Sandite of the Week: Hunter Greathouse leads Sandites to victory over Muskogee
/By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board
Charles Page High School quarterback Hunter Greathouse has been selected as this week's Sandite of the Week for his outstanding performance in last week's district win over the previously undefeated No. 1 Muskogee Roughers (6-1, 3-1).
The No. 4 Sandites (5-2, 3-0) traveled to the Muscogee Indian Bowl last Thursday and outscored the host team 20-8 in the fourth quarter for a spectacular come-from-behind victory that Greathouse was a crucial component in.
Muskogee took an early 7-0 lead before the 6'3" 180 pound senior got on the field, but he quickly went to work, completing 3 of 7 passes for 39 yards to drive to the Rougher redzone before a fourth and nine pass fell incomplete giving Muskogee the ball shortly before the end of the first quarter.
After Muskogee added another touchdown the Sandites regained possession midway through the second quarter. Greathouse picked up seven yards on a pass to Kasey Bales, then picked up four more on an run. From there he sent an 11 yard pass to Caleb Wash. That drive mustered out like the first, but they got another try after a short four-play Rougher possession gave them the ball with 1:09 left in the half.
In exactly 60 seconds, the Sandites drove 88 yards to draw blood. Greathouse was two of five passing, picking up 16 yards for a first down, then sending a 43 yard touchdown pass to Wash.
After Muskogee started the second half with a field goal, Sand Springs took possession with 2:55 in the third and used the rest of the quarter to drive 67 yards to the two-yard line. Greathouse completed three of three passes for 33 yards plus a two yard run, setting up Payton Scott for the score on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
The Sandite defense held Muskogee to a three-play possession and Greathouse got the ball back with 10:37 to play, trailing 17-12. The first Sandite possession failed, but the defense saved the day with a forced fumble and recovery, and this time the visitors got the go-ahead score.
Greathouse picked up a first down on a four-yard sneak, then capped off the drive with a seven-yard pass to Wash to take the lead 18-17 after a failed two-point conversion with 3:35 left.
The home team didn't go down without a fight and quickly marched 77 yard in 8 plays to regain the advantage. A two-point conversion made the score 25-18 with only 0:47 to play.
Greathouse sent a 25 yard pass to Scott to start off the possession, then sent an 18 yard pass to Mack Thompson. After his first pass attempt from the 18 yard line failed, he connected on his second attempt and found Bales for the score.
Trailing 25-24 with 0:06 to play, the Sandites had to choose between kicking their first PAT attempt of the game and playing for overtime, or attempting a two-point conversion for the fourth time after the first three failed.
They went for two, and the play quickly fell apart after Greathouse tried to send a pass to Bales in the endzone, but was broken up by 6'6" lineman Keondre Davis. The pass traveled high enough into the air that it took a full two seconds to come back down, and Greathouse was ready for it. He hauled it in at the 11 yard line and ran it out of harms way, dodging a tackle, and ran an arc back to the 25.
As he was working his way forward, he had three defenders closing in on him at the 14. He had a pair of receivers open downfield, but was clear-headed enough to know he couldn't attempt a second forward pass. He made the heads up play to pitch a lateral to Josh Taber, who ran it in for the score, and the rest is history.
Greathouse finished 16 of 32 for 221 yards and 3 touchdowns for the evening and accounted for more than 60% of the team's offense. It was his highest single-game passing yardage of his career and tied the most passing touchdowns of his career.
This is his third time being name Sandite of the Week. He was recognized in November of 2015 for a 7-14-171-0 passing record with 3 touchdowns to defeat Booker T. Washington in the playoff semifinals. He was recognized again in March of this year for an outstanding batting performance and pitching record at the Best of the West baseball tournament.
Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. The award is not given to anyone in consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of the Sandite Pride Editorial Board.
Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.
