These Section 7 rivals have made huge strides in a relatively short amount of time, and Thursday's showdown will further provide evidence that lacrosse has a strong foothold in northern Minnesota.
Duluth is the elder stateswomen of this matchup with three seasons of Minnesota State High School League play under its belt, and the Wolfpack (4-2, 2-0) are well on their way to finishing above .500 for the first time thanks in no small part to an experienced roster. Last season's leading scorer, Chloe Cederstrom, returns and is one of 10 seniors filling out Duluth's roster.
Grand Rapids/Greenway is also a heavily-experienced roster, but it's a sophomore leading the Lightning (3-2, 1-1). Hailee Orhn has already scored 21 goals, good for ninth in the state, in addition to leading her team with six assists.
Outside of picking up its first wins in program history, Grand Rapids/Greenway has shown its growth by notching its first double-digit goal game (an 11-4 win against first-year program Brainerd on May 1) and keeping four of five opponents to less than 10 goals this season. Last season, the Lightning gave up at least 12 goals in every contest.
A win against a Duluth team that's trending in the right direction would be another impressive step forward for Grand Rapids/Greenway and a real momentum boost for the second half of the season.