Harrisburg cheer and Brandon Valley dance teams defend Eastern S.D. Conference titles

BRANDON — Harrisburg's cheer squad and Brandon Valley's dance team each repeated as Eastern South Dakota Conference champions on Thursday night.

Harrisburg won the competitive cheer division for the seventh-straight year with an overall score of 290.0 and Brandon Valley won the competiive dacne division for the second-straight year with an overall score of 270.75.

Ten schools competed in the competition, including Watertown and Aberdeen Central.

All of the ESD schools will close out the season by competiting in the South Dakota State Competitive Cheer and Dance Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Summit Arena located in The Monument at Rapid City.

Competitive Cheer

Brookings was second in the division with a 271.0 score, followed by Watertown at 269.5, Tea Area 238.0, 225.0, Yankton 217.0, Brandon Valley 198.5, Aberdeen Central 189.5, Huron 198.5 and Pierre 183.5.

"We knew it was going to close between Brookings and us," Watertown head coach Malory Hoffman said.

"The girls had another solid performances tonight with a strong cheer, great tumbling timing and all stunts hitting."

Competitive Dance

Harrisburg finished second overall with a score of 265.75, followed by Yankton at 260.5, Aberdeen Central 232.5, Pierre 229.0, Tea Area 222.5, Mitchell 219.75, Watertown 218.25, Huron 202.75 and Brookings 201.5.

Brandon Valley topped jazz with a score of 273.0. Harrisburg was at 262.5, Yankton 262.0, Watertown 224.0, Tea Area 214.0 and Huron 195.5. Brandon Valley also topped pom with a score of 268.5. Yankton was next at 259.0, followed by Aberdeen Central 229.5, Pierre 299.5, Mitchell 215.0, Watertown 212.5 and Brookings 201.

In hip hop, Harrisburg led the way with a 269.0 score, followed by Aberdeen Central 235.5, Tea Area 231.0, Pierre 228.5, Mitchell 224.5, Huron 210.0 and Brookings 202.0.

WATERTOWN CHEER AND DANCE INVITE: Watertown High School's competitive cheer team finishes second in the Watertown Invitational

"The girls gave a great jazz performance that was probably their best of the season. The routine had great timing, facials and energy," Watertown coach Carolyn Fraher said. "Our pom routine had a few mistakes with several people falling out of turns. "

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Harrisburg cheer and Brandon Valley dance teams defend Eastern S.D. Conference titles