The Spring Grove defense delivered as the Lions defeated Lanesboro, 28-6, in a state-ranked showdown and Oct. 19 regular-season finale that decided the 2022 East Sub-District championship. It was the Lions’ first regular-season title in four years, while the Burros were unable to defend their 2021 championship. As expected, the teams then received the top two seeds for the 9-man Section One Tournament and barring an upset, could collide again in the section title bout. State-ranked No. 5 Spring Grove remained undefeated at 8-0 (8-0 sub-district), while visiting No. 2 Lanesboro left Blayne Onsgard Field at 7-1 (6-1 sub-district).
Photo by Lee Epps
Both high-powered offenses came in averaging over 40 points per game, but both faced their stiffest defensive test of the season. Both defenses achieved a goal, but the balanced Lion attack was able to compensate. The Lanesboro secondary did not allow receivers to get past them for a long, lightning-strike touchdown pass. But Spring Grove quarterback Elijah Solum completed 71% of his passes (10-14-0) for 141 yards and two short TD tosses with no interceptions and only one early sack.
Tysen Grinde caught six passes for 73 yards, including both touchdown receptions (4 yards, 7 yards). One TD toss appeared to be a run with the ball in the air for only a few inches. Caleb Griffin (3 catches, 51 yards) had the longest gainer, a short pass that went for 41-yards down to the Burro 7 yard-line. The greatest grab of the game would have been the deepest aerial connection, had it counted. Jaxon Strinmoen made a leaping catch but was ruled to have come down out of bounds.
Solum, the sub-district leader in total offense (yards rushing and passing), was also the game’s leading rusher (9 carries, 83 yards) while Hunter Holland (14 carries, 66 yards) scored both rushing touchdowns on 4 and 1-yard plunges. It was a typical balanced attack for the Lions who gained 152 yards on the ground and 141 through the air. Grove had 11 plays go for double-digit yardage – 7 runs, 4 passes. With blocking up front from Ty Cleven, Brandon Jahnke, Logan Brumm and Ethan Crouch, the Lions outgained LHS, 293 yards to 169.
While the Lanesboro defense did not allow the Lions to execute one of their usual long-pass touchdowns, the Spring Grove “D” did not permit the Burros to enjoy any of their explosive, big-play runs. Only three Lanesboro plays went for double-digit yardage, only one for more than 20 yards. A 23-yard pass from Mason Howard to Luke Ruen and a 10-yard scamper by Howard came late during the lone Burro scoring drive. On fourth-and-goal, Orion Sass scored from one yard out.
Sass, the sub-district’s leading rusher (1,177 yards, 168 yards per game) had little room to run against Spring Grove – 49 yards on 20 carries. Howard rushed for 50 yards and completed 5 of 9 passes for 48 yards. There was consistent resistance from Lion defensive linemen – Emmett Engeldinger, Noah Blackburn and Logan Brumm along with Ethan Crouch. Linebacker Jacob Olerud had 16 tackles, Solum 10 stops, Blackburn 10 and Griffin 9.
Lanesboro had three promising drives but did not score until trailing 28-0 in the fourth quarter. After Cole Sass forced a Lion fumble near midfield on the opening kickoff, Lanesboro ran 13 plays before running out of downs at the Lion 11. Trailing by two touchdowns at halftime, the Burros began the second half with another 13-play possession that ran out of downs at the Lion 32. Two LHS possessions ended with fumbles.
However, Spring Grove did not take advantage of its best opportunity. The lone Lion possession to begin in Burro territory came when Ethan Crouch fell on a fumble at the Lanesboro 32. Grove gained only six yards in four plays.
But after running only five plays in the first period, Spring Grove took advantage of a short 15-yard Burro punt and went 55 yards in only five plays to lead 7-0 a half-minute into the second quarter. A 60-yard drive made it 14-0 at halftime. The Lions went 78 yards in six plays for a 21-0 lead. On the first play of the fourth quarter, SG completed a three-play, 53-yard scoring blitz to make it 28-0. Griffin kicked all four extra points (Solum holding, Jacob Olerud snapping).
Since 1949, it has been a very competitive series with 28 wins for SG, 22 for Lanesboro and three ties.
In likely the highest-scoring B-team game in school history, the B-Lions (5-1) won at Lanesboro, 56-36. The junior high Lions (2-3) defeated the Burros, 48-12.
Varsity team totals
YARDAGE (rush + pass): SG 293 (152+141); LHS 169 (121+48)
RUSHING: att.-yards (avg.): SG 26-152 (5.8) 2 TD; LHS 45-121 (2.7) TD
PASSES: comp-att-int, yds. (TD): SG 10-14-0, 1 (2 TD); LHS 5-11-0, 48
Sacks allowed: SG 1, LHS 0
TD: SG 4 (rush 2, pass 2); LHS 1 (rush 1)
PAT: SG 4-4 (kick 4-4); LHS 0-1 (pass 0-1)
TOTAL PLAYS: SG 40, LHS 56
AVG. yards per play: SG 7.3, LHS 3.8
FUMBLES – LOST: SG 3-1, LHS 4-2
TURNOVERS: SG 1, LHS
PENALTIES: SG 6-55, LHS 4-40
3rd downs: SG 0-3, LHS 6-14
4th downs: SG 0-1, LHS 2-4
Red zone: SG 4-4, LHS 1-2
First downs: SG 11, LHS 11
Plays of 20+ yards: SG 5, LHS 1
Spring Grove INDIVIDUALS:
RUSHING 26-152, 2 TD: Elijah Solum 9-83; Hunter Holland 14-66, 2TD; Caleb Griffin 1-16; team 2-(-13)
PASSING: Elijah Solum 10-14-0, 141, 2TD
RECEIVING 10-141: 2TD Tysen Grinde 6-73, 2TD; Caleb Griffin 3-51; Bryce Berns 1-17
KICKOFF RETURNS: Caleb Griffin 1-29
PUNT RETURNS: Tysen Grinde 1-5
SCORING 28: Hunter Holland 12, Tysen Grinde 12, Caleb Griffin 4,
PUNTING: Tysen Grinde 3-97 (32.3)
INTERCEPTIONS: (Caleb Griffin 1 PAT)
PASS BREAKUPS: Caleb Griffin 1
FUMBLES FORCED: Caleb Griffin 1
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Ethan Crouch 1, Jacob Olerud 1
SACKS: none
TACKLES for LOSS (incl. sacks) 6: Ethan Crouch 3.0; Logan Brumm 1.5; Jacob Olerud 1.0; Elijah Solum 0.5
TACKLES (solo + assists): Jacob Olerud 16 (8+8), Noah Blackburn 10 (4+6), Elijah Solum 10 (3+7), Caleb Griffin 9 (7+2), Ethan Crouch 6 (3+3), Logan Brumm 6 (3+3), Emmet Engeldinger 6 (2+4), Tysen Grinde 3 (2+1), Jaxon Strinmoen 3 (1+2), Sylas Flatin 1 (1+0), Noah Heppner 1 (1+0), Troy Reinhardt 1 (1+0)
Lanesboro INDIVIDUALS
RUSHING 45-121, TD: Mason Howard 17-50;Orion Sass 20-49, TD; Hayden Lawstuen 6-24; Will Harvey 1-2; team 1-(-4)
PASSING 5-11-0, 48: Mason Howard 5-9-0, 48; Kaden Stettler 0-2-0
RECEIVING 5-48: Luke Ruen 3-40. Will Harvey 1-4; Hayden Lawstuen 1-2
XP KICKING: none
KICKOFF RETURNS: Luke Ruen 3-37, Boston Wright 2-20
PUNT RETURNS: Kaden Stettler 3-14
SCORING: Orion Sass 6
PUNTING: Michael Rein 4-107 (26.8)
INTERCEPTIONS: none
PASS BREAKUPS: Luke Ruen 1
FUMBLES FORCED: Cole Sass 1
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Luke Ruen 1
SACKS 1: Logan Torgerson 0.5, Stephan Schultz 0.5
TACKLES for LOSS (incl. sacks) 3: Michael Rein 1.0, Cooper Ferrie 0.5, Brock Taylor 0.5, Stephan Schultz 0.5, Logan Torgerson 0.5
TACKLES (solo+assists): Luke Ruen 8 (4+4), Cooper Ferrie 5 (2+3), Orion Sass 4 (3+1), Lucas Nikoloski 4 (3+1), Hayden Lawstuen 4 (3+1), Mason Howard 3 (1+2), Logan Torgerson 2 (2+0), Michael Rein 2 (2+0), Stephan Schultz 2 (0+2), Kaden Stettler 1 (1+0),, Cole Sass 1 (1+0), David Harvey 1 (0+1), Logan Torgerson 1 (0+1), Brock Taylor 1 (0+1)
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East Sub-District (end regular season)
Spring Grove* 8-0 sub-district (8-0 season)
Lanesboro 6-1 sub-district (7-1 season)
Mabel-Canton 5-2 sub-district (6-2 season)
Grand Meadow 4-3 sub-district (5-3 season)
Kingsland 4-3 sub-district (4-4 season)
Lyle/Pacelli 3-4 sub-district (4-4 season)
LeRoy-Ostrander 2-5 sub-district (2-6 season)
Houston 0-7 sub-district (1-7 season)
Southland 0-7 sub-district (1-7 season)
*champion
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Spring Grove football 2021
8 wins, 0 losses (8-0 sub-district)
7:00 p.m. kickoff unless noted (series records go back to 1949)
W vs. Houston 60-30
W at Lyle/Pacelli 48-20
W vs. Mabel-Canton 56-14
W at Grand Meadow 47-16
W at Southland (Adams) 33-14
W vs. LeRoy-Ostrander 50-21
W at Kingsland 41-20
W vs. Lanesboro 28-6
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Lion B-team Football
5 wins, 1 loss
W at Mabel-Canton 54-0
L vs. Kingsland 6-14
W vs. Mabel-Canton 44-6
W vs. Houston 32-0
W vs. Grand Meadow 38-14
W at Lanesboro 56-36
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Lion Junior High Football
2 wins, 3 losses
L at LeRoy-Ostrander 6-26
L vs. Kingsland 14-40
W vs. Mabel-Canton 41-7
L vs. Houston 14-32
W at Lanesboro 48-12
10/17 vs. Southland – home
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