Sports

In what is expected to be the final regular-season meeting between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for the foreseeable future, the Cowboys prevailed 27-24 to remain tied for the Big 12 lead.

Tucked away on the east end of Memorial Stadium, Gage Baeriswyl and Jacob Smith go through their daily drills just like every other member of El Reno High School’s football team.

The difference is neither of their names are commonly found on the lips of those talking about El Reno football as the Indians enter the final week of the regular season.

In fact, their names are often mistaken by announcers, both home and away, either by mispronunciation or the fact they wear jerseys with numbers only two digits apart.

El Reno’s Elijah Fisher (6), Kaleb Blackwolf (1) and Malachi Nicholson (3) have a combined 3,476 rushing yards.
 

Four El Reno High School seniors were nominated for a second round of postseason honors but only two were selected for spots on the 2023 Oklahoma High School Fast-Pitch Softball Coaches Association’s All-Region squads.

Infielders Jacy Little and Iliana Ashford were nominated for All-Region along with pitcher Raley Hartley and outfielder Justine Johnson. However, only Little and Ashford were selected for the All-Region 11 team.

DUNCAN – A pair of former El Reno High School standouts played a game of mind chess from the sidelines last week and it was the elder of alums who got the checkmate move.

Lathen Pruitt, nephew of El Reno defensive coordinator Michael Pruitt (a 2001 EHS grad), intercepted a Sawyer Rice pass at the EHS 10-yard line with two seconds left to seal the Indians 42-28 win over the Duncan Demons.

“Their guy had been throwing it down the field on us all night, but toward the end we really stepped it up a little bit. We were in four and it was my job to stay deep.

El Reno High School’s football team is riding a four-game winning streak over Altus, its longest in the series with the Bulldogs, and head coach Russell Cook is stressing it’s better to let a sleeping dog lie.

“Altus has got a new coaching staff this year and they have struggled, but they have gotten better each week. This is one of those games we cannot take lightly and we need to go out and take care of business,” said Cook.

Having coached for over half a century in various sports, not only for El Reno Public Schools but three other educational groups, there are very few honors that Ken Posey has not achieved.

His name appears on the basketball court at Etta Dale Junior High as tribute to his coaching years in both football and basketball. The practice green at Crimson Creek Golf Course also carries his name, honoring his five-plus decades in the sport.

So what would the legendary coach want his name associated with next?

A third-place finish in league play helped six El Reno High School players land spots on the 2023 All-District 5A-2 Softball Team during voting last week by member coaches.

El Reno’s six honorees included one superlative award as senior Jacy Little was tabbed as the district’s Defensive Player of the Year as well as a first team pick.

Other first team selections included Iliana Ashford at third base and Maddie Moss in the outfield.

El Reno had three players earn second team honors in seniors Raley Hartley and Justine Johnson and junior Ryah Hardy.