CPHS Football: Sandites lead Sapulpa 14-6 after first half in season opener

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The Oklahoma high school football season kicked off with a bang Friday night at George F. Collins Stadium as two of the fiercest rivals in the region are going head-to-head. Charles Page High School from Sand Springs is visiting Sapulpa and currently holds a 14-6 lead after the first half.

The Sandites are in the first season under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, and the former Owasso Defensive Coordinator has his team firing on all cylinders against a Chieftain squad that is ranked No. 10 in Class 5A. Sapulpa won last year’s meeting, but the Sandites won five in a row before that.

All three scores came in the first quarter and it looked like it was shaping up for a shootout, but neither team found the endzone in the second quarter.

Sand Springs scored on the opening drive of the game with a ten-play 73-yard march. Junior quarterback Ty Pennington made a 44-yard pass to Jamon Cisco to cross the red zone, and four plays later Blake Jones punched in the one-yard run.

Sapulpa responded with a ten-play 74-yard drive, capped by a 17-yard dash by Conner Rose, but Sango Whitehorn blocked the PAT to prevent the tie score.

The two teams traded punts, then Sand Springs needed only two plays to score again after Pennington followed a nine-yard run with a 51-yard throw to Cisco. Heinen made both of his PAT kicks in the half.

The Chieftains threatened twice more, but both trips to the red zone came up dry. After a bad hike sailed over Heinen’s head on the punt attempt, Sapulpa had great opportunity from the Sandites’ 20 yard line. Five plays later they settled for a field goal attempt from the 8, but Bryson Chase made the Sandites’ second blocked kick of the night.

Sapulpa threatened again in the final seconds of the half, but Chase and Micah Calico broke up a pair of pass attempts. The final play appeared to be a touchdown strike from Zac Mason to D’Angelo Mitchell, but it was ruled an illegal forward pass from beyond the line of scrimmage, and the Sandites escaped with the advantage.

Pennington was 6-10-123-0 passing in the first half, while Mason was 6-11-43-0. Sapulpa will get the ball to start the second half.