Down early and twice trailing by two touchdowns, Spring Grove twice got back within one score and then twice were close to the goal line with a chance to pull even or take the lead. But twice in the fourth quarter, the Lions did not score after reaching Southland 1-yard line and 5 yard-line. No. 4 seed Southland escaped with a 19-12 section quarterfinal win against No. 5 seed … [Read more...]
Lion girls surge into section semi-finals with wins versus Knights, Falcons
The Spring Grove girls, with the No. 4 seed, advanced to the Section 1A Volleyball semi-finals with playoff wins over No. 13 Kingsland and No. 5 Fillmore Central. The 3-0 home win over the Knights on Thursday night (Oct. 28) preceded a midday Saturday 3-1 victory over the Falcons In Rochester. It was the second straight-set win of the season against conference rival Kingsland. … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls coast past Cardinals in regular-season finale
The Spring Grove girls dominated a matchup between the two SEC division runners-up. The Lions thus closed the regular season with the straight-sets road win at LeRoy-Ostrander on Oct. 18. Spring Grove (18-9, 12-2 SEC East) then received the No. 4 seed in the 20-team Section 1A Tournament, which for the first time is scheduled in one large bracket instead of two sub-section … [Read more...]
Lion netters drop two, then take two at Goodhue Tournament
Spring Grove won two volleyball matches after dropping a pair to finish in fifth place at the Goodhue Tournament on Saturday, October 16. It was good preparation for the upcoming playoffs as all four opponents had winning records, similar to that of the Lions, who closed the day at 17-9. Both Losses came against larger Class AA clubs before split-set wins over Class A … [Read more...]
Spring Grove passing explosion extinguished after halftime at Lanesboro
It was Lanesboro run versus Spring Grove pass as it began with a 67-point first half scoring duel. After only 15 plays, Lanesboro led 16-7 before the teams added 44 points in the explosive second period. However, the second half belonged to state-ranked No. 2 Lanesboro in a 72-27 home win over visiting Spring Grove in the October 15 regular season finale. With 99 total … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past When the blackbirds flew, we did, too
When she was nine or 10 years old, her parents thought she was old enough to handle the rifle that she and her siblings would use to scare the blackbirds out of the family cornfields in the Root River valley near Hokah. The late Josephine “Josie” (Lorenz) Gavin reminisced about her childhood in the 1940s. The children took turns with farm chores – one of which in the late … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past There was pride in freezing your clothes
You did not phone a serviceman or purchase a new replacement part “if you had a kid big enough to hold a screwdriver,” - not during the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to Anita Joyce (Hartman) Palmquist. She was a farm kid in Pleasant Valley near Hokah, who unenthusiastically did hold a screwdriver while her father Carl Frederick Hartman turned the crank of a large … [Read more...]
Warrior section upset bid falls short in overtime, 2-1
The Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston soccer boys were within three minutes of a Section 1A Tournament upset when La Crescent-Hokah finally scored to tie the count, 1-1, and usher in a pair of overtime periods. The Lancers would score in the second extra period to claim a 2-1 win. The Warriors had received the No. 6 seed in the 10-team playoff bracket. No. 3 seed La Crescent-Hokah … [Read more...]
Lions sweep Burros, ‘Canes but fall to Cougars in five-set title showdown
It was an eventful week of volleyball for the second-place Spring Grove girls who won the Oct. 11 rematch with third-place Lanesboro, 3-0, which set up the Oct. 14 rematch with division-leading and state-ranked No. 6 Mabel-Canton. In between on Oct. 12, the Lions completed a season sweep of Houston, 3-0. Mabel-Canton came into the SEC East Division showdown having already … [Read more...]
Two late TDs lift Lions past Kingsland, 20-19
It had been a while since his first-minute breakaway gallop and touchdown. But when Spring Grove’s Hunter Holland finally broke free a second time, it was truly a last-minute backbreaker and heartbreaker for the Kingsland bench and fans who had the closest view of his game-stealing sprint down the visitors’ sideline. The 165-pound speedster took a pitchout, cut inside of a … [Read more...]