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Unlike many small schools, turnout for fall sports is not a problem in Ely.
Practices began Monday across the state with all of Ely’s teams, as well as the girls swimming team hosted by Northeast Range but dominated by Ely athletes, reporting big participation numbers.
Perhaps most surprising was at Ely School Stadium, where head football coach Louie Gerzin and his staff welcomed a whopping 50 players in grades 7-12 for Monday night’s opening practice.
That’s more than have participated at any time in the last decade, and a cooperative with neighboring Northeast Range appears to be paying dividends.
Northeast Range athletes are heavily represented on both the varsity and junior high teams, and both overall have strong turnouts.
On Monday, the Timberwolves had 24 players practicing in grades 9-12, and a few others players missed the first several days of practice and are expected to be added to the roster this week.
Meanwhile, the seventh and eighth-grade team has 26 participants, about double the turnout from 2023.
As a result of the cooperative, the Wolves are classified as an 11-man team, and the Wolves have a full 11-man schedule in 2024. Ely opens at International Falls on Aug. 30 and makes its home debut Sept. 6 against East Central. The program will also have a junior varsity game this fall and at least four seventh-and-eighth-grade contests.
While the football players went through conditioning drills outside, Ely’s volleyball teams were indoors with a full gymnasium.
Interest in volleyball appears to be at an all-time high, with almost 50 players in grades 7-12, including many who have played for spring and summer teams in preparation for the fall season.
Several starters return from a team that went 28-6 and won both the Section 7A title and the state consolation crown, while the ranks are being replenished at the junior varsity and junior high levels with young talent.
The varsity Wolves will scrimmage at Hibbing Saturday and open up at home on Monday, Aug. 26 against Deer River.
Because of the big turnout, Ely will play numerous additional junior high dates, including a Sept. 14 tournament at Rock Ridge, separate junior high games with Rock Ridge (Sep. 26 and Oct. 3) and a four-team quad hosted by Mesabi East on Sept. 30, which allows both the seventh and eighth-grade teams to play three games in one night.
The first Ely team to compete will be the Northeast Range/Ely girls swimming squad, which takes part in the Rock Ridge Relays on Thursday, at 1 p.m., at the Rock Ridge school near Virginia.
While the team is based out of Babbitt, where they have practices and home meets, the Nighthawks have a decidedly Ely flavor.
Among approximately 20 participants on the team, all but one are Ely students.
The swimmers have two home meets during the opening week of the season, taking on Int. Falls (Aug. 27) and Proctor (Aug. 29).
Rounding out the fall sports contingent are Ely’s boys and girls cross country teams, which began workouts Monday.
Despite the solid participation in other sports, cross country maintains a strong presence with 23 boys in grades 7-12 and another 16 girls.
The season-opener for both teams is Aug. 28 at Virginia.
