El Reno Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE</a>. Overview (Class 5A Preseason Ranking: #8) For perhaps the first time in a long time, the El Reno Indians came into 2020 with expectations to win their district and make a deep playoff run after returning most of their starters from their team that had gone 8-2 in the regular season in 2019. They would begin the season with an overtime win over Cache but then hit a bit of a speed bump when star QB/Athlete [player_tooltip player_id="38688" first="Dorian" last="Plumley"] went down with an injury that would keep him out of the next 2 games against Piedmont and Weatherford. The Indian offense did not look the same without Plumlee. As a result, they would drop their final 2 non-district games by a combined score of 72-21. However, they would not let those losses define them or take their sights off their ultimate goal. Once their roster was back to full health El Reno found their rhythm once again and went on a 6 game win streak to end the regular season, which was capped off with a district title. After a Covid scare that nearly forced them to forfeit their playoff run, the Indians stormed into the first round where they would avenge one of their 2 losses to that point in a blowout win over rival Piedmont. Their magnificent playoff run would come to a halt in the quarterfinals against McAlester where they were a 2-point conversion away from forcing a second overtime. That should not take away from the incredible season they had though as they fought through more adversity than just about any playoff team in 2020 and were still able to make it as far as they did. Though they lose a lot of their top players from their special 2021 Senior class such as OU signee [player_tooltip player_id="38688" first="Dorian" last="Plumley"] and NEO signee [player_tooltip player_id="38571" first="Darius" last="Moore"], the El Reno Indians return 11 total starters and know what it takes to get to the top now that they have a taste of what it feels like to contend in 5A. <hr /> 2020 Results (8-4 Record – Lost In 5A Quarterfinals) Aug. 28 – Beat Cache 42-35 (OT) Sept. 4 – Lost to Piedmont 31-7 Sept. 11 – Lost to Weatherford 41-14 Sept. 25 – Beat Noble 25-0 Oct. 2 – Beat Lawton MacArthur 20-17 Oct. 9 – Game VS Capitol Hill Canceled Oct. 14 – Beat Duncan 43-42 (OT) Oct. 23 – Beat Ardmore 34-16 Oct. 30 – Beat Southeast 46-0 Nov. 6 – Beat Altus 68-7 1st Round – Beat Piedmont 41-14 Quarterfinals – Lost to McAlester 43-41 (OT) <hr /> Players To Watch [player_tooltip player_id="61132" first="Mikey" last="Devereaux"] - 2022 Linebacker/ Running Back Though he is the only El Reno Indian currently ranked on our site, he is not the only player on this team you need to look out for. Regardless, Mikey was one of the main contributors on both sides of the ball in 2020 and was one of the reasons they were able to accomplish what they did. Mikey split time at running back and linebacker in 2020 with success on both sides, but his best spot was without a doubt in the front seven on defense where he played with great instincts and anticipation in the run game all season. Devereaux put himself on the map in 2020, now he will look to improve upon his craft and jump himself into the next tier of prospects in the state of Oklahoma. Evan Roman Nose - 2023 Quarterback Roman Nose is El Reno’s likely starter this year at quarterback and he will certainly be looking to improve upon what he was able to do as a spot starter when Plumley was injured in 2020. Evan was not the most explosive or efficient passer when we saw him against Piedmont last September, but he had flashes in that game where we saw the vision and potential of what he could become moving forward. He will not have quite the arsenal of weapons that the Indians trotted out just a year ago, but El Reno returns enough talent on that side of the ball to help him ease into the offense until he finds his rhythm as a passer. Kobe Null - 2022 Wide Receiver After being just one of many viable options for El Reno in 2020, Kobe Null will be one of the Indians’ top targets on the perimeter in 2021. Null and former quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="38688" first="Dorian" last="Plumley"] had quite the connection last season, especially on fade routes in and just outside the red zone, which is where most of Null’s touchdowns came thanks to his ability to track the ball and shield off defenders to where it was either his ball or nobody’s ball. Null has a chance to jump onto the 5A scene in a big way if he and Evan Roman Nose can get on the same page and find a good rhythm early in the season. More Names Caleb Hulbutta – 2022 Offensive/ Defensive Lineman Ryan Sigler – 2023 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Cooper Park – 2024 Quarterback/ Defensive Back Malachi Nicholson – 2024 Running Back/ Linebacker <hr /> Notable 2020 was a monumental and historic year for the El Reno Indians football program. As we said in the overview, it was the first season in a long time that they came in with hopes of doing more than just reaching the playoffs. Despite their shaky start due to injuries and Covid complications, the Indians regained their composure once healthy and went on an incredible run to end the 2020 regular season where they captured the school’s first district title since 2009. The magic did not stop there however, the following week was another milestone for them. They would match up against long time rival Piedmont in the first round of the playoffs and redeem themselves with a 41-14 victory, reversing the roles from the season before where they were able to defeat the Wildcats in their regular season battle but came up short against them in the playoffs. Their playoff victory was also their first since the 2009 season. Though they were not able to advance and play for a shot at the state championship they were hoping for, the 2020 season is one that will go down in the record books for the El Reno Indians and is one that will not be forgotten by their fans and community for a long, long time. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Aug. 27 – AT Cache Sept. 3 – Piedmont - These two have been rivals for as long as we can remember and with the way things ended between them last season, we expect this one to be as anticipated and as heated as ever. Both teams lost a lot of talent from their 2020 rosters, so the outcome of this game will be up to a lot of new faces. However, don’t write off either team regardless of who wins this matchup because as we have seen the last two seasons, the winner of the regular season game does not always go on to have the better season of the 2. Sept. 10 – Weatherford Sept. 24 – AT Noble Oct. 1 – Lawton MacArthur Oct. 8 – AT Capitol Hill Oct. 14 – Duncan Oct. 22 – AT Ardmore - El Reno was able to take down Ardmore with relative ease a season ago en route to their district title, but a lot has changed since then. El Reno will come in with a much different looking team compared to last season but Ardmore will come back with a lot of their playmakers from 2020 including 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="98174" first="Cal" last="Swanson"] who has a chance to be one of the best in the state at the position and to lead this Ardmore team to a deep playoff run. If our preseason rankings hold, this one will be a top 10 matchup in Class 5A and has the potential of being a decider for the district title in 5A-1. Oct. 29 – Southeast Nov. 5 – AT Altus <hr /> Championship History 0 State Championships