After a couple of canceled track meets the Panthers were finally able to compete on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Sioux City (SC) Relays. The annual meet celebrated its 61st anniversary this year and brought talent that ranged from high schoolers to college athletes from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Hits, walks and home runs were the theme for Dakota Valley’s softball home opener versus the #1 ranked Tri-Valley Mustangs on Monday, April 6, 2026. The Panthers were seeded #4 as they took the field to battle Tri-Valley (TV). It was the 2nd contest of the season for Dakota Valley (DV) and TV was on their 4th game for spring 2026.

Three straight days of Dakota Valley varsity baseball happened to open spring ball for the Panthers. Playing at home 3 times in a row equated to DV garnering a record of 2-1 to start the season.

The high school softball season started for Dakota Valley on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 with an away game in Canton. The Panther varsity team came ready to play as they put up 10 runs on the scoreboard in their initial at-bat against the C-Hawks of Canton.

An indoor track and field meet, on March 27, 2026, had some Panther varsity athletes getting a head start on the spring season. The competition happened at Mount Marty University (MMU), in Yankton, where Dakota Valley went up against bigger schools from South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. Tammy Lilly, the sprint coach for the Panther plus the girls head coach, felt her team performed well on the day. Dakota Valley (DV) held their own versus Sioux Falls and Sioux City metro area schools. The Panthers also performed strong against South Sioux City, Tea Area, Brandon Valley, Harrisburg, Council Bluffs and more.

File Photos by Peterman Sports Photography • stevepeterman5@gmail.com Down 0-5 early in their regional game against Beresford, a 3-pointer from the top of the key via Aaron Bruns put Dakota Valley on the board. The Panthers were hosting their 1st round of postseason play as the #4 seed on March 3, 2026.

Bishop Heelan girls basketball competed in the Iowa Girls High School state tournament on March 3-5, 2026. The Heelan Crusaders entered the tourney as the #1 seed and with an undefeated record. Three players on the roster are from the local South Dakota area, they are: Melina Snoozy, Ella Otten and Kennedy Bainbridge.

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The Panther boys basketball team traveled to Lennox to battle the Orioles on February 27, 2026. It was the last regular season contest before regional play. It was to be a tough match-up as Lennox had just 5 losses on the season whereas Dakota Valley was sitting at a record of 12-7.

Panther junior Bella Stokes opened up scoring for Dakota Valley (DV) with a 3-pointer at their regional game, in Vermillion, on February 24, 2026. Their opponent, the Tanagers, then scored 6 points off a pair of plays. Junior Sophie Meyer was tasked with guarding Vermillion’s top athlete, Taylor Reuvers, and stuck by her on the perimeter and the baseline. Meyer worked hard to contain the strong guard.