CPHS Football: Sandites hold off Sapulpa 21-17 in season opener

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The Class 6A No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team won its season-opener Friday night at George F. Collins Stadium, 21-17 against 5A No. 10 Sapulpa. Not only was the game a big rivalry match, it was also the first of the Bobby Klinck era at Sand Springs.

The Sandites took a 14-6 lead in the first quarter and only briefly trailed in the third. Both teams were inundated with errors, combining for 22 penalties and eight fumbles.

Sand Springs scored on the opening drive of the game, marching 73 yards in ten plays. Junior quarterback Ty Pennington found Jamon Sisco on a 44-yard pass to break into the red zone, and four plays later Blake Jones punched it in from one yard out.

Sapulpa responded with a ten-play 74-yard drive and scored on a 17-yard run from Conner Rose. Sango Whitehorn blocked the kick, and the Sandites held the lead. The two teams traded punts, and the Sandites hit pay dirt again on a 51-yard strike from Pennington to Sisco.

A bad hike over the Sandite punter’s head gave Sapulpa great field position in the second quarter, but they stalled out at the eight-yard line and Bryson Chase blocked Dalton Fox’s field goal attempt. Sapulpa got another try on the final possession of the half, but the Sandites broke up two end zone pass attempts and an apparent touchdown was ruled an illegal forward pass on the final play.

Sapulpa’s bad fortune continued in the second half as they marched to the Sandite eight-yard line, only for Chase to force and recover a fumble. They finally caught a break when another bad hike sailed out the back of the Sandite endzone for a safety.

Te’Zohn Taft returned the ensuing kick 74 yards but dropped the ball at the Sandites’ two-yard line. He made up for it three plays later and punched it in from two yards out. This time Fox made the kick and the Chieftains took their only lead at 15-14.

Sand Springs didn’t stay down for long, however. Jones made a 31-yard run then Pennington connected with Keaton Campbell for 29 yards before keeping the ball for the final yard and a touchdown. Zach Heinen connected on his third and final PAT of the night.

The Sandites’ next possession was filled with adversity as Kyle Edmondson made a sack, a pass was called back for an ineligible receiver, a false start was called, then Jones went down on a run and had to be helped off the field. To cap it all off, another bad hike resulted in Heinen punting from the 7 instead of the 31, giving the Chieftains the ball on Sandite turf. Sapulpa failed to capitalize though, and Sisco blocked their ensuing punt.

D’Angelo Mitchell punched out a fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter and Ethan Esparza recovered to stop a Sandite threat at the four-yard line. Neither team managed to score on their next possessions, but Sapulpa marched to the Sandite nine-yard line with 1:43 left to play. Dominic Ornelas recovered a fumble for the Sandites to prevent a Chieftain comeback.

Sand Springs failed to get a first down on the final possession, and Pennington was tasked with evading defenders until the clock ran out. He gave up a sack for another safety on the final play of the game, but the visitors escaped with a 21-17 win.

Pennington finished the evening 10-18-183-0 with one passing touchdown, and was 18-49 on the ground for another. Chieftain quarterback Zac Mason was 8-16-53-0 by air and 9-21 on the ground with no scores. Sisco was the top receiver with six catches for 135 yards for the Sandites, while Taft was the leading rusher with 22 carries for 117 yards for the Chieftains.

The Sandite Defense, which has struggled in recent years, showed remarkable improvement under new Defensive Coordinator Shane Ingram. The team came away with six tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups, and three fumble recoveries. Landon Hendricks and Drake Fain had 10 tackles apiece, and Hendricks added two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

Sandite Football will play its first home game next Friday at 7:00 p.m. against 5A No. 3 Bishop Kelley (1-0), who beat 4A No. 3 Poteau 28-7 in their season opener. Sapulpa will travel to Edison Prep Friday at 7:00 p.m.

CPHS 21 SHS 17
First Downs: CPHS 10, SHS 19.
Fumbles/Lost: CPHS 5/1, SHS 4/3.
Penalties: CPHS 11-99, SHS 11-72.
C-A-Y-I: CPHS 10-18-183-0, SHS 8-16-53-0.
Rushing: CPHS 36-139, SHS 47-213.
Offense: CPHS 54-322, SHS 63-266.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Passing: Pennington 10-18-183-0, 1TD.
Receiving: Sisco 6-135, 1TD. Campbell 2-31. Jones 2-17.
Rushing: Jones 10-62, 1TD. Pennington 18-49, 1TD. Sisco 2-21. Atkinson 6-7.
PAT: Heinen 3/3.
Punt-AVG: Heinen 2-49.
Kick-AVG: Heinen 5-44.
Kick Return: Sisco 1-9. Campbell 1-3.
Solo Tackles: Fain 8, Evans 6, Hendricks 5, Chase 5, Harris 3, Light 3, Dudley 2, Whitehorn 2, Webster 2, Campbell 1, Stone 1, Turner 1, Fisher 1.
Assisted Tackles: Hendricks 5, Dudley 3, Light 3, Fain 2, Harris 1, Chase 1, Brown 1, Stone 1, Whitehorn 1.
Tackles For Loss: Hendricks 2-8, Dudley 1-4, Light 1-3, Evans 1-3, Whitehorn 1-3.
Sacks: Whitehorn 1-3.
Pass Breakups: Hendricks 1, Chase 1, Calico 1.
Fumble Recoveries: Chase 1, Hawkins 1, Ornelas 1.
Blocked Kicks: Chase 1, Whitehorn 1, Sisco 1.

(Sapulpa Stats)
Passing: Mason 8-16-53-0.
Receiving: Kahmeyer 2-23. Mitchell 1-20. Hall 1-8. Morton 2-4. Taft 2-(-2).
Rushing: Taft 22-117, 1TD. Rose 8-56, 1TD. Mason 9-21. Boykin 7-19. Mackey 1-0.
PAT: Fox 1/2.
FG: Fox 0/1.
Punt-AVG: Hall 5-27.
Kick-AVG: Carr 3-31.
Kick Return: Taft 4-148. Carr 2-34.
Solo Tackles: Rose 6, Diaz 5, Mitchell 4, Taft 3, Wick 3, Willingham 3, Esparza 3, Boykin 3, Lloyd 1, Kahmeyer 1, Roberts 1, Edmonson 1, Fox 1.
Assisted Tackles: Wick 2, Diaz 2, Roberts 1, Rose 1, Willingham 1, Mitchell 1.
Tackles For Loss: Diaz 2-3, Edmonson 1-5, Rose 1-2.
Sacks: Edmonson 1-5.
Fumble Recoveries: Esparza 1.
Forced Fumbles: Mitchell 1.