El Reno High School’s volleyball team kicked off preseason workouts last week at the Jenks Simmons Field House Annex. Head coach Kristen Koehler said her varsity players self-quarantined for two weeks prior to starting drills to ensure they were not exposed to the COVID-19 virus. “We wanted to make sure we could get started,” said Koehler. The Indians are set to have a preseason scrimmage Aug. 4 and open the season Aug. 10.
After overcoming planning hiccups associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the 2020 Smoke on the Water Drag Boat Races had to deal with the queen of all elements – Mother Nature.
“She seems to always want to rear her head and let us know she is in charge,” said co-organizer Josh Finnigan.
The first day of racing was delayed more than an hour by high winds on Lake El Reno, which forced race officials to trim down the length of the course.
Just one day after having her program shut down temporarily due to a positive COVID-19 player test, El Reno High School head softball coach Kylee Webb says reopening steps are well under way.
“The majority of the team has gotten tested but we don’t have any results back yet. As far as I know they all went to an urgent care or somewhere to get it (test) covered by insurance. I don't know how many went and got the rapid test,” said Webb.
This year’s Smoke on the Water Drag Boat Races will run as scheduled starting Friday night, despite a recent upswing of COVID-19 cases in El Reno and Canadian County.
“We are full steam ahead. You are always worried about it (virus) and we have been hoping to be able to get to the event and get through it,” said event co-organizer Josh Finnigan.
While they were held at the starting line due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smoke on the Water organizers have been throttled down for the past month as the 2020 races will take place as scheduled.
Set for July 17-19 at Lake El Reno, the drag boat racing event was in jeopardy for just the second time in its 20 years of existence. This year’s races mark the seventh year to be held in El Reno after moving from Fort Cobb Lake.
Scoring 16 runs in the top of the first inning of the title game, the Oklahoma Sharks baseball team recently won the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Oklahoma Double A West State Championships.
Playing in Moore, the Sharks posted a 5-0 record after defeating the Oklahoma Dogs 18-7 in the championship game.
The travel team is made up of players from El Reno, Kingfisher, Yukon, Mustang, Blanchard and Cashion.
The team is ranked fifth in the state of Oklahoma in the latest Double A rankings and 59th nationally.
El Reno’s Renegades and Stars took each other on in youth softball action.
El Reno High School athletes will have an extra week to get ready for the start of fall sports after the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association canceled this year’s dead period.
The OSSAA board of directors voted unanimously to skip the dead period, which was enacted for the first time last year.
El Reno Superintendent Craig McVay, a member of the board, said the decision was a no-brainer.
“We have been in a dead period for the last couple of months, so we voted to suspend it for this year,” said McVay.
Central
Arcadia: June 8.
Elevation normal, water 80 and stained.
Blue and channel catfish good on cut bait, dough bait, live bait, punch bait and stinkbait along dam, points and rocks.
Crappie fair on jigs and minnows below the dam, around brush structure and standing timber.
Report submitted by Dylan King, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County.
El Reno High School athletes returned to their venue of choice Monday morning, ending an 11-week hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, don’t expect to see the Indians playing head-to-head action with other schools anytime soon as the district has opted a phased approach to sports moving forward from the virus with caution.
“I want kids to be healthy come August so we can get school and our seasons started and have no delays. If we have to give up some summer league games to do that, we can make it work.
