Stories from Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Autumn this year in Iowa has been cooler and wetter than normal, according to the latest Water Summary Update.  Temperatures for the fall months (September, October and November) averaged 49.3 degrees, or 0.9 degrees below normal, while precipitation totaled 12.33 inches, or 4.30 inches above normal...

Kevin Hanson had to throttle back his heavy flat-bottomed aluminum boat as he began to break up a thin layer of ice that had formed overnight on the slack water in Pool 11 of the Upper Mississippi River. Hanson, fisheries technician with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Guttenberg station, was on his last run of the year collecting traps for a mudpuppy population study before ice up...

Looking for an evening out, the chance to eat some awesome wild game dishes with proceeds going for area youth scholarships? Well, you better mark Saturday, January 11 on your calendar for the annual Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club’s Wild Game Feed. Held at Haggy’s in Royal, doors open at 6 p.m., this annual event continues to grow each year in popularity with the cost being a free will donation...

Rivers, both large and small, crisscross North America. Many of those rivers are full of fish in a wide variety of species, and many of those species of fish like to get caught in the winter. Here are some ideas for catching those fish now and for the next few months...

For the second consecutive year, the North American Ice Fishing Circuit (NAIFC) will be holding one of its qualifiers on West Okoboji’s Little Emerson/Big Emerson Bay. Scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 19, the tournament will be the highlight of a weekend devoted to ice fishing activities. ...

The Harris-Lake Park boys basketball team got off to a good start Tuesday, Dec. 17, but ultimately lost a road trip to Paullina. The Wolves fell 71-39 to South O'Brien. "We got off to a relatively good start (against) South O'Brien and had the game tied after one quarter," Harris-Lake Park coach Jeff Sohn said. ...

The Harris-Lake Park girls basketball team suffered a 61-17 road loss to South O'Brien on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Ava Rasche led the Wolves with eight points, five rebounds four steals and a block. Zella Ingham had seven points, seven rebounds and a steal...

The Spirit Lake Park wrestling team suffered a pair of losses Tuesday, Dec. 17 at a meet hosted by Algona. The Indians fell 42-36 to Pocahontas Area and 63-18 to the host Bulldogs. "Took two losses as a team against some really good competition from both Algona and Pochahontas," Spirit Lake Park coach Andrew Lundgren said. "We had some guys that had some close matches that didn't go our way and ended up not getting the upper hand on some swing matches. I thought our guys were really well prepared for this event. It was our first varsity dual on a Tuesday and required our guys to prepare for this week a little differently. ...

The Okoboji wrestling team dropped a pair of duals Thursday, Dec. 19 at a meet in Inwood. The Pioneers fell 66-18 to West Lyon and 60-18 to Central Lyon/George-Little Rock. Despite the two losses, the Pioneers celebrated a highlight, as senior Blake Abrahamson claimed his 100th career win...

The eighth-ranked (3A) Okoboji girls basketball remained unbeaten on the season with a 78-33 road win over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire on Thursday, Dec. 19. The Pioneers were led by senior Magan Christopherson, who crossed the 1,000 career point mark with a 22-point performance...

The Okoboji boys basketball team earned a 74-45 road win over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire on Thursday, Dec. 19. "We were really proud of how we shared the ball tonight offensively," Okoboji coach Ryan Stumbo said. "We made good reads and moved the ball to the open man consistently throughout the game tonight and it led to us having a good flow throughout the game. ...

The Harris-Lake Park boys and girls basketball teams dropped a varsity doubleheader to Hinton on Friday, Dec. 20. The girls fell 71-19 and the boys fell 71-64 in Lake Park. Allison Wallace led the Harris-Lake Park girls with seven points, 13 rebounds and a steal. Ava Rasche had six points and a steal. Emma Sidles had six rebounds. Zella Ingham had four points, four rebounds and a steal for the Wolves, who fell to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the War Eagle Conference...

The Okoboji/HMS wrestling team competed Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Austin Roberts Memorial Tournament hosted by Spencer. The Pioneers placed ninth as a team with 80 points. Hunter Abrahamson earned the Pioneers' highest individual finish on the day, as the senior placed third at 126 pounds...

Spirit Lake Park sophomore Jon Burnette earned a runner-up finish at the Don Miller Invitational hosted by Fort Dodge High School on Saturday, Dec. 21. Burnette, ranked fifth in Class 2A, went 2-1 on the day at 113 pounds. He pinned Ankeny Centennial's Dylan Gray in 41 seconds before earning a 7-2 decision over Humboldt's Jase Goodell in the semifinals...

Spirit Lake picked up a Lakes Conference hoops win Tuesday, Dec. 17, as the Indians earned a 70-53 home win over Storm Lake. The Indians led 15-11 after one quarter and pulled away to a 36-23 lead at the half. Storm Lake chipped into the deficit slightly in the third quarter, but Spirit Lake outscored the Tornadoes 18-11 in the fourth to salt away the victory...

Okoboji earned a win in its home opener Tuesday, Dec. 17, as the Pioneers topped Sibley-Ocheyedan 68-59 in Milford. "We were probably most proud of how our guys supported each other in this game," Okoboji coach Ryan Stumbo said. "We did a much better job of that tonight, and it brought really good energy as well as consistent focus for our first home game of the year. ...

Spirit Lake struggled out of the gates Friday in a 14-point loss to Estherville Lincoln Central on Friday, Dec. 20. The Indians fell 63-49 to the Midgets in Spirit Lake. ELC led 26-7 after one quarter and never looked back. "We lost to a really good Estherville team tonight," Spirit Lake coach Naet Hoaglund said. "They came out with a lot of energy and put it to us early. ...

Okoboji's comeback attempt came up a point short Friday, Dec. 20, as the Pioneers dropped a Siouxland Conference contest to George-Little Rock 71-70 in Milford. The Pioneers led by two after one quarter of play, but the Mustangs pulled ahead 54-41 after three quarters. The hosts made a run in the final stanza, but George-Little Rock did just enough to salt away the win...

Spirit Lake pushed its win streak to three games heading into the holiday break with a Lakes Conference home win over Estherville Lincoln Central on Friday, Dec. 20. The Indians downed the Midgets 67-53 in Spirit Lake. ELC gained an advantage out of the gates, leading the hosts 15-11 after one quarter of play. The Indians bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring the Midgets 18-13 to take a one-point lead into the half...

Spirit Lake Park wrestlers squared off with Cherokee in a Lakes Conference dual Thursday, Dec. 19. The Indians fell 48-30 to the Braves in Lake Park. "Thought the guys competed really hard and we were the more physical wrestlers on the mat tonight, overall," Spirit Lake Park coach Andrew Lundgren said. ...

Okoboji got off to a slow start and struggled to find an offensive rhythm, but the eighth-ranked (3A) Pioneers' defense was indomitable in a decisive Siouxland Conference win over George-Little Rock. The Pioneers trounced the Mustangs 53-17 Friday, Dec. 20 in Milford...