Sports

Haley Mitchel is no longer a part of the program in which she’s had a major impact as both a player and coach over the span of two decades.

Mitchel informed Okarche Superintendent Josh Sumrall on Sunday that she was resigning her duties as girls basketball coach, effective immediately. She made it official Monday night when she read a tearful, emotional resignation letter to the Okarche Board of Education members during their December regular meeting.

Just days before earning the lion’s share of first-place votes in the second Class B poll of the season, Calumet High School’s boys basketball team defeated 18th-ranked Lomega 62-52 to win the 2023 Canton Invitational.

It was the second victory of the season over the Raiders as undefeated Calumet extended its regular-season win streak to 29 games dating back to last season.

Despite rebounding from a sub-par offensive effort in the tourney-opening loss to Lomega, Calumet High School’s girls basketball team suffered back-to-back losses in the 2023 Canton Invitational.

The Chieftains remain winless on the season after the two losses to the Raiders (72-13), ranked third in Class B, and to Cherokee (66-36).

Calumet struggled to score from 2-point range in the two losses, going 4-of-34 (12 percent), but did hit 10-of-48 shots from behind the 3-point arc for 21 percent.

The Chieftains were 11-of-22 from the free-throw line.

HARRAH - Jennifer Douglas has been waiting to see what the outcome would be when her talented group of El Reno High School basketball players came together as a team.

It took just five games to get that answer.

El Reno moved to 5-0 on the season with a 57-40 win over Putnam City in the championship game of the 51st Annual Harrah Panthers Classic.

“We don’t go to tournament to stack trophies. We go to tournaments to get better. We’ve got something to build on and to show that if you do this and do that, that this will happen.

HARRAH – Having scrimmaged Classen SAS during the preseason, El Reno High School’s boys basketball team used that knowledge of the Comets to post a win when it counted for real.

El Reno outscored the Comets 18-7 in the fourth period to seal a 72-55 victory in the title game of the 51st Annual Harrah Panthers Classic.

The Indians moved to 4-1 on the season after reaching the championship game with victories over Harrah’s junior varsity (93-31) and District 5A-1 foe Shawnee (91-46).

El Reno High School’s wrestling team suffered its worst loss of the dual season last week, dropping a 63-9 decision to Class 4A’s top-ranked Tuttle Tigers.

The Indians, ranked seventh at the time in the Class 5A poll, slipped to 2-2 on the year with its second straight setback.

El Reno forfeited three weights to the Tigers, while giving up falls by Trevor Robinson (157), Terry Guzman (113), Hunter Myers (150) and Spencer Davidson (175).

One quarter proved to be the difference in a tight contest as El Reno High School’s boys basketball team overcame a slow shooting night to earn its first victory of the season.

El Reno used a 13-2 run in the second period and then outgunned Altus 31-30 in the second half to pull out a 55-43 win over the Bulldogs. The 12-point decision lifted the Indians to 1-1 on the year and in the District 5A-1 standings.

While Jennifer Douglas will take what she terms an “ugly win” over the alternative, the El Reno High School girls basketball coach knows her team has the skill level to do better.

El Reno overcame 21 turnovers and 20 fouls to defeat Altus 59-32 in its first road contest of the season. The Indians remain atop the District 5A-1 standings at 2-0 heading into this weekend’s Harrah Panthers Classic.

“I’ll take an ugly win but we have got to get better,” said Douglas.

El Reno High School’s football team was recently recognized with its first round of postseason honors as six players were named to the 2023 All-District 5A-1 team – a senior-only honor.

Two of those picks were superlative awards as running back Malachi Nicholson was named Offensive Most Valuable Player.

William Elledge was selected as the Linebacker of the Year, sharing the award with Lawton MacArthur’s Jake Caldwell.

El Reno placed three on the first team in offensive linemen Dion Kaulaity and Cade Houston as well as defensive lineman Spencer Davidson.

PIEDMONT – Facing one of the busiest weeks on its schedule, El Reno High School’s wrestling team kicked off the first of three ranked road events with a 46-30 dual loss against cross-county rival Piedmont.

The Wildcats, ranked seventh in Class 6A, snapped a three-year losing streak to El Reno – ranked seventh in Class 5A. The loss dropped the Indians to 2-1 on the season.

“They (Piedmont) are better than they have been and we didn’t come to wrestle today.

“We are a young team and we’ve got some injuries but that is no excuse.