Okoboji’s football team battled but ultimately fell short in its home opener with Pocahontas Area on Friday, Sept. 1. The Indians topped the Pioneers 35-32 in Milford.

It was the second one-score loss of the season for Okoboji, after dropping a 26-20 contest to North Union in Week 1.

Okoboji’s Evan Osler began the 2023 cross country season with a bang.

After finishing third individually and helping his squad to a runner-up finish at last year’s Class 2A state meet, the Pioneers’ leader earned a first-place finish in a time of 16 minutes, 34.06 seconds at the 2023 Okoboji XC Invitational held Thursday, Aug. 31 at Emerald Hills Golf Club in Arnolds Park. The Okoboji boys placed second overall, finishing three points behind champion Sioux Center.

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team went 1-4 at a tournament hosted by Algona on Saturday, Sept. 2. The Indians earned a 2-1 win over Lakes Conference rival Storm Lake, but fell 2-1 to No. 13 (4A) Sioux Center and 2-0 to Algona, Estherville Lincoln Central and Lake Mills.

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team went 1-2 at a tournament hosted by Boyden-Hull on Thursday, Aug. 31. The Indians earned a 2-0 win over Akron-Westfield but fell 2-0 to Rock Valley and Boyden-Hull.

“We played solid again tonight at Boyden-Hull,” Spirit Lake coach Beau Dielschneider said. “We ended up playing Boyden-Hull and Rock Valley very close, just slipping at the very end. We ended the night with a nice sweep of an athletic Akron-Westfield team.”

Spirit Lake’s boys cross country team, led by meet champion Brandon Hughes, earned a runner-up finish at the Indians’ home invite held Tuesday, Aug. 29 at Brooks Golf in Okoboji. The Indians totaled 70 points to finish behind team champ MOC-Floyd Valley’s total of 49.

Hughes ran the day’s best individual time, finishing in 16 minutes, 56.56 seconds.

Okoboji’s volleyball team went 1-2 at its home tournament held Tuesday, Aug. 29. The Pioneers earned a 2-0 win over Siouxland Conference rival Sibley-Ocheyedan, but fell 2-1 to West Bend-Mallard and 2-0 to Estherville Lincoln Central.

Harris-Lake Park’s volleyball team suffered a home loss to West Sioux on Tuesday, Aug. 29. The Falcons defeated the Wolves 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) in Lake Park.

“We played hard through the whole game,” Harris-Lake Park coach April Buss said. “Again, we let unforced errors get the best of us and we couldn't capitalize on the runs we did go on.”

This time of year is such an awesome one. It is kind of a transition between summer and fall. We get some really nice 70-degree temperatures, but we also get some upper 80-degree to 90-degree temperatures, too. Corn fields are beginning to show some spots of brown, the prairies are beginning to change and garden produce becomes more and more abundant. The early teal season, along with the dove season have begun, as well as the squirrel and cottontail seasons.

The passage of Labor Day weekend suggests to many people that the end of summer is near, and to some anglers, that means it’s time to put the boat and other fishing equipment into storage. Anglers who quit fishing when summer exits are missing out on what some say is the best fishing of the year. If the thought of catching fish and having the water to yourself is appealing, here’s how you can extend your fishing season.

The good news for Iowa’s cottontail rabbit hunters is that Iowa has an abundant rabbit population, with the south-central part of the state seeing the best overall numbers. The better news for hunters is Iowa’s cottontail rabbit season begins Sept. 2 statewide.

As mentioned in a recent release, the State Forest Nursery online store for fall 2023 and spring 2024 seedling orders opened on August 1. Here is additional information.

The bare-root (no container, soil root ball or moss include) seedlings are packaged in bundles of 25 inside sealed and labeled plastic bags.

On a hot, humid night in Algona, Spirit Lake’s football team looked sluggish in the first half of its season-opening contest with the Bulldogs. Algona took a 15-0 halftime lead, but the third-ranked (2A) Indians continued to battle and earned a 30-22 come-from-behind victory on Friday, Aug. 25.

Okoboji’s football team held the lead at halftime of its season-opener against North Union on Friday, Aug. 25. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, they weren’t able to hold on for the win, as the Warriors surged back to earn a 26-20 victory in Armstrong.