Sports

El Reno High School’s volleyball team hosted its annual tournament over the weekend at Jenks Simmons Field House.

El Reno posted a 3-2 record in the event to win the silver bracket championship.

Just two days into fall drills, El Reno High School’s football team got its “Friday Night Lights” fix by capping off a four-hour practice under the glow of Memorial Stadium.

“We spent the first two hours on the practice field and it was cool to get grass back under our feet. Coach Pruitt (Michael) talked to the players about the tradition that practice field has.

“Then after a break we went back on the turf and turned on the lights and got a little of that Friday night vibe,” said El Reno head coach Russell Cook.

After squaring its match with Tecumseh at a game-all, El Reno High School’s volleyball team dropped back-to-back games to the Savages to open the 2024 campaign with a 3-1 loss.

Tecumseh won a close 25-22 opening game before El Reno rallied from three points down to pull out a 26-24 win in game two. The Savages secured the win by taking the final two games 25-18 and 25-19.

El Reno served at 93 percent for the match with 14 aces, while logging 74 digs. The effort, however, was hampered by 55 errors.

Bri Michalicka’s tenure as El Reno High School’s fast-pitch softball coach hit a rough patch along Interstate 40 last week as the Indians opened the 2024 season with a 12-0 loss to Weatherford.

El Reno was held to two hits in the shutout loss as the team went 2-of-11 from the plate with no walks and five strikeouts.

Both hits came in the top of the second inning as Micah Woods singled and went to third on a one-out double by Kyla Killingsworth. Both were left stranded on back-to-back strikeouts. El Reno did not have another base runner.

Maizlynn Steenbergen recently won the Lake Hefner golf tournament championship for the girls 12- to 14-year-old age group.

She has won the event three years in a row.

It was the first time for Steenbergen to play 18 holes each day of the event, posting rounds of 92 and 96 to secure the title.

Steenbergen will be a seventh-grader this year at Banner School.

UNION CITY – Rookie head coach Terra Funk got her first career win last week as Union City High School’s fast-pitch softball team ran through its lineup two and a half times in the bottom of the first inning.

The result of those 21 batters was 16 runs, 14 hits and five walks as the Tigers defeated Velma-Alma 19-0.

The win lifted Union City to 1-1 on the season following a 5-0 loss to Binger-Oney.

Union City went 19-of-21 from the plate (.905) with six walks. Morgan Brothers led the way with a 3-for-3 effort with three runs scored and two more driven in.

UNION CITY – Facing two-time state champion Fort Cobb-Broxton to kick off its 2024 fall season, Union City High School’s baseball team hung with the Mustangs for two innings.

Then the floodgates opened.

The Mustangs, who won the fall (2023) and spring (2024) state titles, scored 10 runs over the final five innings to post a 13-5 win over the Tigers.

Union City trailed 3-1 after two frames but did not score again until a four-run fifth inning. The Tigers put up all five runs on a 7-of-29 (.241) effort from the plate.

With only five upperclassmen on its roster, El Reno High School’s volleyball team was set to open the 2024 season with the proverbial “young squad” tag.

Just so happens, that tag may also be one of the team’s assets according to head coach Kristin Koehler.

“All of our girls played on varsity last year and we have only two that didn’t get too much playing time. We’re going to rely a lot on sophomores this season but they do have a lot of experience from last season,” said Koehler.

El Reno High School joined hundreds of other schools across the state of Oklahoma by opening preseason football workouts Monday morning at Memorial Stadium.

Head coach Russell Cook said 56 players in grades 10 through 12 checked out equipment.

El Reno will have four days of heat acclimation drills before putting on pads for the first time Friday.

Editor’s Note: Due to the time difference and schedule demands, Ezeala spoke with the Tribune prior to the quarterfinal game with the United States.

Team Nigeria lost 88-74 to the defending Olympic champs.

When it comes to his basketball coaching career, Prince Ezeala is truly “living the dream” and has just one simple request - don’t wake him up anytime soon.