Dakota Valley fell 5-2 at Freeman on Saturday, Aug. 15, but the Panthers showed clear improvement from last season.

Speed was an asset for the Dakota Valley girls soccer team on August 14, 2026 in Aberdeen. They defeated Groton by a score of 10-2 in incredible fashion. Senior Sophia Meyer went off for the Panthers and was responsible for 6 goals in the match. Playing with a lean roster, Dakota Valley (DV) persevered with a couple of middle schoolers, Eliana Corporon and Kiley Ryan, stepping up to be goalkeepers.

Strong play at the 2026 South Dakota Class B Senior Legion state tourney had Dakota Valley battling hard from July 31-August 4, 2026. The seasoned Panther squad played well on their way to a state runnerup finish. They showcased grit and talent after a 4-6 loss to Madison, in the 1st round, on July 31, 2026. However, Dakota Valley (DV) was not done in the double elimination tournament. The Panthers would go on a win streak that had them making it to the finals on Sunday, August 4, 2026.

A talented roster from Dakota Valley (DV) played hard at the junior legion state tourney, in Redfield, South Dakota, on August 7-9, 2026. Each of their 3 contests were determined by only a 1-run differential. Taking a tough 1st round loss, DV battled back through the loser’s bracket to garner 2 more wins. This meant they left Redfield with a 5th place state finish.

Three straight wins in regional play happened for Dakota Valley’s junior legion roster from July 27–29, 2026. The trio of victories meant the Panthers extended their season and punched a ticket to state. Dakota Valley had no losses during Region 3B play.

Regionals went fantastic for the Panther senior legion roster as they went undefeated from July 21, 2026 to July 23, 2026 to punch a ticket to South Dakota American Legion’s Class B state tourney. Dakota Valley (DV) won the Region 3B bracket by taking care of business versus Vermillion Post 1, Lennox Post 174 and then Vermillion again.

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Palace City Post 18 was in North Sioux City for a doubleheader against Dakota Valley’s senior legion roster on July 15, 2026. The Panthers would split with Palace City, out of Mitchell, as they lost a contest 5-9 and picked up a win 3-0.

Four games in 3 days had the Dakota Valley (DV) senior legion baseball team going 2-2 from July 7-9, 2026. The Panthers took a couple of hard losses to Post 206 from Colton and Post 55 from Pender, Nebraska. However, they rallied to soundly beat Sioux Falls Post 911 twice in doubleheader action.

As the famous movie, Field of Dreams, stated, “If you build it, they will come”. The Panther senior legion team followed that directive, from the 1989 cinema classic, and traveled to Dyersville, Iowa to play baseball at the end of June.