HERMANTOWN – After delivering Hermantown its first loss of the season, Grand Rapids coach Greg Spahn asked his fired-up squad to take a knee near the goalpost.

First he told them how great they played across the board in the 34-20 win on Friday night — then he forecast postseason play.

“We will see them again,” he said. “And it will be the same result.”

The Thunderhawks came out with a quick-hit, well-rounded offense that got on the board early and maintained a lead for most of the game. They were able to somewhat contain Hermantown junior running back Martin Sleen, whose 376 yards rushing last week brought with it extra buzz. And they were able to capitalize on Hermantown penalties.

“We’ve got a group of kids who really play for each other, right, and I think that carries us a long way,” Spahn said.

Mason Johnson scored on a 4-yard run early in the first quarter to get Grand Rapids on the board, then Marcus Thiel followed, scoring on an 11-yard run. After a missed field goal, the Thunderhawks had a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“Grand Rapids came out and they smacked,” Hermantown coach Mike Zagelmeyer said.

The Hawks responded with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Sawyer Senst to Grant Johnson. The Thunderhawks’ Oliver Spahn scored on a 10-yard run, then Sleen scored from 13 yards for his first of two touchdowns.

Hermantown took its only lead of the game when Sleen scored from the 3-yard line midway through the third quarter and Bode Madill kicked an extra point.

Sleen said he felt a momentum shift.

“I was like, ‘Hey, Coach, I can feel it, they’re rolling over,’ ” he said.

Grand Rapids responded when Ethan Morgan scored on a 6-yard run, followed by Spahn’s two-point conversion. The Thunderhawks wouldn’t let up again.

Sleen, who finished with 135 yards rushing on 21 carries, said he and his teammates hadn’t yet faced a team as physical as the Thunderhawks, nor a team that executed so well.

“They were averaging, I don’t know, 4 or 5 yards per carry,” he said. “Just every single time they were pushing the ball, executing perfectly.”

Grand Rapids only loss this season was against a tough Bemidji team. Hermantown has been unbeatable and eased past Cloquet 41-21 last weekend.

Zagelmeyer, too, has his sights on a rematch. Hermantown and Grand Rapids both play in the Northeast Red district.

“You know, obviously, our section has got some nice teams in it, but from what I’ve seen, Grand Rapids is the best we’ve played up to this point,” he said. “So hopefully we get another chance to play them down the road.”