High school football: Oklahoma running back goes for state record 521 yards, eight TDs in 68-67 victory
By Aaron Williams
Sep 30, 2023, 5:01pm
Malachi Nicholson led El Reno to shootout victory, breaking mark for rushing yards in the process.
Nicholson and El Reno overcame a monster effort from Noble quarterback
Joseph Bear, who finished with 10 touchdowns in a losing effort.
The Norman Transcript credited the 5-foot-10 senior with 323 yards through the air and another 113 on the ground.
According to
Jesse Crittenden of the Transcript, Nicholson gave El Reno a 12-7 lead with just under five minutes left in the opening quarter on a 10-yard scoring run that put him over 100 yards on the ground.
Noble led 34-30 at halftime with Bear accounting for five total TDs and 201 yards passing. Nicholson counter-punched with three scores on 215 yards rushing.
After trailing 54-44 after three quarters, El Reno piled up 34 points in the final quarter to hang on for the 68-67 victory.
According to the
MaxPreps National High School Football Record Book, Journey Brown of
Meadville (Pa.) owns the national mark for rushing yards in a game with 722 in 2015. Payton Scott of
Page (Sand Springs, Okla.) had held the state record with 507 in a 2017 contest.
Malachi Nicholson of El Reno ran for 504 yards and eight scores in a 68-67 win over Noble on Friday as Joey Bear, the opposing quarterback totalled 10 touchdowns in the loss. (Photo: Gray Siegel)
