Spring Grove is a highly experienced 2023 baseball team, which brings back almost all of the pitching staff and six of eight position starters. That includes all three all-conference selections and another receiving honorable mention from last year’s team which went 11-8, the third-most wins in program history. The Lions went 10-4 in Southeast Conference contests, a third-place … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Up the river to Rushford on steamboats built in Houston
Part five of a series In the autumn of 1857, the steamboat “Key City” ran into and sank the freight boat “Ben Coursin’” on the Mississippi River near Dresbach. One account says 12 to 15 people were killed or drowned. David Watson mortgaged his farm and secured $300 in gold to purchase the wreckage and worked all winter to pull the “Ben Coursin’” out of the river in order to … [Read more...]
Lions’ Grinde, Solum, Strinmoen named All-SEC; Griffin received honorable mention
Three guards from Spring Grove, the league’s dominant boys basketball team in 2023, were honored by the Southeast Conference coaches on the All-SEC Team. Senior Tysen Grinde and junior Elijah Solum are two-time honorees, joined this season by junior Jaxon Strinmoen - all First Team selections while senior Caleb Griffin received Honorable Mention. The Lions (31-2) extended their … [Read more...]
Spring Grove embarks on new era of softball
After 38 years of a shared softball program, Spring Grove and Caledonia will both field a team in this spring of 2023. It is almost starting from scratch for the Lions, none of whom played softball a year ago. Only junior infielder Katelyn Kraus has any school-team experience, two seasons ago as a freshman. There are some quality athletes who have proven themselves on the … [Read more...]
Solum voted football MVP among five honored by Spring Grove teammates
Junior Elijah Solum was voted Most Valuable Player by his 2022 state 9-man runner-up Spring Grove football teammates. Senior Ty Cleven was the choice for both Lineman of the Year and Outstanding Leader Award. Senior Noah Blackburn was voted Defensive Player of the Year while Jacob Olerud received the most votes for Rookie of the Year. Junior Braedon Solie was the Scout Team … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Boys Close With Class A Third-Place Trophy, 31 Wins
The Spring Grove boys closed their 2022-2023 campaign with the third place trophy from the Class A State Basketball Tournament and a school-record 31 wins (31-2). The seeds held throughout the event with No. 3 seed Spring Grove slipping past unseeded Mankato Loyola, 39-38, in the quarterfinals and then falling to No. 2 seed New Life Academy, 51-35, in the semi-finals before the … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Clams, ice men, muskrats and moonshiners on the Mississippi
Fourth of a series During the first three decades of western migration into southeast Minnesota – for most residents in the 1850s, ’60s and ‘70s –rivers were both a welcome highway and an unwelcome obstacle (depending on which direction you wanted to travel). Steamboat transit for passengers and cargo was an early commercial enterprise during warm weather until an 1880 public … [Read more...]
Spring Grove boys dominate state third-place game, finish 31-2
The basketball season ended on an uplifting note for the state-ranked No. 7 Spring Grove boys, who dominated state-ranked No. 5 Cherry, 68-43, in the third-place game at the 2023 Class A State Tournament. The Lions took control with an 11-point scoring run late in the first half and solidified their lead with 10 and 12-point spurts in the second half. At the tournament, … [Read more...]
Lion boys fall to New Life Academy in state semi-final
The Spring Grove boys (30-2) were left behind in the second half by New Life Academy in the semi-finals of the Class A State Basketball Tournament at the Target Center in Minneapolis on March 24. The state-ranked No. 3 Eagles (26-5) from Woodbury won, 51-35, overcoming 25 turnovers with rebounding, an often withering fast-break attack and defense that kept the Lions away from … [Read more...]
Spring Grove starts state tourney with one-point win
The 2023 Spring Grove boys (30-1) became the only Lions to win 30 games, but they had to hang on - again late - to turn away Mankato Loyola, 39-38, in the Class A State Tournament quarterfinals on March 22 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Loyola cut an 11-point deficit down to two (39-37) with a chance to pull even with a pair of free throws with only nine seconds remaining. … [Read more...]