Junior High Runners Shine at Frontier Valley Conference Championship

The Sand Springs cross country program wrapped up the regular season Tuesday in Muskogee with the Frontier Valley Conference Championship.

The varsity boys placed ninth out of ten teams, led by Rafi Huff with a 5K time of 19:02 for 37th place out of 62 runners. Rhys Foster led the JV team in 25:12 for 82nd place.

Kelsi Hilton was the lone varsity runner for the girls, finishing the 5K in 22:00 for 24th place out of 54 runners. Blakelee Meeker placed 57th in the JV run in 28:38.

Chloe Grona led the junior high girls with a two-mile time of 12:44 for 4th place out of 117 runners. Josie Grona wasn’t far behind with a time of 13:07 for 9th place.

Cole Higgins led the junior high boys to a 7th place finish, running the two-mile in 11:19 for 6th place out of 119 runners.

The varsity runners will return to action on Saturday, October 21st in North Tulsa. The 6A-East Regional Championship will be held at O’Brien Park near Turley with 6A girls starting the day's events at 9:00 a.m.

Varsity Girls
24th - Kelsi Hilton - 22:00

Junior Varsity Girls
57th - Blakelee Meeker - 28:38

Junior High Girls
4th - Chloe Grona - 12:44
9th - Josie Grona - 13:07
59th - Lexi Boone - 16:17
109th - Vivian Burr - 19:52

Varsity Boys
37th - Rafi Huff - 19:02
41st - Dallas Potter - 19:13
53rd - Anshun Syong - 20:07
57th - Jessen Cox - 21:14
59th - Kordel Hartmann - 21:41
61st - Jaxon Perry - 22:14
62nd - Gavin Corbin - 23:05

Junior Varsity Boys
82nd - Rhys Foster - 25:12
89th - Malachi Waldrup - 26:54

Junior High Boys
6th - Cole Higgins - 11:19
20th - Wyatt Shaw - 12:00
27th - Corbin Wesson - 12:29
44th - Canyon Carnahan - 13:05
76th - Presley Gunnery - 14:21
91st - Daniel Stuckey - 15:07
101st - Brier Hartman - 15:24

Sophie Grona, Cole Higgins, and Junior High Boys Win Cleveland XC Meet

Sand Springs had an exceptional performance at all age levels in the Cleveland Tigers Cross Country Meet on Thursday, earning two individual gold medals and one team title.

Cole Higgins won his second meet of the season, leading the junior high boys to their second team title of the year. His 1.5 mile time of 7:06 was two seconds better than the runner-up and enough to lead the field of 48.

Corbin Wesson placed third in 7:29, Daniel Stuckey was fifth in 7:38, and Wyatt Shaw was sixth in 7:46,

Sophie Grona took first place out of 85 runners with a 6:38 mile to lead the elementary girls to a sixth place team finish.

Chloe and Josie Grona led the junior high girls to a second place finish in the 1.5-mile run. Ghloe took second place in 8:08 and Josie took third in 8:12. Mya Wagers finished ninth in 8:49.

The varsity boys placed second, led by Rafi Huff in third place. Huff ran the 5K in 18:09, followed by Dallas Potter with an 18:30 mark for sixth.

Conner Williamson placed 18th out of 95 runners in the elementary boys race. His 7:05 mile led the Sandites to a fourth place finish.

The varsity girls didn’t have enough runners to earn a team place in the two-mile race. Laila Mirza placed 28th out of 59 runners in 16:19.

The Sand Springs high school and junior high teams will return to action at the Frontier Valley Conference Championship on Tuesday in Muskogee.

Sand Springs Results

Elementary Girls 1 Mile
1st - Sophie Grona - 6:38
34th - Melanie Kinser - 8:47
38th - Anna Voight - 8:55
49th - Starr Corbin - 9:24
50th - Kyall Mcaffrey - 9:27
54th - Nola Chamber - 9:36
55th - Julia Myers - 9:41
78th - Brinley Mckinney - 11:55

Junior High Girls 1.5 Mile
2nd - Chloe Grona - 8:08
3rd - Josie Grona - 8:12
9th - Mya Wagers - 8:49
15th - Lexi Boone - 9:08
24th - Rowen Hull - 9:40
62nd - Vivian Burr - 11:50

Varsity Girls 2 Mile
28th - Laila Mirza - 16:19
33rd - Blakelee Meeker - 17:03

Elementary Boys 1 Mile
18th - Conner Williamson - 7:05
31st - Stu Grona - 7:24
32nd - Sutton Corbin - 7:25
41st - Hudson Waag - 7:42
65th - Mark Garner - 8:59
82nd - Liam Kinman - 10:38
85th - Kai Chambers - 11:27
88th - Fisher Abbott - 11:59

Junior High Boys 1.5 Mile
1st - Cole Higgins - 7:06
3rd - Corbin Wesson - 7:29
5th - Daniel Stuckey - 7:38
6th - Wyatt Shaw - 7:46
14th - Canyon Carnahan - 8:13
17th - Presley Gunnery - 8:22
42nd - Dean Earnest - 10:50

Varsity Boys 5K
3rd - Rafi Huff - 18:09
6th - Dallas Potter - 18:30
17th - Kordel Hartmann - 19:58
20th - Jessen Cox - 20:15
27th - Jaxon Perry - 21:15
30th - Gavin Corbin - 21:36
40th - Malachi Waldrup - 23:03
50th - Rhys Foster - 24:00
57th - Dax Wilcox - 25:03

Anderson Elementary took fifth place in the girls race, led by Catherine Mundy in 7:55, and fifth in the boys race, led by Elliott Gibson in 7:08.

Anderson Results

Elementary Girls 1 Mile
15th - Catherine Mundy - 7:56
23rd - Beighley Ray - 8:19
29th - Joaline Reeve - 8:38
30th - Sophia Reyna - 8:39
32nd - Saylor Harmon - 8:44
67th - Lilly Reinhardt - 11:01
73rd - Kinley Fulton - 11:30
74th - Hallie Graham - 11:38
82nd - Presley Graham - 12:48
83rd - Nova West - 13:32

Elementary Boys 1 Mile
21st - Elliott Gibson - 7:08
39th - Cooper Lisicki - 7:39
44th - Grayson Shoopman - 7:55
51st - Kiptyn Reeve - 8:20
52nd - Jaxon Couffer - 8:22
54th - Ace Jewell - 8:23
57th - Zander Hefele - 8:40
63rd - Lincoln Bozone - 8:56
66th - Waylon Lightle - 9:11
67th - Joseph Parsell - 9:13
71st - Kota Fulton - 9:42
76th - Elijah Ray - 10:22
78th - Vandon Flynn - 10:33
86th - Praxton Flynn - 11:36
89th - Royce Hefele - 12:19
93rd - Colton Bartell - 13:21

Cole Higgins and Junior High Boys Win Ponca City Cross Country Meet

Cole Higgins led the Sand Springs junior high boys to a first place finish out of six teams at the Kelly Chaney Cross Country Invitational in Ponca City on Tuesday.

Higgins ran the two-mile run in 11:08.67 to take the gold with a nearly four-second lead on the runner-up. Corbin Wesson and Wyatt Shaw also finished in the top-five with times of 12:21.51 and 12:27.06, respectively.

According to coach Chris Corbin, it was only the second team win in school history for the junior high boys.

The varsity boys took seventh place in the field of ten teams, led by Rafi Huff with a 5K time of 18:03.68 for 17th place out of 62 runners. The JV boys placed ninth, led by Jaxon Perry in 21:28.21.

The Lady Sandites have struggled to field a full team this year and didn’t compete in the varsity run. Laila Mirza led the junior varsity girls to a 15th place finish in 25:29.78, with freshman Blakelee Meeker just three seconds behind her.

The junior high girls had a strong finish, however, placing third out of six teams in their two-mile run.

Chloe Grona placed third in 12:29.03, closely followed by Josie Grona in 12:55.04. Mya Wagers placed sixth in 14:01.1.

Sand Springs will return to action on Saturday at the 38th annual Holland Hall Cross Country Invitational. The meet will be held on the school campus with varsity boys kicking things off at 9:00 a.m.

JV Girls 5K
15th - Laila Mirza - 25:29.79
16th - Blakelee Meeker - 25:32.95

Junior High Girls 2-Mile
3rd - Chloe Grona - 12:29.03
4th - Josie Grona - 12:55.04
6th - Mya Wagers - 14:01.10
24th - Lexi Boone - 15:47.14
30th - Vivian Burr - 16:21.28

Varsity Boys 5K
17th - Rafi Huff - 18:03.68
26th - Dallas Potter - 18:30.40
36th - Anshun Syong - 19:28.26
49th - Jessen Cox - 20:25.71
51st - Kordel Hartmann - 20:30.39

JV Boys 5K
37th - Jaxon Perry - 21:28.21
42nd - Gavin Corbin - 21:31.09
77th - Malachi Waldrup - 23:24.35
78th - Gabriel Baker - 23:26.06
90th - Rhys Foster - 24:24.65

Junior High Boys 2-Mile
1st - Cole Higgins - 11:08.67
4th - Corbin Wesson - 12:21.51
5th - Wyatt Shaw - 12:27.06
20th - Daniel Stuckey - 13:27.06
30th - Canyon Carnahan - 13:49.79
32nd - Rowen Hull - 14:01.92
37th - Presley Gunnery - 14:27.09
69th - Dean Ernest - 18:18.96

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Girls Soccer Wins Collinsville Tournament

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Track and Field

The Sand Springs junior high team kicked off its season at Ft. Gibson with several first-place finishers.

Avery Voight won at 110- and 300-meter hurdles; Kaizen Freese won in high jump; Cole Higgins won the 800-meter run; Chloe Grona won the 1600-meter run; and the seventh-grade boys won the 3200-meter relay.

Golf

It was a three-way race to lead the team at the Jenks tournament as Mason Ward, Zane Downey, and Coleman Hight all scored 85s and Cameron Villines was right behind them at 86. Next up is the Rock Creek Tournament at Sapulpa on April 12th.

Soccer

The Lady Sandites soccer team (5-2) wrapped up a successful non-district slate with a tournament title Friday, March 24th at Collinsville.

Sand Springs won 2-0 against Bartlesville JV and 3-0 against Durant (3-6) before taking down Oologah-Talala (7-2) in penalty kicks in a rematch of the previous year’s finals.

Ava Watts scored the team’s lone goal in regulation and a save from Sophia Hart secured the 5-3 shootout victory to repeat as tournament champions.

The Sandites suffered a 4-3 loss in their district opener Friday at Enid (5-2) despite a hat trick from Alyssa Cunningham.

The shorthanded visitors were down to only 12 players, missing leading scorer Watts as well as Jayden Ellenburg and Avery Miller. Those three are expected to be back in the lineup by next week but Carson Sargent also suffered a sprained ankle during the match.

Sand Springs rallied from a 2-0 deficit and tied it at 3-3 but the Pacers pulled ahead on a 25-yard penalty kick from Ava Burnett late in the match.

The boys (4-1) suffered their first loss of the year, 2-1 at Enid (6-3). The Plainsmen took a 2-0 lead before Nic Roberts averted the shutout with a penalty kick in the second half.

Both teams will return to action Tuesday at Jenks before hosting Choctaw Friday for Senior Night.

Tennis

The Lady Sandites had a successful outing at the Skiatook quad Wednesday against Skiatook and Victory Christian.

Kira Shipley defeated her Skiatook opponent 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 Singles and Daffaney Snyder won 6-0, 6-0 against Victory Christian in No. 2 Singles.

Caitlin Shipman and Abigail Dunn won 2-0 against both Victory and Skiatook in No. 1 Doubles, beating the Conquerors 6-0 in both sets and the Bulldogs 6-4, 6-2.

Mary Alvarez and Stephanie Horton won 6-2, 6-0 against Victory in No. 2 Doubles.

Sand Springs will host a home event against Rejoice Christian and Sapulpa on Monday, April 10th.

Case DiscGolfPark Hosts First Major Event in Oklahoma Open

Sand Springs held its first major event at Case DiscGolfPark Saturday, hosting six amateur divisions of the Oklahoma Open on its white (short) tees.

Tara Royal shot a 66 in Recreational Women. Samantha Cooper and Kelsi Snook shot 64s in Intermediate Women. Del Wytovak shot a 48 in Recreational Men, Jarrod Harris shot a 54 in Novice Men, and Eric Savage scored a 53 in Amateur Masters 60+.

Matthew Brown scored a 55 in 18U Juniors, Canton Taylor scored a 54 in 15U Juniors, and Jaxton Taylor scored a 63 in 10U Juniors.

The three-round Oklahoma Open is also being played on five other Tulsa-area courses and will conclude on Sunday.

Cross Country

Chloe Grona took first place in the Frontier Valley Conference junior high track meet at Muskogee, leading the girls to a program-best seventh place finish.

Chloe Grona ran the two-mile race in 12:39 to earn the conference title while Josie Grona placed 7th in 13:15 to also earn All-Conference honors.

The junior high boys also had a historically good seventh place finish, led by Wyatt Shaw in 12:38 for 36th place.

The varsity girls placed eighth, led by Kelsi Hilton with a 5K time of 22:09 for 26th. The varsity boys didn’t place but were led by Taigh Wright in 19:48 for 43rd.

At the 6A Regional meet in Ponca City Hilton placed 44th in 22:38.49 but the girls were one runner shy of earning a team place. The boys finished 15th, led by Wright in 19:59.32 for 74th.

Football

The Sand Springs seventh grade football team improved to 4-2 in its division with a 40-0 rout of Broken Arrow Orange on Saturday. They will play at Bixby White on Saturday.

The eighth grade team suffered its first loss of the season, 18-12 against Carver. The Sandites are 6-1 overall.

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Softball Places Third at Bixby Tournament

The Charles Page High School softball (15-9, 5-3) started a successful week with a pair of perfect games and ended it with a third-place finish at the Bixby tournament.

The Sandites celebrated Senior Night with a perfect double-header Tuesday against the combined team of Tulsa Memorial and Booker T. Washington (0-15, 0-7).

Kelsi Hilton (7-1) struck out 10 and the Sandites totaled 15 hits in a 20-0 game-one rout. Addie Hughes (8-8) struck out 10 and the Sandites recorded 13 hits in the 10-0 second game. 

The Sandites rode that momentum into a crucial 8-3 district win Thursday against Bartlesville (11-8, 3-4) behind a six-strikeout performance from Hughes. 

On Friday the Sandites rolled to a 14-0 shutout of Union (6-18) in the first round of the Bixby tournament. Hughes pitched a one-hitter with six strikeouts and Mikenna Stephens went 3-of-4 at the plate with four RBI.

Hilton struck out seven in a 4-2 win over El Reno (4-9) while also recording three RBI in the second game of the tournament.

The win streak came to a close in a 6-0 loss against Perry (24-5) Friday evening but the Sandites got back in the win column with a 5-1 victory over Raymore Peculiar (7-6) Saturday morning. 

To cap off the week, Hilton hit a walk-off RBI single to prevail 5-4 over Coweta (16-7) and pay back an August defeat. 

Hilton batted .583 on the week with a team-high 14 hits, three triples, 13 RBI, and 11 runs. Morgan Rector was .565 at the plate with 13 hits, six RBI, and 12 runs.

Hilton went 3-0 in the circle with a 1.44 ERA and Hughes was 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. with a key district game at Jenks (19-3, 10-0), then will travel to Stillwater (14-6, 6-3) Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Cross Country

Josie Grona led the Sandite elementary with a fourth-place finish at the Sapulpa Chieftain meet, Saturday, September 3rd. She ran the one-mile race in 6:23.36. Kellen Adkins was 18th to lead the boys in 6:47.05.

Kelsi Hilton led the varsity girls with a ninth place finish, running the two-mile in 13:29.31. Taigh Wright led the boys in 12:23.49.

Chloe Grona was runner-up in the junior high girls’ one-mile run, finishing in 5:59.85. Dax Wilcox was the top junior high boy, placing 14th in 5:54.46. 

On September 10th the Sandites took a depleted roster to Broken Arrow. 

Wright led the boys with a 50th place finish, running the 5K in 19:38.80. Gracie Gifford led the girls, finishing in 26:11.92 for 57th place. Melany Lamb led the junior high girls, placing 63rd in 37:08.79. 

Volleyball

The No. 15 Sandite volleyball team (7-6) snapped a five-match skid with a 3-0 sweep of Pryor (2-15) Tuesday night on the road. Sand Springs won 25-14, 25-10, and 25-14.

The Sandites will return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. with a conference rivalry game at 5A No. 7 Sapulpa (13-10, 1-3). Sand Springs is 0-4 in conference action.

Football

The Sandite freshman class (2-0) continued an undefeated streak stretching back to its seventh grade season, winning 34-0 against Bartlesville. The eighth graders also moved to 2-0 with a 48-14 win against the Bruins. 

Wrestling

The first-year Lady Sandite wrestling program had a successful first meeting with prospective athletes. New coach Ty Bowling hopes to have as many as 20 girls in the program this season.