SG 3, Schaeffer Academy 0 25-19, 25-10, 25-15 Spring Grove improved to 3-0 while rolling to a third straight lop-sided volleyball win versus an overmatched conference rival. The visiting Lions poured in 18 service aces to only one for the host Schaeffer Academy Lions who had seven service errors. Schaeffer (0-4, 0-4 SEC) was the first Spring Grove foe to record more … [Read more...]
Spring Grove crushes Hurricanes in football opener, 60-30
The highest-scoring football game ever played between Spring Grove and Houston had the Lions leading 47-0 in the third quarter while the teams combined to score 57 points in that period alone. Spring Grove ultimately prevailed 60-30 in the September 2 season opener for both teams and the Lions’ 17th straight win in the series. Starting quarterback Elijah Solum (8 for 13, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Overall, there were plenty of pockets
With an emphasis on function, bib overalls were the everyday fashion on the farm for men and boys during the mid-20th century (1900s). Nine or more pockets were available for whatever basic tools might be needed at a moment’s notice. That attire allowed a farmer to be a “walking tool bench,” concluded David Beckman, recalling his youth on a Houston County farm. The bib would … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Aprons: yesteryear’s coverups, carryalls and facecloths
Nowadays, few remember them. But in a previous century, aprons were an everyday essential in every woman’s wardrobe. With an overhead strap and tied in back, they were worn to protect a lady’s dress, “because women couldn’t afford to ruin the few dresses they had,” recalled David Beckman from his 1940s upbringing in rural southeast Minnesota. Compared to a dress, an apron … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls roll past Lyle/Pacelli
SG 3, Lyle/Pacelli 0 25-10, 25-6, 25-8 The visitors put up little resistance while a large Spring Grove crowd witnessed the 2022 home-opening pounding of Lyle/Pacelli on Aug. 30. Eight different Lion servers contributed to 20 service aces, their most instant winners in two seasons. Kenadee Gerard had match-highs with 11 kills and 5 ace serves. Lydia Solum scored … [Read more...]
Spring Grove gridders emphasize physicality up front
Football hopes are high again at Spring Grove in 2022, based on a trio of All-District skill players plus extraordinary depth in the line. The Lions are exceptionally experienced, returning seven of nine starters on both sides of the ball and almost all of the specialists in the kicking game. However, this experience comes off last year’s 3-5 season, the first losing record in … [Read more...]
Lions sink Southland in volleyball opener
SG 3, Southland 0 25-16, 25-12, 25-11 Spring Grove assumed control during the latter part of the first set and then dominated the remainder of the 2022 season-opening volleyball match at Southland on Aug. 25. The second set began with the Lions scoring with 11 kills on their first 12 attacks. The Grove girls then scored the first seven points of set three. Overall, … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls take state ranking into 2022 season
After a 20-win season a year ago (20-10, 12-2 SEC), the Spring Grove volleyball team enters the 2022 campaign at No. 7 in the state coaches association Class A preseason poll, believed to be the program’s first state ranking. The Lions return five of their top nine performers and four of the six servers from a team that won two playoff matches to reach the Section 1A … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Few “flamboozles,” but there were velvet capes
They thought the valley the “grandest spot on Earth, their home without an equal in the land and which they would not exchange for any other in all Christendom.” That grand valley was Yucatan Valley in Houston County, Minn., as described by Capt. Samuel B. McIntire. McIntire (1838-1917) was the first Minnesotan appointed to West Point. Graduating in 1862, he was thrust into … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Battling with rubber bands, biking without pedaling
Part two of a series During the Great Depression of the 1930s, resourceful children – often with parental assistance - used what they had for entertainment. Automobile tires had inner tubes to retain the air. Discarded inner tubes could be cut into narrow but strong rubber bands, which became ammunition. “Through judicious use of wood and bands, we were able to fashion rubber … [Read more...]