In one respect, sand saved the city, but it could be deadly. Houston, located just west of where Highway 76 meets Highway 16, was first located east of that intersection. Starting in the 1850s, the village prospered with a flour mill, a sawmill, a shingle factory and a cooper who made barrels for the flour mill. However, with the proximity of the Root River, high water and … [Read more...]
Lion girls left behind early at Fillmore Central
Despite both teams coming in with identical records, the Spring Grove girls were no match for Fillmore Central this night at Harmony. The Falcons won the Jan. 27 non-conference contest, 59-31, while both teams combined for 44 turnovers (SG 24, FC 20). Spring Grove (7-11) suffered through a disastrous start, losing possession 11 times while falling behind, 24-4. The Lions … [Read more...]
Fast breaks, free throws propel Spring Grove girls past Schaeffer
Five early fast breaks provided the Spring Grove girls a lead they would not relinquish, and they held off Schaeffer Academy, 58-54, on Jan. 26 at Rochester. Freshman Siri Konkel piloted the attack with a career-high 24 points plus 6 assists. The Grove girls had only 9 turnovers, a season-best, as the third place Spring Grove Lions (7-10, 5-7 SEC) completed a season sweep of … [Read more...]
Lion girls fade late in loss at St. Charles
The St. Charles girls closed with a 13-to-2 run to defeat visiting Spring Grove, 64-53, on Jan. 24. The Lions pulled even with a 3-point basket by sophomore Emerson Ingvalson, but they would add only two free throws during the final five minutes, 20 seconds. With this non-conference setback, Class A Spring Grove dropped to 6-10 while the Class AA Saints ended a 10-game losing … [Read more...]
Lion boys complete sweep of Schaeffer, 65-35
The Spring Grove boys extended their conference winning streak to 26 games while completing a season sweep of those other Lions from Schaeffer Academy, 65-35. This final score on Jan. 26 at Spring Grove was similar to the previous 69-37 result at Rochester. Spring Grove (13-1, 10-0 SEC) leads the SEC East Division with four fewer league losses than both third-place Schaeffer … [Read more...]
Spring Grove boys win marquee matchup with Lancers, 66-63
It is more than rare, nearly inconceivable to defeat a team that shoots 70%, but the Spring Grove boys did prevail 66-63 with 3-point shooting, a few more free throws and fewer turnovers in a high-level non-conference clash with La Crescent-Hokah on Jan. 24. The state-ranked Class A Lions improved to 12-1 while the Class AA Lancers slipped to 11-4. It was a 14-lead-change … [Read more...]
Lion boys garner road win at Kingsland, 72-37
Spring Grove’s Elijah Solum tossed in 25 points and Tysen Grinde 20. For Kingsland, junior guard Jayden Brink netted 22 points, most his team’s 37. State-ranked No. 12 Spring Grove (11-1, 9-0 SEC) remained unbeaten in league play with the 72-37 win in Spring Valley on Jan. 23. In the first half, the swarming Spring Grove defense limited the Knights to 17 shots while … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Smoke in your eyes meant meat on the table
As the boy crawled on his stomach with his face near the ground, there were about four inches of clean air below the smoke. No, he was not escaping a burning building. The building was not on fire, but it contained a fire. It was just one of many chores for young Warren Lange during the early 1930s on the family farm on South Ridge in Houston County. In the smoke house, there … [Read more...]
Early scoring droughts doom Spring Grove girls versus Kingsland
The Spring Grove girls, one night after almost upsetting East Division leader Lanesboro on the road, was never in contention when West Division leader Kingsland visited the Lions’ den on Jan. 20. The Lions had no solution for the visitors’ quick defense as the Knights prevailed, 52-30. The Grove girls (6-9, 4-7) went over seven minutes before scoring their first points, and … [Read more...]
Upset bid falls just short for Lions girls at Lanesboro
The Spring Grove girls led most of the game, but eventually fell at Lanesboro, 36-31, on Jan. 19. This five-point decision was far different than the Burros’ earlier 27-point (62-35) blowout triumph at Spring Grove. The Lions (6-8, 4-6 SEC) employed a combination zone and man defense that limited the division-leading Lanesboro girls (10-3, 6-2 SEC) to 26 fewer points than they … [Read more...]