First-year El Reno wrestling coach Bobby Miller knew he would have some huge shoes to fill when he took over for the departed Archie Randall.

Randall was legendary at El Reno, leading the Indians program to 11 straight team state championships and 10 straight dual state championships during his tenure.

Randall is now the head coach at Oklahoma City University where he will try to rebuild another program, one that hasn’t had wrestling since 1932.

“I knew when I took this position it would be a huge challenge for me,” said Miller, who comes from Midwest City where he was an assistant coach for the last two years.

“But I look forward to being a part of a great program which coach Randall helped establish. We will continue to have high expectations here at El Reno, and hopefully we can continue to build on the standard that has been set.”

Miller has worked his way up the coaching ladder ever since he got his start at Locust Grove. He was with the Pirates program for three years as an assistant, before landing his first head coaching job at Vinita during his third year there.

Miller wasn’t left completely empty-handed when he took over for El Reno during the summer.

And he will get his first real look at his squad when El Reno opens the 2006-07 season at Putnam City West at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Miller will have seniors Chris Hacker and Adam DeLong returning. Both have won state titles.

But it is a little different from what El Reno has had in recent memory.

“El Reno usually has four guys on the roster who have won state championships,” Miller said. “So we’re a little short from what we normally have, but I like the young prospects we have here.”

Hacker, who has a career record of 115-15, is the defending state champion at 152 pounds. He was a state runner-up in his sophomore year at 140 pounds and finished fourth during his freshman year at Skiatook.

“We expect big things from Chris again this year,” Miller said. “He is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen.
“He is always looking to improve and get better.”

Hacker, who signed with the University of Nebraska earlier this month, is also a six-time All-American selection at the Cadet and Junior National Championships. He is a three-time freestyle All-American and a three-time Greco-Roman All-American.

DeLong is a multiple state championship winner who just inked with Randall and Oklahoma City last week.

DeLong is a defending state champion at 125 pounds and also captured the state crown in his freshman season at 103. He finished in fourth place at 112 pounds during his sophomore campaign.

Miller likes DeLong’s work ethics and his ability to teach the younger wrestlers on the El Reno squad. He has compiled an 85-22 career record.

“Adam is like having a second coach out there,” Miller said. “He is great at his techniques and will be valuable for our younger and less experienced kids.”

“Both Chris and Adam will be there in the end for us and we expect them to lift us and be leaders,” Miller added. “This is a young team, but with a bunch a talent.”

Sophomore Austin Mogg, who will wrestle at either 103 or 112 pounds, was the state runner-up as a freshman and will be expected to compete for a title again this year.

“Austin is a tremendous talent who will only get better and better,” Miller said.

Other wrestlers expected to make an impact at the lower weight classes include freshman Colton Gallo, senior Josh Grube, Ethan Martin and sophomore Kyle Boyd.

In the middle-weight class, freshman Cory Dauphin, sophomore Nathan Dewberry and Derek Thompson will each have key roles.
Miller is excited about his prospects in the upper-weight classes with Ryan Marshall, Kevin Birdshead, Jared Birdshead, Roy Aragon, Cody Dauphin and Matt Yarbrough.

“This is a great group of talent with our bigger kids,” Miller said. “We have a lot of kids who are very capable of doing some good things for us.”

Miller hopes that a brutal schedule will only help his squad late in the season. After opening the season at Putnam City West, El Reno will be in Midwest City on Dec. 5 and compete against the likes of Oak Park and Blue Springs, both powerhouses from Missouri. Oak Park is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.