Harrisburg cheer, Brandon Valley dance capture titles in competition
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WATERTOWN — Just like all of South Dakota's high school fall sports, the season winding to a close for the state's cheer and dance teams.
A fair portion of the state's Class AA squads competed along with a few Class A teams in the Watertown Competitive Cheer and Dance Invitational on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in the Watertown Civic Arena.
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It's the sole home competition of the season for host Watertown's teams. The Arrows finished fourth out of 15 cheer squads with an overall score of 278.5.
"The cheer team delivered its best performance of the season and I couldn't be prouder of the girls for the progress they continue to make," Watertown cheer coach Malory Hoffmann said. "Our partner stunts were the most solid they have been all season, our pyramid was strong and consistent and our cheer was loud and interactive, helping create great energy throughout the routine."
Watertown's dance team placed fifth overall out of 11 teams. The Arrows were third in pom (272.0) and fifth in jazz (258.5).
"I thought the girls performed great in both pom and jazz tonight," Watertown dance coach Carolyn Fraher said. "Their turn timing looked much better than the last couple of competitions. I feel it was a personal-best performance for some of the dancers."
Aberdeen Central's cheer and dance squads also competed. The Golden Eagles' dance team took fourth in both hip hop and dance and just missed finishing in the top 5 in the grand-champion standings. Aberdeen Central took 15th in cheer.
Final Results
- Grand Champion Competitive Cheer — 1. Harrisburg, 294.5; 2. O'Gorman, 292.5; 3. Sioux Valley, 289.5; 4. Watertown, 278.5; 5. Brookings, 273.5; 6. Tea Area, 253.5; 7. Yankton, 228.0; 8. Deubrook Area, 224.5; 9. Mitchell, 218.5; 10. Huron, 211.0; 11. Pierre, 199.0; 12. Brandon Valley, 179.5; 13. Florence-Henry, 163.0; 14. Elk Point-Jefferson, 154.5; 15. Aberdeen Central, 171.0.
- Competitive Dance (Grand Champion) — 1. Brandon Valley; 2. Yankton; 3. Harrisburg; 4. O'Gorman; 5. Watertown. The complete grand champion standings were not available.
- Dance (Hip Hop) — 1. Harrisburg, 281.5; 2. O'Gorman, 253.0; 3. Pierre, 247.0; 4. Aberdeen Central, 244.5; 5. Mitchell, 229.0; 6. Brookings, 228.5; 7. Tea Area, 220.5; 8. Huron, 214.5.
- Dance (Jazz) — 1. Brandon Valley, 295.5; 2. O'Gorman, 283.0; 3. Yankton, 278.5; 4. Harrisburg, 272.5; 5. Watertown, 258.5; 6. Brookings, 216.5; 7. Mitchell, 212.5.
- Dance (Pom) — 1. Brandon Valley, 296.5; 2. Yankton, 280.5; 3. Watertown, 272.0; 4. Aberdeen Central, 263.0; 5. Pierre, 259.0; 6. Tea Area, 248.5; 7. Huron, 217.5.
Down the home stretch
Ten of the 15 cheer squads that competed used the meet as a tune-up for the Eastern South Dakota Conference competition that is slated for Thursday, Oct. 15 at Harrisburg.
Defending ESD champions Harrisburg (cheer) and Brandon Valley (dance) each won grand champion honors in Watertown and will be favored in the ESD meet. O'Gorman, another Class AA school, also competed.
The season will conclude with the state Class A (Oct. 23) and Class AA (Oct. 24) Cheer and Dance Championships at Rapid City.
"The girls are motivated to continue improving and finishing the season strong," Hoffmann said. "Harrisburg will be the favorite in the ESD and we're anticipating a close competition between Brookings, Tea Area and Watertown for second place. We're excited for the opportunity to compete at our best and see what this team can accomplish."
The 10 ESD schools and O'Gorman each competed in both dance and cheer. Additional cheer squads in Watertown included area Class A squads from Sioux Valley, Florence-Henry and Deubrook Area. Sioux Valley has won all 19 Class A cheer championships since the sport was sanctioned in 2007.
Elk Point-Jefferson, another Class A school, made its first-ever performance in cheer during the meet.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Harrisburg cheer, Brandon Valley dance capture titles in competition