On Thursday, May 18, the EPJ Huskies Boys and Girls Track teams participated in the Region 4A Track Meet in Tea. This ‘last chance’ meet is an opportunity to qualify for the State Track Meet. With eight teams, including Dakota Valley, Tea Area, Canton, Lennox, Vermillion, Parker, Beresford, and Elk Point-Jefferson, the Region 4A meet is always a competitive day.

It will be four consecutive state tournament appearances for the Dakota Valley baseball team as they travel to Sioux Falls on May 29 and 30 for their shot at the Class B title. The Panthers finished as runner-ups in 2019 and 2022 at state. They earned 3rd place in 2021 and no state tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies fought hard this last week, playing four games total – two before regions and two on Sunday, May 21 in Super-Regional play. The first game for the week saw the Huskies facing the Vermillion Tanagers May 16.

A tough game awaited the Panther softball team on Tuesday, May 16 in Dell Rapids. The Quarriers, currently ranked #1 in Class A, hosted #3 ranked Dakota Valley in a contest that ended with a 3-17 Panther loss.

A 4th place team finish and two individual medals came home with the Panther girls golf team on Monday, May 15th after their contest in Vermillion. As a team, Dakota Valley shot a total score of 364 which put them at +76 on the day.

The Dakota Valley track and field team will be sending multiple athletes to Sioux Falls on May 25-27 for the state competition. The event will take place at Howard Wood Field where the Panthers will go up against the best that Class A has to offer. Schools from Class AA and Class B will also be competing.

A special javelin invite for South Dakota high school athletes was held on Monday, May 15 in Canton. Dakota Valley was well represented at the event. Javelin is growing in popularity and starting in 2024 will be added as a state event for Class A and Class B in South Dakota.

The last regular home baseball game for the Panthers brought a win. It was versus Vermillion and also a celebration of the seniors on Monday, May 15. Fans, friends and family honored Jaxon Hennies, Randy Rosenquist, Jake Pruchniak, Isaac Bruns and manager Cody Morse for their dedication to the game.

On May 11, the EPJ Huskies Boys’ and Girls’ track teams made the short drive to Vermillion to part icipate in the DAK-XII championships. With varying weather including heat, humidity, rain and a severe weather delay, the meet was a challenging one. The fact that the meet ran well and nearly on time was a testament to excellent organization and volunteers.

The Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies had a couple exciting away games against Dakota Valley May 9 and Parker May 13. The Huskies went up against the Panthers and lost by one in the 8th inning.