Stories from Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Editor's Note: This is the first installment of a weekly series previewing prep football in Dickinson County. The rankings are according to the Des Moines Register's preseason poll and last year's records are included in the headings. The returning Class 2A state champions will face a familiar foe in the season-opener, as Spirit Lake -- ranked fifth in the Des Moines Register's preseason poll -- travels east to take on Estherville Lincoln Central in week one...

The Okoboji Blue Water Festival held on Saturday, Aug. 13 at Preservation Plaza on the shores of West Okoboji was a true celebration of all that is "good" about our clean water efforts. That being said, there is so much more to do, and in our lifetime so little time in which to do it!...

Much of the time, lures are designed with a specific application in mind. But sometimes we discover that some baits are multi-purpose. I was reminded of that on a recent fishing trip. I was sharing a boat with fishing friend Mike Frisch in central Minnesota and walleyes were our target...

Iowa's sunflower fields will be busy places over the next few weeks as doves begin to gather for migration and rows of sunflowers get mowed in preparation for the opening of dove hunting season. Iowa's dove hunting season begins Sept. 1. A list of wildlife areas that have one or more managed dove plots on them is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/doves...

Iowa hunters have been using the interactive Iowa hunting atlas to find new places to go hunting. The hunting atlas features more than 680,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. It's available online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting...

Iowa Lakes softball coach Katie Larson announced the signing of Caitlyn Roberts to the 2016-2017 recruiting class. Caitlyn is the daughter of Josh and Anne Roberts and played for the Spirit Lake Indians. "Caitlyn comes from an elite high school softball program in Iowa," Larson said. "Getting a kid like Caitlyn that has played high quality of softball for many years and has developed the skills to be successful in college is huge."...

The Spirit Lake volleyball team, coming off of a 34-7 season a year ago, is ranked eighth in Class 3A in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's 2016 preseason poll. The Indians are one of three Lake Conference teams on the IGHSAU's rankings, joining top-ranked and returning Class 2A state champion Western Christian and 13th-ranked (3A) Cherokee...

Former Okoboji and Spirit Lake football standout Bryson McCabe was recently named a team captain at Montana State for the 2016 season. McCabe, who helped the Indians clinch their first-ever state football championship while being named First Team All-State in 2012, redshirted at South Dakota State University in 2013 before transferring to Iowa Western the following season...

Iowa Lakes coaches Lea Hartigan and Ashley Martin have announced that Jazmin Benally of Shiprock, New Mexico, has signed a National Junior College Letter of Intent to play volleyball and basketball for the Lakers next season. Benally is a 2016 graduate of Navajo Preparatory High School in Farmington, New Mexico, where she was an All-District and Second Team All-State volleyball player her senior year. ...