Sports

Look! Out there on the lake! Is it a truck? Is it a boat?

Why no, it’s just Farmtruck and Azn.

The popular and zany duo from Discovery Channel’s reality show Street Outlaws will be buzzing around Lake El Reno this weekend during the 2021 Smoke on the Water Drag Boat Races.

“They are going to be out there to support Ervin Capps with whatever he needs,” said Lou Renova, marketing and media director for the duo.

Farmtruck, whose real name is Sean Whitley, will not only be there in support of the legendary boat builder, who has become a SOTW favorite.

In their final contact drills before taking 24 days off, El Reno High School football players went through a four-day team camp last week despite having several key pieces missing.

“We had some kids gone to Arizona for basketball so we had some kids missing. The skilled kids we did have went through padded camp and we did a lot of individual drills, some group stuff and then a lot of seven-on-seven to get used to throwing and catching in our pads,” said El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison.

A youth soccer camp, hosted by El Reno High School coaches Gabriel Gonzalez and Austin Little, was held last week in Adams Park with more than 50 players attending the four-day event.

For the second time in seven years, El Reno High School will have a graduate on the path to becoming a Major League Baseball player.

Rhett Kouba, who finished up his first season with Dallas Baptist University last month just shy of a berth in the College World Series, was drafted in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

“I had a feeling it could happen in maybe day two or three but I had to wait an extra day and I’m excited to see it finally happen,” said Kouba.

The right-handed pitcher was snagged with the 16th pick in the 12th round by the Houston Astros.

After losing three races to Wade Kokendoffer at last year’s Smoke on the Water Drag Boat Races, two of those in event finals, El Reno driver Matt Miller promised something new in 2021 for his longtime rival.

“He has ruled the classes and has gotten the better of me in the last few years. They are always tight races but I’ve got a few different changes for him,” said Miller.

It’s a rivalry that both men seem to enjoy.

Workers were busy last week laying, stretching and then stitching the new turf field at Memorial Stadium.

The project has a scheduled finish date of early August.

A small but determined group of El Reno residents are trying to rekindle the fire under a popular recreation sport which has caught on in other parts of the country and Canadian County, but found itself “in a pickle” locally.

Of course, we are talking about the sport of pickleball.

“It really has not caught on here. Part of the reason is that there are not enough places to play,” said Allen Carson, pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church and a player himself.

The first two photos show the rock base of the new turf playing surface at Memorial Stadium is down and near completion.

The white rolls are the playing surface, which is slated to be installed this week according to El Reno High School head coach Chuck Atchison.

The Enid Outlaws and the Oklahoma Outlaws both clinched basketball titles over the weekend.

The Enid squad won two games over the Houston Push to claim the Central Division Championship of The Basketball League (TBL) playoffs. The team moves into the conference finals to face West Division Champion San Diego Guardians with the winner reaching the TBL finals.

The Oklahoma Outlaws won the Minor League Basketball Association (MLBA) Championship.

Both teams are owned by El Reno’s Jonathan Reed and based out of his OnPoint Hoops Academy.

CENTRAL

Overholser: July 6.
Elevation above normal, water low 80s and clearing.
Striped bass (hybrids) slow on crawfish and flukes in the main lake and along shorelines. Channel catfish good on cut bait and worms around points and shorelines. Bluegill good on crickets and worms along shorelines.

NORTHEAST