Sandites Host Sapulpa in District Championship Game Friday

6A-2 No. 1 Sand Springs (7-2, 6-0) will host No. 6 Sapulpa (7-2, 6-0) this Friday at 7pm in the de facto district title game. Here are 16 fast facts about the Highway 97 Rivalry and 10 facts about the Sandites’ season thus far.

Sand Springs leads the Highway 97 Rivalry 48-45-5 all-time and 5-0 in the Bobby Klinck era.

The two teams first met in 1922 and have played every single year since 1930. Sapulpa led the series from 1944 to 2021 when the Sandites finally tied it and Sand Springs has led the series since 2022.

Sand Springs has won five games in a row against Sapulpa and 10 of the last 11. Neither team has ever won six in a row in this series.

Sapulpa has not won in Memorial Stadium since 2013.

Sand Springs won 21-0 last year with Easton Webb passing for 201 yards and 3 TDs while Emory Smittick had 14 tackles to lead the defense. It was the first shutout in the series since 2003. Sapulpa hasn't been shut out in back-to-back meetings since 1938.

2023 was the highest-scoring game in series history with Sand Springs winning 64-54.

Historically, the two teams are rarely good at the same time. In seasons in which both teams finished with winning records, Sand Springs leads 11-4-2.

Trivia fun fact: Keith Hooks (1996-1998) is the only Sandite QB to beat Sapulpa four times, winning all three seasons as starter plus a playoff game in 1997.

Sand Springs is currently allowing 15.1 points per game, the fewest since 2015, and 5.8 points per district game, the fewest since 1977.

The Sandites are currently scoring 40.2 points per game and 50.5 per district game, the most in school history for each category.

We have outscored our district opponents 303-35, compared to 283-108 against the same six opponents last season.

This is our first 6-0 start to district play since 1997 and only the second such start in school history.

Sand Springs is looking for its first district championship since 1997, and its 11th district championship in school history.

With seven wins in a row, the Sandites are on their longest winning streak since 1997.

Sand Springs Football Single Game Records

This list is a work in progress and additional categories will be added in the future. These numbers are accurate through 10/26/2025.

Passing Yards

447 Easton Webb vs. Bishop Kelley - 9.20.2024
440 Easton Webb vs. Putnam City North - 11.1.2024
391 Easton Webb vs. Bartlesville - 9.27.2024
371 Cody Hale vs. Ponca City 10.5.2012
368 Easton Webb vs. Ponca City - 10.11.2024
360 Ty Pennington vs. Shiloh Christian - 9.17.2021
357 Tommy Rogers vs. Muskogee - 10.7.2005
351 Easton Webb vs. Piedmont - 11.22.2024
347 Darrack Harger vs. Stillwater - 9.23.2011
336 Darrack Harger vs. Stillwater - 9.24.2010

Rushing Yards

507 Payton Scott vs. Bartlesville - 10.27.2017
352 Payton Scott vs. Sapulpa - 9.22.2017
334 Terrance Dixon vs. Tulsa Memorial - 9.24.2009
298 Terrance Dixon vs. Stillwater - 9.11.2009
284 Payton Scott vs. Ponca City - 10.6.2017
283 Payton Scott vs. Bartlesville - 10.28.2016
251 Joel Mackey vs. Shawnee - 9.21.2018
240 Payton Scott vs. Choctaw - 9.9.2016
231 Payton Scott vs. Putnam City West - 9.15.2017
230 Josh Reed vs. Tulsa NOAH - 9.14.2007

Eli Buxton Named to All-State Large-East Team

Eli Buxton is presented with a State Runner-Up medal by CPHS Assistant Principal Ryan Bivin.

Charles Page High School senior Eli Buxton will get to represent the black and gold one last time when he suits up for the All-State game on June 2nd at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid.

The Arizona State-bound senior was named to the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Large-East team following a State Runner-Up season in which he went 6-3 on the mound with a 2.15 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched.

Some of Buxton’s highlight wins this season include an 11-strikeout one-hitter against Norman North, a 12-strikeout two-hitter against Bartlesville, a nine-strikeout two-hitter against Stillwater, a nine-strikeout one-hitter against Bishop Kelley in the Regional playoffs, and a win over Edmond Santa Fe in the State quarterfinals.

He was also a strong hitter for the Sandites, batting .227 with a .360 slugging percentage, 10 runs, four doubles, two home runs, and 16 RBIs.

Buxton is the 27th All-State selection from Sand Springs and this is the third year in a row the Sandites have been represented at the All-State games.

Rounding out the Large East team is Blake Aziere (Stillwater), Braxton Jones (Sapulpa), Chance Pair (Tahlequah), Lane Evans (Norman North), Garrett Shull (Enid), Caden Lesnau (McAlester), Tanner McMurray (Bishop Kelley), Weston Thomas (Piedmont), Ben Flusche (Union), Reace Martinez (Owasso), Malachi Wilson (Sapulpa), Colton Hollenbeck (Collinsville), and Camden Knutson (Union). The team will be coached by Collinsville’s Tony Reeder.

Matt Brown Moves to Admin, Scott Watkins Takes Over Sandite Baseball

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Matt Brown (left) will be the new CPHS Assistant Principal while Scott Watkins (Right) will be the new head baseball coach.

Matt Brown is going out on top, stepping down from the position of Head Coach of Sandite Baseball following an historic State Runner-Up performance just last weekend.

After a five-year stint in his first head coaching job, and eight total years with the Sandites, Brown retired with a 113-52 record after leading the Sandites to their first-ever district championship in 2023, followed by their first State Tournament appearance since 2011 and first Finals appearance since 1978 this season.

Brown will be staying with the district and stepping into an administrative role as the new Assistant Principal at Charles Page High School.

Now, longtime assistant Scott Watkins will be taking over.

Watkins is a Sand Springs native who played collegiate ball at Oral Roberts University, Seminole State College, and Oklahoma State University before a ten-year professional career highlighted by a season playing with the Minnesota Twins in 1995. He has been a Sand Springs assistant since 2004.

Sand Springs Falls 7-4 to Westmoore in State Championship Finals

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Head Coach Matt Brown speaks to the team following a 7-4 finals loss to westmoore saturday evening at Chickashaw Bricktown Ballfield in Oklahoma City.

For four innings, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Sandites.

Starting pitcher Kayden Campbell (6-3) surrendered only one hit and no walks while fanning five. The Sandites held a 3-0 lead with five times as many hits as the Jaguars.

But a fifth inning spark against Campbell and a sixth-inning flurry off of reliever Wyatt Rutledge gave Westmoore the edge as the Jaguars claimed their first State Championship since 1994, 7-4, to deprive the Sandites of their first ever crown.

“That’s a really good team over there and they capitalized when they had chances and that’s kind of the way that baseball works,” said head coach Matt Brown.

It was going to be a Cinderella story for either team, as both finished third in their districts and had to go on the road for their Regional titles.

Westmoore (25-17) was making its fifth finals appearance after coming up short in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Sand Springs (29-12) was making its first finals appearance since 1978 and first State Tournament appearance since 2011.

Sand Springs struck first in the top of the second after a lead-off walk from Jackson Turney and a line drive single from Alex Dudley set up freshman Sutton Cook for a three-run blast over the left field wall.

Gatlin Gunn and Jace Arnold also singled in the inning but were left stranded. The Sandites put two on base in the third, but stranded Turney after Rutledge was doubled off at second on a line drive from Dudley.

Runs were in short supply for both teams and the Sandites held their 3-0 lead through the top of the fifth.

Then Westmoore loaded the bases with no outs on a single, an error, and a walk. Dudley turned a 6-4-2 double play, but not before Jacob Wehba scored from third. Oklahoma-commit Josiah Kemp added an RBI single to make it a one-score game before Campbell caught Tanner Fallwell looking to end the inning.

Rutledge took over on the mound in the sixth and surrendered three singles and a walk to tie the game with bases loaded and no outs. Gage Geiger tagged up on a pop fly for the lead and Deacon Frazee added an RBI single before Arnold took over on the mound.

“Wyatt’s been awesome for us all year,” said Brown. “If I could do it again, I’d go back and put him right in the game again.”

Frazee scored off another sacrifice fly to make it 7-3 before the inning ended on an offensive interference call against Kemp.

Sand Springs didn’t go down without a fight. Gunn hit a one-out single, took second on a passed ball, and scored on a double from Arnold. Then Rutledge singled on a pop fly to center field to bring the tying run to the plate.

But, it wasn’t meant to be. Jackson Turney flied out to Kemp in center field to end the game.

“This team’s full of fighters,” said Brown. “This team just competed their absolute tails off all year. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

“These kids went out and won the games that were put in front of them, they’ve done everything they were asked to do, they played their absolute hearts out.”

It’s hard to beat a good team three times, a fact that Owasso learned the day before after falling 2-0 to Sand Springs, who it had swept 5-0 and 8-3 in the regular season.

This time it was the Sandites who had to learn that lesson against Westmoore, who it had beaten 6-1 and 24-13 just a month ago.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times in a year,” said Arnold. “We had them two-nothing, but they got us the last time.”

Arnold, together with Gunn, Campbell, Eli Buxton, Miller Tavaglione, Jackson Stewart, Connor Graham, Cole Pearson, Jesse Manuel, and Rutledge, make up a senior class that went 107-50 over four years, the Sandites’ winningest record since the Class of 2012 went 104-44.

“What a great testament to our kids,” said Brown. “Our seniors have set a standard of excellence that falls to the guys who are younger now to hold that standard of excellence. These guys that are walking out the door have won 89 games in three years…these guys have set a bar for the program.”

“I’m just proud of our kids. I’m proud of the way they that played today, I’m proud of the way that they represented our school and our town and they should be proud of themselves as well.”

Sandites Upset Owasso 2-0 for First State Finals Appearance Since 1978

Jace ARnold flings His glove in celebration as the Sandites defeat Owasso 2-0.

Two outs away from the Sandites’ first State Finals appearance since 1978, Easton Webb gave up a ground ball single to Reace Martinez. With the tying run now at the plate, the sophomore pitcher took a step back and called time.

“Just the nerves. Regardless of how you try to avoid them, they’re still always there,” said Webb. “They’ll get to you, but you’ve just got to be able to flush it out, go out there and play still.”

After a quick chat with his infielders, the Oklahoma State-commit stepped back up on the mound and finished up. A sacrifice hit moved the runner to second, but Miller Tavaglione caught Bodie Anderson’s pop fly in left field and the gloves went flying.

Final score 2-0. Charles Page High School (29-11) paid back a pair of regular season losses and took down the district champions from Owasso (35-7) in front of a large crowd at Norman North’s Tull Lake Field Friday afternoon.

“My last outing against them wasn’t good,” said Webb (7-1), who gave up five walks and two hits in a three-inning start against the Rams on April 15. That game ended in a 5-0 defeat, his only recorded loss of the season.

“I was trying to throw it by them, but I knew I couldn’t do that this game. They’re a bunch of good hitters, so I had to be able to mix up my pitches, throw everything for a strike, let them get themselves out. If I strike them out, I strike them out. But just throw everything for a strike.”

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EAston Webb and Matt Brown embrace after the sophomore pitcher’s win.

This time around he did indeed throw 68% strikes, only giving up one walk and three hits while striking out two. Not getting too deep in the counts allowed him to stay fresh, throwing just 88 pitches while going all seven innings.

Taking the loss for Owasso was Arkansas-commit Luke Williams (7-2), who struck out 10 but surrendered six walks and five hits.

Williams reached his max pitch count in the top of the seventh after walking Kayden Campbell and giving up a sacrifice bunt to Wyatt Rutledge. Jaiden Gustafson closed things out, getting Jackson Turney to pop out to left, while Tavaglione grounded out to short to leave Campbell stranded at third.

As much as Sand Springs was hoping for insurance runs, leaving eight runners stranded over the course of the game, the two they plated were enough as Owasso was shut out for only the second time this season and the first time in over two months.

“The kids played great,” said head coach Matt Brown. “We’ve been preaching all day just to stay in the moment. The kids are doing a great job of that. They played fantastic so I’m just proud of them.”

A raucous dugout appeared to get in Williams’s head early in the game as senior lefty gave up singles to Alex Dudley and Webb, then walked Gatlin Gunn and Jace Arnold for a free run.

The Rams nearly got a run back in the second after an error at short and a walk put the Sandites in a bind with no outs. Webb sent a ground ball to first and struck out the next two batters to strand the threat.

Owasso stranded a single runner in the third, fifth, and seventh innings but never made it past second base following the second inning.

Rutledge padded the Sandites’ lead in the fifth, reaching on a ground ball to center field. He took second on a passed ball and scored on a single to left from Tavaglione.

Rutledge, a Northern Oklahoma College at Enid-commit, reached base three times with one walk and a team-best two hits. He also came up big in Thursday’s quarterfinal, going 2-of-2 for two runs and an RBI against Edmond Santa Fe.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve gone to the finals,” said Rutledge. “We’re just going with the flow. We’re hot and we’re hoping to stay hot.”

Sand Springs has won eight games in a row, including shutouts, shootouts, and blowouts. Now they’re only 21 outs away from potentially bringing home the first gold ball in school history.

“The last two years we had a hard Regional and ended up losing both Regionals,” said Rutledge. “It feels really good to come out here and be in the finals.”

Sand Springs will take on Westmoore (24-17) Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ball Park in Oklahoma City.

Sand Springs is making its first finals appearance since 1978 while the Jaguars are in the finals for the fourth time since winning their only title in 1994.

“We’ve got tough kids and they’re going to go toe-to-toe with anybody,” said Brown. “It doesn’t matter who shows up in the other dugout.”

Sand Springs previously defeated the Jaguars 6-1 and 24-13 last month.