Stories from Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Harris-Lake Park cross country runners traveled to compete at a meet hosted by Kingsley-Pierson on Tuesday. Jaden Rueter placed 27th in 20 minutes, 29 seconds. Cole Ihnen placed 42nd in 21 minutes, 21 seconds. "Overall, [both] runners ran a strong race in wet conditions," Harris-Lake Park coach Travis Sprague said. ...

Spirit Lake and Okoboji cross country runners competed at a meet hosted by Cherokee on Tuesday. Spirit Lake's Kourtney Delperdang provided the highlight. The three-time state qualifier placed first by nearly 20 seconds, finishing in 20 minutes, 24.80 seconds...

Okoboji lost to George-Little Rock in straight sets Tuesday night in Siouxland Conference volleyball action. The Pioneers fell 25-16, 25-10 and 25-19 in Milford. "Momentum played a big part in tonight's match, as we had it and lost it too easily," Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. "We struggled passing tonight, which caused us to be out of system quite a few times. Unforced errors killed us on the hitting side."...

Editor's Note: This is the seventh installment of a weekly series previewing prep football in Dickinson County. Dickinson County teams struggled mightily in Week 6, losing all three games on the road by a combined score of 175-80 and dropping their combined record to 9-9 overall on the season...

Wait, armadillos in Iowa? Yes, you may get a glimpse of one of these unique critters in our state from time to time. If you do, send a report our way, as we’d like to document their location in the state. In the meantime, did you know these interesting facts?...

Migration season is always a birder’s paradise as species that aren’t usually found in Iowa can be seen passing through. August through October are typically peak migration months. Warblers are one such group of birds that are fun to watch. During fall migration many warblers have their winter coats instead of their bright breeding plumage which can make it an extra challenge to identify the different species...

Fall is often one of the best times in Iowa, with warm days and cool nights, low humidity, very few insects  and the brilliant autumn colors of our trees. Every year, thousands of Iowans and visitors flock to the countryside to view nature's colorful display of red, orange, yellow and purple leaves...

Fishing after the sun goes down is a foreign concept to a lot of anglers, and there’s good reason for that. An angler certainly can’t see as well as night as they can during the day, so simple tasks like tying on a new lure gets a little more complicated...

The weekend of Oct. 27-28 features one of the most time-honored hunting openers in Iowa: the pheasant opener. Lots of preparation goes into preparing for this opener. Often times, hunters return home to meet with friends and family members. It almost becomes a homecoming of sorts. So, what can hunters look forward to this fall?...

Harris-Lake Park and Okoboji volleyball teams competed Saturday at a tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central. The Wolves emerged as the tournament champions with a perfect 5-0 record, while the Pioneers went 2-3. Harris-Lake Park defeated ELC (21-17, 21-18), Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire (21-9, 21-5), Sioux City West (22-20, 21-12), Emmetsburg (14-21, 21-16, 17-15) and Okoboji (21-5, 21-16)...

Spencer’s swim girls made the Tuesday night trip to the Carroll Recreation Center to take on Atlantic and hosting Carroll in double dual action. The Tigers came out on the short end in each dual, falling to Carroll 72-29 and Atlantic 58-36. Carroll clipped Atlantic 53-48...

Okoboji's boys cross country team earned a championship at the Monarch Cross Country Invite Tuesday, Sept. 25, in Denison. The Pioneers totaled 83 points to top runner-up Harlan by 33 points to take first place overall. Okoboji was led by seventh-place finisher Ethan Albright, who finished in 16 minutes, 52.10 seconds. Teammate Jacob Lamb rounded out the top-10 with his time of 17:17.78...

Harris-Lake Park picked up a straight-set victory over Trinity Christian in War Eagle Conference volleyball action on Tuesday, Sept. 25. The Wolves topped the Tigers 25-23, 25-16 and 25-20 in Hull. "It was a good trip and we had many players contribute to the win," Harris-Lake Park coach Daryl Meyer said. ...

Unranked Spirit Lake capped a back-and-forth match with No. 15 (2A) Cherokee with back-to-back wins in the fourth and final sets to earn a Lakes Conference volleyball victory on Tuesday, Sept. 25. "It seems like every year we play Cherokee it is a battle," Spirit Lake coach Beau Dielschneider said. ...

Okoboji fell to Sioux Center in straight sets Thursday evening in Siouxland Conference volleyball action. The Pioneers lost 25-10, 25-17 and 25-7 to the host Warriors. "Our passing was key tonight," Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. "We just weren't able to put the ball down. We hunt with them in the second set pretty well until making a few key unforced errors that set us back."...

Spirit Lake and Okoboji cross country runners competed at the Marsha Keobernick Invite held Thursday in Sioux City. The Okoboji girls earned the area's top team finish, placing second in the Class B standings. The Okoboji boys placed fifth. Spirit Lake's boys placed eighth in Class A. Spirit Lake's girls placed ninth...

Harris-Lake Park has found itself reeling after a third straight loss. The Wolves fell to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in district play with a 60-26 road loss to Remsen St. Mary's on Friday. "It seems to me that right now we're really having a group of guys that are kind of questioning themselves a little bit," Harris-Lake Park coach Lane Gunderson said. ...

Okoboji coach Jon Allen said it was a "tough night" for his squad Friday, as the Pioneers were "up against bigger, stronger players at every position" in a 67-13 road loss to third-ranked (2A) Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. The Pioneers struggled to run the ball and stop the run against the Nighthawks, rushing for a total of seven yards while allowing 362 yards on the ground...

Southeast Valley's Kyler Fisher decided it was hammer time on Friday night, and the Indians were the nail. Fisher was unstoppable, leading his team to a 48-41 upset win over second-ranked (2A) Spirit Lake on homecoming night in Gowrie. He rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries, caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and returned two fumbles for touchdowns while willing his team to victory...