Stories from Tuesday, April 22, 2014

In the opening meet of the Cornbelt Conference boys golf schedule on Thursday, the host Titans of Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire took top honors with a low round of 181, while the Harris-Lake Park squad placed third with a team total of 195. If the first conference score of the year is a sign of things to come, the Titans' Ethan Petersen is in for a stellar year, as he earned runner-up medalist honors with a two-over-par 37 and led his team to a first place finish despite cold conditions...

In two matches to start the 2014 girls tennis season, the Spirit Lake-Okoboji squad has yet to lose a single match, as the Indians swept Estherville Lincoln Central on Thursday 9-0 after doing the same to Spencer a week earlier. "ELC is a very young and inexperienced team, with the exception of their [top] player Maddie Burns," SL-O coach Bob O'Hara said. ...

Coming off a disappointing loss to Spencer last week, the Spirit Lake-Okoboji boys tennis team rebounded to best Estherville Lincoln Central 7-2 on the road Thursday. While the top players from both sides were very competitive, the Indians' depth shined, as the bottom half of the lineup picked up convincing wins over the Midgets...

On Thursday, the Spirit Lake Park and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayshire boys track teams took part in the annual spectacle that is the Estherville Relays, as the Indians and Titans competed in the 93rd running of the historical event. Overall, the Indians brought home three championships and 11 top-3 finishes, while the Titans placed four in the top-10...

Despite facing windy conditions on Monday, the Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire girls golf team got around its home course in the fewest strokes to earn its second straight conference meet victory. Harris-Lake Park, behind meet medalist Macy Gunderson, took third place on the day...

With a low round of 42, Alex Mankle led the Okoboji girls golf team to a narrow victory Monday night, as the Pioneers edged MOC-Floyd Valley 214-217 at a Siouxland Conference meet hosted by West Lyon. Wind was a major factor, according to Pioneers coach Bill Alexander...

At a meet hosted by Sheldon on Monday, the Okoboji girls track team struggled against stiff competition and equally stiff wind, placing seventh in Class A with a team total of 33 points. The Pioneers placed only three events in the top-3 and eight in the top-6 on the night...

Tied 2-2 at the end of regulation in a road match against Storm Lake on Monday, the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji boys soccer squad leaned heavily on goalkeeper Jordan Steinle to come through in the clutch. The junior faced a plethora of talented Tornado goal scorers throughout the contest and made several tremendous saves, but saved his best for last, making a key stop in penalty kicks to deliver his team a 3-2 victory...

For the second contest in a row, the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji girls soccer team put on a dazzling offensive display, this time besting Lakes Conference foe Storm Lake by a score of 10-1 at home on Monday on eight goals (four each) by Katy Brevik and Kayla Herrig...

Lake Park is growing and Silver Lake is still a highly-regarded destination for visitors who want an out-of-the-way experience in the Iowa Great Lakes. But Lake Park City Administrator Wade Wagoner is concerned about his community's biggest selling point...

The area's firefighters, police officers and ambulance crew members are part of the community -- their job usually requires them to arrive at the worst moments of a person's life. That wasn't the case Monday. The county H.E.A.T. (High Risk Entry and Arrest) team rolled out their armored vehicle and the Milford Fire Department's prized classic, red fire engine was on display as part of an April 21 public safety open house at the Milford Fire Station...

A pro-immigration reform group backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to air campaign ads targeting U.S. Rep. Steve King. The Washington Examiner and Time.com say the pro-reform group FWD.us will air ads criticizing the 4th District Congressmen for his opposition to the ENLIST Act. ...

If those walls could talk. The Terril school building celebrates its centennial Thursday, April 27 -- a tribute to a building that welcomed generations of students. Thursday's event will give former students and faculty members a chance to reminisce over century's worth of classes and extracurricular activities...

Led by Mike Luhr's and Tyler Ohl's low rounds of 40, then Okoboji boys golf team finished fourth in a tightly contested Siouxland Conference golf meet hosted by Boyden-Hull on Tuesday with a round of 171. A mere 10 strokes separated the top five teams, as the Pioneers finished nine strokes off the lead set by Sibley-Ocheyedan...

At a Cornbelt Conference meet hosted by North Union, the Harris-Lake Park and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire boys golf teams finished second and fourth, respectively, at the golf course in Armstrong. Led by runner-up medalist Brady Van Iperen's round of 40, the H-LP boys finished second to host North Union on Tuesday with a round of 180...

With three of its top four golfers out of commission, the Spirit Lake girls golf squad did its best to get around the Estherville Golf Course with a low round, but struggled as a result, finishing sixth at the invitational tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central...

For the second time this season, Spirit Lake boys golfer Zach Skopec had to win a playoff hole for meet medalist honors, but the state champion wrestler is accustomed to such adversity, as the senior pulled through again Tuesday besting Emmetsburg's Mike Myers to take the top spot with a round of 36...

Coming off a convincing victory over Estherville Lincoln Central, the Spirit Lake-Okoboji boys tennis team experienced a bit of a letdown Tuesday, falling 9-0 to visiting Le Mars. SL-O coach Dan Taylor couldn't help but flash back to the Indians' first match of the season, a 9-0 loss to Lakes Conference foe Spencer...

Spirit Lake Park played host Tuesday to some of the best track and field athletes the area has to offer, as the Indians held a boys track meet in Spirit Lake. The group of attendees included Okoboji and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayshire, among others...