from Routon (Tyson Bonkoski kick)
MLWR -- Gay 4 run (Bonkoski kick)

TH -- Jake Peterson 2 run (pass failed)

A true test of a quality team isn't how it plays with its star players, but how it reacts when those players are out of the game.

Two Harbors passed that test in the Section 7AAA high school football quarterfinals Tuesday against Hermantown, overcoming the loss of star tailback Anthony Christensen to shock the two-time defending section champions with a 43-26 victory before about 1,500 at Corey Veech Memorial Field.

Sixth-seeded Two Harbors advances to play at top seed International Falls at 2 p.m. Saturday. Agates coach Tom Nelson said Two Harbors hadn't beaten Hermantown, the section's No. 3 seed, since the early 1990s.

"The key to this game was us believing," Nelson said. "This may sound corny, but it's an honor to beat a team the caliber of Hermantown because they have such an outstanding coaching staff and program. We knew Hermantown wouldn't quit, but this was a major step for our program because we responded every time."

To get that first victory against Hermantown in more than a decade, the Agates had to overcome the loss of Christensen, who went out late in the third quarter after rushing 25 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a 52-yard touchdown reception.

Two Harbors also had to overcome a stellar game by Hermantown senior Nikki Holt, who rushed 19 times for 272 yards and four touchdowns.

Early on, it looked like Hermantown would roll over Two Harbors like the Hawks had done so many times before. The Hawks (5-4) moved the ball seemingly at will on their opening drive, capped by Holt's 33-yard touchdown scamper to take a 6-0 lead.

But Two Harbors (5-3) also started fast, scoring on its first three drives. The Agates, aided by a fumble recovery on a kickoff, held a 23-14 lead after the first quarter.

The offensive display to the start the game gave way to a defensive grudge match as neither team scored in the second quarter.

Two Harbors offense returned in the second half as the Agates scored on their first two drives to take a commanding 35-14 lead before a stunned Hermantown crowd. But with the speedy Holt, the Hawks weren't done. Holt came back with touchdown runs of 53 and 31 yards to cut the lead to 35-26 with 8:53 remaining.

In the meantime, Christensen went out with 1:07 left in the third quarter with leg cramps after a spectacular kickoff return of about 40 yards in which he dragged a host of Hermantown defenders.

Hermantown, which has only three two-way players, thought their depth would win out.

"I thought we'd keep wearing them down, and when Christensen went out, I thought, 'Here we go,' " said Hermantown coach Daryl Illikainen. "But they just kept coming, and we couldn't stop them.

"Before, Two Harbors used to run a lot of different stuff, but wasn't very good at it. Now, they've locked into something they do well and believe in. Maybe some of our guys overlooked them because of the way we beat them last year, but I could see them gaining confidence and now they've taken it to another level."

Christensen's loss was offset by the hard running of fullback Jake Peterson (28 rushes for 149 yards) and Mike Levitt (8 for 54), as well as the blocking of seldom-used freshman Darren Thewis, who helped lead the Agates on a 51-yard touchdown drive that consumed eight minutes of the fourth quarter to put the game away.

"This game was so much fun, and the victory is huge for our program. I think we surprised them," said Christensen, who now has 1,579 rushing yards this season despite missing playing time with a leg injury. "When I went out, I wasn't nervous because I knew the team would stick together. This team just never gives up."

And Nelson never gave up, despite back-to-back 1-8 seasons after the 1990 Two Harbors graduate took over the program before the 2001 season.

"I don't think there were a lot of people jumping at the chance to take over the program," Nelson said. "There were a lot of naysayers who felt we could never turn the program around and start winning again, but there were a lot of people in Two Harbors who stuck by us, too. The biggest battle was getting our kids to believe they could do it."

Two Harbors is celebrating its 100th year of football this season, but most of the past 20 haven't yielded many victories -- until now. Agates assistant coach Scott Ross said Nelson should take more credit for the turnaround.

"Tom's modest, but he's done a heck of a job turning the program around," Ross said. "It's unbelievable. These kids would run through a wall for him."

HT -- Nikki Holt 33 run (run failed)

TH -- Anthony Christensen 52 pass from Casey Morsette (Christensen run)

TH -- Christensen 4 run (Christensen run)

HT -- Holt 52 run (Dave Chiarello pass from Gus Engstrom)

TH -- Jake Peterson 27 run (Nathan Stroozas kick)

TH -- Christensen 5 run (run failed)

TH -- Peterson 4 run (pass failed)

HT -- Holt 53 run (run failed)

HT -- Holt 31 run (run failed)

TH -- Morsette 1 run (John Lambe pass from Morsette)

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