Sports

While the play took only a few seconds to unfold, it seemed like a lifetime to El Reno High School linebacker Diante Palmer.

“It was going in slow motion. I could see the ball coming into the end zone,” said Palmer.

The senior broke up a two-point conversion pass from Noble quarterback Colin Fisher to help preserve a wild 41-40 win for El Reno on homecoming night.

“I saw them drop down for a pass and the only thing that went through my head was go for the ball. I was going for the interception but I also really wanted to just break up the pass,” said Palmer.

It’s taken over four decades but Calumet High School’s baseball team has found its way back to the state baseball tourney after winning the Class B, Region 3 Championships.

Calumet, ranked third in the state, defeated Big Pasture (11-4) and Moss (13-1) to punch its state ticket with a 24-4 overall record.

The Chieftains open up the Class B State Championships Thursday at Edmond Memorial. Calumet has made state in the fall just one time before, losing 16-0 to Asher in 1975 – a gap of 45 years.

On the field it was not a memorable night for El Reno High School’s three seniors as the Indians fast-pitch softball team dropped an 11-1 game to the Oklahoma City Broncos to close out the 2022 regular season.

El Reno is now 12-16 on the season and will play in the Class 5A, Region 1 Championships at Carl Albert. The Indians face Ardmore in the first round Wednesday at 2 p.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senior Kira Taber hit the game’s second pitch over the center field wall at Rapp Field as El Reno High School’s fast-pitch softball team uncorked an 18-hit attack on Bishop McGuinness.

Taber’s homer, her second of the season, was one of two round-trippers by El Reno and 10 extra base hits as the Indians rolled to a 23-4 road win over the Irish to sweep the season series.

Rubbing elbows with some of the top NCAA programs in the country, Redlands Community College’s cross country teams took part in the famed Oklahoma State University Cowboys Jamboree.

“When we lined up at the start of the races, they announced they had eight of the top 10 NCAA Division 1 teams there, so it was the best of the best in the nation. It was insane,” said RCC head coach Natalie Graves.

Calumet High School’s baseball team had a lackluster tuneup outing ahead of the upcoming regional round of the Class B playoffs, losing a 5-1 home game to Amber-Pocasset.

The loss dropped the Chieftains, ranked third in the state, to 22-4 on the season.

Calumet was set to host the Region 3 Championships, facing Big Pasture (22-6) in the first round. Moss and Mulhall-Orlando are the other two schools entered and the top two survivors make the state tourney.

Kaleb Thiessen and Caleb Meschberger both singled for the only hits by Calumet in the loss to the Panthers.

El Reno capped off a three-match road swing last week with a 3-1 loss at Weatherford.

The setback to Class 4A’s 14th-ranked Eagles left EHS with a 1-2 mark on the road trip and a 10-14 season record.

See Wednesday’s paper for a recap.

Due to low Shawnee numbers, El Reno’s seventh and eighth grade football teams, shown here in a game earlier this season, combined forces last week to defeat the Wolves in a 72-48 shootout.

Union City High School’s fast-pitch softball team took Rush Springs into the title round of the Class A, District 29 Championships before bowing out with back-to-back losses to the Redskins.

The Tigers season ended with a 23-14 record after 6-0 and 10-7 losses to Rush Springs, following a 14-3 victory over Empire.

Mackinzie DeLong was a big hit machine for Union City over the three games, falling a single short of hitting for the cycle. The senior had two home runs in back-to-back innings on the first day of the district tourney.

Redlands Community College’s soccer team jumped back into NJCAA Region 2 action last week, kicking off a four-match road swing with a 6-1 setback to Rose State College.

The loss dropped the Cougars to 2-8 for the season and 1-6 in the region standings.

The Raiders led 3-0 before Redlands scored an unassisted goal by Moriah Reed to trail 3-1 at the break. Rose State added three second-half goals.

Redlands had seven shots, five on goal, led by Reed with three shots. Gladis Avalos followed with two shots, while Amya Lindsay and Riley Robertson had one shot each.