Sports

While making just 20 shots from the floor, Calumet High School’s boys basketball team opened up the 2020-21 season with a 67-58 win over Binger-Oney with strong free-throw shooting.

The Chieftains moved to 1-0 in the Washita Valley Conference standings after padding an eight-point lead after three periods with a 13-of-17 ( 76 percent) effort from the line over the final eight minutes.

Calumet closed the game making 23-of-29 attempts from the charity stripe for 79 percent. Mark Castillo scored a game-high 20 points, highlighted by his 8-of-11 mark at the line.

Military veterans and active military members will be able to join youth hunters for the first time this year on exclusive waterfowl hunting days set aside especially for them.

These special days, slated for Nov. 7 and Feb. 6, 2021, statewide except the Panhandle, provide two extra hunting days outside of the regular waterfowl hunting seasons for hunters 15 and younger. Now, active and retired military members can also participate.

Northeast

Fort Gibson: Elevation above normal, water 57 with 1 foot of visibility. White bass good on in-line spinnerbaits, jigs, sassy shad and spoons in the main lake, around points, windblown rocky shorelines and flats.

With last week’s shutout of Southeast, El Reno High School’s football team clinched the District 5A-1 title outright, the Indians first league title since 2009.

However, that’s not good enough for El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison.

“There is no doubt we are district champions, but we don’t want to go out there and slip up and lose to Altus. We want to finish this thing up right and see who we play next in the playoffs,” said Atchison.

El Reno will host Altus Friday, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

With three time and location changes and no real practices leading up to its game with Southeast last week due to a freak October ice storm, El Reno High School’s football team was missing its usual spark.

And it showed on Halloween day as the Indians looked sluggish early before powering through three turnovers en route to a 46-0 victory of the Spartans.

El Reno improved to 6-2 on the season and 5-0 in the District 5A-1 standings with the shutout.

After a 21-year hiatus from having a player elevated to elite status with a spot on the Oklahoma Coaches Association’s All-State Volleyball Team, El Reno High School has been honored yet again after voting from state coaches.

Senior Riley Connor became the third El Reno player in the last four years to earn a spot on the Large West team, which will take on the East July 27 during the annual OCA All-State Week.

El Reno High School’s softball team reached the regional finals this season with only two starting seniors on the roster, a feat which was rewarded with four players being named to the 2020 All-District 5A-1 team.

The awards this season had a different twist as players were not assigned by a position on the team, rather an area in which they played the majority of the season.

After emerging unscathed through a run of games against the other four teams in the top half of the District 5A-1 standings, El Reno High School’s football team is now the odds-on favorite to claim the league championship.

“I know the players believe they are the district champs, but we have got to use the next two weeks to get better,” said El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison.

While all the teams in District 5A-1 will enter the playoffs this season after last week's decision by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, the order of finish may have settled itself on the field.

El Reno remains the only unbeaten team in the district following Friday night's 34-16 win over Ardmore at Memorial Stadium.

The Indians improved to 5-2 on the season and 4-0 in the 5A-1 standings, while Ardmore slipped from a tie for second place into fifth at 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the league.

Forced by a growing number of teams losing games due to the spread of COVID-19, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association opened up the 2020 football playoffs to every team in the state.

“With the cancellation of numerous games in district play, it caused us some concerns on how games could be made up. We did not think we would have as many games canceled as we had,” said OSSAA Associate Director Mark Whaley during a Zoom call with members of the media.