There were plenty of eye-popping big plays and a couple of dramatic late rallies during Spring Grove’s 2021 football campaign that ended with a 3-5 record after facing a few of the state’s best teams, including the runaway state champion. It was often highly entertaining to witness and with only three seniors, a young Lion lineup proved to be very resilient. However, the offense was too often one-dimensional and the defense secured too few takeaways. It was the third straight middle-of-the-pack finish in the East Sub-district of the 9-man South District.
Photo by Lee Epps
One high school oddity that may not be repeated for a while: in two straight games, Lion opponents (LeRoy-Ostrander and Kingsland) both scored with a safety and field goal.
Four of the eight games were decided late by slim margins; Spring Grove won two of those four (Mabel-Canton, Kingsland) plus a 14-0 opener at Houston that was only 6-0 in the fourth quarter. The Lions had trailed during the second half of two wins (Mabel-Canton, Kingsland) and led after halftime in one loss (Grand Meadow). There were two late rallies, one successful (Kingsland), the other falling just short (section at Southland). The two-touchdowns-in-the-final-four-minutes rally to edge Kingsland 20-19 is one highlight the players may relive when telling their children and grandchildren about their high school gridiron exploits.
There were only a few scoreboard points separating what could have been a winning 5-3 record from a woeful 1-7 season. Spring Grove finished in between at 3-5. The only game in which the Lions would have been pre-game favorites – at home against winless Lyle/Pacelli – was canceled due to pandemic protocol – during the second straight season influenced by COVID-19.
Unlike the previous season, there were no blowout wins; but like the previous season, there were three lop-sided losses. The string of 11 straight winning seasons ended with the fewest wins since the 3-6 campaign of 2008. Those blowouts also led to the greatest scoring deficit in 14 years, 13.7 points fewer per game than the opponents (SG 17.3, opponents 31.0). It was the lowest-scoring Spring Grove season since the 2002 winless Lions averaged 13.4 points per game. And the 2021 defense allowed the most points in 13 seasons.
On the brighter side, the Lions improved over the previous season in third-down success on both offense and defense. They continued to outperform the opposition in extra-points success and despite a new starting quarterback for the third straight season, continued to produce with a prolific passing attack. However, the opponents had the advantage in three other key categories – turnovers, the red-zone and rushing.
Third downs, PAT, red zone
Spring Grove was successful on third-down conversions 33% of the time, not as good as desired but an improvement over the previous season’s 27% and better than this year’s opponents’ 30%.
Extra-points success was down for both the Lions and the opponents, but Spring Grove’s 60% was again better than the other teams’ 43%. The Lions converted 4 of 7 two-point tries (57%) and 8 of 13 one-point kicks (62%). A two-point conversion was the difference in a 28-26 road win, a 17th straight versus Mabel-Canton. Two conversion kicks by Caleb Griffin (2 for 2) were critical in the 20-19 win against Kingsland. The only points-after-touchdown problem for the Lions was too few touchdowns.
Part of that too-few-touchdowns problem was red-zone inefficiency. After penetrating the 20 yard-line (red zone), Spring Grove only scored 40% of the time (8 for 20). Eleven of the 18 offensive touchdowns came with long-yardage plays, including seven that covered 48 yards or more.
Not only did the opponents reach the red zone more often, they were also twice as efficient at 80% (24 for 30). Red zone defense was critical in a 14-0 shutout win when the Lions turned away Houston three times within 11 yards of the goal line. Conversely at Homecoming, Spring Grove was 0 for 3 in the red zone, while Southland was 7 for 7, scoring all 46 points in the red zone. It was much, much closer score when the teams met again in the playoffs when again the Lions were denied in the red zone (0 for 2) while the Rebels were again perfect (2 for 2). The Grove guys’ season ended in that 19-12 postseason loss when their stunning comeback ended with a first-down fumble from the Southland 5 yard-line.
Too few takeaways
Fumbles and turnovers – and the lack thereof – had been decisive long before that final bobble. During the nine-team sub-district race, Spring Grove had the league’s worst turnover margin. It was not the first Lion crew to have as many as 24 turnovers, but never before had they had so few takeaways. Those 24 lost possessions (3 per game) were too many, but the opponents had an unprecedented seven turnovers in eight games – the fewest by far in 20 years of statistics. The previous best season (fewest) for the opposition was 17 turnovers. And even when the Lions had no turnovers, they still did not win the turnover battle. Neither team had a lost possession in the two-point win against Mabel-Canton and the three-point loss to Grand Meadow. It was painfully fitting that Spring Grove’s last offensive play of the season ended with a lost fumble – in the red zone.
One night, really special
Special teams, the oft-overlooked facet of football, was determinate in one Lion loss. For the season, Spring Grove and the opponents each had two special-teams touchdowns. But three of those four came on the same night. Within 15 seconds on the scoreboard clock, there were back-to-back kickoff-return touchdowns by Grand Meadow’s Dustin Copley (83 yards) and Grove’s Tysen Grinde (89 yards). But Copley would later add a 71-yard punt-return TD to put the Superlarks ahead for the first time, 20-17, which eventually would be the final score. It was the only score of the second half. The lone Lion score at LeRoy-Ostrander was a 90-yard kickoff return by senior Reid Bjerke.
Throwing, running
It was a learning experience for a mostly inexperienced and young offensive line, which did however display admirable success in pass blocking, allowing only 11 sacks in eight games while Lion quarterbacks attempted 211 passes. But it was a different challenge when it came to run blocking, which required displacing often older, more physically developed and more experienced defenders to create running lanes.
Never before had the passing game been such a dominant part of the offensive production. Nearly three fourths (73%) of the Lions’ total yardage came through the air. The previous high was 58% in 2002. It was just the opposite for the opponents, who gained 74% of their yardage on the ground – greatly due to running about three-and-a-half times more often than they passed. Spring Grove had 13 touchdown passes and five TD runs, while the opposition scored with seven passes and 27 runs.
But unlike the opposing coaches, who called so few pass plays, there was balance in Spring Grove play calls with 214 official running plays and 211 pass attempts. True, some called passing plays officially ended up as runs – scrambles and sacks – but the Lions certainly sought to establish a ground attack. However, the aerial efforts were far more productive than the handoffs. Grove averaged only 2.6 yards per carry, fewer than opponents’ 5.6. In the air, the Lions averaged 7.1 yards per pass attempt (14.7 yards per catch), almost the same as the opponents’ 6.9 (and 14.8). Despite playing one fewer sub-district game, Spring Grove still ranked second (by only 25 yards) in passing yardage. But the Lions ranked next-to-last in rushing yards.
Some names, a few numbers
Former college quarterback, now head coach Kody Moore continued to showcase an exceptional thrower and a collection of outstanding receivers. New starting quarterback, 6-foot-1 sophomore Elijah Solum, who started only six games at quarterback, passed for 1,223 yards (the 12th most in program history) and a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio (12 to 8). In a four-receiver formation, 6-3 sophomore Jaxon Strinmoen, who missed one game with injury, had 20 receptions for team-highs with 440 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tysen Grinde (6-2 junior) had a team-high 30 catches (437 yards, 3 TD), 6-4 senior Carson Gerard 19 grabs (330 yards, 3 TD) and 5-10 junior Caleb Griffin 9 catches (83 yards, 2 TDs). Leading scorer and rusher (323 yards), 5-9, 165 Hunter Holland, caught seven passes out of the backfield, including an eye-popping 72-yard touchdown that touched off a near-winning rally in the section tournament.
Up front, Gerard was a fixture at tight end, but eight different players drew starts at the other three O-line posts. It was a relatively young octet with one senior (Camron Kraus), three juniors (Ty Cleven, Logan Brumm, Cooper Olson), one sophomore (Ethan Crouch) and three freshmen (Brandon Jahnke, Emmett Engeldinger, Shawn Crouch). There was more stability on the three-man defensive line with junior Noah Blackburn, Gerard and Brumm drawing the most starts.
It was another revolving door at the three linebacker positions with Bjerke and Holland joined by sophomores Strinmoen, leading tackler Solum, Ethan Crouch and Jacob Olerud plus freshman Gavin Ostern. Primary pass defenders were Strinmoen, Grinde and Griffin.
Graduation will claim only a trio of Spring Grove gridders, but they played major roles in 2021: receiver/linebacker Reid Bjerke, offensive guard Camron Kraus and tight end/defensive-end Carson Gerard.
The coaching staff was all back with varsity assistants Aric Elton, Kare Sanness and Don Hagen along with Brian Anderson, who also guided the junior high Lions.
Middle of the pack
Competition is always tough in 9-man Section One and the East Sub-District, which has produced seven of the last eight state champions, including LeRoy-Ostrander which won three state tournament games by an average score of 55-11 while seizing this year’s state crown. Considering that Cardinal blasting of the best of the rest the state had to offer, it could be argued that the three best 9-man teams in the state were East Sub-District champion Lanesboro, runner-up Grand Meadow and regular-season third place/eventual state champion LeRoy-Ostrander.
There has been plenty of power near the top the past three years with the Cardinals, the Superlarks and the Burros each winning a regular-season title and a section championship. But neither could capture both crowns in the same season. Spring Grove hoped to better compete with that top-tier trio this year. The Lions again could not stay with the Burros or Cardinals, but they gave the Super Larks a scare. Grand Meadow edged the Lions, 20-17. In the nine-team sub-district race, Spring Grove remained in the middle at 3-4, in a three-way tie for fourth through sixth places with Mabel-Canton and Southland. Only one game back were Kingsland and Houston, each at 2-5, with winless Lyle/Pacelli in the cellar for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
It is expected to be a perilous pigskin path again next fall, but there is much on which Spring Grove can build. The 2022 Lions will be more experienced, and with work in the weight room, could also possess more muscle.
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Lions the Last 7 Seasons (SG Football)
2021……3-5 (3-4 dist. tie 4th of 9)
2020…….5-3 (4-2 dist. 3rd of 9)
2019……7-3 (5-2 dist. 3rd of 9)
2018*….14-0 (7-0 dist. 1st of 8)
2017*….14-0 (7-0 dist. 1st of 8)
2016…….9-2 (7-1 dist., 2nd of 10)
2015…….9-2 (7-1 dist., 2nd of 10)
Total… 61-15 (40-10 district)
………… .803…(.800)
* state champion, section champ
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>>Spring Grove football 2021 (3-5 season, 3-4 sub-district)
W at Houston 14-0 (Lions have won last 16, lead series 43-30-2)
Sat. Sept. 11 Lyle/Pacelli, CANCELED – Lions have won last 14, lead series 17-2)
W 28-26 at Mabel-Canton (Lions have won last 17; Cougars lead series 36-26)
L vs. Grand Meadow 17-20 (GM has won the last four; GM leads series 35-10)
L vs. Southland 14-46 (Rebels lead series 11-3)
L at LeRoy-Ostrander 6-46 (Cardinals have won the last three, lead series 15-13)
W vs. Kingsland 21-20 (Lions lead series 3-0)
L at Lanesboro 27-72 (Burros have won last 2; Lions lead series 27-23-3)
SECTION: #4 seed
L at #5 Southland 12-19 (Rebels lead series 12-3)
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>>B-team football (2 wins, 1 loss)
at Mabel-Canton, canceled
at Kingsland, canceled
Mabel-Canton, canceled
W at Houston 20-12
W at Grand Meadow 32-6
L vs. Lanesboro 6-30
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>>Junior high football (2 wins, 3 losses)
W vs. LeRoy-Ostrander 40-33
at Kingsland, canceled
L vs. Mabel-Canton 25-32 (storm ended game in second half)
W at Houston 39-6
L vs. Lanesboro 13-20
L at Southland 13-27