Sports

STORM LAKE — Spencer’s golf girls took a swing at going to state Monday during 3A regional play at Lake Creek Country Club. The Tigers finished with a team score of 429 which placed them third in the 12-team tournament. Humboldt and Atlantic took the two state tournament berths with scores of 352 and 390 respectively...

SHELDON — The baseball season got started in convincing fashion for the Spencer Tigers Monday night as a 15-run outburst in the third inning bolstered a 27-0 victory over the Sheldon Orabs. The Tigers were rolling from the start, scoring three runs in the first inning before recording an out. They would tack on three more before the end of the frame for a comfortable 7-0 advantage just a half inning into the game...

Tigers knock off SLP-O in OT 3-2 to reach substate semis It’s hard to imagine a team more comfortable playing in overtime on their home field than the Spencer Tigers. The boys played some bonus soccer for the fifth time at Spencer Soccerplex Monday, clipping Lakes Conference rival Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji 3-2 with 6:05 left to play in the first overtime period. The victory advances the Tigers to Wednesday’s substate semifinal at Buena Vista University against No. 3-ranked Storm Lake...

Local athletes battle competition and the elements at state track DES MOINES — “Some of the worst conditions I have had athletes compete in at the state meet,” Spencer girls track coach Al Pierce said to describe the weather during Friday morning’s 2A and 3A session of the Iowa High School Co-Ed State Track and Field Meet. ...

CLEAR LAKE — Spencer’s tennis girls saw their team season come to a 5-0 end in the regional finals Saturday against Waverly-Shell Rock. “Conditions were not good for either team,” Spencer girls tennis coach Bob Schlaeger said. “Waverly-Shell Rock is a very good team. I’m proud of our girls. We now have something to work for next year.”...

Clay Central-Everly’s Joie Schmidt hit a jump of 14 feet, 11 inches on her final attempt at the state meet in Des Moines Thursday to finish 21st in the event. Hudson’s Kylee Sallee won the competition by over 10 inches with a leap of 17 feet, 11.5 inches.

Sioux Central’s Dawson Hatch, pictured running in the 1A 3,200 Thursday at state in Des Moines, ended up in 10th place after meet organizers adjusted the final standings due to a miscue. The bell signaling the final lap rang instead with two laps to go, causing confusion for the runners. Rather than rerun the race at a later time, the athletic association decided the final standings would be the order runners crossed the line after the seventh lap of what is supposed to be an eight lap race. Also running for Sioux Central Thursday was the shuttle hurdle team of Jake Saunders, Gibson Olson, Kaleb Scott and Teagan Pritchard which placed 16th in prelims with a time of 1:05.14. In addition, Blake Cavanaugh placed 13th in the 200-meter dash prelims in 23.48 seconds, missing the finals by .23 seconds. The Rebel girls shuttle hurdle relay was also supposed to run Thursday evening, but that event had to be postponed due to weather.

—It takes several weeks of sunshine and warm temperatures to warm the water in rivers and lakes after spring arrives. Snow melt, cool temperature and overcast skies keep water cold long after winter is officially over. Hypothermia is a real possibility in early spring and fall...

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ spring fish spawning season is over and Iowa’s two walleye hatcheries are filled to capacity. Netting crews collected enough walleye to produce 1,082 quarts of walleye eggs at the Spirit Lake hatchery and 963 quarts at the Rathbun hatchery...

AMES — Monarch butterflies are fluttering this way, and with some luck they’ll be more plentiful than in previous years when they reach Iowa later this spring. During the winter months, scientists observed the largest overwintering monarch population in Mexico since 2007, said Steven Bradbury, a professor of natural resource ecology and management at Iowa State University. ...

It's a new fishing season for anglers across the Midwest and North America. Many anglers have already been fishing, others are looking forward to their first trip to the lake, river, reservoir or pond. Following are some things to keep in mind when you get ready to go fishing...

What a great weekend we had for the 37th Annual Walleye Weekend. According to the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, over 2,100 anglers participated in the annual contest. Those in the contest were from 17 states. Of course, many more people fished the area lakes. Boat ramps were full and lake homes were teeming with residents and guests...

DES MOINES — This summer, the University of Iowa is partnering with 14 Iowa state parks to host Wildlife Camps for kids across the state. “Wildlife Camps have been a popular educational and recreational experience in the Iowa City area for more than 25 years and we are excited to share this program with kids across the state,” program coordinator Jay Gorsh said. “Campers will spend a week exploring, learning and playing — in the wild.”...

DES MOINES ― Out-of-state hunters can now apply for Iowa nonresident deer hunting tags and licenses. Applications close June 2 at midnight, so get a head start and apply today. Preference point purchases and applications are no longer available by phone this season and will only be accessible online...

DES MOINES — It's as predictable as May flowers — from border to border, the Wildlife Baby Season has arrived in Iowa. From now until at least mid-June, Department of Natural Resources field offices across the state will be inundated with hundreds of phone calls and scores of deliveries regarding "orphaned wildlife.”...