Sports

Russell Cook may be new to the U.S. 81 Battle, which is one of the state’s oldest known football rivalries, but the El Reno High School head coach has no problems opening up the season with such a big rivalry game.

“It feels good to be in such a great tradition. I have no problem opening the season with a rivalry game like this, I’m just excited to get out there on the field and see what we can do,” said Cook.

El Reno welcomes Chickasha to Memorial Stadium Friday to start Cook’s tenure, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

ELK CITY – After both squads gave up would-be scoring plays in the controlled portion of last week’s preseason scrimmage, El Reno High School's football team prevailed 7-0 over Elk City in the open portion.

Starting at the 40-yard line, teams needed to gain a first down in three plays to extend the drive.

El Reno did that with a 30-yard pass from Cooper Park to Evan Roman Nose on third-and-9.

Malachi Nicholson added a 7-yard run, before covering the final 2 yards to the end zone on the following play.

Bouncing back from a season-opening loss, El Reno High School’s volleyball team needed only a few minutes past an hour to defeat Hennessey last week 3-0 in a tuneup match ahead of its own tournament.

The Indians 25-5/25-9/25-13 win lifted El Reno’s string of victories over the Eagles to 11-0 since 2017. Over those 11 matches, Kristen Koehler’s squads have never lost a game to Hennessey.

In its first road test of the season, El Reno High School’s fast-pitch softball team was stymied to less than a handful of hits in a 9-1 setback to the Noble Bears.

The loss dropped the Indians to 4-2 on the season and snapped a three-game win streak. El Reno slipped to fourth in the District 5A-2 standings at 1-1 with the setback.

El Reno’s lone run came in the fourth inning after Noble scored the first five runs of the contest. Maddie Moss singled and moved to second on a Bears error off a grounder by Micah Woods.

For the second time in the past three seasons, El Reno High School's volleyball team has opened up its season on the losing side of a 3-0 shutout.

After El Reno defeated Tecumseh a year ago in its season kickoff, the Savages returned the favor last week with a 25-10/25-14/25-22 win over El Reno inside Jenks Simmons Field House.

Sixteen batters went to the plate in the bottom of the first inning last week as El Reno High School's fast-pitch softball team kicked off District 5A-2 play with a lopsided 18-5 win over Bishop McGuinness.

The five-inning run-rule victory lifted El Reno to 3-1 on the year.

Fueled by a 10-run second inning, Calumet High School's baseball team remains undefeated on the season with a 13-0 shutout of Fletcher last week in a tuneup game ahead of the Leedey tournament.

The Chieftains moved to 6-0 for the fall campaign.

Caleb Meschberger got the win on the mound with a two-inning line of two hits and a pair of strikeouts with no walks. Dalton Belcher threw one frame, allowing a hit and a walk against three strikeouts.

UNION CITY - A late-evening thunderstorm caused Union City High School's fast-pitch softball team to suffer its first conference loss of the season after trailing Ninnekah 6-0 in the bottom of the sixth when play was suspended.

“I think we are just going to call it,” said Union City head coach Cody Schmidt.

El Reno High School's football program hosted a Saturday morning skills clinic for some of the most devoted fans – the mother figures of the players.

More than two dozen joined players from both junior high and high school squads for “Moms 101” which covered the basics of what players go through during a regular practice day.