By Rich Winter

605 Sports

The last memory for Kadoka senior Dawson Reckling from the recently completed Howard Wood Dakota Relays was being perched precariously atop the podium with five other athletes that tied for 5th place in the boys high jump. 

 Reckling, and four other athletes cleared 6-2 during the high jump competition Saturday. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t been out for track since his freshman year. 

 “Dawson started the year jumping in the 5-10 to 6-00 range but after he began training for the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash his heights increased,” Dave Ohrtman, Kadoka track coach said. 

 Reckling has been a standout on the Kadoka basketball team for the past four seasons and only recently got serious about the high jump. At the Cecil Johnson meet on April 28, Reckling broke Matt VanderMay’s school record (6-4, 1988) when he soared 6-5. 

 “Two days later he cleared 6-6 at the Black Hills Track Classic in Sturgis,” Ohrtman said. 

 Dawson, the son of Brandon and Sanna Rock of Long Valley is currently tied for the best jump in Class B with Daniel Mitchell (Gregory). 

 Reckling isn’t the only Kadoka high jumper making waves this season. Senior Rebecca Shuck, a three-sport standout is also climbing the ranks in the Class B girls high jump. 

 “She first cleared 5-00 in the high jump in 2021 and then tied the Kadoka school record (5-2, Debra Guptill, 1997) at the Douglas Early Bird Invitational on April 2,” Ohrtman said. 

 Shuck cleared 5-3 at the Cecil Johnson meet and then hit that mark again Saturday at a home meet in Kadoka. Shuck did not attend the Howard Wood Dakota Relays because of a previous commitment to a test. She is tied for second place in the Class B high-jump ranks (5-3) and is the daughter of Colby and Teres Shuck. 

 Another athlete that has broken a record at Kadoka this spring is Lanie Blair in the discus. This three-sport standout broke the 100-foot barrier at the beginning of her junior year and was throwing 113-feet by the end of the season. 

 At the Wall Invitational Blair uncorked a throw of 123-3 to break Kyla Sawvell’s meet record and the school record (117-5, Lacey Mayfield, 2006). Blair, the daughter of Ryan and Fallon Richardson of Long Valley currently has the third best throw for Class B girls. 

  Short in overall track and field numbers Ohrtman shared thoughts on other Kougar standouts:

-Gracie Eisenbraun in pole vault (8’0”, currently tied at #7 in class B girls’ pole vault)

-Reece Ohrtman in discus (135’5”, currently sits at #10 in boys’ class B discus rankings)

-Garrett Hermann (sprinter/middle distance and discus)

-Clark Hindman (400, 800 and long jump)

-Don Schofield (sprints, long jump)

-Madisyn Nemecek (HJ, 4x100 and 200)

-Hudson Taylor (800, 1600 and 3200)