Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY – For the second time in three seasons, El Reno High School’s softball team faced the tough task of playing the top seed in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A State Softball Championships.

While the outcome did not favor the Indians, the 12-2 loss to Piedmont was a growing experience for a young team, which started only three seniors against the Wildcats.

“Piedmont has a lot of experience on that stage. Making it to the state tournament and being able to gain experience will only help our program.

Two fourth-period defensive stands by the Blue Crush defense helped El Reno High School's football team seal a 32-27 win over Duncan in a game with playoff ramifications for both squads.

With its second straight win, El Reno improved to 2-5 on the season. More importantly, the Indians evened their District 5A-1 mark to 2-2 and moved into a tie with Southeast for the fourth playoff spot.

One of the longest hiatus from state in school history will have to wait another year to end as El Reno High School’s volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to Southeast last week in the Class 5A Region 6 Championships.

The 25-21/25-19/25-17 setback to the sixth-ranked Spartans left El Reno with a 1-1 playoff record after a 3-1 (25-20/25-17/22-25/25-13) win over Noble in the semifinals.

It was the second straight trip to the regional championship match for El Reno, ranked 11th in the state, which closed its 2021 season with a 21-13 record.

MIDWEST CITY – El Reno High School fielded only a boys squad for the 2021 Suburban Conference Cross Country Championships last week, placing seventh overall.

The Indians posted an overall time of one hour, 46 minutes and 18 seconds for the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) course. El Reno’s runners posted an average time of 21:15.68 and finished with 172 team points.

While struggling to break free from a three-match losing streak, Redlands Community College’s soccer team is starting to find its offense after posting four goals in its last two outings.

The Cougars slipped to 2-7 on the season and in the NJCAA Region 2 standings after a 3-2 home loss to National Park College, based out of Hot Springs, Ark., and a 5-2 setback at Memorial Stadium to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

In the two losses, Redlands had 26 total shots, led by Yalexy Rodriguez with seven, which she turned into a team-leading three goals, while adding one assist.

Redlands Community College’s cross country teams ran into a tough field last week at the 2021 Mustang Open, hosted by Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The women’s team took center stage in this meet for the Cougars, placing 11th overall with a total time of two hours, 12 minutes and 45 seconds.

The average runner’s time was 26:33 for the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) course as RCC posted a team score of 359.

For the second time in three seasons, El Reno High School’s girls softball team is back in the Elite Eight after punching its ticket to state with a sweep of Duncan to win the Class 5A Region 2 Championships.

El Reno went 3-0 in day two of the regional, eliminating Ardmore 10-0, before beating Duncan 9-4 in the first championship game.

The Demons, undefeated in the playoffs to that point, were then handed a 5-0 shutout by the Indians.

After the first few weeks of District 5A-1 play, the race for the postseason has already begun to take shape.

El Reno High School is looking to make it four straight trips to the playoffs, and in order for that to happen, the Indians face for all practical purposes a “must-win” ball game Thursday night when the Duncan Demons visit Memorial Stadium.

“All the games are important if you want to get in (playoffs),” said El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison.

Etta Dale Junior High’s seventh- and eighth-grade football teams combined last week to overcome a rash of penalties en route to a 30-12 road win over Western Heights.

Seventh-grader Kaleb Blackwolf scored all four touchdowns for El Reno, each over 30 yards. The Indians logged three 2-point conversions, with eighth-grade quarterback Deacon Tillery throwing one to seventh-grader Antawan Grayson and another to eighth-grader Kolby Belt.

Eighth-grader Ephriam Littlecreek ran in the third conversion.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Snapping a six-game losing streak dating back to last season's playoff loss, El Reno High School's football team scored touchdowns on eight of nine possessions en route to a 56-0 shutout of Capitol Hill.

The Indians improved to 1-5 on the season but more importantly, 1-2 in the District 5A-1 race, climbing out of a three-way tie for last place with both Duncan and the Red Wolves.