The 2005 Two Harbors Agates finished their season with a 7-3 record and a share of the Polar League AA Conference title.  It was the first time since 1991 that an Agate team won seven or more games in a season, and the first time the Agates have been crowned conference champions since 1979, which was Chuck Halsted's final year as head coach.  It was a record-breaking year for senior running back Anthony Christensen, as he rushed for 2,709 yards during the ten game season -- third best on the all-time list for the state of Minnesota.  Christensen's average yards per game of 270.9 was the most ever in Minnesota state history during a single season.  Captains for the Agates in 2005 were four-year starter Dan Thewis (sr-offensive guard-defensive end) and Casey Morsette (jr-quarterback).

Individual game summaries are listed below, followed by the final statistics for the season and links to a few pictures from Homecoming '05.  The homecoming game was the first ever played on the new Halsted Field, with the Agates defeating Cook County in front of a full house.

Game 1 - September 2, 2005 at Ashland, WI

ASHLAND 21, TWO HARBORS 8

(Summary taken from the Ashland Daily Press)

Game 2 - September 9, 2005 at Silver Bay

TWO HARBORS - 57, SILVER BAY - 20

(Summary taken from the Duluth News Tribune)

SILVER BAY - Anthony Christensen ran wild for Two Harbors, totaling 380 yards on 17 carries and scored seven touchdowns to lead the Agates to a 57-20 win over Silver Bay in a high school football game Friday.

Jordan Sandstrom had a hand in all of Silver Bay's scoring, going 7-for-12 passing for 100 yards and a score and running for two more. Jon Redfield made 11 tackles.

Both teams are now 1-1.

TH -- Anthony Christensen 2 run (kick failed)

SB -- Jordan Sandstrom 5 run (kick failed)

TH -- Christensen 33 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 2 run (Christenson run)

TH -- Christensen 73 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 59 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 67 run (run failed)

SB -- Nate Breden 22 pass from Sandstrom (Sandstrom kick)

TH -- Christensen 75 run (kick failed)

SB -- Sandstrom 8 run (Sandstrom kick)

TH -- Nick Dallos 3 run (run failed)

As almost everyone has come to expect, Anthony Christensen took the opening handoff 44 yards for a touchdown. When the Two Harbors senior did it untouched Friday afternoon, fans at the Duluth Marshall field could be excused if they were seen yawning.

Christensen, after 380 yards and six touchdowns against Silver Bay last week, continued his impressive streak with four touchdowns and 285 yards in a 63-22 win over Duluth Marshall in a Polar League AA high school football game.

"His stats don't lie," said Duluth Marshall coach Scott Arntson. "He's very smart, a complete (running) back."

Christensen's 285 yards came on 28 carries until coach Tom Nelson removed him midway though the third quarter.

"He is our go-to-guy," Nelson said. "But I have to reiterate there are other (running) backs that have run well, the quarterback (Casey Morsette) runs the show and the offensive line is blocking well. We also showed that we can come back with some other running backs."

Marshall consistently put 10 defenders near the line of scrimmage to stop Christensen and the Agate running attack, but to no avail. Two Harbors (2-1, 1-0) rushed for 501 total yards and didn't attempt a pass until the third play of the second half. In supporting roles, Agate seniors Nathan Stroozas and Nik Dallos each had two rushing touchdowns and both averaged over 14 yards-per-carry.

Marshall (0-3, 0-2) was able to stay in the game early with their big-play combination of quarterback Logan Curwin and wide receiver Jake McDonnell. On their own seven, Curwin hit McDonnell on quick slant pass that McDonnell fumbled trying to break a tackle. The ball bounced off the grass and back into McDonnell's hands and the way to a 93-yard touchdown.

"I saw it leave my hands, but I had a hunch it was coming back," said McDonnell, who finished with eight catches for 244 yards. "When I was scoring I thought 'Oh my god, I'm so lucky.' "

Another Curwin to McDonnell completion, this time a 77-yard touchdown, made it 22-14 early in the second quarter. That's as close as the Hilltoppers would get as the Agates scored four straight touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

"We helped them with mistakes and turnovers," Arntson said. "That's the story of our season. You just cannot help a good team like that."

TH -- Anthony Christensen 44 run (Matt Knutson kick)

DM -- Jake McDonnell 93 pass from Logan Curwin (pass failed)

TH -- Christensen 9 run (run failed)

TH -- Knutson 36 field goal

DM -- McDonnell 77 pass from Curwin (Jake Anderson pass from Curwin)

TH -- Christensen 80 run (kick failed)

TH -- Nathan Stroozas 57 run (pass failed)

TH -- Christensen 7 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Darren Thewis 4 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Stroozas 2 run (Knutson kick)

DM -- Peter Bussa 1 run (Alex Autio pass from McDonnell)

TH -- Nik Dallos 58 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Dallos 1 run (Knutson kick)

Anthony Christensen ran for all four touchdowns as the Agates (3-1, 2-0) took a Polar League AA game in Deer River.

The Warriors (2-2, 2-1), playing without starting quarterback Jordan Kaczor, fumbled after driving to the Two Harbors' 30 late the third quarter, and Christensen scored early in the fourth to put the game away.

TH -- Anthony Christensen 19 run (kick failed)

TH -- Christensen 1 run (run failed)

DR -- Shane Rasley 28 pass from Adam DeYoung (Dale Gullickson run)

DR -- DeYoung 3 run (run failed)

TH -- Christensen 32 run (Casey Morsette run)

TH -- Christensen 13 run (Dave Schnurrer pass from Morsette)

Esko had heard all the talk surrounding Anthony Christensen and Two Harbors' rushing attack leading up to Friday night's Polar League AA high school football game. But after a 45-9 dismantling of the Agates, most of the discussion revolved around the Eskomos' passing game.

Quarterback Jon Rahkola threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns, including two long scoring passes in a 28-point third quarter, to help keep third-ranked Esko (5-0, 4-0) undefeated and clinch at least a tie for the Polar League title.

"We knew they were going to pack in their defense and force us to throw it," said Rahkola, who completed 8 of 10 passes, including his final six attempts. "We knew the passing would be wide-open."

What made the performance more impressive was that Rahkola was in just his second game back after fracturing the ring finger on his throwing hand, an injury that he said did not affect him Friday.

Rahkola and Keith Lofgren teamed for a touchdown with 11.9 seconds left in the first half to give Esko a 14-9 lead, then the pair connected again for a 70-yard score during the Eskomos' third-quarter outburst. Rahkola also threw a 52-yard TD pass to Nick Bergstedt during that quarter, in which the Eskomos scored four touchdowns on five offensive plays.

"It puts a statement out there," Rahkola said. "Teams were able to see what we can do against a good opponent. It was a good victory for us."

The loss ruined the Halsted Field finale for the Agates (3-2, 2-1), who will move to the field at the new Two Harbors High School for next week's Homecoming game against Cook County.

Christensen, who entered with 1,148 yards and 15 touchdowns, was held to 92 yards on 28 carries and the lone Agates touchdown. He also had two scores called back on penalties -- a 94-yard kickoff return to open the game and a 51-yard run late in the second quarter -- that would have given Two Harbors an eight-point lead.

Instead, Christensen fumbled on the next play and the Eskomos scored three plays later to take the lead for good.

Christensen left the game twice after twisting an ankle, the last time during the third-quarter debacle.

"In the third quarter, I don't know if anything else could have went wrong," Agates coach Tom Nelson said. "Good teams will make you do that. It was a nightmare. That third quarter was as bad as it could have possibly been."

Rahkola fumbled to start the half but rebounded with his perfectly thrown pass along the sideline to Bergstedt, who raced untouched into the end zone for a 21-9 lead.

Lofgren then returned an interception nearly 80 yards to the Two Harbors 1-yard line, setting up Joe Sunnarborg's plunge. Two plays after a fourth-down defensive stop, Rahkola rolled right and lofted the ball to Lofgren, who got behind the defense. Lofgren caught three passes for 105 yards.

"It switches the momentum," Lofgren said of the big plays. "We put it out of reach in the third quarter."

Esko added 261 yards rushing, while the defense kept the Agates out of the end zone on their final eight possessions.

"I don't know if we're ready to take the next step," Nelson said. "We can't play three decent quarters of football and not show up for one of those quarters."

Esko 7 7 28 3--45
Two Harbors 6 3 0 0--9

TH -- Anthony Christensen 9 run (kick failed)

E -- Jon Rahkola 9 run (Michelle Maunu kick)

TH -- Matt Knutson 34 field goal

E -- Keith Lofgren 13 pass from Rahkola (Maunu kick)

E -- Nick Bergstedt 52 pass from Rahkola (Maunu kick)

E -- Joe Sunnarborg 1 run (Maunu kick)

E -- Lofgren 70 pass from Rahkola (Maunu kick)

E -- Dan Tollefson 29 run (Maunu kick)

E -- 31 field goal

TWO HARBORS - Anthony Christensen scored five touchdowns and rushed for 246 yards on 22 carries to surpass 4,000 career rushing yards to lead Two Harbors past Cook County 42-14 in a nonconference high school football game Friday.

Christensen, who has 21 touchdowns and 1,490 yards rushing this season, increased his career rushing total to 4,026 yards.

The Agates (4-2) ran for 440 yards. Nate Stroozas added 144 yards rushing on six carries.

All eight touchdowns were followed by successful extra point kicks -- six by Matt Knutson and two by Paul Stodte.

Cook County falls to 3-3.

TH -- Casey Morsette 40 run (Matt Knutson kick)

TH -- Anthony Christensen 8 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 6 run (Knutson kick)

CC -- Brandon Donek 1 run (Paul Stodte kick)

TH -- Christensen 53 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 20 pass from Morsette (Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 60 run (Knutson kick)

CC -- Steven Hahn 17 pass from Tyler Dean (Stodte kick)

Anthony Christensen ran 28 times for 343 yards and three touchdowns as the Agates (5-2, 3-1) prevailed in a Polar League AA game in Two Harbors.

Christensen has rushed for a school-record 1,833 yards this season and scored 24 touchdowns. Two Harbors had four interceptions, two by Eric Magnuson, one by Dan Higgs and one by Jeff Adams.

Bryan Kern scored the lone TD for the Raiders (2-5, 0-4).

TH -- Anthony Christensen 77 run (Matt Knutson kick)

G -- Bryan Kern 1 run (Mike Goodman kick)

TH -- Christensen 60 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 52 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Darren Thewis 1 run (Knutson kick)

WILLOW RIVER - Anthony Christensen was such a big factor Wednesday night that even one of the few times that he didn't carry the ball, he proved to be the difference.

Christensen, a senior running back, gained 323 yards on a career-high 49 carries as Two Harbors defeated Moose Lake-Willow River 19-14 in a Polar League AA high school football game. But on the biggest play of the game, Christensen was merely a decoy.

After running nine times for 55 yards on the Agates' first possession of the fourth quarter, the Rebels were poised to stop the 5-foot-11, 203-pound workhorse on first-and-goal from the 10.

But offensive coordinator Scott Ross was forced to find a different option on the play than the player they call the A-Train.

"The guys said, 'Train' was gassed and needs a break," Ross said.

With Christensen lined up at left end, 5-foot-8 sophomore fullback Darren Thewis took the ball up the middle for a 10-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 4:11 to play.

"It felt great when everyone's keying on him and that hole opens up and you see the back of the end zone," Thewis said. "He blocked for me that time."

Moose Lake-Willow River (6-2, 3-2) had one more chance, but Joe Bonk was tackled in the open field by Nate Stroozas on fourth-and-2.

Christensen then ran four times for 29 more yards, crossing the 300-yard barrier and essentially running the clock out.

"It's such a big win for us for the way they beat us on homecoming last year," Christensen said. "It's nice to come back here and return the favor to them."

Teammates have seen it all before.

"He had an awesome night," Thewis said. "He didn't have as many yards as usual (Christensen's record is 409), but by far it was his strongest and best game that he's played here at Two Harbors."

Christensen now has 2,156 yards rushing this season (a 269.5-yard-per-game average), making him the fourth running back in Northeastern Minnesota history to gain over 2,000 yards in a season. Moose Lake-Willow River's Matt Hillbrand, Greenway's Gino Guyer and Duluth East's Chris Siljendahl are the others.

"He was an absolute horse tonight," Agates coach Tom Nelson said. "I've heard 'You can't run him that much,' and 'You're too one-dimensional.' Boy, if we're one-dimensional, I'll take it.

"It'd be great to have three Anthonys, but we don't. We have him and he carries us."

The win gives Two Harbors (6-2, 4-1) a backdoor piece of the Polar League title. Esko didn't lose a game on the field -- including a 45-9 pounding of Two Harbors -- but forfeited one game to end up tied with the Agates. There won't be a rematch -- Two Harbors plays in the upcoming Section 7AAA playoffs, while Esko and Moose Lake-Willow River are in 7AA.

The Agates dominated in time of possession, thanks to Christensen. They ran 40 of the 52 offensive plays in the first half, holding the ball for 18 minutes, 43 seconds. But their only points came at the end of a 16-play, 87-yard drive as Christensen scored from the 3.

The Rebels tied it when Brady Bahneman took a double handoff and raced 34 yards with 3:21 left in the second quarter.

Christensen, whose longest run of the first half was 11 yards, finally broke one on Two Harbors' opening drive of the second half. After he picked up a first down on fourth-and-2 from the Agates' own 27, Christensen took a pitch wide right and sped away from the defenders for a 67-yard touchdown, his Northland-leading 26th of the season.

"That hole opened up so huge and I saw a cutback lane and took it," Christensen said. "I kicked it in another gear, saw the end zone and kept going."

Rebels coach Dave Louzek wasn't surprised since Christensen averaged 9.1 yards per carry on 201 carries coming into the game.

"A game like this you've got to give it to your best player, and they did," Louzek said. "And he did a great job. He carried that team.

"We talked about that all week, to make him work for everything he gets. If he breaks one or two, that can be the difference in the game. And it really was. He broke that big run, and it broke our back."

The Rebels rallied to take a 14-13 lead on Rodney Mlaskoch's 23-yard run inside with 11:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Bahneman topped the Rebels with 89 yards on 11 carries to give him 914 this season, and Joe Bonk added 75 on 13 attempts. But the Rebels failed to complete a pass all game.

Two Harbors only completed one -- for negative yardage -- but they had a different mode of transportation: riding the A-Train.

Two Harbors 0 7 6 6--19
Moose Lake-WR 0 7 0 7--14

TH -- Anthon Christensen 3 run (Matt Knutson kick)

MLWR -- Brady Bahneman 34 run (Nate Zuk kick)

TH -- Christensen 67 run (kick blocked)

MLWR -- Rodney Mlaskoch 23 run (Zuk kick)

TH -- Darren Thewis 10 run (run failed)

EVELETH - Anthony Christensen rushed for 406 yards on 35 carries and scored six touchdowns to lift Two Harbors to a 51-20 victory over Eveleth-Gilbert in the Section 7AAA football quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Christensen's yardage total was the 11th highest in state history, according to Minnesota Football Coaches Association records, and was only 3 yards off the school record he set last season against Deer River.

Christensen scored the first four touchdowns for Two Harbors (7-2) and added scoring runs of 85 and 43 yards in the second half. He has 32 touchdowns this season and has rushed for 2,562 yards, the highest single-season total ever in the Northland and fourth all-time in the state. Moose Lake-Willow River's Matt Hillbrand gained 2,552 yards in 2000.

Two Harbors rushed for 551 yards in advancing to a semifinal game at International Falls at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Eveleth-Gilbert (3-6) was held to 114 yards passing.

Two Harbors 21 14 7 9--51
Eveleth-Gilbert 0 0 7 13--20

TH -- Anthony Christensen 20 run (Matt Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 3 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 5 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Christensen 3 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Nate Stroozas 15 run (Knutson kick)

TH -- Knutson 29 field goal

EG -- Brian Tekautz 65 fumble return (Ethan Mackey kick)

TH -- Christensen 85 run (Knutson kick)

EG -- Ryan Malich 84 kickoff return (Mackey kick)

TH -- Christensen 43 run (kick failed)

EG -- Malich 13 run (kick failed)