Freshman point guard Siri Konkel passed out 8 assists, and sophomore Kendal VanMinsel collected a career-high 15 rebounds as the Spring Grove girls broke into the win column with a 60-45 win over visiting Schaeffer Academy on Dec. 8. Three Spring Grove girls scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Emerson Ingvalson with 14 points, senior Addyson McHugh with 12 and … [Read more...]
Free throws not enough for Lion girls at Kingsland
Outcomes are often determined by free throws missed and made, and the Spring Grove girls put on a free throw shooting exhibition at Spring Valley on Dec. 6. But the game belonged to Kingsland, which never trailed during a 70-51 decision versus the Lions. Unlike the previous game in which Spring Grove rarely made it to the foul line, the Lions cashed in on 25 of 29 free throws. … [Read more...]
Lion boys basketball features accomplished, veteran lineup
The Spring Grove basketball boys are ready for a repeat, returning all but one player from last year’s 24-5 success. Four of the five losses came against state-ranked teams, including two state champions (Minnesota and Iowa.) Wade Grinde’s guys defeated all five larger-enrollment opponents, won the SEC East Division for the 11th time in 12 years and reached the section … [Read more...]
Lion boys wallop Wolverines, 75-27
The Spring Grove boys lifted 26 steals during a runaway 75-27 road win at Glenville-Emmons on Dec. 20. Jaxon Strinmoen was the chief thief with a career-high 8 steals; on offense, he scored 11 points and passed out 3 assists with no turnovers. Tysen Grinde had a game-high 19 points along with team-highs 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 thefts. Elijah Solum tossed in 18 points along … [Read more...]
Solum sinks 30 as Spring Grove secures season opener
Elijah Solum matched a career high with 30 points as the Spring Grove boys opened the 2023 basketball season with a 71-52 road win at Lanesboro on Dec. 19. Fast breaks and free throws were critical in the critical contest between rivals who finished as the top two teams in the SEC East Division last winter. It was the Lions’ 17th consecutive conference victory and their 19th … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Icy and fiery, a Christmas like no other
It was a Christmas never to be forgotten by those who experienced it or heard about it from older family members. The temperature was teens below zero, but stationed on every nearby roof to the southeast, people guarded against airborne embers. It was about 10:30 Friday night, December 19, 1924, when on his way home, Owen Onsgard smelled smoke. Several hours after the start of … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls cannot keep up with Grand Meadow
Both the Spring Grove girls and Grand Meadow started slowly with turnovers and cold shooting. Both then began to take better care of the ball, but only Grand Meadow (3-0, 3-0 SEC) began to knock down shots and get to the free throw line. The Superlarks led by 12 points at halftime and would go on to win, 51-34, on Dec. 13 at Spring Grove (2-3, 1-3 SEC). Coming off last … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Backwards races and barrel races – on ice
Fourth of a winter series A century ago, young and somewhat older residents of southeast Minnesota did not always pass personal time indoors during long winters. When work was completed, recreation thrived outdoors in January as well as in July. In the first half of the 1900s, ice skating was a given on a large lake in Hokah, the Big Slough in Houston, the Mississippi River … [Read more...]
Lions overtaken in final half-minute of state title game, 28-25
Spring Grove scored early and often and never trailed Mountain Iron-Buhl until the final 25 seconds of the 9-man state championship football game on Dec. 3 at U. S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Ultimately, the 28-25 Ranger win, was decided by extra points with the Lions going 1 for 4 and MIB 2 for 4. When state-ranked No. 3 Spring Grove soared out to a 19-0 first quarter lead, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Fun on ice with clubs and a flaming missile
Third of a winter series There was plenty of action and competition in the 1870s and 1880s, even before the advent of school-sponsored sports. W. J. Langen (1869-1960) like many other boys, ice skated near Hokah on a 30-acre lake, which at the slightest spell of cold weather, would provide fine skating ice. Boys would gather evenings, often for a game of “shinny.” A block of … [Read more...]