Elijah Solum's return from knee injury lifts Spring Grove even higher

Feb. 9—SPRING GROVE — Elijah Solum is thrilled to be back in action as an athlete at Spring Grove.

Solum had a stellar junior year for the Lions as a quarterback and linebacker on their football team that placed second at the 9-Player state tournament. He was then a guard on the basketball team that placed third at the Class 1A state tournament.

But Solum suffered an ACL injury last spring and missed his entire senior football season. After missing the first eight games of the basketball season, Solum has returned to the court.

"So far it feels amazing, getting back out there and playing with my teammates and friends," he said. "The most fun right now is just getting to play with my teammates in a sport that I love."

During his four-month rehab at the start of the school year, Solum went to Rochester about once every week or two for physical therapy sessions, under the care of Corey Kunzer. Solum said he had great support from his family during the process. He also gave credit to Aaron Krych, MD of the Mayo Clinic for performing surgery on his knee.

"It's just been nice to see him get to enjoy this part of his senior season since he missed all of the football season," Spring Grove boys basketball coach Wade Grinde said. "It's been a lift for the team and the entire community."

Spring Grove was good without Solum and now he makes it even better. The Lions were 7-1 without him and a perfect 11-0 since he returned. They are currently 18-1 and ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 1A.

"Obviously he's a difference maker," Grinde said. "I would say he's only at about 70 percent of the player that he was in the past. But Elijah at 70 percent is probably better than 90 percent of most high school kids. So having him on the floor has made a big difference."

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Solum has slowly been working to improve his conditioning and strength. He said he is also trying to get back his explosiveness and jumping abilities to where they were before the injury.

"I'm just trying to take it easy right now and ease into the games," he said.

Solum has averaged approximately 12 points per contest, but he also has a solid all-around game. In a recent win, he had eight points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

"I'm still handling the ball, trying to get my teammates open shots and score whenever I need to," he said. "It's pretty much the same role as last year."

Jaxon Strinmoen and Ben Udstuen, a pair of 6-foot-5 players, have been the top scorers for the Lions, averaging 16 and 15 points per game. Jacob Olerud, at 10 points per game, is a fourth Spring Grove player who averages in double figures.

Solum said getting the ball inside to Udstuen, who is new to the lineup this season, "is an easy target to throw to."

"And we've got a lot of shooters around the outside, too, so it makes it easier for me to space out the floor," Solum added.

Spring Grove again has the goal of earning a state tournament berth, but will face plenty of challenges in the section playoffs. And the Lions do feel they have some unfinished business at the state level.

"Coming away with that third-place game against Cherry (last season) was a good starting point for this year," Solum said. "... But just winning games right now is the main goal, just focus on every single game."

Solum, 18, still has hopes of playing a college sport, and he has to choose between football and basketball. He will make that decision after the basketball season. He plans to play baseball in the spring for the Lions.

He may be leaning toward football, as a linebacker, and has been contacted by schools in Iowa (Wartburg College), South Dakota (Dakota State University) and Minnesota (Gustavus Adolphus College).

One of his former Spring Grove teammates — Tysen Grinde — is currently playing football at Dakota State. And current Spring Grove senior Ethan Crouch will play there starting in the fall.

The senior guard has been on an extended scoring tear. Over the past eight games, he has averaged 27 points per outing. That included scoring outputs of 42 points against Albert Lea and 30 points against Mankato West, when he also had nine assists and seven rebounds. Mayo has gone 6-2 in that eight-game stretch.

The 6-4 senior guard became Fillmore Central's all-time leading scorer during a victory against Grand Meadow on Jan. 26. Kiehne scored 21 points in the contest, giving him 1,253 for his career. He leads the Falcons in scoring again after averaging 21.3 points per game as a junior.

The 6-foot-4 senior forward has filled up the stat sheet most of the season for the Tigers, ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 2A. Ryan notched a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals when the Tigers halted Byron's 13-game win streak with a 56-41 victory on Jan. 23. Last week he had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 78-49 win against Pine Island.

The seniors and Hiawatha Valley League foes both topped the 1,000-point mark for their careers less than a week apart. Lee has been a high-scoring guard for Kasson-Mantorville all season. He hit the 1,000-point mark with 28 points during a 61-56 loss to Lourdes on Feb. 2. Johnson, the top scorer for Cannon Falls, reached his milestone with 17 points during a 76-65 victory over Kasson-Mantorville on Feb. 6.

The 6-foot junior guard was a 3-point sniper on back-to-back days on Jan. 25 and 26. Rohweder made six 3-pointers and scored 27 points on Jan. 25 as the Hurricanes defeated Glennville-Emmons 67-59. The next night, he drained a whopping nine triples and scored 36 points during a 78-53 victory against Lyle/Austin Pacelli.

The 6-4 sophomore guard had a huge game during a narrow loss to Kenyon-Wanamingo on Jan. 23. Petersohn scored a career-high 41 points but it wasn't quite enough as the Cobras suffered an 83-81 defeat.

(Editor's note: These rankings are considered "pound-for-pound" rankings, similar to many rankings systems in boxing and mixed martial arts. They represent the best teams in southeastern Minnesota, relative to the class they play in.

The Tigers are ranked No. 5 in Class 3A and are coming off a pair of close wins over ranked foes. Stewartville nipped Lake City — ranked third in Class 2A — 55-53 and then edged Benilde-St. Margaret's — ranked eighth in Class 3A — 70-68, last week. Stewartville, the leader in the HVL, has won 10 consecutive games.

The Tigers have won 14 of their past 15 games with the lone loss a narrow setback to Stewartville. Lake City appears to be the cream of the crop in Section 1, Class 2A and it is rated No. 3 in the state. Keegan Ryan, a 6-4 senior forward, has provided stellar all-around play.

The Lions were playing very well and now senior guard Elijah Solum has returned from an ACL injury suffered last spring. Spring Grove is ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 1A and has won 12 straight since its lone loss, 58-49 to Southland on Jan. 5. The Lions have already wrapped up the Southeast Conference East Division title.

The Blossoms won 17 straight games to start the season before falling in back-to-back contests, 61-60 to Winona Cotter and then 73-60 against pesky Kenyon-Wanamingo, which could be a surprise team in Section 1-1A. The Blossoms are ranked No. 10 in Class 1A and are in a battle with Spring Grove for the top Section 1-1A seed.

The Bears fell short in back-to-back HVL showdown games against Lake City and Stewartville, losing by double figures each time as their 13-game win streak was snapped. They have rebounded to win three of four. Another big matchup with Stewartville looms on the horizon on Feb. 15 in Stewartville.

The Bombers continue to play well and are on a five-game winning streak. They have the No. 12 QFR ranking in Class 2A. They have some strong tests coming as the season winds down, at Lewiston-Altura on Feb. 12 and then they host Section 1-2A powers Lake City and Caledonia on back-to-back days, Feb. 16-17.

The Lancers continue to lead the Three Rivers Conference East Division with a 10-0 mark. They are on a four-game winning streak with big conference wins against Caledonia and Lewiston-Altura during that span. They have a tough stretch to end the regular season with five straight games against teams with winning records, including contests at Lake City (Feb. 12) and Caledonia (Feb. 20).

The Warriors have battled some injuries. They dropped out of the Class 2A state rankings after being as highly ranked as No. 4. They have won two straight after a narrow 64-60 setback to La Crescent-Hokah and get another shot at the Lancers on Feb. 20. A contest at Cannon Falls also looms on Feb. 17.

The Rockets enter the rankings on the heels of a thrilling 73-70 win against rival Century. JM is currently 10-4 and in third place in the Big Nine Conference. The team features good size and athleticism. Senior Chan Malith, a 6-4 guard, averages more than 20 points per game and 6-3 junior Brayson Sawyer is also an elite scorer and 3-point shooter.

The Panthers, led by senior Shaun Wysocki, have dropped two of their past three games to slip to 9-4 and in fourth place in the Big Nine. But their final seven games of the regular season are all winnable and the Panthers could be in position to land a top-four seed in the tough eight-team Section 1-4A playoffs.