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Play of Enid tailback Luke Rauh epitomizes mentality of Plainsmen turning things around in 2022

Rauh has had big performances in several wins, including five-TD performance last week

By Michael Kinney 

OKLAHOMA CITY - Luke Rauh wasn’t going to stop or even slow down.

Even though the Enid tailback’s shoe had come off somewhere after he broke through the line of scrimmage, he had no intention of stopping before he reached paydirt.

“I saw my guard, he pulls, he hits the dude and then I broke one tackle,” Rauh said. “And then from there, I just knew I could outrun everybody. So, I was just off to the races.”

The 30-yard touchdown run came last month in the Plainsmen's win against Edmond North. It was one of many big plays Rauh made to help Enid pull off the road win.

However, it also epitomizes the do anything that is needed mindset Rauh has come into his senior season with.

“I didn’t have a shoe on and I was like, 'I can’t get caught without my shoe,'” Rauh said.

Rauh ended the night with 128 yards and a touchdown. But that doesn’t begin to take into account the key first downs, momentum-changing runs and devastating blocks he racked up against the Huskies.

“We knew they were going to blitz a lot, so we wanted to be sure we picked up the blitz so we could pass,” Rauh said. “And we obviously did that.

"We got to hit them deep like we wanted to do, and we just kept running the ball, getting chunk plays and then eventually I broke one.”

Rauh had an equally bigger night last week.

In the Plainsmen's 49-35 win against Moore in District 6AI-1 play, Rauh rushed for 321 yards and scored five touchdowns.

That win improved Enid to 3-2, and the Plainsmen have already matched their win totals from 2021 and 2020. For Rauh to be part of the program’s resurgence in his final year has been special.

"The biggest change has definitely been our mentality,” Rauh said. “We have people who show up every day. Not like in my freshman year when our seniors didn't show up most of the time.

"But now we're really changing the culture, and coach (Rashaun) Woods has helped a lot with that. It feels great.”

Rauh added he has seen that change of culture in small things like just showing up to lift weights.

“We have a great lifting program. Coach has gotten us all stronger to play at the 6AI level,” Rauh said. “We work hard every day.

"We tell everybody to show up and everybody does, and we just follow the program and buy-in.”

In Rauh’s previous three seasons at Enid, the thought of having on-the-field success would have been almost unthinkable. But now, winning is the most important thing the 6-foot, 175-pound running back wants to accomplish each week.

“I just want to do as good as I can. I want to try and have 100 yards and some touchdowns every game,” Rauh said. “But as long as we win, that's all I'm looking for. I just want to get to the playoffs.”

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t set some personal goals for himself. They include rushing for more than 1,000 yards and eclipsing the 10 touchdowns he recorded last year.

“I'm going to keep pushing myself as hard as I can and trusting my teammates to make plays when I do,” Rauh said.

Rauh will play a big factor in just how far Enid can go this season. Along with wideout Tykie Andrews, their playmaking ability has helped the Plainsmen average nearly 34 points a game so far this year.

“It’s very good to have another teammate that you can depend on,” Andrews said of Rauh. “That you can have faith and have trust with the ball.

"I’m very thankful for him and very thankful he can be consistent with the ball in his hands.”

Enid lost its district opener last week to defending 6AI state champion Jenks before bouncing back to beat Moore. But on Friday, the Plainsmen will get another big test when they play at home against Bixby (5-0), the defending 6AII champions and current holders of an 11-man state record 54-game winning streak.

“We just got to keep working hard, not let this go to our heads, realize that we're (playing) district games,” Rauh said. “They start mattering a lot more and just keep working.”

Luke Rauh