Sandite College Football Report: Pennington Makes Playoff Run with Pitt State

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Photo by Derek Livingston, Pitt State Athletics.

Just two seasons removed from establishing himself as the most successful quarterback in Sand Springs history, Ty Pennington is now making a name for himself at Pittsburg State University.

The redshirt freshman has been a productive backup this season, passing 46-of-67 for 447 yards and 6 touchdowns with zero interceptions while carrying the ball 74 times for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The No. 7 ranked Gorillas are 11-1 on the season and poised for an NCAA Division II playoff meeting at No. 2 Grand Valley State (10-1) this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in Allendale, Michigan.

Pennington made his debut in a season-opening 34-7 win against Washburn (2-9), completing his only pass attempt and finishing with 23 total yards on five plays.

In the second game of the year he went 3-of-4 for 44 yards and a touchdown with 43 rushing yards on five attempts in a 40-14 win over Fort Hays State (7-4).

Two weeks later he was 2-of-2 for 23 yards while rushing six times for a career-high 53 yards and a touchdown in a 33-14 win over the Nebraska-Kearney.

In their first ranked matchup of the year, the No. 3 Gorillas prevailed 33-25 over No. 20 Emporia State (8-3) and Pennington had a career night on the ground and in the air. The former Sandite was 8-of-10 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns while running 10 times for a team-high 80 yards.

Pennington saw limited action in a 31-21 win over Missouri Southern State (5-6) but worked his way into the game early in a 28-7 victory against Northwest Missouri State (7-4), scoring three of the Gorillas’ four touchdowns on short-yardage wildcat packages.

The No. 2 ranked Gorillas improved to 9-0 on Homecoming with a 55-6 rout of Sioux Falls (3-8). Pennington was 4-of-5 passing for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

The Gorillas’ 20-game MIAA win streak came to an end in a 31-30 loss to Missouri Western State (8-3), but Pitt got back on track with a 20-10 win over Central Oklahoma (5-6) to clinch back-to-back MIAA Championships.

Pennington got the start in the win, filling in for injured starter Chad Dodson Jr., and was 18-of-30 passing for a career-high 108 yards and one touchdown.

Pennington returned to his backup role in the first round of the playoffs, passing 1-of-2 for 17 yards while leading the Gorillas on the ground with 8 carries for 76 yards in a 35-14 victory over GLVC Champion University of Indianapolis (9-2).

Saturday’s game against the GLIAC Champions will be broadcast live on pay-per-view at this link for $10.55.

The Gorillas also beat Indianapolis in the first round of last year’s playoffs before falling to Ferris State, last year’s GLIAC Champion.

Pitt State is the winningest program in NCAA Division II history with four national championships, but hasn’t made it past the second round since its 2011 championship season.

The GOAT Retires

While Ty Pennington is the best quarterback in Sandite history statistically, Payton Scott is the best running back, holding almost every single-game, season-single, and career rushing record at Sand Springs.

Scott finished his senior season with 31 carries for 161 yards and one touchdown plus 8 receptions for 51 yards. In his career he had 135 carries for 662 yards and five touchdowns plus 27 receptions for 165 yards. The Bronchos went 5-6 this season

Northwest Oklahoma Reunion

Charles Page High School offensive line coach Jason Medrano was hired as the assistant head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University after the 2022 season and immediately began recruiting some familiar players.

2023 graduates Drake Fain, Kyle Morrall, and Jacob Blevins all enrolled at NWOSU as freshmen and 2022 alum Blake Jones transferred from Northeastern State.

The Rangers went 1-10 in their first season under head coach Ronnie Jones, matching their previous year’s total. They snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 41-0 rout of rival Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-11) in the season finale.

Jones finished the season with 16 carries for 14 yards and one touchdown, one reception for 38 yards, seven kick returns for an average of 10 yards, and one tackle.

Fain had 23 tackles, including a season-best seven against Henderson State, and a sack against SWOSU.

Morrall had one kick return for 15 yards and a tackle. Blevins saw action in one game but recorded no statistics.

CPHS seniors Marcus Sims and Kenneth Page both also have offers from NWOSU and could grow the number of Sandite-Rangers next season.

NSU Looking Forward

2023 alum Brody Rutledge joined 2022 grad Gabe Brown at Northeastern State University this season. The RiverHawks went 1-10 on the season and fired head coach J.J. Eckert following a four-year, 4-40 campaign.

Brown redshirted last year and made 9 tackles in his freshman season, with 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Rutledge played in four games as a true freshman but didn’t record any stats.

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Baseball Goes 2-2 at Pensacola Tournament

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The Charles Page High School baseball team (5-3) went 2-2 at the 29th annual Tate Aggie Classic in Pensacola, bookending two blowout wins with a pair of tough losses over spring break.

Sand Springs fell 11-4 to Christ Presbyterian (3-1) on Monday as they failed to keep up with the Lions’ nine hits.

Two walks on loaded bases and Brody Rutledge’s two-run single cut an early deficit to 6-4 after five innings but the Nashville private school piled on five more runs over the final two innings.

The Sandites’ bats came alive on Tuesday in a 13-3 rout of Gulf Breeze, FL (6-4) as the Sandites turned a close lead into a romp with a seven-run seventh inning.

Dolphin mistakes did most of the damage as Gulf Breeze surrendered seven hits and 16 walks to go with three errors.

Three consecutive walks and an RBI single from Brody Rutledge set up Rhen Rutledge for a grand slam, followed by a walk and a two-run blast from Jackson Turney in the seventh.

Gage Elliott (2-0) secured the win on the mound with four hits and three strikeouts in five innings.

The scoring melee continued on Wednesday in a 16-2, five-inning victory over Niceville, FL (3-8).

Jackson Arnold (1-0) tossed three hits and five strikeouts over four innings while the Sandites recorded 15 hits.

Sand Springs opened the game at full throttle, taking an 8-0 lead in the top of the first with doubles from Jabe Schlehuber, Kayden Campbell, and Brody Rutledge.

Eli Buxton blasted a three-run homer over the left field wall in the top of the fifth for the final runs of the game.

The success train was derailed Thursday though in a 7-1 loss to Pensacola Catholic (6-2).

The Crusaders jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the third and didn’t let the Sandites on the board until an RBI single from Arnold in the top of the seventh.

Brody Rutledge led the Sandites offensively, going 4-of-7 at the plate for seven runs and four RBIs over the course of the tournament. Turney was 3-of-11 for three runs and seven RBIs.

Sand Springs will play its final tournament of the season Thursday through Saturday at the Bartlesville Bruin Classic.

Wrestling

Sandite senior Ethan White recently announced his commitment to wrestle at Reinhardt University, an NAIA program in Waleska, Georgia. White went 30-19 in his senior campaign and was a State qualifier.

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Jabe Schlehuber Pitches One-Hit Upset of Owasso

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The defending 6A State Baseball Champion was toppled Tuesday, March 7th, as Jabe Schlehuber pitched a one-hit shutout against Owasso (4-3, 1-1).

The NOC Enid-signed senior tossed eight strikeouts in seven innings to deal the Rams their first loss of the season while also going 2-of-3 at the plate with a run and two RBIs.

Sand Springs (3-1, 1-1) won the game 8-0 after jumping out to an early 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to three walks, two errors, Schlehuber’s two-run double, and a two-run single from Brody Rutledge.

Alex Dudley and Jackson Turney added RBI singles in the third and fourth innings to pad the lead.

The victory paid back a 4-0 loss to start district action the night before.

The Sandites departed for their annual Spring Break tournament Saturday night and will compete at the Tate Aggie Classic in Pensacola.

Powerlifting

The Lady Sandite powerlifting team took fifth place at the OGPCA State Championship meet with two placers.

Jaden Jordan finished as runner-up at heavyweight, placing fourth in squat (370) and bench (160), while setting the OGPCA State Meet record in deadlift at 420 pounds.

Madison Thompson took fourth place at 220, finishing third in squat (325) and deadlift (330) and fifth in bench (150).

Golf

The Sand Springs varsity boys took second place in their season opener at the Muskogee Golf Invitational at Muskogee Golf Club behind a third-place performance from Zane Downey.

Downey shot 74, Cole Hight shot 78, Mason Ward scored 80, Cameron Villines scored 83, and Drew Paden scored 90.

Eastyn Eardley led the varsity girls with a 104 at their season opener in Sapulpa, Addison Endicott shot 114 and Kaylee Brenner scored 117.

Wrestling

Mitchell Smith was selected to represent the Large East at 150 pounds in the OCA All-State Duals. Smith went 108-35 in his career as a four-time State qualifier and two-time placer.

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Baseball Opens Season With Run-Rule Wins

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The Charles Page High School baseball team won its first two games of the season by 12-3 run rule against Shawnee on Friday and Yukon on Saturday.

The Sandites capitalized on a disastrous error-filled second inning from the Wolves to take a 6-1 lead and Northern Oklahoma College signee Dom Ornelas blasted a third-inning grand slam to put his team in run-rule territory.

Kayden Campbell got the win against Shawnee with nine strikeouts, four walks, and two hits in four innings.

Gage Elliott got the win against Yukon with three strikeouts, no walks, and five hits in four innings.

Brody Rutledge, Rhen Rutledge, and Jackson Turney totaled three hits apiece and Rhen Rutledge capped the scoring off with a three-run homer in the top of the fifth to secure the run rule.

Sand Springs wrapped up the preseason with a 6-2-1 record, beating Pryor 3-1 on Monday before falling 4-2 to Union on Tuesday.

Oklahoma State-committed freshman Easton Webb tossed eight strikeouts in three innings with only two hits against the Tigers.

Ornelas hit a solo homer against the RedHawks and Eli Buxton struck out eight in four innings.

The Sandites will kick off district play Monday at defending State Champion Owasso (2-0), before hosting the Rams Tuesday and Victory Christian (1-1) on Thursday.

Girls Powerlifting

The CPHS girls powerlifting team took third place at the OGPCA North Regional Tuesday in Miami, qualifying seven for the State Championship.

Senior heavyweight Jaden Jordan won her second Regional title and fourth meet of the year, benching 165 for first place, deadlifting 405 for first, and squatting 370 for second.

Also qualifying for State are Madison Thompson, Melanie Skelly, Gracie Worthington, Olivia Alexander, Kelsi Hilton, and Kiyah Dover.

Worthington placed third at 136, Thompson placed fourth at 220, Alexander placed sixth at heavyweight, Dover placed seventh at heavyweight, Hilton placed seventh at 136, Skelly placed ninth at 150, and Thompson placed 11th at 108.

The State meet will be held Monday, March 6th, at the Choctaw Event Center in Durant.

Dance

The Sandite dance team advanced to the finals in both Pom and Hip Hop at the NDA High School Nationals in Orlando, placing third in Hip Hop and fifth in Pom.

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Basketball Sweeps Roughers, Athletes Sign LOIs

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Sandite basketball swept the Muskogee Roughers Friday night with the varsity boys winning 72-65 while the girls won 63-41.

The 6A-East No. 6 Lady Sandites (12-5, 5-3) never trailed against No. 14 Muskogee. It was still a close game at 39-31 entering the fourth but the Sandites steamrolled the Roughers 24-10 in the final stanza.

Hailey Jackson scored 24 points to lead all scorers, Taiona “Yanni” Morris added 13, Sakauri Wilson had 9, and three different Sandites scored 5 apiece.

“We’re starting to play better as a unit,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We have more people stepping up.”

Sand Springs will have to cover six games over the final two weeks after meetings with Bartlesville and Booker T. Washington were postponed due to weather. This is the second time the Washington game has been rescheduled.

“This is our second game in 17 days,” said Berry. “It’s a bit different from when we start the season out with eight games in like 14 days.”

“We’re rested and we’re ready to go. It’s nothing that we can control so we just try to get better.”

The No. 11 Sandite boys (9-8, 2-6) snapped a five-game conference skid and got back above .500 overall with a win over the No. 15 Roughers (3-13, 0-9).

The Sandites led 34-27 at halftime but a seven-point run put the Roughers up 45-44 entering the final stanza.

Jamarian Ficklin tied it for the final time at 52-52 but Kooper Kelly hit a pair of free throws and layed up on a steal to put his team ahead for the final three minutes of the game.

Kelly tied his career-high with 20 points to lead all scorers while Luke Hooper also had a career night with 15 points.

“Any conference win, especially on the road, is a good feeling,” said head coach Eric Savage.

“In the past we’ve kind of lost our composure. A couple of times this wear we gave up the lead and never got it back. We showed some growth tonight and were able to weather the storm and get back in control late in the fourth quarter.”

Sand Springs will travel to Bixby on Tuesday and Bartlesville on Thursday before hosting Sapulpa Friday night.

Signing Day

School may have been canceled, but the festivities couldn’t be stopped Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House. Sand Springs celebrated 10 student-athletes who signed letters of intent to continue their careers at the collegiate level.

Many of the players will get to enjoy Sand Springs connections on their new rosters.

Kyle Morrall, Jacob Blevins, and Drake Fain signed with Northwestern Oklahoma State University to play Division II football. There they will be reunited with former Sandite assistant coach Jason Medrano, who recently took over as Offensive Coordinator for the Rangers.

Brody Rutledge signed to play Division II football at Northeastern State University. There he will join former Sand Springs teammates Gabe Brown, Landon Hendricks, and Blake Jones.

Dominic Ornelas and Jabe Schlehuber signed to play junior college baseball together at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid.

Carson Sargent signed to play Division II soccer at Rogers State University, where she will join former teammates Ali Day and Karsen Lynch.

Payton Robbins signed to play NAIA volleyball at Friends University in Kansas, where she’ll be reunited with Sandites Tehya Johnson, Charley Fahland, and Kasidy Holland.

Madori Bland signed with the stunt team at Drury University, a Division II program in Missouri.

Coleman Hight signed to play NAIA golf at Southwestern College in Kansas.

Baseball

Freshman quarterback Easton Webb has been getting lots of attention as a football prospect, but on Friday he announced his commitment to Oklahoma State University as a baseball player before ever playing a varsity minute.

Sand Springs will kick off the preseason with a home scrimmage against Sapulpa on the 16th at 4:30 p.m.

Girls Powerlifting

The Sand Springs girls powerlifting team took second place at the All-American Lift-a-thon in Shawnee Saturday with two champions. The Sandites had 137 team points, just behind Choctaw with 141.

Madison Thompson won the 220 weight class, sweeping all three events. She benched 140, squatted 285, and deadlifted 295.

Jaden Jordan won at heavyweight, taking first in squat at 335 pounds, first in deadlift at 375, and third in bench at 155.

Melani Skelly placed third, Gracie Worthington placed fourth, and Bailey Doughty and Kiyah Dover placed fifth.

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Sand Springs Hosts First-Ever Girls Wrestling Tournament

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The Charles Page High School boys wrestling team (13-4) suffered a pair of tough losses last week, falling 35-21 to No. 4 Broken Arrow (9-2) on Tuesday and 62-10 to No. 2 Stillwater (11-1) on Thursday.

The Sandites will travel to No. 11 Owasso (4-7) on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular season at the Glenpool Warrior Classic over the weekend.

Sand Springs hosted its first ever girls wrestling tournament Friday at Clyde Boyd Middle School, drawing 22 varsity programs and 18 junior high squads.

Springdale Har-Ber won the inaugural high school tournament while Perry won the junior high event. Sand Springs placed sixth in varsity and fifth in junior high.

Bailey Copeland won the Sandites’ lone gold medal, pinning both of her opponents in the junior high 82-pound bracket.

In junior high: Rylee Allen placed second, Sawyer Briscoe and Ananiah King were fourth, Camden Carrison and Cailey Miller were fifth, and Lyla Waldren and Stefane Ortiz placed sixth.

Gracie Young and Kelsi Hilton led the varsity girls with runner-up performances. Laila Mirza placed fourth, Addily Shotwell was fifth, Madison Chambers placed sixth, and Kreedence Behnke was eighth.

The junior high boys took second place in a tight three-way race at the Ted Anderson Tournament in Edmond on Saturday. The Sandites finished only 13 points behind Bixby while edging out Broken Arrow by 1.5 points.

Kaden Pope and Hudson Sheppard won their brackets; Ryley Kester, Brady Moore, and Jaxon Grigsby were runners up; Kasen McAffery placed third; and Issac Sensintaffer finished fourth.

The Keystone Kids placed seventh out of 100 teams at the OKUSA Youth Wrestling State Championship with four champions and four runners-up.

Brackton Upton, Hagan Wolfenberger, and Jaxon Trotter all won their divisions while Hudson Waag, Karson Waag, and Bryson Pope were runners up. Kydon Harness was a double-finalist, winning in Beginner and placing second in Open.

Ryker Dawes, Collin Randall, Maddix Spencer, and Ayreson Reiss placed third. Brenntly Taylor, Eric Foust, Mason Londo, and Maddox Pope placed fourth.

Baseball

Sandite catcher Dominic Ornelas announced his commitment to Northern Oklahoma College at Enid Tuesday on Twitter. Also headed to NOC-Enid is pitcher and second baseman Jabe Schlehuber, who committed in November.

Football

Sand Springs seniors Kyle Morrall and Jacob Blevins announced their commitment to Northwestern Oklahoma State University. There they will be reunited with former Sandite assistant coach Jason Medrano, who recently took over as Offensive Coordinator for the Rangers.

Brody Rutledge, the Sandites’ leading receiver, committed to Northeastern State University on Tuesday. There he will join former Sand Springs teammates Gabe Brown, Landon Hendricks, and Blake Jones.