Sports

ARDMORE – Cal Swanson carved through El Reno High School’s Blue Crush defense with surgeon-like precision as the Ardmore Tigers defeated the Indians 49-7 to remain tied atop the District 5A-1 standings.

The loss dropped El Reno to 2-6 on the season and 2-3 in 5A-1 play.

Swanson did not complete a pass over 10 yards in four attempts. However, under 10 yards, the junior was a perfect 13-of-13, getting the ball quickly into the hands of three different receivers who produced 285 yards and four touchdowns.

It’s been said that being a place-kicker in football can be the loneliest job on the field.

Hours spent alone in practice, booting the ball through the uprights from different spots – then chasing down your own footballs.

Game nights are spent walking the sidelines waiting for your number to be called to showcase to coaches and fans what you have been doing in practice.

Not as glamorous as skilled position jobs, but that’s just fine for El Reno High School’s Kenneth Solis – or No.22 on your roster in case you scanned over it.

Etta Dale Junior High’s football teams closed out the 2021 schedule last week by splitting home games with Shawnee in Suburban Conference action.

The Indians eighth-grade team dropped a 46-6 game to the Wolves despite scoring the first points of the game on a 22-yard run by quarterback Deacon Tillery.

El Reno’s seventh-grade team improved to 7-1 on the season with a 34-8 win over Shawnee. The victory came a week after a close 8-6 road win over Carl Albert, which was sealed on a fourth-period touchdown and 2-point conversion run by Kaleb Blackwolf.

Redlands Community College’s cross country teams had their most successful outing of the 2021 season last week with five harriers placing in the top 10 medalists and one team title.

Redlands women won the team title at the 2021 Carl Albert State College Viking Invitational, fueled by three runners crossing the finish line in the top 10.

The Cougars ran the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) course in a total time of two hours, 22 minutes and eight seconds.

The team’s average time per runner was 28:26.

Due to a rash of injuries, Redlands Community College’s soccer team forfeited last week’s road match at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

The 2-0 forfeit left Redlands with a 2-9 overall record. The Cougars were slated to wrap up the 2021 regular season in Tonkawa against Northern Oklahoma College, according to RCC Athletic Director Eli Zucksworth.

Zucksworth said Saturday was the last day teams could play regular-season matches which will count toward qualifying and seeding for the upcoming NJCAA Region 2 Championships.

In a reversal of fortunes from a year ago, El Reno High School’s football teams travels to Ardmore Friday clinging to the fourth playoff spot from District 5A-1, while the Tigers remain tied at the top of the standings.

“Obviously our season has not gone as expected but we knew Ardmore had a talented team last year and they had a lot coming back. I think we can still compete with them but they are very talented,” said El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison.

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.