December 2020

Powerhouse league

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El Reno was ranked ninth in the latest Class 5A poll, one of six teams from the Suburban Conference holding down a spot in the top 20. The Indians are the third highest ranked conference team behind Carl Albert (4) and Piedmont (8).

El Reno was slated to host the Wildcats Friday night at Jenks Simmons Field House.

 

Jaylin Reveles dribbles up to a Harrah defender

Matmen open year at tough BA Classic

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Due to a wave of schedule changes and cancellations over the first month, El Reno High School’s wrestling team opened up the 2020-21 season with a tough outing at the Bud Gainer Brown Arrow Classic.

Five of the eight teams entered were Class 6A schools including powerhouses Deer Creek, Mustang, Tulsa Union and the host Tigers. Glenpool, Stillwater and nine-time state champion Collinsville made up the other teams along with EHS, ranked fifth in the state.

Tourney hardware

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Calumet High School’s boys team won the recent Canton tournament, while the girls team placed third.

Calumet High School’s boys team won the recent Canton tournament

Fishing Report - December 19

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CENTRAL

Dolese: Dec. 15.
Elevation normal, water 49 and murky. Rainbow trout fair on dough bait along the dam, inlet, points and shorelines. Stocked 2,750 trout as of Dec. 1. PowerBait colors working best are hot pink, orange and chartreuse.

NORTHEAST

V-Day Thursday in El Reno

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The first doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine will be administered in Canadian County on Thursday at health-care sites in El Reno, Yukon and Mustang.

“We are excited and hope this will be getting back to some normalcy. This is the first step in dealing with this virus. I see this as a privilege to be a part of this unprecedented effort between science and government.

“As tough of a year this has been, this is a big part of history,” said Canadian County Health Department’s Maggie Jackson.

Dose

Council OK's flight plan for terminal

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A new terminal could be under construction by spring of 2021 at the El Reno Regional Airport after the city council approved a plan to put the project in motion. 

Council signed off on using $750,000 in airport funds with the promise of obtaining a $500,000 grant from the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission to go toward the $1.2 million project. 

Airport Manager Adam Fox said the new terminal would allow El Reno “to compete with other airports for business travel.”

Adam Fox answers questions about the terminal project

COVID-19 case, contact tracing forces ER High into distance learning

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While a weekend snow storm forced all of El Reno Public Schools to switch to distance learning for Monday classes, students in grades 9-12 will finish the remainder of the 2020 portion of the district’s calendar away from in-person classes.

Those grades were forced into distance learning on Dec. 11 after an educator at the high school tested positive for COVID-19.

“For all practical purposes we will shut down the high school for 10 days and that will carry us up to this Friday,” said El Reno Superintendent Craig McVay.

Fast starts

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HARRAH - Head coach Jennifer Douglas said her El Reno High School’s girls basketball team was “itching” to kick off the 2020-21 season and they showed it from the opening tipoff.

El Reno scored the first 14 points of the game, then battled through a sluggish second period before popping off 37 points in the second half to cruise to a 63-36 win over Harrah.

Ashlyn Evans-Thompson shoots a jumper

Gifts to the Yanks

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While the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the appearance of El Reno High School’s Gifts to the Yanks ceremony this year, it did not dampen the spirit behind one of the school’s oldest traditions.

For 75 consecutive years, EHS students have raised money and then purchased gifts for veterans locked in at the Veterans Hospital in Oklahoma City for the holidays. El Reno is the only known school in the country to have maintained the program without interruption since its inception following World War II.

Joe Everson shows off his paintings and all the gifts bought by EHS students