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.
El Reno Public Schools coaches and administration were scheduled to meet Tuesday to formulate a plan to bring back athletes for summer workouts after a plan by the state’s governing body failed by a vote from its board of directors.
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association took a three-step plan to a board vote last week but the measure failed by a 7-6 margin.
One of those voting against the plan was El Reno Superintendent Craig McVay, who sits on the board through the end of June.
“Play Ball!”
That's the phrase that Oklahoma youth baseball and softball players have been waiting to hear since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic back in March.
That came to an end last week as El Reno co-hosted a youth softball tournament along with Harrah. Baseball started its league season last Monday and softball followed suit three days later.
While their seasons were cut short due to COVID-19, several area baseball and softball players recently picked up postseason honors for the 2019 spring campaigns.
The Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association released the All-Star by Class teams last week with El Reno senior Gabe Ruoff making the Class 5A West Team as an outfielder, and classmate Brice Hill as a pitcher. Players must be on the All-Star by Class team to be eligible for All-State consideration.
