Okoboji’s volleyball team battled but, ultimately, dropped a 3-0 match to Boyden-Hull on Thursday, Oct. 6. The Pioneers fell 25-17, 25-16 and 25-20 to the Comets in Milford.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final installment of a weekly series previewing prep football in Dickinson County. The rankings are according to the Associated Press.

No. 3 Spirit Lake (7-0, 4-0) vs. Southeast Valley (3-4, 1-3)

Harris-Lake Park’s volleyball team dropped three matches at its home tournament held Saturday, Oct. 8. The Wolves fell to 2-0 to Storm Lake St. Mary’s, Rock Valley and Manson-Northwest Webster in Lake Park.

“We played some really good teams and had some good rallies but couldn't come away with any wins,” Harris-Lake Park coach April Buss said. “I’m really proud of the girls’ attitude and hard work they've been putting in.”

Harris-Lake Park’s volleyball team dropped a War Eagle Conference home match to Akron-Westfield on Thursday, Oct. 6. The Westerners topped the Wolves 3-0 (25-20, 25-9, 25-8) in Lake Park.

"We had a really good effort in the first set but lost momentum right away in the second and couldn't come back,” Harris-Lake Park coach April Buss said.

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team picked up a Lakes Conference road win over rival Estherville Lincoln Central on Thursday, Oct. 6. The Indians topped the Midgets 3-1 in Estherville.

“It was a great game against ELC,” Spirit Lake coach Beau Dielschneider said. “Anytime you play a team three times, it gets tough. I was proud of how our girls played and really happy with what I saw from our entire team.”

Okoboji and Harris-Lake Park cross country teams ran at a meet hosted by George-Little Rock/Central Lyon on Thursday, Oct. 6.

The sixth-ranked Okoboji boys won a team title with 35 total points. The 14th-ranked Okoboji girls placed third with 76.

“I thought the kids competed very hard on a tough, windy night,” Okoboji coach Brad Peter said. “The course set up is challenging and we were really proud of how hard all of our kids battled over the last mile.”

Spirit Lake’s boys and girls cross country teams both earned sixth-place finishes at a meet hosted by Cherokee on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The Spirit Lake girls totaled 169 points and the boys totaled 154 at Cherokee Golf & Country Club.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: fall is a most beautiful and colorful time of the year! With its warm days and cool nights, low humidity, the brilliant fall colors of our grasses, drying crops, shrubs and trees, simply jump out on a vibrant sunny day.

Here in northwest Iowa, each county has its lakes, county/state parks that no matter where we live, give us so many photo taking opportunities.

We’re at that time of year again: Some anglers are starting to think about ice-fishing, but there are still lots of anglers planning their next open water fishing trip. Regardless of where you live, the next few weeks and months can provide wonderful fishing memories. A very good way, probably the best way to create those memories from a day on the water or on the ice is to establish a pattern. Here is what it means to establish a pattern when you go fishing.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a virtual program to teach skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook upland birds to those with little or no upland bird hunting experience.

The workshop will be held via Zoom, on Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. Experienced instructors will teach the basics skills and strategies needed to hunt pheasants. The workshop is designed for participants age 16 and older. There is no fee to participate.

Iowa has been steadily adding new habitat for monarch butterflies over the past couple of years. The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium recently released its Monarch Conservation Effort Report, which offers a snapshot of monarch habitat establishment through 2020 in all 99 counties across the state.

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team picked up a Lakes Conference home win over rival Spencer on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The Indians toppled the Tigers 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-12) in Spirit Lake.

“I loved the way our girls played against Spencer,” Spirit Lake coach Beau Dielschneider said. “I feel like we really did a good job controlling the serving and passing game. When that happens, a lot of great stuff can get done on the court.”

Okoboji’s volleyball team dropped a Siouxland Conference road match to Rock Valley on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The Rockets topped the Pioneers 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-19) in Rock Valley.

Harris-Lake Park’s volleyball team dropped a War Eagle Conference home match to Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The Hawks topped the Wolves 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-11) in Lake Park.

“We had the best offensive game all season that night,” Harris-Lake Park coach April Buss said. “Everyone played as a team, had a positive attitude and didn't let errors affect them. I'm very proud of the way we played.”