With 27 athletes from the “Journal 11’”high schools competing at the 2021 State Track and Field Meet, it was a busy day. Most of those athletes came in seeded within the “podium” range, the top nine. In the end, individual competitors made the podium 13 of 17 tries, while four of five relays did the same. Finishing top nine equates to making All-State. The biggest winners … [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...]
Grinde repeats Most Valuable as Lion boys honor four cagers
Caden Grinde, for the second straight season, was voted Most Valuable Player by his 2021 Spring Grove basketball teammates. And the for the third consecutive year, he also received the Hustle Award, determined by his season total of hustle points. Tristan Hammel was voted the Lion Award while the Most Improved Player recognition was shared by Jaxon Strinmoen and Tysen Grinde. … [Read more...]
Eight runs not nearly enough for Lions in Legion loss at Lewiston
Eight runs had been enough for the Spring Grove American Legion boys in the 8-4 summer season-opening win against Lanesboro, but eight was far from sufficient in a deflating 29-8 runaway loss at Lewiston on June 14. A June 20 encounter with Mabel was rained out. The Lion Legion lineup is mostly the same as in the just-completed school season. SG Legion 8, Lewiston … [Read more...]
Cal/SG high jumper Pieper is All-State, places sixth at state
Chris Pieper, of Caledonia/Spring Grove, is an All-State track athlete by virtue of earning the sixth-place medal among 15 high jumpers at the Class A State Track and Field Championships on June 17-19 at St. Michael. The junior jumper cleared the bar at 6-feet, 2-inches, which was one inch higher than he had achieved while advancing at the sub-section (first place) and … [Read more...]
1A Individual Track and Field Highlighted by GMLOKS Girls’ Exploits
When a team makes the 1A State True Team meet in track and field, it means they have depth and talent of athletes. With five “Journal 11” teams having made the state true team meet (GMLOKS, LFCMC, and Chatfield girls, GMLOKS and LFCMC boys), it only figures each squad would be represented well at the Section 1A individual track and field meet. All told, from those four squads, … [Read more...]
Legion baseball Lions open with win against Lanesboro
Seven days after closing the school baseball season, the Spring Grove boys launched their summer Legion schedule with an 8-4 home win over Lanesboro on June 10. The Burros out-hit the Lions 13 to 5, but the Grove guys did not get as many good pitches to hit, reaching base 12 times with walks. Meanwhile Lion pitchers, starter Jaxon Strinmoen and reliever Isaac Griffin, walked … [Read more...]
Pieper to represent Cal/SG in high jump at state track meet
Junior Chris Pieper of Caledonia/Spring Grove qualified for the Class A State Track & Field Meet as the section runner-up in high jump. Junior Reid Bjerke had advanced to section in three events, medaling twice and earning team points in all three. He earned the fourth-place medal in the 200-meter dash and the fifth-place medal at 100-meters. Junior Logan Banse claimed the … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Boys Golf Wins 1A, Heads to State
The last time Lanesboro boys golf went to state it was 2011. John Smith was the coach. Lucas Johnson and Cory Strom were a couple key players. The Burros took third. Ten years later, Lanesboro’s boys golf is heading back to the state meet. Krissy Overland’s group didn’t taste defeat this year, sweeping through the SEC. They’ll head to Becker still without a loss. The … [Read more...]
Same-script, walk-off win precedes Spring Grove’s season-ending loss
“Just eerie,” was how Spring Grove baseball coach Chris Strinmoen described the second walk-off win over Fillmore Central/Lanesboro on the same field within six days. The same three Lions played exactly the same three roles in both remarkable, celebration-inducing sequences. The second decision, a 2-1 Lion win, came in the May 31 section opener in front of a great crowd at … [Read more...]