While the summer American Legion baseball season progresses with most of the same Spring Grove players, this is a look back at the 2021 school baseball season. The youngest and most inexperienced Spring Grove high school baseball team in program history finished with a 10-12 season record, one win short of an 11-11 break-even season for coach Chris Strinmoen, former two-time … [Read more...]
Lion Legion’s last-inning, five-run rally overtakes St. Charles
Trailing by four runs and only one out away from what seemed like certain defeat, the Spring Grove Legion lads (ages 19 & under) staged a most-improbable five -run rally to overtake visiting St. Charles, 6-5, on July 8. It was a solemn bunch of Saints who watched in stunned silence as the delirious Lion squad streamed into right field in pursuit of sprinting Logan Brumm, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past By canal boat or cattle car, westward toward Minnesota
Norwegian emigration, part 5 Few European immigrants, including Norwegians, were aware of the vastness of North American. Once reaching the port cities of New York or Quebec, many thought they were near their destination. However, after months of sailing, they were still hundreds of miles away from the agricultural west. Before trains arrived in the 1850s, the route west … [Read more...]
Grinde, McHugh are Lion Athletes of the Year
Senior Caden Grinde and sophomore Addyson McHugh were selected by the Spring Grove High School coaches as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year, respectively, for the school year 2020-21. McHugh is the first sophomore girl and joins Sam Morken (2003) as the only sophomores to receive the honor. McHugh, despite her youth, was a volleyball All-Southeast Conference selection … [Read more...]
Legion Lions blanked by undefeated Caledonia
The Spring Grove Legion (19 & under) baseball team fell, 10-0, after Caledonia took control with a six-run second inning. Seven of the 10 Warrior hits came during that outburst on June 28. Another three runs came with no hits (four walks, one error) in the fourth frame, and later a single by Andrew Cornelius and RBI double from Jacob Staggemeyer invoked the 10-run rule in … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton shooters excel at state; Cardinals, Burros, Lions grab conference crowns
The Mabel-Canton High School trap shooters finished in third place among 29 teams at the Class 3A State Tournament, where the Cougars qualified for the overall (all nine classes) state tournament where they placed 12th among 40 teams. For individual honors at that final shoot-off, Mabel-Canton senior Colton Heintz-Kuderer hit 99 of 100 flying clay targets to place fourth among … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Dancing on deck, legislation and their first night in America
Norwegian emigration, part 4 Although the Norwegian emigrant voyages to North America, as covered last week, were rife with misery, there were also pleasant and even celebratory experiences on board in the mid-to-late 1800s. When weather permitted, the passengers were usually up on deck for routine duties while there were might also be games and dancing. Some skippers … [Read more...]
Legion baseball Lions fall to Dover-Eyota, Chatfield
The Spring Grove American Legion team (ages 19 & under) did not give up any big innings and few big extra-base hits against bigger school district squads, but the Lions only once got out of an inning without giving up a run. The first team to 10 runs won both games at Blayne Onsgard Memorial Field as Dover-Eyota won 10-1 and undefeated Chatfield triumphed 10-4 on June 21 … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Some lives ended, some began, all changed with emigration voyages
Norwegian emigration, part 3 Ole Olsen Sandness assumed responsibility for his five-year-old niece during a cholera-stricken voyage from Norway to America in 1854. His father, brother and sister-in-law were buried at sea. Ole, a single man at age 37, and young Alava would complete the ocean crossing and eventually settle in Wilmington Township, Houston County. What was … [Read more...]
Spring Grove shooters place fifth at state
The Spring Grove trap-shooting team finished fifth among 67 Class 1A varsity teams at the Minnesota Clay Target Association championships at Alexandria on June 14. With a team score of 463, the Lions were only eight birds behind champion Groves Academy (St. Louis Park). The top five individual scores were used to tabulate the team score. Garrison Van Minsel was the team’s top … [Read more...]