Spring Grove has had the entire offseason to stew on this game. The Lions' season ended last spring with a 46-43 loss to Rushford-Peterson in the Class 1A, Section 1 tournament — so the opportunity to open the new season with a revenge win could bring out a fantastic performance from Spring Grove.
The Lions' biggest issue could be experience. Junior Alex Folz (12.2 ppg last season) is the only returning top-five scorer for a No. 18-1A Spring Grove roster that features only three seniors. However, opening the season against the No. 4-1A Trojans may give the young Lions the added motivation needed to come away with a win.
Rushford-Peterson returns a bit more experience than Spring Grove, with seniors Payton Hahn (6.2 ppg) Jacob Paulson (8.5 ppg) and Dawson Dahl (8.0 ppg) all returning from the team that eventually lost to Goodhue in the section final. The Trojans' (1-0) balanced offense and stifling defense (they held Moose Lake-Willow River to 48 points on Dec. 2) could be enough to take down the Lions again.