Lady Sandites Enjoying Successful Inaugural Dual Season

The Charles Page High School girls wrestling team (3-1) is enjoying a successful first dual season and picked up its third win of the season Tuesday night, 42-30 against Claremore a dual that came down to the final match.

Bailey Copeland, Ambrielle Chambers, and Laila Mirza all pinned their opponents to help the Lady Sandites bounce back from a 42-30 loss at 5A No. 12 Skiatook (2-0) last week.

Sand Springs wrestled two duals at Skiatook last Tuesday, winning 60-24 against Glenpool (1-3) before falling to the Bulldogs.

Copeland, Mirza, and Tessa Urrey pinned their opponents in the Glenpool dual.

Kenzie Johnson and Kelsi Hilton secured pins against Skiatook while Mirza recorded a 14-1 major decision.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the first-ever Highway 97 Rivalry dual at No. 14 Sapulpa.

Zander Grigsby Wins Mid America Nationals, Sandites Beat Claremore in Dual

The No. 9 ranked Charles Page High School boys’ wrestling team improved to 3-0 on the season Tuesday evening with a 40-24 win over 5A No. 6 Claremore (3-2) at Clyde Boyd Middle School.

The Sandites trailed through the first six matches before Jesse Moore (3-0) pinned Alex Miller at 144 pounds to tie it up at 15-15.

Claremore jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a forfeit at 106. Ayreson Reiss (3-0) got the Sandites on the board with a 6-1 decision over Paul Perez, but the visitors won the next three matches.

Kale Shultz won 5-3 in overtime against Caden Rodriguez and returning State qualifier Mason Gillispie won 12-5 against Hunter Spencer. Both Sandites were making their varsity debuts.

Jaxon Grigsby (7-3) suffered a 6-3 decision at the hands of returning State qualifier Maddox Jackson for the Zebras’ biggest lead at 15-3.

Kasen McAffrey made his freshman debut with a pin of Mikey Robertson to kick off the rally at 138.

Preston Reyna (8-2) followed up Moore’s pin with a 14-5 major decision against Kaiden Soaz and the Sandites held the lead from then on.

Isaac Sensintaffar (5-2) pinned Jackson Roach in 1:52 to make it 25-15, but Brody Ensten (6-3) was pinned by returning State placer Cooper Zigafues to keep things close.

Finally, Jaxon Trotter (9-2) pinned Silas Taylor in 57 seconds and Peyton Callis (9-2) pinned Micah Duncan in five seconds to clinch the dual victory.

Claremore won one last match in a 3-1 decision by returning State qualifier Cameron Braswell against Ali McCoy (5-5) but Mason Harris (9-1) capped the night off with a 2-0 defeat of Josh Feliciano.

Next up on the Sandites’ schedule is a Highway 97 Rivalry match at 5A No. 14 Sapulpa (0-1) Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

Sand Springs wrestled its first tournament over the weekend and Zander Grigsby (9-0) led the Sandites to a seventh place finish at the Mid America Nationals in Enid.

Grigsby pinned his first pool opponent, then won a 9-0 major decision against returning State qualifier Walker Johnson of Harrah.

In the championship bracket he pinned his first opponent before eking out a 3-0 decision against Marlow State Champion Cade Gilbert.

In the semifinals he won an 11-0 major decision against Texas State Champion Tanner Casaubon and in the finals he won a 5-1 decision against Guthrie State qualifier Bryson Hall.

Grigsby outscored his opponents 42-2 over the tournament.

Harris was runner-up at heavyweight, pinning his first four opponents in the first period. He won a 2-0 decision over Guthrie State qualifier Nic Herendeen and a 1-0 decision against Piedmont State qualifier Jesse Knapp before falling to Kansas State Champion Brett Carroll.

Kase Skaggs (9-1) took fifth place at 120 pounds with wins over three State qualifiers. His only loss came to two-time Texas State Champion Isaak Arevalo in the quarterfinals and he bounced back with three straight decisions. In the placement round he won 4-3 against USAWKS State Champion Talon Verbeck.

Callis placed fifth at 190, only losing two matches to a pair of State qualifiers. In the placement round he won a 7-3 decision against Texas State placer Ryan Rainey from Arlington-Martin.

Trotter placed ninth at 175, pinning his first five opponents before falling 10-3 and 4-3 to a pair of State finalists. He bounced back with a 18-1 technical fall against Salina State qualifier Jyce Glass and a 35-second pin of Collinsville’s Sean Ross.

Matthew Moore (7-4) placed 10th at 132 with a 5-4 record. He won his first three matches before falling to a pair of State finalists. He won two matches in the Championship bracket, losing only to returning State qualifiers.

Jayden Pait (6-0) placed 12th at 138, winning his first four matches before medical forfeiting the rest of the tournament. He pinned his first two opponents before winning a pair of decisions against two State qualifiers.

Hudson Sheppard (5-2) placed 12th at 175, easily winning his pool before falling 7-2 to Harrah’s Zylan Johnson. He won his next match 7-3 against Texas State qualifier Boede Gibson but medical forfeited his remaining matches.

McCoy placed 15th at 215 pounds with three pins. In the placement round he pinned Jay’s Bryce McGhee in 1:40.

Jaxon Grigsby placed 17th at 126, going 5-2 with four pins, beating Marlow’s Harris Brennan 8-0 in the placement match. Both of his losses came to returning State qualifiers during pool play, relegating him to the consolation bracket where he dominated the field, outscoring his opponents 34-1.

Reyna placed 17th at 144, losing his first two matches before bouncing back with a technical fall and five consecutive wins to top the consolation bracket. Over his final five matches he outscored his opponents 38-0 with three pins, including a 26-second victory in the finals.

Sensintaffar placed 17th at 150, losing his first two matches before winning his next four, including three pins with a 36-second finals victory.

Ensten placed 17th at 157, going 1-2 in pool play before winning out in the consolation bracket with three total pins in the tournament.

Jaden Allen (4-4) placed 22nd at 190 with four pins.

The Sandites finished in seventh place with 320 points despite voiding the 106 and 113 weight classes.

As a non-scoring wrestler, Colt Hood took 13th place at 120 with a 4-3 record and four pins, winning his placement match by fall against Watonga’s Dakota Cox. Two of his three losses came to defending State Champions.

Sandite Wrestling Opens Season with Double-Header Beatdowns of Glenpool & Skiatook

Kase Skaggs had the signature win of the night, defeating a returning State Finalist. (Photo by Scott Emigh).

The Charles Page High School boys’ wrestling team opened the dual season with a bang Thursday night in Skiatook, dominating 5A No. 15 Glenpool 72-0 and 4A No. 13 Skiatook 73-6.

The Sandites didn’t lose a single match, with Skiatook’s only points coming on a forfeit at 106 in the second dual of the night.

“Those are traditionally good wrestling teams,” said head coach Ty Bowling. “We thought it’d be good to start the season off against some traditional wrestling powers, so it was a good start for us.”

Sand Springs opened the season against Glenpool (1-3), Bowling’s former program.

106 was double forfeited, then Ayreson Reiss received a forfeit at 113. The next six matches were all decided by fall.

Kase Skaggs pinned Talan Williamson in 1:45, Jaxon Grigsby pinned Kamm Hart in 1:21, Matthew Moore pinned his foe in 2:27, Jayden Pait pinned Jacoby Constant in 1:52, Jesse Moore pinned Tyler Kent in 0:46, and Preston Reyna pinned Michael Lohr in 2:27.

Brody Ensten won a 13-2 major decision against Liam Saville, and Zander Grigsby had the biggest win of the night in 7-1 decision over returning State qualifier Trent Cole.

Jaxon Trotter won a 17-0 technical fall, Peyton Callis pinned Kaden Witzel in 0:45, Ali McCoy pinned Landon Pangle in 1:17, and Mason Harris pinned his opponent in 0:47 to complete the shutout.

The victory marked the second shutout and fourth 70-point margin of victory in the Ty Bowling era.

In the second dual the Sandites trailed 6-0 after forfeiting at 106, but Reiss tied it up immediately with a pin of Andrew Havens in 2:07.

The top victory of the night went to Skaggs at 120 with a 5-3 decision over returning State finalist Jagen Jones.

Jaxon Grigsby pinned Caleb Thompson in 0:43, Matthew Moore pinned Dominick King in 2:06, Pait pinned Landon Dodd in 0:28, and Jesse Moore pinned Maddox Tucker in 0:53.

Reyna got an 8-0 major decision against Ian Long, then the Sandites won the final six consecutive matches by fall to end the night.

Ensten pinned Johnny Leonard in 0:52, Zander Grigsby pinned Luke Sutton in 2:30, Hudson Sheppard pinned Eli Sutton in 1:00, Callis pinned Isaac Sherril in 0:43, McCoy pinned State qualifier Jackson Bailey in 4:53, and Harris pinned State qualifier Biggs Havens in 4:01.

The Sandites appear to have a loaded roster this season after returning 12 out of 14 starters from last year with some talented underclassmen vying for mat time.

“Guys are battling to make the lineup,” said Bowling. “We’ve got State qualifiers that are right now on the outside looking in.”

Next up on the dual schedule is a bout with 5A No. 5 Claremore (3-1) Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at Clyde Boyd Middle School.

Sandite Basketball Tips Off Tuesday at Home Against Edmond Memorial

The Charles Page High School varsity basketball teams will tip off the season Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House in a district double-header against Edmond Memorial.

The varsity girls will play at 6:30 p.m. while the boys will play at 8:00 p.m.

The girls are in their fifth year under head coach Josh Berry, who holds a 68-30 record at Sand Springs and a 166-143 record overall.

The Lady Sandites went 18-9 overall last season and 9-5 in the final year of Frontier Valley Conference play. They ended their season in the Area consolation finals, one round short of the State tournament.

The girls graduated Fayth Walker and All-State selection Hailey Jackson, but return Sakauri Wilson, Taiona Morris, and Kiaryn Taylor, who are all receiving attention from college recruiters. Abigaile Martin, Calla Fueshko, and Patience Pearce are all impactful returners.

The Sandites also picked up a big-time transfer in Hope Bump, a junior star at Claremore who was an All-Conference second-team selection in the Metro Lakes who averaged 18 points and 9 boards last season.

The boys went 10-14 overall and 3-11 in FVC play under head coach Eric Savage, who holds a 123-121 record after ten seasons at Sand Springs and a 428-214 record overall.

The boys graduated Michael Foster, Jax Marshall, Kade Holland, Sam Hayes, and Luke Hooper, but will still return a talented lineup anchored by Alijah Roper, Kooper Kelly, Blake Johnson, and Khalil Allen.

Junior transfer Deke Thompson will be a high-profile addition from Jenks as an All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. Marcus Mitchell, Zane Fueshko, and Colin Shope all return a wealth of experience from last season.

The OSSAA shifted to district play this season, meaning the Sandites will say goodbye to old rivals like Sapulpa, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Muskogee, Booker T. Washington, and Jenks. Shockingly, the Highway 97 Rivalry is not on the schedule this season.

Edmond Memorial will be the first district opponent for the Sandites in the new era. The Bulldog boys went 12-11 last season while the girls were 22-5.

The Lady Sandites’ last meeting with the Bulldogs was a 50-46 victory in the Area consolation playoffs in 2021. If the boys have ever played Edmond Memorial, it was before Sandite Pride’s records.

Postseason Preview: Sandites Host Lawton Friday

Charles Page High School is four-for-four in qualifying for the playoffs in the Bobby Klinck era and under the new playoff expansion implemented in 2022, they’ll get to host a first-round game for the second season in a row.

6A-II No. 5 Sand Springs (7-3) is set to host Lawton (3-7) Friday in only their second meeting ever. The first and only meeting was a 5A semifinal playoff game that Lawton won 14-10 in 1987.

The Bracket

The winner of Sand Springs vs. Lawton will advance to play No. 3 Choctaw (7-2), who gets a first-round bye. On the same side of the bracket is No. 8 Tahlequah (3-7) at Putnam City (4-6), with the winner playing No. 1 Stillwater (8-2).

On the other side of the bracket is No. 10 Putnam City North (4-6) at No. 6 Bartlesville (4-6), with the winner playing No. 2 Edmond Deer Creek (8-2), and No. 9 Putnam City West (5-5) at No. 7 Ponca City (5-5), with the winner playing No. 4 Muskogee (8-2).

The Contenders

Stillwater is the defending State Champion, though they’ve spent most of the season at the No. 4 spot after a head coach change and the graduation of many starters resulted in an 0-2 start. Since then, the Pioneers are 8-0 with a statement 30-20 win over Muskogee in the district title game. Last year was their second championship overall and their third finals appearance in the past five years.

Deer Creek is looking for its first State title since 2000 when the Antlers were still 3A. They made the finals in 2021 but were outmatched 63-14 by juggernaut Bixby. Deer Creek started the season 1-2, playing up a division against a trio of 6A-I schools. They closed the season on a 7-0 streak with a signature 25-20 win against Choctaw in Week 6.

Choctaw finished the year with four wins in a row after the close loss at Deer Creek. The Yellowjackets have made the finals in two of the past three years but are still looking for their first title since a Class B championship in 1960. They outscored fellow playoff teams Lawton, Putnam City, and Ponca City by a combined 171 to 39 in the final three games.

Muskogee has returned to its blue blood form the past two years in pursuit of its first title since 1986 and fifth overall. The Roughers are 4-0 in championship games but 0-6 in the semis since their last gold ball and looking to take that next step forward after getting stopped in the semis last year.

Sand Springs is in pursuit of its first State title since 1966 and first finals appearance since 2015. The Sandites have been turned away in the semis twice since then. The Sandites’ only losses this season have come to 6A-I No. 1 Bixby, then-No. 1 Muskogee, and current No. 1 Stillwater.

The Dark Horse

Bartlesville is undoubtedly the best team in the playoffs with a losing record. In three consecutive losses to Stillwater, Muskogee, and Sand Springs, the combined score was only 64 to 54. There was also a season-opening one-point loss to 5A No. 6 Claremore (9-1). The Bruins got back in the win column with a 51-20 domination of Tahlequah to close the regular season.

The Bruins have never made it to a State finals game and they haven’t made it past the quarterfinals since 2015.

The Hopefuls

Ponca City won a first-round playoff game last year for the first time since 1986 and is looking to take another step forward this season. The Wildcats have never won the gold ball and last played for it in 1965.

Tahlequah has qualified for the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons, but they haven’t gotten past the first round since 2020 when they were still 5A. They have never won a State title, falling in the 4A finals in 1989.

Putnam City West is making its first postseason appearance since 2016 and looking for its first win since 1994. The Patriots won their lone title in 1981 in Class 4A and haven’t made it to the finals since then.

Putnam City North won a playoff game as recently as 2020 but missed out on the postseason last year. The Panthers won their only gold ball in 1991 in Class 5A and made their last finals appearance in 2001 in 6A.

Putnam City is looking to win its first playoff game since 2007. The Pirates won three titles in four years from 1974 to 1977 but haven’t made the finals since that 4A run.

Lawton was an early 6A-II power, making finals appearances in 2014 and 2016 after the 6A split. They lost both of those games to Bixby. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2017, however. The Wolverines own two gold balls, last winning a 5A title in 1987.

Sandite Volleyball Places Third at Claremore, Evyn Morrow Named All-Tournament

Evyn Morrow has been named to the All-Tournament team at both tournaments this season. (Photo: Charity Emigh).

The Charles Page High School volleyball team (11-7) entered the 6A rankings at No. 16 on Monday after going 5-3 on the week and finishing in third place at the Claremore Tournament on Saturday.

The Sandites suffered a close 3-0 loss to Union (3-6) in a conference match on Tuesday, then went 2-2 on Friday.

In the first match of the tournament they won 25-10 and 25-16 against Collinsville (4-18), but fell 25-23 and 25-12 in a Highway 97 Rivalry match with 5A No. 4 Sapulpa (17-7). They’ll get the opportunity to pay back that one, however, when they host the Chieftains on September 26th in conference action.

“We didn’t play our best,” said head coach Skylar Jackson. “One of our six rotation players got injured in the Sapulpa match. But the girls did pretty well picking up the slack with new people in new places.”

Sand Springs got back in the win column with a 25-22, 25-18 win over 5A No. 11 Edison (12-8) before falling 25-18, 25-23 to 5A No. 3 Claremore (18-3) in a battle of spouses, as the Zebras are coached by former Sandite head coach Derek Jackson, current coach Skylar Jackson’s husband.

On Saturday the Sandites went 3-0, winning 25-18, 25-11 against Memorial (3-8) in the first match of the day.

Next they won 25-18, 25-22 against 4A No. 7 Verdigris (12-7) in a match against another former Sandite head coach, Caleb Horton. Finally they won 25-10 and 25-9 against Will Rogers (3-12).

“Winning is important and we are in a very, very tough conference,” said Jackson. “At the end of the day you have to figure out how to win…having more opportunities in front of us in one weekend is good for our confidence.”

Evyn Morrow picked up her second All-Tournament accolade of the season.

“She’s super devoted and works hard nonstop,” said Jackson. “She’s just one of our strongest leaders.”

Also impressing throughout the tournament was freshman Adelynn Ray, who recorded 7 aces in the final match against Rogers.

“The best thing about Adelynn is she just loves to play volleyball,” said Jackson. “It doesn’t really get too big for her, and for a lot of underclassmen that’s one of the worries is that they’re not going to handle the pressure. The pressure doesn’t exist for her and she’s just out there playing ball.”

Sand Springs will take on another top 5A team in No. 5 Regent Prep (8-4) Thursday on the road before hosting 6A No. 7 Owasso (6-3, 2-0) in a return to conference action on September 7th.