April 2025

Crimson Creek Golf Course hosted the 2025 El Reno High School Girls Invitational.

The 15-team field included eight Class 5A schools including Carl Albert and EHS.

See recap in Wednesday’s edition.

A 10-8 loss to Minco in the River Series extended a multi-game losing streak for Union City High School’s slow-pitch softball team. The Tigers dropped to 5-13 overall with their seventh loss in the past eight games, including four in a row.

The win in that span was a 10-0 shutout of Bray-Doyle in the first game of the Fort Sill Freedom Fest, followed by setbacks to state-ranked Cyril (10-1), Central High (12-7) and Chattanooga (19-13).

Calumet logged 16 extra base hits over the five games including 10 home runs, three triples and three doubles.

El Reno High School senior Lathen Pruitt (seated center) signed to play college football last week with Kansas Wesleyan University.

Right-hander Aiden Williams completed the month of March with a 5-0 record after handcuffing Weatherford’s junior varsity to a pair of hits in an 8-3 win over the Eagles in the Union City Wood Bat Tournament.

The junior posted a five-inning line of 12 strikeouts, four walks, three runs and two hits. For the month he logged a 1.22 earned run average with 54 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings. 

Union City, ranked 10th in Class A-II, finished the event with a 2-1 record, losing 5-1 to Elk City’s JV in the finals. The Tigers moved to 12-3 overall.

Struggling through a losing streak, Redlands Community College’s baseball team dropped a four-game set to Northern Oklahoma College of Tonkawa to fall into last place in the NJCAA Region 2, Division 2 standings.

The Mavericks, ranked 20th in the nation, beat Redlands 13-9/6-3/16-3 and 14-4. The Cougars, losers of six straight, are 20-16 overall and 1-7 in the league standings.

Redlands went 33-of-118 (.280) from the plate over the four games with seven extra base hits.

Easton Andrews hit a pair of doubles, while Brand Wilson and Alex Everett posted a double each.

Nine strokes kept Redlands Community College women’s golf team out of the top 10 at the 2025 Hardscrabble Invitational held in Fort Smith, Ark.

The Cougars posted a 54-hole total of 964 (320/319/325) to place 12th in the 17-team field. Redlands was six shots back of the University of Central Oklahoma (958) for 11th place.

Two teams were in a tie for ninth at 955.

Daniela Espinoza led Redlands with a 230 tally (77/77/76) to tie for 20th in the individual medalist chase. Sophia Blake’s 234 (81/76/77) placed her in 24th.

El Reno High School’s tennis teams took part in the 2025 Suburban Conference Championships last week in Shawnee, with both teams finishing in the top five.

The boys were third overall with 11 points, finishing behind Shawnee (22) and Guthrie (14).

Jim Rinehart led the effort at No.1 singles, taking third after a 6-1/7-6 win over Del City’s Tristen Williams. Rinehart went 2-1 with a 6-0/6-4 win over DCHS’ Nathaniel Green and a 6-0/6-4 semifinal loss to Shawnee’s Hagan Wells.

William Michael (Mike) Thompson passed away at the age of 72 on March 28, 2025, at River Oaks in El Reno. He was born in Okarche on Oct. 1, 1952, to William Sidney Thompson Jr. and Florine (Hanks) Thompson.

Mike attended Lincoln Elementary and Etta Dale Junior High and graduated from El Reno High School in 1971. He attended El Reno Junior College, now Redlands, and completed two years.

Betty Mack Wolfe Smith, 98, passed away peacefully March 31, 2025, in Bethany. She was born in Corsicana, Texas, in 1926 to parents, WM. M. Wolfe and Georgia Bishop.

Betty dedicated her life to caring for those around her, including time as a teacher.

But her pride and joy was making her home a welcoming place for family and friends to make memories together.