Harris-Lake Park’s girls basketball team struggled to put the ball in the hoop in a low-scoring contest with South O’Brien on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The Wolves shot just 19% from the field in a 33-24 road loss to the Wolverines in Paullina.

So, what can a person do when waiting for a special hunting season or in the case right now, when the ice isn’t safe to ice fish and there is no snow to snowmobile or cross-country ski?

I’ve got an idea for you. Not long ago, I was looking for something to do, so I went down to the Park and visited the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum.

I was introduced to fishing by my Dad at a very young age. We fished from shore at small ponds and streams. We caught mostly bluegills and the occasional largemouth bass. We could see the fish in the water and often got them to bite. See a fish, put a worm in front of it, and we usually caught it. That’s how we fished back in those days.

As a former teacher and coach, I’ve always liked motivational speakers and quotes that challenge us to do better and to “reach for the stars.” There are a lot of great ones out there, but there is one that still gives me goose bumps. This one belongs to the inspirational message by the late Jim Valvano.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will release rainbow trout in 10 locations across Iowa this winter in areas that would not support them during warmer months. Locally, Scharnberg Pond located southeast of Everly will be stocked at about noon on Saturday, February 10.

Winter trout stockings are a great place to take kids to catch their first fish. A family-friendly event is paired with each stocking to help anglers have success and fun while fishing.

The Okoboji/HMS boys wrestling team earned a pair of Siouxland Conference dual wins over Central Lyon/George-Little Rock and West Lyon on Thursday, Dec. 14. The Pioneers topped the Lions 48-24 and the Wildcats 63-18 at Okoboji High School in Milford.

The Okoboji/HMS girls wrestling team split a pair of duals with West Lyon and Central Lyon/George-Little Rock on Thursday, Dec. 14. The Pioneers earned a 48-21 win over West Lyon and fell 48-30 to CL/GLR.

In their victory over the Wildcats, the Pioneers won two of five contested matches.

At 130 pounds, Alyana Hesse pinned West Lyon’s Claire Metzger in 3 minutes, 31 seconds. At 135 pounds, Avery Ballis pinned West Lyon’s Kenzie Koedam in 25 seconds.

Harris-Lake Park’s girls basketball team hung on for a War Eagle Conference home victory over Trinity Christian on Friday, Dec. 15. The Wolves edged the Tigers 37-36 in Lake Park.

Harris-Lake Park’s boys basketball team earned a dominant War Eagle Conference home win over Trinity Christian on Friday, Dec. 15. The Wolves topped the Tigers 73-51 in Lake Park.

The hosts jumped out to an 18-3 lead after one quarter and took a 37-17 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Wolves added to their advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 22-18 to take a 59-35 lead into the fourth where the cruised to the win.

Okoboji’s boys basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a convincing nonconference road win over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Pioneers topped the Titans 78-60 in Graettinger.

Okoboji’s girls basketball team ended a three-game losing streak with a narrow nonconference road victory over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Pioneers overcame an early deficit to edge the Titans 47-43 in Graettinger.

The Okoboji/HMS boys wrestling team took part in the 2023 Austin Roberts Memorial Tournament held Saturday, Dec. 16 at Spencer. The Pioneers placed six wrestlers in the top three and placed fourth as a team.

Tyce Hanson went 1-1 to earn a runner-up finish at 132 pounds.

Hanson pinned Spirit Lake Park’s Bowden Barnhart in 1 minute, 24 seconds before dropping a 4-2 decision to Central Lyon/George-Little Rock’s Levi Kramer in the championship bout.

Spirit Lake Park’s boys wrestling team competed at the 2023 Austin Roberts Memorial Tournament held Saturday, Dec. 16. The Indians placed five wrestlers in the top five and placed eighth as a team.

Tyson DeWall earned Spirit Lake Park’s highest individual finish, going 1-1 to place second at 106 pounds.

DeWall pinned Le Mars’ Caden Sitzmann in 4 minutes, 48 seconds in the semifinal before falling to Jackson County’s Kyler Thier in the championship bout.

Spirit Lake Park’s girls wrestling team wrapped the first part of its season at a tournament hosted by Fort Dodge on Friday, Dec. 15. The Indians put three wrestlers on the podium and placed 13th as a team.

Cassie McKeen earned Spirit Lake Park’s highest finish, going 2-1 to place third at 105 pounds.

Okoboji’s boys basketball team struggled to score in a lopsided home loss to Siouxland Conference rival Rock Valley on Friday, Dec. 15. The Rockets defeated the Pioneers 49-33 in Milford.

“We played with as much effort and energy as we could,” Okoboji coach Alex Spielman said. “Our defense was on point and we made a lot of progress. We are struggling to shoot the basketball.”