Football: Gobblers face Hawley close to home

BRAINERD — A bit of home cooking is never a bad thing. For the second time in school history, the Aitkin Gobblers will play in the state football tournament. Despite their lack of state experience, they landed the No. 1 seed in the North bracket and will face No. 4-seeded and Section 8-2A champion Hawley 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at Brainerd High School. “I kind of thought we would get the two seed, but I don’t mind playing close to home,” Aitkin head coach Alan Hills said. “I kind of thought we would shake out to be the two, having not been there in forever. We’ll gladly take the one and play close.” Aitkin enters the tournament 9-0 with two wins over ranked Moose Lake-Willow River, including a 15-0 victory in the Section 7-2A Finals. The Gobblers finished third in the final state poll and own the No. 2 ranking in the Quality Results Formula. Hawley defeated Pelican Rapids 42-39 in the Section 8-2A title game after opening the season with a 42-6 win over the Vikings.

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