El Reno Indians OK 2023 Team Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's the month of July and that means it's preview time! Throughout the month of July and into August, we are publishing well over 100 in-depth team previews to get you completely ready for the 2023 football season. This is something that began in 2021 and has continued to get bigger every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champions, to top contenders and plenty of dark horses, we'll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A, all the way down to the addition of 8-man coverage this year with Class B and C. In this post, we take a look at the El Reno Indians.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>El Reno Indians</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #10</strong><br><strong>Preseason Coaches Ranking: UR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the majority of their starters returning, El Reno is back in the top ten of Class 5A as we head into the 2023 football season. The Indians are looking to take the next step as a program and the first part of that is avoiding another slow start. In 2021, El Reno would begin the year 0-4 and finish 4-6 on the season but they would make it to the playoffs. Last season, they would begin the year with an 0-4 record once again and then dropped another district game to fall to 1-5 heading into the final four weeks of the regular season. But the Indians would rally and win their last four games, including close wins over Ardmore and Lawton MacArthur to punch their ticket to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. But once the playoffs began, every team in this district was going to come up short as each playoff team from 5A-1 would lose to the four playoff teams from 5A-2. That district also featured eventual state champion Carl Albert. As we head into the 2023 football season, the Indians are a team to look out for but they need to avoid another slow start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>El Reno brings back the majority of their starters and they round out our preseason top ten for Class 5A at number ten. That shouldn't be a surprise as they have quietly been one of the more consistent teams in the class over the last five seasons. But this team isn't going to settle for just making it back to the playoffs. They want a deep run into November and contend in Class 5A like we saw from El Reno 15 years ago. Eight offensive starters headline this year's team and the strength is going to come from the running game. They have a very experienced and more importantly a strong offensive line paving the way for some experienced running backs who are going to be toting the rock. The defense also brings back six starters on that side of the ball and this is a unit that should continue to get better throughout the season. But the biggest key for El Reno is the first month of the season. The Indians have suffered through back to back 0-4 starts and want to avoid that this fall. But it's not going to be easy as they face two ranked 5A teams and a ranked 4A team in the first four games. But if they can get wins early, especially in the district opener, they will be in a very good position to contend for the district crown.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 RESULTS (5-6 Record - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 - Lost To Chickasha 20-14<br>Sept. 2 - Lost To Piedmont 42-8<br>Sept. 9 - Lost To Weatherford 20-19<br>Sept. 23 - Lost To Elgin 47-8<br>Sept. 30 - Beat Noble 41-40<br>Oct. 6 - Lost To Midwest City 34-0<br>Oct. 14 - Beat Ardmore 20-15<br>Oct. 21 - Beat Lawton MacArthur 32-29<br>Oct. 28 - Beat Duncan 29-7<br>Nov. 4 - Beat Altus 28-7<br>1st Round - Lost To Bishop McGuinness 46-24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Key Losses To Graduation</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evan Roman Nose - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back<br>Ryan Sigler - Offensive/Defensive Lineman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["917640"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"As we mentioned earlier in the preview, the strength of this El Reno team is going to be the running game as they bring back the majority of their offensive line and some outstanding running backs. Anchoring the offensive line is going to be 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='917640' first='Dion' last='Kaulaity'] and he's going to have a size advantage in just about every match-up he has this season. Kaulaity is 6'5 and nearly 300 pounds and like many of El Reno's standouts, he also participates in powerlifting and it shows when he's mauling an opposing defensive lineman. Class 5A has a few notable offensive linemen to look out for this season but Kaulaity is one that we're going to be looking for specifically. The Indians should have success running the ball with Kaulaity clearing the way.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["917639"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Speaking of El Reno's running game, in addition to being strong because of the offensive line, they also have the majority of their production coming back from the running back position. Leading the way will be 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='917639' first='Malachi' last='Nicholson'] after an outstanding junior season last fall. Nicholson was an absolute workhorse for El Reno as he racked up 250 carries on the season and finished with well over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. Just like Kaulaity, Nicholson also participates in powerlifting and he has some very impressive lifting numbers. He's a compact back that also has breakaway speed and isn't just bulldozing through defenders. Nicholson's combination of size, speed and strength is going to make him one of the top running backs in the class.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64bc05855aa4a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>More Names To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cade Houston - 2024 Offensive Lineman<br>Elijah Fisher - 2025 Quarterback<br>Kaleb Blackwolf - 2027 Quarterback<br>[player_tooltip player_id='595675' first='Latin' last='Everheart'] - 2025 Running Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 Schedule/Games To Circle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 25 - AT Chickasha<br><strong>Sept. 1 - Piedmont</strong><br>- The first of three teams that are also ranked in the 5A preseason rankings is Piedmont and El Reno will host them in week one. These two teams are very familiar with one another at this point. They've met in non-district play every season since 2016. They also had playoff meetings in 2019 and 2020. Piedmont won last year's meeting 42-8 and the Indians are hungry to get their first win over the Wildcats since 2020. Don't be late to this game because it'll feature two offenses that want to run the football and if you show up late, it might be halftime already. <br>Sept. 8 - Weatherford<br><strong>Sept. 22 - Elgin</strong><br>- The top-ranked district opponent in the Class 5A preseason rankings is Elgin and the Indians will get them in week four to open up district play. Fortunately, they get a week off after a tough non-district schedule to rest up and get ready for a critical district opener. Last season, Elgin moved up to Class 5A from 4A and immediately made an impact. They beat up on El Reno with a 47-8 win and would go on to finish second in the district and nearly took home the district crown. If El Reno can knock off the Owls in week four, the district title contenders might start with the Indians. <br>Sept. 29 - AT Noble<br>Oct. 6 - AT Midwest City<br>Oct. 13 - Ardmore<br><strong>Oct. 19 - AT Lawton MacArthur</strong><br>- While Elgin is the top-ranked team in the district heading into the season, Lawton MacArthur is also ranked and the Indians will go on the road in week eight, looking for a massive win that will no doubt have a major impact on the playoff seedings. Last season, the Indians escaped with a 32-29 victory over the Highlanders and that's been par for the course when these two teams have gotten together. El Reno has won three out of the last six in the series as these two teams have alternated wins each year. El Reno won in ‘22, ‘20 and ‘18 while Lawton Mac won in ‘21, 19 and 17. <br>Oct. 27 - AT Duncan<br>Nov. 3 - Altus</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Notable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>El Reno has become a consistent playoff team over the last five seasons. Prior to the 2018 playoffs, the Indians hadn't played playoff football since 2009, when they made back to back semifinals in 2008 and 2009. El Reno is looking for their sixth consecutive trip to the postseason, which is their longest playoff streak since the eighties. However, the Indians aren't going to settle for another playoff appearance. They are hungry to find success in November when the lights get a little brighter. During the last five playoff appearances, El Reno is 1-5, with their only win coming over Piedmont in the Class 2020 playoffs. The season came to an end the following week in a heartbreaking loss to McAlester in the quarterfinals. El Reno is looking to turn things around this season with more success in the postseason. An easy way to do that is take care of business in district play, capture that elusive district crown and have a favorable road when the playoffs begin in November.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Championship History</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>0 State Championships</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->