It has been a big year for Journal 11 cross country athletes. The 2021 Section 1A Meet was an identifier of that success. One team and five individuals qualified for the 2021 state meet. And this year they’ll get to compete in Northfield. Battling a steady rain, the LARPH guys team, Kingsland runners Garrison Hubka and Cole Kruegel, Chatfield’s Logan Thompson and Lexi … [Read more...]
Two Lion rallies rebuffed in section rematch with Rebels
Down early and twice trailing by two touchdowns, Spring Grove twice got back within one score and then twice were close to the goal line with a chance to pull even or take the lead. But twice in the fourth quarter, the Lions did not score after reaching Southland 1-yard line and 5 yard-line. No. 4 seed Southland escaped with a 19-12 section quarterfinal win against No. 5 seed … [Read more...]
Lion girls surge into section semi-finals with wins versus Knights, Falcons
The Spring Grove girls, with the No. 4 seed, advanced to the Section 1A Volleyball semi-finals with playoff wins over No. 13 Kingsland and No. 5 Fillmore Central. The 3-0 home win over the Knights on Thursday night (Oct. 28) preceded a midday Saturday 3-1 victory over the Falcons In Rochester. It was the second straight-set win of the season against conference rival Kingsland. … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls coast past Cardinals in regular-season finale
The Spring Grove girls dominated a matchup between the two SEC division runners-up. The Lions thus closed the regular season with the straight-sets road win at LeRoy-Ostrander on Oct. 18. Spring Grove (18-9, 12-2 SEC East) then received the No. 4 seed in the 20-team Section 1A Tournament, which for the first time is scheduled in one large bracket instead of two sub-section … [Read more...]
Lion netters drop two, then take two at Goodhue Tournament
Spring Grove won two volleyball matches after dropping a pair to finish in fifth place at the Goodhue Tournament on Saturday, October 16. It was good preparation for the upcoming playoffs as all four opponents had winning records, similar to that of the Lions, who closed the day at 17-9. Both Losses came against larger Class AA clubs before split-set wins over Class A … [Read more...]
Spring Grove passing explosion extinguished after halftime at Lanesboro
It was Lanesboro run versus Spring Grove pass as it began with a 67-point first half scoring duel. After only 15 plays, Lanesboro led 16-7 before the teams added 44 points in the explosive second period. However, the second half belonged to state-ranked No. 2 Lanesboro in a 72-27 home win over visiting Spring Grove in the October 15 regular season finale. With 99 total … [Read more...]
Grand Meadow Stuns #6 Mabel-Canton in “Showcase” Game
At the start of the year, there were a couple teams surely gunning for SEC powerhouse Mabel-Canton. Lanesboro and Spring Grove both hoped to knock off the Cougars, ending their decade-plus league-play winning streak. With four combined tries, neither pulled the feat. Then there is Grand Meadow. M-C swept the Superlarks to open the season 25-17, 25-23, 25-17. The teams have won … [Read more...]
Two Late Lion TDs overtake Knights, 20-19
Hunter Holland, on 4th and two, raced 48 yards for the winning TD with 32 seconds to play. That was the second of two Lion TDs in the final four minutes. Trailing by 12 points (19-7) with a 4th and 9, Tysen Grinde went above two defenders to grab a 29-yard pass from Elijah Solum down to the Knight 10 yard-line. Two plays later, Solum hit Grinde with a 10-yard TD toss to make it … [Read more...]
Warrior section upset bid falls short in overtime, 2-1
The Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston soccer boys were within three minutes of a Section 1A Tournament upset when La Crescent-Hokah finally scored to tie the count, 1-1, and usher in a pair of overtime periods. The Lancers would score in the second extra period to claim a 2-1 win. The Warriors had received the No. 6 seed in the 10-team playoff bracket. No. 3 seed La Crescent-Hokah … [Read more...]
Lions sweep Burros, ‘Canes but fall to Cougars in five-set title showdown
It was an eventful week of volleyball for the second-place Spring Grove girls who won the Oct. 11 rematch with third-place Lanesboro, 3-0, which set up the Oct. 14 rematch with division-leading and state-ranked No. 6 Mabel-Canton. In between on Oct. 12, the Lions completed a season sweep of Houston, 3-0. Mabel-Canton came into the SEC East Division showdown having already … [Read more...]