Thirteen of the 14 Lions were credited with rebounds as the Spring Grove girls pounded Postville (Iowa), 63-18 in the annual Minnesota-Iowa Border Battles in Decorah. It was a mismatch from the get-go, and the Pirates (1-5) did not score in the second quarter on the way to a 48-7 halftime avalanche. They added only two points in period three and overall, had more turnovers (34) … [Read more...]
Lion Girls Lead All Night, Defeat Knights, 52-44
The Spring Grove girls led throughout a 52-44 home win against Kingsland, an early-season result that could significantly affect the conference race later in the campaign. The Lions scored the first six points, led by seven at halftime (26-19) and would leads by as many as 13 in the second half before winning by eight. Spring Grove outscored the visitors by four points from the … [Read more...]
Strinmoen Voted Team MVP, Among Four All-District Lions
Jaxon Strinmoen was voted Most Valuable Player by his Spring Grove football teammates. He received Honorable Mention on the coaches’ 9-Man All-State Team and merited the prestigious Academic All-State award for his cumulative grade point average during his high school football career. He is one of four Lions named to the All-District Team: Strinmoen (6’4” 180 Sr. WR/LB), Jacob … [Read more...]
Gymnastics (12/7)
Caledonia/Spring Grove /Houston 124.3250, Byron 139.1750 (In all-around, Vivian Kittleson placed fourth, Madelyn Foellmi fifth and Harper Myrah sixth. The highest individual scores were Kittleson’s fifth-place 8.450 on vault and Foellmi’s sixth-place 8.3250 in floor exercise. Kittleson also had the highest finish, placing third on the balance beam (8.2500)) … [Read more...]
Girls Basketball
TRC Girls Basketball (12/5) Caledonia 62, Fillmore Central 49 (C: A. Klug 32 pts (7-13 threes); Josie Foster 8 pts, 15 rebs. FC: K. Broadwater 20 pts, 14 rebs, 4 stls; Kyla Hellickson 11 pts, 10 rebs. Cal hit 11 threes to FC’s two) Chatfield 46, PEM 63 (C: E. Goldsmith 13 pts, 11 rebs; Katryn Johnson 10 pts. Chatfield shot 13 of 52 (24.5%), winning from deep (eight threes … [Read more...]
Boys Basketball
TRC Boys Basketball (12/5) Fillmore Central 56, #8 in AA Caledonia 92 (C: L. Doyle 19 pts (3-8 threes), 7 rebs, 11 asts, 8 stls; E. Stendel 14 pts, 12 rebs; Mason King 12 pts; Reid Klug 12 pts, 8 rebs; Garrett Konz 10 pts. FC: L. Hellickson 22 pts (4-8 threes). Jayce Kiehne DNP) PEM 65, Chatfield 53 (C: Carson Harstad 17 pts; Cole Novotny 10 pts. Chatfield led 25-23 at … [Read more...]
Hot Shots
Chatfield wrestling (2-0, 2-0) hammered Cal/Hou 58-6 and PEM 64-9 in a notable early season triangular. At the Hutchinson Tourney, Gophers Chloe Berg (124) and Grace Finley (142) each authored five pins in winning titles. FCLMC’s Kane Larson (11-0) won 157-pounds at the Logan Tourney. GMLOS’ Cael Smith won 126-pounds at the South Winn Tourney. Cal/Hou’s Owen Denstad went … [Read more...]
Football: 9-Man South-East Awards
The South-East sub-district in 9-Man featured state runner-up and district champ Kingsland (7-0, 13-1), LeRoy-Ostrander (6-1, 8-2), Spring Grove (5-2, 8-3), Mabel-Canton (4-4, 4-5), Houston (3-4, 5-5), Southland (3-4, 4-5), Alden-Conger/G-E (2-5, 4-6), Grand Meadow (1-6, 1-8), and Lanesboro (1-6, 1-8). The Knights and Cardinals each gets a league-high five All-District picks. … [Read more...]
Again, Much Expected from Spring Grove Boys
Much is expected from the 2023-24 Spring Grove basketball boys, greatly due to last year’s success and the players returning for five-time Section 1A Coach of the Year Wade Grinde and his veteran coaching staff, including Al Lochner and Tom Vix. The Lions won a school-record 31 games (20-0 SEC, 31-2) while hoisting the third-place trophy at the Class A state tournament. While … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Girls Drop Close Contest at Waukon,66-63
Spring Grove had 18 fewer turnovers and 22 more shot attempts. But it was not enough to overcome 23 fewer rebounds, being outshot, 46% to 34%, from the field and a five-point deficit at the free throw line. Waukon (now 2-1), with a much larger enrollment, held on for a 66-63 home win, its sixth straight victory versus Spring Grove. While the Lions depended greatly on 3-point … [Read more...]
Lion Girls Open with Runaway Road win at Lanesboro
The Spring Grove girls opened the 2023-04 basketball season with an impressive 67-34 road win at Lanesboro. With graduation losses after two straight SEC East Division championships, the Burros (1-2) trailed throughout their third game of this season. Three Lions scored in double figures, led by Kinley Soiney with 21 points along with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Kylie Hammel … [Read more...]
Lion Football Fights through Misfortune, Returns to Section Finals
Spring Grove football extended winning ways with an 8-3 record (5-2 sub-district) and second straight appearance in the 9-player section championship game. It was at the 13th winning record in the last 14 seasons. But it was not easy with nearly half (five of 11) of the games decided by single-digit margins. The Lions earned a winning record by prevailing in four of those five … [Read more...]
Young Lions Depend on Depth, Defense
The 2023-’24 Spring Grove basketball girls, with depth and pressure defense, seek to improve on their dozen wins last winter, their most in six years. But, at 12-15, it was still a sixth straight season below .500. However, Grove was 12-12 versus other Class A-size schools. The Lions were 10-8 in league play, finishing third among five teams in the SEC East for a second … [Read more...]
2023 Girls Basketball Preview
The girls basketball season starts with some changes. This year is the first year of the shot clock. Mabel-Canton does not have enough for a squad, nor does Glenville-Emmons, so the SEC has just nine teams. It will be one big league (no divisions). M-C is sharing with Spring Grove. Section re-alignment took place. Notably, defending 1AA champion Goodhue is back in Section … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: The Biden Administration’s Struggle in the Middle East: A Growing Crisis Unfolds
By Isaac Vick The Biden administration finds itself entangled in a complex web of diplomacy and crisis management in the Middle East, as it grapples with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The president and his top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, face a daunting challenge in persuading the Israeli government to temporarily halt its offensive against … [Read more...]