In a matchup of heated Lakes Conference rivals Spirit Lake and Estherville Lincoln Central, the third-ranked Indians left little doubt as to who was the better team in a 45-0 mauling of the Mighty Midgets on homecoming night in Spirit Lake.

Spirit Lake’s defense was especially dominant, holding ELC to just 42 total yards and picking off junior quarterback Owen Larson four times.

Harris-Lake Park took an early lead and forced a late fumble to seal an upset victory over 10th-ranked rival Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire in a back-and-forth homecoming battle in Lake Park Friday night. The Wolves topped the previously undefeated Titans 42-40 on Friday, Sept. 30.

Okoboji faced an uphill battle Friday night when the Pioneers squared off with eighth-ranked (2A) and returning state runner-up West Lyon. The Pioneers fell behind early in a dominant 49-7 Wildcats victory in Milford.

Okoboji’s volleyball team fell 3-0 to Siouxland Conference foe Central Lyon on Thursday, Sept. 29. The Lions topped the Pioneers 25-19, 25-17 and 25-15 in Milford.

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

No. 3 Spirit Lake (6-0, 3-0) vs. No. 7 Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (5-1, 2-1)

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team went 5-1 at a tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Indians earned 2-0 wins over ELC, Okoboji, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, Harris-Lake Park and Emmetsburg, and dropped a 2-1 contest to Cherokee.

Okoboji’s volleyball team went 2-4 at a tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Pioneers earned a 2-0 win over Harris-Lake Park and a 2-1 win over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, but fell 2-0 to Spirit Lake, Cherokee, ELC and Emmetsburg.

Harris-Lake Park’s volleyball team went 0-6 at a tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Wolves fell 2-0 to ELC, Emmetsburg, Cherokee, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, Spirit Lake and Okoboji.

“We had a lot of close sets, and battles all day, but weren't consistent enough to come out with a win,” Harris-Lake Park coach April Buss said. “We have another busy week this week and look to improve in the upcoming games.”

Okoboji’s boys and girls cross country teams totaled 12 medalists at the Marsha Koebernick Invitational held Thursday, Sept. 29 in Sioux City. The fifth-ranked (2A) Okoboji boys placed first in the Class B race and the 13th-ranked (2A) girls earned a runner-up finish.

Spirit Lake’s Katelyn Krieger, Brandon Hughes and Damon VandenBerg were medalists at the Marsha Koebernick Cross Country Invitational held Thursday, Sept. 29 in Sioux City.

Krieger led the Indians with her runner-up finish in the Class A girl race. She finished the race in 21 minutes, 6.65 seconds.

Hughes placed 11th in the Class A boys race, finishing in 18:06.09. VandenBerg placed 13th in 18:15.89.

Attention, ladies! Ever been interested in experiencing pheasant hunting? Even if you have never done so? Well, here is your chance. The Clay County Pheasants Forever chapter will be hosting its sixth annual Clay County Pheasants Forever Ladies Hunt on Saturday, November 5. The good news: if you are reading this or have heard of the event, no matter where you are located, you ARE invited.

Autumn has arrived in the Midwest. In a couple of weeks in some places, right now in other places, the lakeshores and roadsides will be alive with color. Lots of outdoor enthusiasts will have departed the lakes for tree stands in search of deer or fields looking for pheasants, ducks, or geese.  

An estimated 60,000 hunters will be heading to the timber in the next few weeks as Iowa’s archery deer season gets underway Oct. 1. With some careful planning and scouting, hunters can capitalize on the predictable behavior of deer in the early fall.

While chronic wasting disease sample collection is often associated with the firearm seasons, the Iowa DNR does collect deer tissue samples during bow season as part of its statewide annual effort to monitor for the fatal disease.

Okoboji’s volleyball team dropped a Siouxland Conference home match to Sheldon on Tuesday, Sept. 27. The Orabs topped the Pioneers 3-0 in Milford.