Early look at Watertown's boys golf, girls tennis, soccer, cross country, cheer and dance squads

Here is a look at the 2024 Watertown High School boys golf, girls tennis boys-girls soccer, boys-girls cross country and competitive cheer and dance squads .

More on the Arrow volleyball and football teams will be published in the coming days. Some of the teams below have already opened their seasons.

Boys Golf

• Head Coach — Corey Neale.
• Assistant — Ryan Neale.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrows captured their third-straight Eastern South Dakota Conference championship and also won the Class AA tourney for their first state title since 1971. Jake Olson tied for second in the ESD and won the state Class AA championship but has graduated.

• Top Returnees — Senior Kaden Rylance (tied for fourth in ESD,third in state), Jaden Solheim (tied for fourthin ESD, tied for 14th in state), senior Ty Lenards (tied for 14th in ESD, tied for 24th in state) and Gabe Norberg (tied for 14th in ESD and tied for 29th in state),sophomore Jonathan Lake (tied for fifth in ESD and tied for 21st at state) and juniorJerome Zebroski.
• Newcomers/Others to Watch — .Junior Carter Buisker and sophomore Max Stemwedel.

2023 Watertown Teams: A look at the Arrow cross country, cheer and dance, soccer, boys golf and girls tennis squads

• Season Outlook — The Arrows won the season opening Warrior-Lynx Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at Brandon and Sioux Falls. The goals are simple."We're looking for a fourth-straight ESD championship and to repeat as the state Class AA champions," Corey Neale said.
• Teams to Beat — Harrisburg and Pierre are likely the top challengers in the ESD and will join O'Gorman as the other teams to beat in Class AA.
• Schedule — Watertown also will compete in events at Yankton (Aug. 27), Huron (Aug. 29), Sept. 3 (Aberdeen), Pierre (Sept. 13), Brookings (Sept. 16) and Mitchell (Sept. 20) before hosting the Watertown Invitational on Sept. 24. After playing in the ESD tournament Sept. 30 at Aberdeen, the Arrows close out their season by hosting the state Class AA tournament on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8 at Cattail Crossing Golf Course.

Girls Tennis

• Head Coach — Ryan Zink, eighth season.
• Assistant — Mackenzie Turbak.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrows went 15-3-1 in duals and placed third in the Eastern South Dakota Conference meet anjd sixth in the state Class AA tournament. Every Watertownv varsity players had a winning record in singles and doubles.
• Top Returnees — Senior Ellie Zink (fifth in first flight singles at state), junior Leyla Meester (won ESD and took fourth in state in the second flight of singles), senior Faith Berg (third in ESD in third flight of singles), senior Sophia Nichols (third in ESD fourth flight of singles) and senior Cayda Weiss (played fiofth flight of singles). Zink and Meester also played No. 1 doubles, Berg and Nichols No. 2 doubles and Weiss was part of the No. 3 doubles team with graduate Karlie Schulte.
• Newcomers/Others to Watch — .Senior Hannah Pesek, juniors Jade Smith and Kaia VanDerMerwe and sophomore Savannah Sovell.
• Season Outlook — "I am looking forward to the seasoon. We have five seniors this year and I want them to have an awesome senior season," Zink said. "They work hard, have fun and are just great young ladies. There a number of teams that have many girls comingh back so the ESD and state will be very competitive against this year. We hope to be one the teams in the mix."
• Teams to Beat — Mitchell and Yankton are two of the teams to beat in the ESD with defending champion Sioux Falls Lincoln and runner-up Rapid City Stevens the teams to beat in the state.
• Schedule — The Arrows will have regular-season home events on Aug. 26 (triangular withy Sioux Falls Washington and O'Gorman) and Sept. 10 (dual with Milbank) and road events on Aug. 31 at Brooking, Sept. 3 at Sioux falls Jefferson and Lincoln, Sept. 13 at Brookings, Sept. 14 at Huron, Sept. 17 at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sept. 21 at Aberdeen, Sept. 24 at Mitchell and Sept. 26 at Aberdeen Roncalli. Watertown will host the ESD tournament Sept. 30-Oct. 1 before concluding the season Oct. 10-11 in the state AA tourney at Rapid City.

Boys Soccer

• Head Coach — Jesse Hauck, third year.
• Assistant — Jayden Fiechtner.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrows went 7-5-3 overall and 3-3-2 in the Eastern South Dakota Conference, qualifying for the state Class AA playoffs before falling to Aberdeen Central 2-0 in the first round.
• Top Returnees — Senior forward-midfielder Riley Fischer earned All-ESD honors and honorable mention on the Class AA All-State team with seven goals and two assists and senior midfielder-forward Braxten Endres also earned All-ESD honors with six goals and three assists. Other seniors are midfielder-forward Skyler Stanton, midfielder-forward Ty Meidinger, midfielder-defender Jacob Sadler, midfielder-defender Conner Schlacht, forweard Chase Stimson, defender Noah Carlson, defender-midfielder Devon Snyder, defender Alex Raml, midfielder-forward and senior defender Griffin Keever.
• Newcomers/Others to Watch — Junior forward-midfielderPatrick Bednarczyk and junior midfielder-defender Jonas Geier along iwth sophomore midfielder-forward Xane Fligge, sophomore defender Dylan Selchert, sophomore midfielder-forward Kasen Bender, sophomore goalkeeper Owen Muller and freshman midfielder-defender Carson Schlaht.
• Season Outlook — The Arrows have opened their season with 2-1 wins at Spearfish and Strurgis and 2-2 draw at Yankton."We have a focused, veteran team with high expectations," Hauck said.
• Teams to Beat — Watertown is looking to battle defending champion Yankton and Aberdeen Central for top honors in the ESD. Sioux Falls Lincoln is the defending state Class AA champion.
• Schedule — The Arrows have remaining road matches on Friday at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sept. 12 at Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sept. 14 at Mitchell, Sept. 17 at Brandon Valley and Sept. 21 at Sioux Falls Washington and home games (all ESD foes) on Aug. 27 against Tea Area, Aug. 29 against Brookings, Sept.3 against Pierre, Sept. 5 against Harrisburg, Sept. 23 against Aberdeen Central and Sept. 26 against Huron. Class AA playoffs run Oct. 8, 12 and 15 with the state championship set for Oct. 19 at Yankton.

Girls Soccer

• Head Coach — Emily Trupe, third year.
• Assistant — Mark Vaux.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrows went 3-11-1 overall and 3-5-0 in the ESD last fall but did qualify for the state playoffs before suffering a first-round 8-0 playoff loss to eventual state champion Harrisburg.
• Top Returnees — Junior defender Makenna Blank, junior defender Mya York, junior defender-midfielder Sydney Stanton, junior midfielder-forward Mylee Kannas ans sophomore forward-midfielder Katie Fischer.
• Newcomers/Others to Watch — Senior defender Shelby Spilde, junior defender Megan Clay, junior forward-midfielder Maisa Sorsa, junior forward Mogan Perez, sophomore goalkeeper Madison Enstad, sophomore midfielder Khloe Landmark, sophomore defender-midfielder Claire Schochenmaier, freshman defender-midfielder Elizabeth Schaeffer, freshman midfielder Jaelynn Weber, freshman defender-midfielder Arianna Snyder, freshman forward-midfielder Bo Meidinger, eighth-grade defender Alivia Ringgenberg, eighth-grade midfielder Berkley Fligge, eighth-grade midfielder Ava Meyer, eighth-grade midfielder-defender Sophia Wishard, eighth-grade defender-midfielder Sophia Wishard and eighth-grade forward-midfielder Brooklynn Randall.
• Season Outlook — The Arrows opened the season with a 4-1 win over Sturgis and have suffered a 2-0 loss to Spearfish and a 4-1 loss to Yankton. "Although we are young again with only one senior this year, the girls showeda high level of grit and determination during the preseason. They are wiling to work hard and know the season ahead will require a lot of self-sacrifice and endurance," Trupe said."
• Teams to Beat — Aberdeen Central, Harrisburg and Mitchell shared the ESD title with 7-1 records last fall. Trupe considers Harrisburg, Aberdeen Central, Brandon Valley and Pierre the teams to beat in the conference this fall. Defending state champion Harrisburg, Sioux Falls Lincoln and Rapid City Stevens and Rapid City Central should all be strong in Class AA.
• Schedule — The Arrows have remaining road matches on Friday at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sept. 12 at Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sept. 14 at Mitchell, Sept. 17 at Brandon Valley and Sept. 21 at Sioux Falls Washington and home games (all ESD foes) on Aug. 27 against Tea Area, Aug. 29 against Brookings, Sept.3 against Pierre, Sept. 5 against Harrisburg, Sept. 23 against Aberdeen Central and Sept. 26 against Huron. Class AA playoffs run Oct. 8, 12 and 15 with the state championship set for Oct. 19 at Yankton.

Boys-Girls Cross Country

• Head Coach — Jenn McElroy, third year as head coach.
• Assistants — Chas Welch and Olivia Taschner.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrow girls recorded their second-straight third-place finish in the ESD meet and also placed eighth in the state Class AA meet. The Arroww boys took sixth in the ESD and 13th in the state meet.
• Top Returnees — Girls: Eighth-grader Grace McElroy (fifth in ESD, eighth in state), sophomore Kate McElroy (20th in ESD, 31st in state), freshman Olivia Anderson (15th in ESD and 53rd in state), sophomore Grace List (98th in state) and senior Bella Horning (118 in state). Boys: Junior Ty Sullivan (seventh in ESD, 17th in state), sophomore Dane Stark (12th in ESD, 25th in state), senior Bayley Steiner (66th in state), sophomore Logan Becker (79th in state), sophomore Tucker Lunde (91st in state), sophomore Isaiah Norton (25th in ESD, 97th in state) and senior Gabe List.
• Season Outlook — ."The girls lost a few members this year but still return some great runners. The returning girls are pushing for better individual finishes in ESD and state," McElroy said. "The girls have been running together for a number of years now and know how to trust each other to do their best.""The boys have been young for awhile and are finally starting to gain experience. We return almost the full team after some really great finishes in the last few meets," McElroy added. "I'm super excited to see what these boys can do. Some have been running varsity for a number of years so they know how it goes and what it takes. They will push themelves to be quite competitive in both ESD and state."
• Teams to Beat — Defending champion Brookings, Aberdeen Central and Yankton are the boys' teams to beat in the ESD with defending state champion Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sturgis and Rapid City Stevens leading the way in Class AA. Defending ESD and state champion Brandon Valley should be solid again in girls along with Harrisburg, which finished third in the state.
• Schedule — The Arrow runners open the season Aug. 30 at the O'Gorman Invite and also have meets scheduled for Sept. 6 (Sioux Falls), Sept. 12 (Aberdeen), Sept. 14 (NIKE Heartland at Sioux Falls), Sept. 21 (Huron), Sept. 27 (Rapid City) and Oct. 17 (Huron). Watertown will host the Watoma Invite on Oct. 3 at Cattail Crossing Golf Course and will also run in the ESD meeton Oct. 12 at Huron and the state meet on Oct. 26 at Rapid City.

Competitive Dance

• Head Coach — Carolyn Fraher, second year.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrows feinished seventh in the ESD and 13th in the state meet. The squad placed fourth in pom at Aberdeen and improved their hip-hop routine over the course of the season.
• Top Returnees — Senior Briella Rehorst, juniors Sadie Johnson and Sophia VanLaecken and freshman Emory Whetsel.
• Others — Junior Liliana Makens; sophomore Abigail Borkhuis; freshmen Peyton Johnson, Avery Meyer, Aubrie Engel and Madaline Graf; and seventh-graders Gianna Letizia, Edyn Meyer, Kinzley Swenson, Lillian Fox and Brynlee Swiden.

• Season Outlook — "We have a young team with only one senior and five seventh-graders. We are competing in jaz instead of hip-hop this year so we're excited for the new challenge and ready to capitalize on the strengths our dancers have," Fraher said.
• Teams to Beat — Brandon Valley is the defending ESD champion and three-time defending state Class AA champion. Fraher said the Arrows are hoping to battle more favorable with Aberdeen Central and Pierre this fall.
• Schedule — Watertown's home invitational, usually held in August, has been pushed back to Oct. 10 this fall. The Arrows will also compete Aug. 31 at Aberdeen, Sept. 5 at Mitchell, Sept. 7 at Pierre, Sept. 17 at Huron, Sept. 21 at Brookings, Sept. 24 at Brandon Valley and Sept. 28 at Harrisburg. The ESD competition is set for Oct. 17 at Brandon Valley with the state competition scheduledfor Oct. 26 at Rapid City.

Competitive Cheer

• Head Coach — Malory Hoffmann, eighth year.
• Assistants — Jenah Hanson.
• 2023 Highlights — The Arrows took second in the ESD and sixth in the state. They also won at Pierre, finished second at Mitchell and placed in the top six in eight of their nine competitions. Three seniors were named to the All-State team.
• Top Returnees — Senior Natalie Benson and sophomores Ashlynn Andrews and Kailyn Nordquist.

• Others — Senior Alexis Olson; sophomores Kendra Buchholz, Maddy Giang, Briana McElhany, Kira Niemann, Kamryn Nordquist, Adriene Schulz and Lyric Dietric; freshmen Taylor Buchholz, Addisen Jensen, Emmah Scott and Macy Olson; eighth-graders Kamelia Mjoun, Tyllie Schlimgen, Jayla Hochstatter and Raelyn TenEyck; and seventh-graders Kenzley Hoffman, Mallory Benson and Kenley Woods.
• Season Outlook — "We are young team this year with only two seniors and no juniors along with a large returning sophomore class. Most of the team comes from experience in either gymnastics or club cheer," Coach Hoffmann said. "We have some high-level stunting skills in the routine, a lot of tumbling and quick transitions."
• Teams to Beat — Harrisburg is the six-time defending champion in the ESD and should be one the teams to beat in Class AA along with defending state champion Sioux Falls Jefferson, O'Gorman and Brookings.
• Schedule — Watertown's home invitational, usually held in August, has been pushed back to Oct. 10 this fall. The Arrows will also compete Aug. 31 at Aberdeen, Sept. 5 at Mitchell, Sept. 7 at Pierre, Sept. 17 at Huron, Sept. 21 at Brookings, Sept. 24 at Brandon Valley and Sept. 28 at Harrisburg. The ESD competition is set for Oct. 17 at Brandon Valley with the state competition scheduledfor Oct. 26 at Rapid City.

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: Early look at Watertown's boys golf, girls tennis, soccer, cross country, cheer and dance squads