The season opener for Panther boys basketball was Friday, Dec. 8th and Dakota Valley did not disappoint versus the Tea Titans.

The Yankton Bucks and Vermillion Tanagers were at Dakota Valley on Thursday, Dec. 7 for a wrestling triangular hosted by the Panthers. Team scoring had opponents winning both duals versus DV, however good things were observed by the Panthers on the mat.

The Panther girls opened up their season at home on Tuesday, Dec. 5 versus Lennox. It was a close game with senior Sophie Tuttle, juniors Cameryn Sommervold and Emersen Mead, and 8th graders Ella Otten and Aubree Worden as the starters.

The first full week of December meant the commencement of Esports competitions for Dakota Valley. The Panther squad had matches throughout the entire week, except on Wednesday and the weekend.

Competition started for the Dakota Valley wrestling team on Saturday, Dec. 2 in Orange City, IA at the Lyle Lundren Duals hosted by MOC-Floyd Valley school. The following areas in Iowa make up the MOC-Floyd Valley district: Maurice, Orange City, Alton, Hospers and Granville.

Esports will debut in South Dakota for the winter 2023-24 season and the Panthers will be a part of history as they participate and look to be strong competitors. Dakota Valley will field teams for the following esport games: ● Rocket League ● Smash ● League of Legends ● Chess Rocket League is a video game that mixes soccer and arcade style driving. Smash is a popular game from Nintendo and League of Legends is a well-known multiplayer battle competition with a focus on team strategy and communication. The online game of chess will be played with an anticipated 10 minute allotment for each match. Players will have a time limit on how quickly they must make a move on the chess board.

As part of the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s pilot program, Dakota Valley is one of potentially 30 schools to offer esports for the 2023-24 winter season. It was approved by the DV board of education this past school year and from there the Panthers hit the ground running.

South Dakota state volleyball took place on Nov. 16, 17 and 18 in Rapid City. The Panthers entered the state tournament with a #7 ranking. The South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) announcers complemented DV’s strength of schedule and noted multiple times that the Panthers were not a typical #7 seed.

The Dakota Valley volleyball team went up against Aberdeen Roncalli, in the neutral site of Watertown, for the Class A SoDak 16 Qualifier. Both rosters came to play on Tuesday, Nov. 7 with hopes of punching a ticket to the state tournament.

The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) held its women’s volleyball awards night on the eve of the 2023 conference postseason tournament. The awards were held at the Goss Opera House in downtown Watertown, where three Dakota State University athletes received honors during the presentation – Sydney Schell, Kate VanRooyan and Madalyn Groft.