A blitz of big plays propelled state-ranked #6 in 9-Man Spring Grove well past visiting #9 Mabel-Canton, 56-14. The Lions scored on their first four possessions and needed only 11 plays to do it. On the night, SG scored four times on scrimmage plays that covered 46 yards or more, plus a 60-yard, non-scoring pass to Tysen Grinde, who did score later on a 74-yard kickoff return. … [Read more...]
Football (Week Three): Ranked Teams Roll
The first state football rankings are out. Area squads Chatfield (#1 in AA), Lanesboro (#2 in 9-Man), Caledonia (#3 in AA), Spring Grove (#6 in 9-Man), Fillmore Central (#7 in A), and Mabel-Canton (#9-tie in 9-Man) all got ranked. All but one rolled to wins. The Lions and Cougars played an early ranked-ranked contest. … [Read more...]
Falcon VB Aces Opening Homestand
The term “homestand” is a big baseball term, as major league teams often play multiple home games in a row. Fillmore Central volleyball had a homestand to begin the 2022 season. Their first three matches were all in Harmony. The Falcons followed up an opening week win over Hayfield with TRC victories over Lewiston-Altura and La Crescent/Hokah. Good serving (poor serve … [Read more...]
Warriors Football Stymies Pine Island in Blowout Win
One calling card of Caledonia football over the years was its defense. The Warriors used their speed to flock to the football and humble opposing offenses. The 2022 campaign opened with Caledonia looking like years past in passing their first test coming off a trying 2021 season. At Class AAA Pine Island, the Warrior defense literally held the Panthers to nothing. PI didn’t … [Read more...]
Trojan Defense Shuts-Out Medford in 14-0 Win
Rushford-Peterson football went on the road and opened its season with a defensive-minded win over Medford. The Tigers first three drives netted a combined 75 yards, but their last six went for negative yardage. The Trojan defense played inspired ball in the second half. Offensively, R-P took advantage of two third quarter short fields. After a 12-yard Medford punt set the … [Read more...]
Gopher Football Opens State Title Defense, Beats AAA Lourdes
The last time Chatfield football stepped on the gridiron for a game, they took home the state title. To open their 2022 season, and their state title defense, the Gophers took out Class AAA Rochester-Lourdes in an inter-district contest. But the onset wasn’t particularly championship worthy. The Eagles turned an early interception into points. Lourdes QB Adam Sellner’s … [Read more...]
Second Half Efficiency Powers Burro Football Over GM
Lanesboro had the ball four times in the second half of their 9-Man South-East battle with Grand Meadow. Three of those possessions resulted in the touchdowns while the last ran out the clock. That second half efficiency propelled the Burros to a win over the Superlarks. The first half saw the teams play each other to a 6-6 tie. Grand Meadow scored first early in the second … [Read more...]
Warrior VB’s Week Highlighted by Outlasting Decorah
Caledonia volleyball had two matches on the week. The second was the marquee one. The Warriors, ranked #10 in AA, hosted Decorah, ranked #4 in Class 4A in Iowa. The Vikings (8-0) came in having won the Charles City tournament days earlier. A classic volleyball battle ensured. It went five sets. Four were decided by the minimum numbers of points, two, while the other was … [Read more...]
Cougar VB Wins Floodwood Tourney, Starts 9-0
Mabel-Canton volleyball started it first full week of the season by staying busy on the court, and staying busy in the win department. Following up a season-opening revenge win over Grand Meadow, the Cougars easily handled “Journal 11” SEC squads Kingsland and Lanesboro. Versus the Knights, M-C cruised to a 3-0 sweep (25-11, 25-8, 25-2). The Cougars were 72 of 73 serving … [Read more...]
2022 Volleyball and Cross Country Preview
Volleyball Preview The 2021 season was a successful one for a host of “Journal 11” volleyball teams. Mabel-Canton (30-5), Caledonia (22-9), and Spring Grove (20-10) each made their respective section Final Four. The Cougars (SEC East) and Warriors (TRC) were league champs. Fillmore Central (16-13), Chatfield (19-9), and Rushford-Peterson (18-12) made it to Rochester and … [Read more...]