Okoboji’s boys and girls cross country teams ran well at a meet hosted by Algona on Monday, Sept. 25. The boys — led by meet champion Evan Osler — placed second behind Forest City, while the girls placed fifth overall.

Harris-Lake Park’s Landon Greve continued his stellar start to the 2023 cross country season with a top-15 placing at a meet hosted by Alta-Aurelia on Monday, Sept. 25.

The Wolves’ senior placed 15th out of 81 runners, finishing in 18 minutes, 50.56 seconds.

Okoboji’s volleyball team split four matches at a tournament hosted by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Pioneers earned 2-1 wins over HMS and South O’Brien, but dropped 2-0 matches to Rock Valley and Sioux City West.

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team took a road trip north of the border and came back to Iowa with a loss, as the Indians fell 3-1 to Worthington (Minnesota) on Thursday, Sept. 21. The Trojans took the first two sets by scores of 25-14. Spirit Lake battled back to win 28-26 in the third set, but Worthington closed out the night with a 25-23 win in the fourth.

Okoboji’s volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to Central Lyon on Thursday, Sept. 21. The Lions defeated the Pioneers 25-14, 25-18 and 25-13 in Rock Rapids.

Harris-Lake Park’s volleyball team suffered a War Eagle Conference loss to George-Little Rock on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The Mustangs defeated the Wolves 3-0 (25-12, 25-6, 25-13) in George.

"Girls came out and played really hard,” Harris-Lake Park coach April Buss said. “I was very proud of the girls’ hard work with missing three players."

Spirit Lake’s boys and girls cross country teams competed at a meet hosted by Sheldon on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The boys — led by top-10 finishers Brandon Hughes and Dietrich Dirks — earned a runner-up finish, while the girls placed eighth overall.

Harris-Lake Park senior Landon Grevee earned his third top-10 finish of the season at a meet hosted by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on Monday, Sept. 18. Greve placed seventh individually, finishing in 19 minutes, 24.64 seconds.

“The last couple of years have not gone well for Landon in Sanborn,” Harris-Lake Park coach Rebecca Matthiesen said. “This year was different and he ran hard Monday night. He went out hard and was able to stay out.”

The fight against Eurasian watermilfoil continues. The latest effort took place on the canals of West Lake Okoboji on Tuesday, Sept. 19. According to fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins, treatment consisted of using a fast-acting herbicide called ProcellaCOR.

The fall season is a time for trophy fish.  In fact, fall is a good time for fish in general. Fish of all sizes go on the bite as the water starts to cool and the days get shorter. They instinctively know that, in many areas, their metabolism is going to slow down and they won't be chasing food like they have been for the past several months.  

West Fork Wildlife Area in Palo Alto County was developed after the historic flood of 1993, then expanded after the floods of 2018 and 2019 as landowners exited the floodplain.

The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), a native moth of North America, is commonly found across Iowa during late summer and early fall.

“We expect higher populations of fall webworm south of Interstate 80,” explains Tivon Feeley, Iowa DNR Forest Health forester.

Harris-Lake Park’s football program secured a signature win Friday night against perennial power Newell-Fonda. The Wolves whooped the Mustangs 26-18 in Lake Park.

The back-and-forth contest came down to the final possession.

Knotted at 18-18, Harris-Lake Park’s defense forced a Newell-Fonda punt and the offense took control at the Harris-Lake Park 33-yard line with 1:36 remaining.

Okoboji’s football team had Estherville Lincoln Central on the ropes in the district opener played Friday, Sept. 15 in Milford. However, the Midgets scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away for a 34-23 victory over the Pioneers.

Spirit Lake’s football team put on a dominant display in a road contest with Forest City on Friday, Sept. 15. The visitors crushed their competition 63-6 in Forest City.