With two weeks left, much of the season comes down to the final performances for the Panthers. “I’m confident we’ll have strong representation at the state tournament, supported by players who are buying into the process and veteran leaders who continue to model the standards of our program,” remarked DV esports coach Michael Oberg.

Three basketball games, in a week, were on the calendar for mid-January as the Panther boys varsity roster hosted West Central (WC) and then traveled to Hartington and Groton. The Trojans of WC were Dakota Valley’s 1st contest in a busy week. These two played each other in North Sioux City on January 13, 2026.

Colton, South Dakota was the destination on January 13, 2026 for the Panther varsity wrestling team. Dakota Valley was at Tri-Valley, along with Madison, for a triangular that involved a lot of great competition on the mat. Wrestling at DV has been steadily growing and it was evident in Colton as the majority of weight classes were filled for the evening’s contest.

On Tuesday, January 13, 2026 the Panther girls basketball team hosted a top ranked West Central (WC) squad. The WC Trojans came to North Sioux City with an impressive winning record and multiple weapons on the court.

To end the year, Dakota Valley wrestled in the 2025 Floyd Farrand Boys Invitational, in Sioux Falls, on December 30th. Top competitors from central and eastern South Dakota were in attendance. The Panthers finished 10th in team placing as they squared off against 21 different schools.

Panther boys basketball closed out 2025 with a win and began 2026 with another victory to set a good tone for the rest of the season. Dakota Valley played in the Parkston Classic on December 30, 2025. Then it was a long road the next week as the roster was in West River to face Lakota Tech.

Undefeated was how the Dakota Valley girls basketball team closed out 2025 and began 2026. On December 30, 2025 they beat McCook Central/ Montrose (MCM) in the Parkston Classic. Then they crossed the river to Nebraska on January 2, 2026 for another Panther victory. This time versus Hartington Cedar Catholic.

Dakota Valley boys varsity had back-to-back games to commence the Panther’s winter break. The C-Hawks from Canton were in North Sioux City to play DV on Friday, December 19, 2025. Strong play was observed right away by DV as they gained early momentum.

Multiple appearances on podiums happened for Dakota Valley wrestling on December 20, 2025. The Panthers were in Elk Point for the Husky Invite and came out strong on the mat across many weight classes. Grayson Pirner, DV head wrestling coach, was happy with his squad’s performance throughout the tournament. “We came out and wrestled well for our second time on the mat this season. We had 7 guys place in the top 6, led by runner-up finishes from Jorge Morales at 138 lbs and Bennett Lukken at 175 lbs. It was good to see the kids come out and battle every match,” commented Coach Pirner.

Unstoppable was the Dakota Valley girls basketball team on Friday, December 19, 2025 as they hosted the Canton C-Hawks. By a score of 67-45, the Panthers exploded in the 2nd half to put the game completely in their control. It was a nice victory for DV and their 3rd straight as the 2025/26 high school winter season is off and running for all in South Dakota.