By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — With the AA West River Preview meet slated for this Friday at Sioux Park in Rapid City, these are just some of the Cobblers’ top returners heading into the 2026 season. 

A little success goes a long way for Central’s Henry Hill in 300 hurdles

Last season, Rapid City Central head coach Jacqee Schaefer told then-junior Henry Hill she wanted him to try the 300-meter hurdles.

A first for the Cobbler multi-sport athlete.

“Going into the season before we started, (coach) Schaefer kind of told me that. She was like, ‘I kind of want you to do the 300 hurdles.’ And I was a little skeptical about it at first,” Hill said. “But I trusted in the process, and eventually, as the season went on, towards the end of the season, obviously, I got that good time, and I made it to state, so that was really cool. 

“So I'm hoping to kind of continue on that, and I’ll be running the 110s this year, so hopefully I can carry on some of that success.”

Last season, Hill saw his times progress from the 43-42 second time to a personal best of 39.39 recorded at the West River Last Chance meet before the state meet.

Hill’s hard work throughout the season paid off during the Class AA state meet, with the Cobbler taking fifth place with a mark of 40.24. 

Hill’s time of 39.39 has the Cobbler as the no. 4 returning 300 hurdler heading into the 2026 season.

Hill said just a little bit of success has the senior excited to compete this year and focused on doing even better this year.

“It's a pretty big motivator, for sure, knowing that with how little experience I had last year, I could still do that well,” Hill said. “I think this year, with more training, more practice, I can definitely, you know, go for that top spot for sure.”

Hill, who played wide receiver and defensive back for the football team, said he doesn’t have specific times he wants to reach. But did admit that if he could get the school record, it would be “pretty cool.”

But Hill said his focus is on working on technique and making sure he stays healthy.

“I just kind of keep grinding away and see how it goes,” he said.

Schaefer encouraged Leah Landry to try the javelin, recognizing she’s a natural athlete 

Leah Landry, of Rapid City Central, during the South Dakota State Track and Field championships Saturday May 30, 2025 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

During Leah Landry’s freshman season of basketball, coach Schaefer recognized Landry’s athleticism and particularly good footwork. So she encouraged Landry to try the javelin event. 

“She's an athlete, and she moves extremely well, and she has great footwork on the court, and those are things that you really need, especially for throws, to have a good throw. And she just kind of picked up the Javelin really easily,” Schaefer said. “She's an athlete. I mean, that's what it comes down to. You want multi-sport athletes coming out for track.”

“I wasn't gonna do track at all. But then our head track coach said, ‘Hey, I think you should try this. I think you should, you'd be really good at it. So, I tried it my first year, and I broke our school record my freshman year, and then I just keep breaking it.”
In Landry’s freshman season, she threw a personal best of 109-9, which was 14th best in the state at the time.

Last year, Landry threw a personal best of 124-10, which was the fourth-best mark in Class AA. 

While Landry, an all-state basketball player for the Cobblers’ basketball team, spends most of her time playing basketball, whether it’s for the school or club in the off-season, she said she enjoys track as a way to break up her season. 

“It's actually really fun,” Landry said of track. “It gets my mind off of it (basketball) and just, like, the bonds I get with like, all my teammates and just seeing all the younger girls having fun, and I can just bond with them over something other than a sport that I focus my main life on.”

Landry said she didn’t realize how much the javelin is an event based on technique and footwork, rather than just brute strength. Something coach Schaefer did know and why she said she thought Landry would do well in the event.

At last year’s state meet, Landry struggled a bit, but all it took was one throw to finish fourth with a 121-02.

“I was really excited,” Landry said of placing. “I came in to finals in ninth, and then it was my last throw that got me up there. But it just felt good knowing I had the confidence and that I can go higher now this year, since I still have a couple of years left.”

Last season, Landry tried the other throwing events, shotput and discus, for the first time, and said she hopes to qualify for state in those events.

The biggest adjustment from basketball to track for Landry, she said, is the different team dynamic, where she has teammates who can bail her out when she’s struggling on the court, versus being the only one who can step onto the field with a javelin in hand.

“It's a big change, honestly, because I'm used to having people around me. If I'm struggling, I can rely on them to help me out,” Landry said. “But, really, it's just like me, myself and I, and while my teammates are there to support me. It's not like they can go do it for me. So I have to figure it out and get the mindset of my own, like that I can do it, and one mistake isn't gonna hurt me.”

Coy Urban is back healthy, with eyes set on returning to the top of AA high jump

Two seasons ago, Rapid City Central’s Coy Urban claimed the Class AA gold in the boys' high jump with a mark of 6-7.

Last year, the then-junior battled injuries, threw out the season, struggling at times to get back to his top form.

While Urban recorded a season best of 6-6 last year, Urban said that still managing to place at the state meet was a highlight of a tough season for him.

“I mean, last year I came into state, I was hurt all year, which sucked, but I was still able to place, which is better than not placing,” Urban said.

Urban finished with a mark of 6-3, tying for fifth-place based on attempts. His then-eighth-grade teammate Lincoln Williamson also cleared 6-3 but tied for third, based on attempts at the height. 

Urban said he suffered nerve damage and had to undergo physical therapy to finally get healthy in the off-season. 

That hard work and time spent in the off-season has paid off for the Cobbler senior, who competed unattached at Black Hills State’s Myrle Hanson Open indoor meet on Feb. 21.

“I actually got some nerve damage in my hamstring coming all the way up to my neck,” Urban said. “So I did, I did a bunch of PT, and then once I started getting healthy again… Benson Sports Training’s kind of gotten me to where I'm just the most athletic I can be. I'm not fully there yet.”

Urban said clearing 6-7 felt good this early in the season, already besting his top mark from a season ago.

“It kind of just reminded me that I'm not — bad,” Urban said. “So I guess it was just it was nice to get out there and just know that I can still, like, do what I need to do.”

Last week, during the Mount Marty High School Invite indoor meet, the defending state champion Dexter Johnson from Sioux Falls Lincoln cleared 7 feet for the top mark in 2026 so far.

Urban said it was “an impressive jump,” and with Johnson clearing 6-6 last year at state to win the event, Johnson will be the guy to beat in AA.

Urban’s personal best is 6-8, his sophomore year, while also competing unattached at the Myrle Hanson Open.

Urban said he’s excited to get back into jumping altogether. The Cobbler is also going to compete in the long and triple jumps as well for the Cobblers.

“I only did it one time,” Urban said of competing in the long and triple jump before. “That was my junior year. Right at the start, I hit 21-5, which was 10th in Cobbler history. And then I did the triple jump. I hit 43-3  also that same meet.”

Urban said he wants to compete at the college level next year, but hasn’t decided where yet. In the meantime, he’s hoping to get back on top, especially in the high jump.

“I’m super motivated…I just want to get that gold this year, just like I did my sophomore year,” he said.