EL RENO — El Reno football coach Russell Cook and his staff decided to go with what had been working all night during the Indians’ game against Noble last week.

El Reno was in a shootout with the Bears.

And its star senior tailback Malachi Nicholson was having a performance for the ages.

“We didn’t know how many yards he was getting,” Cook said. “We just knew that every time he touched the ball, he was getting 10, 12 or more, so that’s why we kept feeding him the football.”

El Reno ended up winning 68-67 Friday night.

And Nicholson had one of the best performances in state history.

The tailback finished with 37 carries for 521 yards and eight touchdowns in what is believed to be among the top single-game totals in 11-man Oklahoma high school football.

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Wayne’s Ethan Mullins ran for 523 yards in a 2019 game. Other than that, Nicholson’s rushing performance is believed to be the best on record, although not every game from the early decades of the 1900s is archived.

“I just had to keep my composure and stay calm and just follow my blockers,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson has been El Reno’s (2-3, 1-1 District 5A-1) starting tailback and outside linebacker the last two seasons. He also started at linebacker as a sophomore while playing some tailback.

This year, he’s already rushed for more than 1,400 yards and has 17 touchdowns.

Nicholson, who was born and raised in El Reno, is starting to see his hard work pay off.

“My dad kept me in sports and kept me doing the right thing and everything,” Nicholson said. “He would never let me go out. He just wanted me focusing on being great and then he would just keep pushing me and pushing me, and he still does today.”

Nicholson made big strides between his junior and senior seasons.

He competes in powerlifting and track, and he said that played a big role in his improvement. He even wore ankle weights while training throughout the track season to add muscle to his legs.

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All of that helped Nicholson improve heading into his senior year.

“Powerlifting helps you with your explosiveness and then just strength and all,” Nicholson said. “And then the track just helps with my speed. I used to be really slow. I used to run like a 4.9 (in the 40-yard dash). Now, I run a 4.5 after track season.”

Cook said he knows he can rely on Nicholson.

The tailback’s versatility makes him tough for opposing defenses.

“He’s a power back, that’s for sure,” Cook said. “But he doesn’t get ran down very often. The other night, he did it all. He came in, he’d run over you and make the hole himself when he needed to, or he would take a step out of the way and hit it and just go.”

Nicholson’s toughness and willingness to help his team also stand out.

“He got stronger as the night went on,” Cook said of Friday’s game against Noble (1-4, 1-1). “He didn’t play in the first half on defense. We were just trying to keep his legs fresh.

“But as the game got farther along, in the second half, he came to me and (said), ‘Coach, put me on defense, as well.’ He stepped up that night on defense, as well.”

Despite Nicholson’s outstanding season, he has no college offers, but that has a good chance of changing.

Nicholson isn’t too fazed by the lack of offers.

He still has big goals and is doing everything he can to stand out.

“I just want to go D-I and just leave my name somewhere,” he said.

Cook said Nicholson had around 1,300 yards last season despite missing three games due to injury.

Nicholson has certainly proved how valuable he is.

“All of our kids look up to him,” Cook said. “When he’s not in the game or if he’s not out here, then it’s just not the same.”

Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: El Reno's Malachi Nicholson making his mark in Oklahoma HS football