Early playoff volleyball action saw all the highest seeded area teams moved on to their section quarters. Houston (17-seed) came back from down 2-0 to beat Kingsland (16-seed) in a 1A play-in game 3-2 (13-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-8). Ella Carrier had 18 digs for the ‘Canes while Kadence Aarsvold had 39 digs for the Knights. Houston then fell to top-seed #2 M-C 3-0 … [Read more...]
Volleyball: #2 Cougars Finish Out Perfect SEC Loop, Dominate Showcase
It is about that time of year. It is about the time when Mabel-Canton volleyball finishes out its SEC schedule perfect and beats whoever the West has in the East-West Showcase contest. Only once in the last 10 years has that not happened; 2021 when GM won the Showcase. Lonnie Morken’s Cougars ended the SEC regular season by handling Southland 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-11). It was … [Read more...]
Hot Shots
Cayden Tollefsrud ran for 129 yards and 3 TDs while also returning a kick-off 90-yards for a score as Mabel-Canton ended the regular season by beating AC/G-E 46-20. The senior went over 1,000 yards rushing. The Cougars (4-4, 4-4) are Section 1’s 9-Man’s 6-seed, will play at 3-seed Spring Grove (6-2, 6-2). SG volleyball got eight aces from Jordis Neeley in beating L/P 3-0. The … [Read more...]
South-East District Football (10/18)
Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 20, Mabel-Canton 46 (M-C: C. Tollefsrud 19-129, 3 TDs rushing, 90-yard KOR TD; Tyler Larson 9-80, 2 TDs rushing, 2-19 receiving; Isaac Underbakke 5-9, 68 yards passing; Darian Hershberger 2-42 receiving. ACGE had four straight first half possessions that ended in a fumble and M-C capitalized, leading 40-12 at halftime. The Cougars were 5 of 5 on … [Read more...]
M-C’s Morken was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame
On October 14, Mabel-Canton head volleyball coach Lonnie Morken was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Morken is only the fifth volleyball coach to receive such distinction. He is pictured alongside some of his current players and coaches. Morken is already a member of the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame … [Read more...]
Volleyball: #2 Cougars Clinch 26th Straight SEC Title
Entering the week of Monday, October 9, it was mostly just a foregone conclusion Mabel-Canton volleyball would win the SEC-East. Sweeping 3-0 wins over Lanesboro and Houston made it official. M-C downed the Burros 25-13, 25-11, and 25-16. Tylar Wenthold had a season-high 11 kills. Sahara Morken (4 kills, 32 assists, 9 digs, 13-13 serving, 4 aces), Kinley Soiney (10 kills, … [Read more...]
Football: Conversion and Stops Propel #8 L-O Past M-C 51-50
In a 9-man game that featured a wild fourth quarter and 101 total points scored, it was a two-point conversion and back-to-back defensive plays that tipped the scales. Winners of three straight Mabel-Canton (3-3, 3-3) took on #8 LeRoy-Ostrander (4-1, 5-1), which entered having just dropped its first game to #6 Kingsland. The upstart Cougars led by double digits each half. … [Read more...]
M-C Requests Meeting with Decorah School District
The Mabel-Canton School Board discussed the Decorah tuition agreement in length at the board’s October 17 regularly scheduled meeting. The agreement ends at the end of this year unless it is extended. Superintendent Gary Kuphal first shared with the board that prior to the school board meeting Iowa families met to discuss the agreement and possible options. Kuphal has met with … [Read more...]
Football
South-East Football (10/6 & 10/7) Mabel-Canton 38, Grand Meadow 14 (M-C: C. Tollefsrud 23-209, 3 TDs rushing; T. Larson 24-150, 2 TDs rushing. GM: C. Ludemann 22-154, TD rushing (82-yard TD run); Dalton Pischke 10-62 rushing; Blake Hubbard 51-yard fumble recovery TD. M-C led 22-8 at halftime, but GM capitalized on a Cougar fumble and a Ludemann 82-yard TD run made it 22-14 … [Read more...]
Volleyball: Lions Push #2 Cougars and Their Streak
The streak should again be safe for another off-season. It barely survived. Second-ranked Mabel-Canton has not lost an SEC league match since 2009. In their second meeting with Spring Grove this year, they got pushed, hard. But for a while, it looked like it would be a short night. The teams played a highly competitive game one with a lot of early side-outs. The set had 15 … [Read more...]
Football: Cougars Upend State-Ranked Lions
Mabel-Canton ended 14 years and 18 games of frustration with a 2023 Homecoming football upset of state-ranked rival Spring Grove, 20-12. After an 0-3 start, it was the second straight win for the Cougars (2-3, 2-3), while the Lions (4-1, 5-1) suffered their first setback since last year’s state championship game. M-C leads the all-time series, 37 to 28. Spring Grove had … [Read more...]
Volleyball
Southeast Conference Volleyball (9/26 & 9/28) Spring Grove 3, Houston 0 > 25-4, 25-15, 25-19 (SG: Jordis Neeley 5 kills, 7 aces; Joelle Halverson 8 kills, 3 aces; Sydney Holland 5 digs, 8 aces; Kendal VanMinsel 5 kills, 18 assists, 5 kills, 2 aces. H: Emily Botcher 4 assists, 5 total blks; Jorja Meyer 3 kills, 3 blks) Schaeffer Academy 0, #2 in A Mabel-Canton 3 > … [Read more...]
Volleyball: M-C and Chatfield Runners-Up Highlight Showcase Event
The Class A and AA Showcases at Burnsville’s Volleyball Warehouse again brought together most of the best small school teams in the state. Naturally, southeast Minnesota was represented. Double-A teams #5 Caledonia and #8 Chatfield competed, as did single-A teams #2 Mabel-Canton, #5 Fillmore Central, and Spring Grove. The two teams to fare the best were the Gophers and Cougars, … [Read more...]
Hot Shots
Spring Grove football (4-0, 5-0) stayed perfect on the season with a 35-0 win over Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons. Jaxon Strinmoen had three total TDs and 100 yards receiving to lead the way. Bryce Berns also accounted for a trifecta of scores (two passing, one rushing). The #2 Lions (4-0, 5-0), #10 Kingsland (3-0, 4-0), and #9 L-O (3-0, 4-0) top the South-East. Cayden … [Read more...]
South-East Football (9/22 & 9/23)
Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 0, #2 in 9-Man Spring Grove 35 (SG: Jacob Olerud 22-129 rushing; Bryce Berns 3-99, TD rushing, 9-20, 159, 2 TDs passing; J. Strinmoen 3-108, TD receiving, two rushing TDs; Zach Brumm 3-27, TD receiving. SG limited the Knights to 47 yards of total offense. Lion QB Berns completed passes to Strinmoen for 33, 35 and 40 yards) Lanesboro 26, … [Read more...]