The Spring Grove girls rebounded from a disappointing home volleyball loss to Mabel-Canton with a 3-0 home win over Kingsland 25-8, 25-11, 25-17. With a fifth straight win in the series, the Lions improved to 14-5 (9-2 SEC). Jordis Neeley put away 11 kills and served 2 aces while Emerson Ingvalson scored with 9 kills and 2 aces. Kendal VanMinsel had 26 set assists and served a … [Read more...]
Grove girls coast past Houston, Schaeffer again
Spring Grove servers enjoyed a torrent of aces during 3-0 road volleyball routs at Houston and Schaeffer Academy as the Lions completed a pair of SEC season sweeps. With the inability to consistently receive serve, neither opponent mounted much threat at the net. With a 19th straight win versus Houston and a 12th consecutive victory against Schaeffer, Spring Grove improved to … [Read more...]
Lion Girls Take Two, Drop Three at Showcase
Spring Grove, with two wins and three losses, placed 10th among 16 team at the Class A Volleyball Showcase, which featured the top teams in the state on Sept. 22 and 23 at Burnsville. The Lions returned home with an 11-4 season record. K-W 2, SG 1 The Lions opened a 2-1 loss to Kenyon-Wanamingo (27-25, 18-25, 12-25). The Knights were not among the state top 10 at the … [Read more...]
Football: Cougars Upend State-Ranked Lions
Mabel-Canton ended 14 years and 18 games of frustration with a 2023 Homecoming football upset of state-ranked rival Spring Grove, 20-12. After an 0-3 start, it was the second straight win for the Cougars (2-3, 2-3), while the Lions (4-1, 5-1) suffered their first setback since last year’s state championship game. M-C leads the all-time series, 37 to 28. Spring Grove had … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Money Creek Bricks, Caledonia Chicks, Hokah Hogs and a Green Silk Veil
Part three of a series In preparation for Houston County’s diamond anniversary (75 years) homecoming celebration in 1929, one committee produced a 48-page history pamphlet that included the information recounted here, surely drawing from extensive county histories published in 1882 and 1919. One section was devoted to the early settlement of several townships and villages. … [Read more...]
Lion Girls Dominate Burros, Struggle Past Cardinals
Spring Grove improved to 9-1 (6-1 SEC East) with a pair of 3-0 wins versus visiting Lanesboro on Sept. 19 before a Sept. 21 road trip to LeRoy-Ostrander. The first decision kept the Lions in second place in the SEC East with the Burros (8-4, 4-3 SEC East) occupying third place. With the Lions creating significantly more attacks in each match, the decisions depended on Spring … [Read more...]
Spring Grove breaks defensive record, blanks AC/GE
The Spring Grove defense had a record-breaking night while the Lions scorched the visitors with a Bryce Berns-to-Jaxon Strinmoen passing blitz. While blanking Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons, 35-0, Grove limited the Knights to only 47 yards of offense, the fewest allowed by the Lions in the in the 23 seasons, for which individual game stats survive! AC/GE came in averaging 307 … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Sugar Never Showed Up, Treasurer Ran Away
Part two of a series In 1861, the Houston County treasurer disappeared, and “the air was heavy with rumors. The fact that there was a defaulting treasurer spread over the county on the wings of the wind… the deficiency in the accounts of the late treasurer was found to be $3,890.00.” There were about 30 bondsmen, so the loss, if evenly divided, was not devastating for any. … [Read more...]
Grove Girls Grill GM, Sweep Three Tourney Matches
Kendal VanMinsel recorded her 1,000th career set assist as Spring Grove rolled to three wins and a tournament pool-play championship at Waukon, IA. Due to lack of officials, there was no action beyond pool play nor any overall tourney champion. The Lions (4-1, 7-1) posted straight-set, 2-0 wins over Waukon, Riceville and Turkey Valley. SG had won the tournament last year (2022) … [Read more...]
Lions hold off Lanesboro,13-8
State-ranked No. 2 Spring Grove roared down the field on the game’s first possession for a 7-0 lead. However, that score held into the fourth quarter as the undefeated Lions (4-0, 3-0 district) held off winless, 0-3 Lanesboro, 13-8. The Burros also appeared potent on their first possession, surging to the one yard-line before a 15-yard penalty on the bench made it third down … [Read more...]