Siri Konkel hit four of five free throws in the final 19 seconds as the Spring Grove girls held off Schaeffer Academy, 42-38, on Dec. 12 at Rochester. Grove overcame cold 26% shooting with superb ball-handling, only five turnovers – believed to be a program record. Schaeffer shot much better (43%) but not nearly as often. With 27 turnovers, Schaeffer attempted only 40 shots to … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Boys Survive Lancer rally, 60-57
The Spring Grove boys would fall behind after seeing their 14-point lead disappear, but the Lions survived with a 60-57 road win against previously undefeated Class AA La Crescent-Hokah. The game ended with the Lancers missing a potential game-tying 3-point shot. Down 51-50, the Lions regained the lead with 3-balls from Ethan Crouch and Isaac Nerstad. A jump shot from Jacob … [Read more...]
Spring Grove boys open with road rout of Schaeffer
The Spring Grove boys opened the 2023-2024 basketball season with a runaway 68-36 road win over Schaeffer Academy on Dec. 12. Those other Lions residing in Rochester, hit a pair of early 3-point field goals and two free throws to lead 8-4 before being engulfed and undone by an avalanche of turnovers. Spring Grove outscored Schaeffer by 17 points in the first half (32-15) and by … [Read more...]
Grove girls Pulverize Pirates in Border Battle
Thirteen of the 14 Lions were credited with rebounds as the Spring Grove girls pounded Postville (Iowa), 63-18 in the annual Minnesota-Iowa Border Battles in Decorah. It was a mismatch from the get-go, and the Pirates (1-5) did not score in the second quarter on the way to a 48-7 halftime avalanche. They added only two points in period three and overall, had more turnovers (34) … [Read more...]
Lion Girls Lead All Night, Defeat Knights, 52-44
The Spring Grove girls led throughout a 52-44 home win against Kingsland, an early-season result that could significantly affect the conference race later in the campaign. The Lions scored the first six points, led by seven at halftime (26-19) and would leads by as many as 13 in the second half before winning by eight. Spring Grove outscored the visitors by four points from the … [Read more...]
Strinmoen Voted Team MVP, Among Four All-District Lions
Jaxon Strinmoen was voted Most Valuable Player by his Spring Grove football teammates. He received Honorable Mention on the coaches’ 9-Man All-State Team and merited the prestigious Academic All-State award for his cumulative grade point average during his high school football career. He is one of four Lions named to the All-District Team: Strinmoen (6’4” 180 Sr. WR/LB), Jacob … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Lutefisk, Oyster Stew and Santa Claus Came by Helicopter
Lutefisk and oyster stew were Christmas traditions for many families around Spring Grove in the first half of the 1900s. And Santa visited every year, too. The following Christmas memories were part of an oral history project made possible through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. In the winter and spring of 1997, six Spring Grove … [Read more...]
Again, Much Expected from Spring Grove Boys
Much is expected from the 2023-24 Spring Grove basketball boys, greatly due to last year’s success and the players returning for five-time Section 1A Coach of the Year Wade Grinde and his veteran coaching staff, including Al Lochner and Tom Vix. The Lions won a school-record 31 games (20-0 SEC, 31-2) while hoisting the third-place trophy at the Class A state tournament. While … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Not a Normal Year at Houston High
In addition to beautiful brick buildings, formal education of the youth in Houston, Minn., has taken place in church basements, a log hut, an opera house and a schoolhouse that not only swayed in the wind but also provided a path for floodwater. Education in the village began in 1855 in a log shanty in lower Houston on the south side of the old Root River bed. As enrollment … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Girls Drop Close Contest at Waukon,66-63
Spring Grove had 18 fewer turnovers and 22 more shot attempts. But it was not enough to overcome 23 fewer rebounds, being outshot, 46% to 34%, from the field and a five-point deficit at the free throw line. Waukon (now 2-1), with a much larger enrollment, held on for a 66-63 home win, its sixth straight victory versus Spring Grove. While the Lions depended greatly on 3-point … [Read more...]