Sports

Less than a month into his tenure as defensive coordinator, Michael Pruitt has already gotten a leg up on veteran coach and El Reno High School offensive play-caller Graham Snelding.

The two coached teams for the intrasquad scrimmage which capped off EHS’ spring drills, with Pruitt’s team edging out the other by a touchdown.

“Coach Pruitt and Coach Snelding sat down and tried to even out both teams as best as they could. It showed that our offense is ahead of our defense but the major part of that is we have a new defensive coordinator.

As overnight showers yielded to sunny skies, the 2023 Mary K. Ashbrook Kids Fishing Derby drew close to 300 youth anglers to the banks of Lake El Reno.

Hosted by the El Reno Sportsman’s Club, the event pulled in a total of 291 anglers ranging in age from under 3 years old up to age 15.

The field snagged several species of fish including bass, catfish, crappie and carp, leading to 114 youth presenting catches for the weigh-in.

El Reno High School point guard Carter Roman Nose drives around a Newcastle defender in the first half of the Indians game with the Racers to kick off EHS’ run in the 2023 Mustang Boys Summer League.

El Reno rallied to defeat Newcastle before dropping close games to Mustang and Putnam City West.

See upcoming editions for a recap.

With the ball tucked snug in his glove, El Reno High School shortstop Gavin Tinsley swings around to tag out a Crossings Christian base runner at second base during the opening contest of a two-game set with the Knights to kick off the 2023 Summer Red Dirt League.

El Reno won both games. See Wednesday's paper for a recap of the series.

CENTRAL

Arcadia: May 28.
Elevation is 0.5 ft. above normal and stable, water temperature 71°F and stained.
Largemouth bass fair on plastic baits, small lures and spinnerbaits around coves, shorelines, standing timber and weed beds. Blue and channel catfish fair on chicken liver, punch bait, shad and stinkbait around points, riprap, and rocks.

Redlands Community College’s baseball team picked up a pair of postseason honors recently in voting among league coaches.

Sophomores Tyson Eastwood and Kyler Denton, both from Fort Cobb, earned Second Team All-Region honors on the NJCAA Region 2, Division 2 squads.

Eastwood was also named one of the Gold Glove Award winners for Region 2, Division 2.

Both players filled multiple positions for the Cougars, who made the postseason tourney as an eighth seed after a year hiatus from the playoffs.

El Reno defensive coordinator Michael Pruitt talks over alignment schemes with a set of players during a recent practice.

El Reno was working through its second week of spring drills.
 

Jason Little is living proof that just when you think you have everything under control, life can throw you a curve ball.

As it turns out, the pitch looked too good for the veteran coach not to take a swing.

El Reno High School’s new softball coach took the EHS job just a day after accepting the assistant coaching position at Piedmont High School under longtime friend and summertime collaborator Keith Coleman.

The switch was perpetrated by a chance email from El Reno Athletic Director Rodney Haydon.

Before heading off to Oklahoma State, El Reno High School graduate Ty Vincent had a little work left to be done with his playing career in baseball.

Vincent started for the North squad in the 2023 Western Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association’s Large School All-Star Game. The event was played at Radar Park in Weatherford.

“It was fun and it was pretty cool. It was the last time to play baseball before I moved on and I got to represent El Reno again in an All-Star game,” said Vincent.

Redlands Community College’s baseball team had a short stay in the recent NJCAA Southwest District Championship, losing back-to-back games to end its season on an eight-game losing streak.

The Cougars, back in the postseason after a year absence, were the No.8 seed and dropped an 8-0 game to top-seeded South Arkansas in the opener. Redlands fell behind Murray State College 10-2 before scoring three runs in the sixth inning.

However, Redlands was shut out the remaining innings of the 10-5 loss which left the Cougars with a 21-35 overall record.