Sports

Having coached for over half a century in various sports, not only for El Reno Public Schools but three other educational groups, there are very few honors that Ken Posey has not achieved.

His name appears on the basketball court at Etta Dale Junior High as tribute to his coaching years in both football and basketball. The practice green at Crimson Creek Golf Course also carries his name, honoring his five-plus decades in the sport.

So what would the legendary coach want his name associated with next?

A third-place finish in league play helped six El Reno High School players land spots on the 2023 All-District 5A-2 Softball Team during voting last week by member coaches.

El Reno’s six honorees included one superlative award as senior Jacy Little was tabbed as the district’s Defensive Player of the Year as well as a first team pick.

Other first team selections included Iliana Ashford at third base and Maddie Moss in the outfield.

El Reno had three players earn second team honors in seniors Raley Hartley and Justine Johnson and junior Ryah Hardy.

El Reno High School’s football team sports an offense on pace to crack 4,000 total yards for the first time in over a decade.

Quarterback Elijah Fisher and running back Malachi Nicholson have combined for more than 2,600 yards rushing.
 

El Reno High School’s cross-country team watched its season come to an end last week as the Indians did not advance a runner out of the Class 5A West Regional Championships.

Running at Wildhorse Park in Mustang, the El Reno girls took 15th place in the team standings with 443 points. The team posted an overall time of two hours, 22 minutes and 59 seconds for the 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) race.

The squad’s average kilometer time was 5:44, and the top five runners average overall time was 28:36.

LAWTON – A balanced no-huddle Lawton MacArthur offense kept El Reno High School’s defense on its heels last week as the Highlanders posted a 46-7 win over the Indians in a key District 5A-1 battle.

The 39-point victory allowed the Highlanders to take over sole possession of second place in the standings at 4-1, while El Reno slipped back into a tie with Noble for fourth at 3-2 in district action and 4-4 overall.

Last week’s loss to Lawton MacArthur not only ended El Reno High School’s three-game win streak but for all practical purposes took the Indians out of the chase for the District 5A-1 crown.

To get into a multiple-team tie for the league crown, El Reno would need Elgin to lose to both Midwest City and MacArthur over the final two weeks of the regular season. The undefeated Owls lead the District 5A-1 standings with a 5-0 record.

Then the Indians would need Noble to defeat both the Bombers and the Highlanders. Midwest City and MacArthur are tied for second, both at 4-1.

More than two decades separate their senior seasons, but El Reno High School running back Malachi Nicholson shares an eerie resemblance to the player whose record he is chasing – Marshell Chiles.

“I see a lot of me in him and his running style. I don’t want to take anything away from this young man and the things he has done, but I do see a lot of me in him.

“I’m just happy to see another great running back coming out of El Reno High School,” said Chiles.

El Reno High School’s football team eclipsed the 3,000- yard mark on offense after last week’s win over Ardmore.

The defense logged two interceptions.

Rebounding from a rough outing in its last tourney, Redlands Community College women’s golf team closed out the fall schedule with a third-place team finish in the 2023 Rangers Invitational.

Hosted by Northwestern Oklahoma State University, the event was played on the Meadowlake Golf Course in Enid, with the Rangers winning the team title with a 36-hole score of 627 (317/310).

Kansas-based Newman University was second with a 652 (328/324), while Redlands carded rounds of 326/328 for a 654. Northwestern’s B squad was fourth with a 696 (347/349).

Redlands Community College’s soccer team closed out the 2023 season on a three-match losing streak which included home shutout losses to Seminole State College and Eastern Oklahoma State College.

The three-match losing streak left the Cougars with a 2-14 overall record and a 2-13 mark in the NJCAA Region 2 standings – which was eighth.

The Cougars fell to Seminole State, the Region 2 leader, by a 7-0 margin after allowing five goals in the second half.

Redlands goalie Haley Inglehart allowed all seven goals but logged 16 saves.