March 2022

Luck favors Irish

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El Reno High School’s baseball team was slated to be back on the diamond for the 2022 Union City Spring Break Festival looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

The Indians slipped to 3-2 on the season and 0-2 in District 5A-1 play with a 7-6 loss to Bishop McGuinness at the Hub Reed Complex.

Much like the road game with the Irish, El Reno jumped out to an early 6-1 lead after two innings but struggled to put runs on the board over the final five innings.

Davin Shamblin watches a pitch sail toward the plate

Union City third in tourney; CHS seeks first win

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Riding a 12-run third inning, Union City High School’s slow-pitch softball team brought home third-place honors from the 2022 Waukomis Invitational with an 18-17 win over Class 4A’s 14th-ranked Fairview.

Union City went 4-2 in the tourney to lift its season record to 10-5. The Tigers defeated Cimarron (13-8), Cherokee (24-3) and Waukomis (13-7) ahead of the revenge win over Fairview. The Yellowjackets won 24-19 earlier in the event.

Woodland, ranked 19th in Class 2A, defeated Union City 16-5.

Union City’s Alexis Archer connects with a pitch

CHS kicks off spring with wins

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Calumet High School’s baseball team kicked off the spring season with a pair of wins in its own festival, defeating Class A’s 15th-ranked Shattuck 12-2 and Geary 12-0.

The Chieftains are ranked 20th in the latest Class A poll.

Calumet went 16-of-32 from the plate for the two games for a .500 team batting average. The Chieftains got doubles from Wyatt Dean, Derrick Krantzman and Jaxon Olive.

Olive went 4-for-4 from the plate to lead the offense, scoring five times and logging a run batted in.

Redlands splits with Vikes, near .500 going into break

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Following a split with Carl Albert State College, Redlands Community College’s baseball team is hovering around the .500 mark for the season heading into a busy spring break slate.

The Cougars defeated the Vikings in the middle games of the four-game series by scores of 9-5 and 9-6, but dropped the bookend meetings by scores of 5-2 and a 21-15 shootout.

The split left the Cougars with a 2-2 record in the NJCAA Region 2, Division 2 standings and 10-12 on the season.

Nico Kuplik slides into second base

RCC golf team 11th in opener

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Redlands Community College’s golf team kicked off its spring schedule with an 11th-place finish in the Diffee Invitational played on the East layout at Lincoln Park Golf Course.

The Cougars shot a 652 for the 36-hole event with round scores of 325 and 327. Redlands beat out Northwestern Oklahoma State (666), Southern Nazarene (673), Park University (686) and Central Christian (730).

Redlands was the lone junior college team in the 15-team field.

James Beard Sr.

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James “Jim” Leon Beard Sr., 84, peacefully passed away at his home in Yukon on Monday, March 14, 2022. Jim was born May 24, 1937, in Westville to Alton and Linnie Beard, the final son of 10 children.

After a six-year tour with the U.S. Army, Jim established roots in El Reno.

He retired at the age of 55 with the Rock Island Railroad.

He had a passion for automotive painting, hunting, fishing and camping. He loved admiring classic cars and watching OU football, as well as having weekly coffee with “the guys.” 

James Beard Sr._obituary

Hannah Smart

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Funeral services for Hannah Bigeagle Smart will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Concho Emergency Resource Center, with burial in the Concho Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Mrs. Smart died March 14, 2022, at St. Anthony Hospital in Midwest City.

Gold ball bounces out of reach

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NORMAN – The shots that were falling during El Reno High School’s five-game postseason win streak bounced the other way when the Indians needed them the most – championship Saturday.

El Reno was held scoreless over the final 1:10 and McAlester made three of four free-throw attempts to secure a 53-49 win over the Indians in the Class 5A Girls Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships.

Ashlyn Evans-Thompson reaches out to grab a loose ball

City leaders greenlight plans for new housing expansion

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More new housing appears to be coming to El Reno.

Last week the city council approved plans for the expansion of two growing housing developments, Crimson Lake Estates and Settlers Crossing.

The plans come with an expansion of walking trails, that Mayor Matt White said should give El Reno one of the most extensive pedestrian networks on the “west side of the metro.”

The expansion at Crimson Lake Estates will come with 25-foot setbacks that city officials said should help keep cars from having to be parked in the streets.

Mark Grubbs discusses the planned housing growth at Crimson Lake Estates

Cause of house fire under investigation

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The Oklahoma State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that reportedly destroyed a vacant house Sunday morning.

El Reno Fire Chief Jason Duff said the structure at 420 E. Wade caught fire Sunday.

Smoke and flames could be seen coming from the roof of the house as firefighters battled the blaze in chilly temperatures before 8 a.m.

Duff said the El Reno firemen were supported by fire units from Yukon and the Federal Correctional Institution.

El Reno firefighters use a pick to break away the roof on this home