Sandite Football drops season opener to Pulaski Academy

Photo by: Morgan Miller

SCORING SUMMARY

1Q 11:08 Hatcher 88 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt conversion failed. 6-0 Pulaski.
1Q 9:25 Greathouse 29 yard pass to Bales. Bales PAT. 7-6 Sandites.
1Q 8:59 Hatcher 23 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt conversion failed. 12-7 Pulaski.
1Q 2:14 Hatcher 80 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt run by Adams. 20-7 Pulaski.
1Q 0:15 Edwards 55 yard interception return. Bales PAT. 20-14. Pulaski
2Q 8:28 Hatcher 14 yard pass to Watkins. 2pt run by Hatcher. 28-14 Pulaski.
2Q 4:37 Hatcher 44 yard pass to McMillan. 2pt pass from Hatcher to Johnson. 36-14 Pulaski.
2Q 1:34 Anderson 33 yard run. Hatcher PAT. 43-14 Pulaski.
3Q 5:48 Hatcher 3 yard pass to Johnson. Hatcher PAT. 50-14 Pulaski.
4Q 9:46 Scott 7 yard run. Bales PAT. 50-21 Pulaski.
4Q 4:14 Titus 11 yard run. PAT failed. 56-21 Pulaski.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (0-1) bit off more than they could chew when they traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas Friday night. The 6A-II State Runners-Up played well against No.1 Pulaski Academy (1-0), but the Bruins rode a 27-game winning streak and back-to-back 5A State Championships. Their offense was machine-like, never punting, always going for fourth down, and racked up 614 offensive yards while holding the Sandites to 222.

Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse was consistent with his performance last year, completing 12 of 25 passes for 110 yards and 1 interception. Junior running back Payton Scott led the Sandite ground game with 101 yards on 14 carries. Each scored a touchdown. Delvin Jordan led the defense with 11 tackles and a 7-yard sack. Josh Taber performed well in the secondary with 3 tackles and 3 pass break-ups, and sophomore Hayden Cramer impressed with 7 tackles.

The Sandites won the toss and elected to kick. The Bruins received the ball at their 27 and it looked like the Sandites would have little problem getting a turnover early-on. Gage Fain tackled Jaren Watkins for a loss of three, the Bruins had two passes fall incomplete, and a sideline interference call pushed Pulaski back to their 12. On fourth and 28 at their own 12 yard line, any normal team would have punted.

The Bruins aren’t any normal team.

Junior quarterback Layne Hatcher sent a screen pass to Tra Johnson and the receiver got the edge on the Sandite secondary for an 88 yard touchdown reception. Hatcher completed a pass to Johnson for a conversion attempt, but the receiver was laid out by Cramer.

Less than a minute into the game and the Sandites trailed 6-0.

The Bruins let off one of their notorious onside kicks, but Cody Motes downed it at the Sandite 49. Greathouse connected on his first pass attempt of the season to Kasey Bales for a gain of 4 and Scott picked up the first down with a 14-yard run. Scott only managed 1 yard on the next pitch, but on second down Greathouse let loose a 29-yard pass to Bales for a touchdown. Bales sent in the PAT to make it 7-6 in the Sandites’ favor and it looked like the game would be a shootout.

The Bruins scored on their next drive after picking up two first downs, each on a single play. Watkins ran for 30, Brett Lynch hauled in a pass for 16, and Johnson caught a 23-yard touchdown reception to regain the lead barely three minutes into the game. Once again the two-point conversion failed, but the home team led 12-7.

This time the Bruins’ onside kick was successful and they regained possession at the Sandite 48. Their drive fell flat, however, after Delvin Jordan picked up a 7-yard sack and three pass attempts fell incomplete.

Sand Springs picked up a pair of first downs, one on a fourth-and-short, before running out of steam. Isiah Woods tackled Scott for a loss of 4 and Blake Titus sacked Greathouse for a loss of 12. Bales punted and the Bruins took possession at their 20 after a touchback.

Hatcher’s first pass attempt was incomplete, but the second found its mark in Johnson for yet another massive touchdown. After receiving the screen, Johnson broke three tackles before clearing the Sandite secondary and running it 80 yards to score. This time the two-point conversion was good in the hands of Trey Adams and the Bruins took the 20-7 advantage with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter.

The Sandites succeeded in downing the ensuing onside kick, but failed to convert a first down and gave up the ball at the Bruin 46.

Taber pulled down receiver Jacory McMillan who picked up 8 yards, and Tre Finch tripped up Watkins to hold the Bruins at third and 1. A pass attempt fell flat on third down, and a fourth down pass attempt found the open arms of Kris Edwards.

Edwards is a junior transfer from Okmulgee who had to sit out last season due to OSSAA eligibility rules. Edwards picked off the pass and returned it the full 55 for a touchdown with 15 seconds on the clock.

The Sandites began to plug the holes in their offense that allowed the long runs, but they couldn’t stop the Bruins from moving the ball all together. The next drive saw four first-downs for the Bruins before Hatcher connect on a 14-yard touchdown screen to Watkins. Hatcher punched in the two-point run and the Bruins doubled down on the Sandites, 28-14.

The Sandites’ next drive ended in a punt and once more the home team made quick work in driving 42 yards before connecting on a 44-yard pass to McMillan to score. Hatcher sent a two-point pass to Johnson for the 36-14 advantage.

Sand Springs punted once more on their next drive and the Bruins scored in six plays. RJ Anderson took a handoff and ran it 33 yards to score. Hatcher kicked the first point-after of the game for the Bruins and Sand Springs was down 43-14.

Sand Springs picked up 13 yards on a pass to Caleb Wash, then added another first down on a 12 yard reception by Mack Thompson. With 0:04 left Greathouse lobbed a deep ball downfield intended for Wash, but it was picked off by Hayden Henry and ran out of bounds to end the half.

The Sandites received the ball to start the second half and quickly picked up a pair of first downs before Henry broke up a pass attempt to Bales to force a turnover.

Pulaski went to work on a 91-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 3 yard pass to Johnson. Hatcher’s kick was good and the lead furthered to 50-14.

The Arkansas High School Activities Association utilizes a mercy rule adopting a “running clock” anytime a team reaches a 35-point lead after the first half. The Sandites were quickly running out of time.

Sand Springs quickly went to work on a 71-yard drive and Scott broke three tackles on a run before being piled into the endzone for a 7-yard touchdown. Bales sent in the PAT, but the Sandites still trailed 50-21 with less than ten minutes remaining.

The Bruins fielded an onside kick attempt at their 33 and made quick work with another march downfield. Titus took a direct snap 11 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point attempt was a miss.

The remaining few minutes quickly passed and the Bruins had secured their 29th-straight victory.

The Sandites will return to action on Friday, September 9th, when they travel to Choctaw. The Yellowjackets won their first game Friday night in a 52-42 shootout with Sapulpa.

Sandite of the Week: Hunter Greathouse

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride would like to recognize Charles Page High School junior Hunter Greathouse as Sandite of the Week for his consistent outstanding performances in all five games at the Best of the West baseball tournament in Phoenix, Arizona over Spring Break.

Greathouse averaged .500 batting and slugging with a .467 OBP, as well as pitched his first win of the season in the tournament finale against Coconino. 

The Sandites (6-2) won their fourth straight in the tournament opener 3-1 against the Greenway High Demons (8-2). Greathouse hit a single in the top of the fifth as the teams were tied up 1-1, but was left stranded. In the seventh, however, he was walked, and scored the final run of the game on a Josh Taber single.

In the first loss of the season, Greathouse singled in the third period against Sunrise Mountain (10-5-1), but was stranded as the Peoria, Arizona team went on to a 7-0 shutout. 

In the third game of the series, the Sandites were pitted against Chaparral High (12-2) of Scottsdale, Arizona. Greathouse flied out his first two at bats, but hit a single in the top of the sixth. He was replaced with courtesy runner Kameron Adcock, who was left stranded as Jake Terry struck out. The Firebirds won that game 2-1. 

Sand Springs got back on track in the next round with a 14-2 run-rule over Scottsdale's Notre Dam Prep (7-8). Greathouse got on base twice, each time with singles, each time being batted in on doubles from Trevor Tolbert. 

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In the final game the Sandites took on Coconino (2-11) from Flagstaff, Arizona. Greathouse went to the mound for the second time this season, his first time as the starter, and threw 58% strikes, giving up only three hits and striking out nine batters over six innings. He struck out two in the first inning, giving up one walk that scored. He struck out three more over the next two innings, but walked in two runners on loaded bases in the top of the fourth and Coconino took a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning he hit a single and courtesy runner Tyler McCallie went on to score. He singled to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth and once more McCallie scored in his stead. He struck out the side in order in the top of the sixth then scored Rhett Rutledge on a sacrifice for a final score of 8-3. 

In addition to being a stud on the diamond, he's also the starting quarterback on the State Runner-Up football team where he threw 99-185-8-1767 for 18 touchdowns, as well as 5 rushing touchdowns. 

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Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. Bylaws prevent the giving of the award to anyone for two consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of a three-person staff committee. 

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.

Sandite All-Stars: Your leaders in offense

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It's been a tremendous season for the Sandites. While they're technically 5-4, on the field they're 7-2, not even including the Guthrie game that we were leading 18-7 when it was called off due to lightning. Two of our losses come from forfeitures (due to an ineligible player) that were actually wins of 61-8 and 33-7. So while the books say otherwise--we all know that realistically Sand Springs is 8-2, which (were it official) would make it our best record since 1997.

Not to mention we beat Booker T in total yardage of 232-217 and we're the only team to score first on them all season. We're also one of only two teams to lead them at any point all season. We also dealt Bixby their first shut out in seven years.

So who are the incredible players that have made all this impossible?

The following stats include both forfeitures and the Guthrie game. Whether officially recognized or not, they did happen.

Passing

The leader in passing is first-year starting junior quarterback Hunter Greathouse who has completed 71 of 140 for 1271 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 9 yards per pass attempt and 18 per completion. His season long is 70 yards against Guthrie, but has connected for huge throws in every game he's been in, including 63-yarders against Booker T and Bixby, and a 60 against Claremore. His best game this season was against Sapulpa when he threw 10-18-0-204 for 3 touchdowns. He is currently third in 6A-II.

• Multi-purpose junior Kasey Bales also has a 37 yard pass against Enid and is 1 for 2 this season.
• Freshman QB Caden Pennington connected on 1 of 2 passes at Hale for 8 yards. 
• Senior holder Jacob Taber has had to throw a couple of passes this season due to bad snaps and is 1 of 2 for 5 yards.

Receiving

Senior Trace Fleischman is the go-to-guy on receptions with 26 catches for 593 yards and 4 touchdowns. His longest reception of the season was 70 yards against Guthrie. He is the #4 receiver in class 6A-II.

Kasey Bales is the only Sandite with both passing and receiving yards this season. He has 17 catches for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. His longest reception of the season was 63 yards against Bixby.

Sand Springs has several other talented receivers.

• Lane Lettich 10-165 and 2 touchdowns, long 44.
• Ty Fain 7-107 and 1 touchdown, long 37.
• Payton Scott 2-74 and 1 touchdown, long 59.
• Josh Taber 4-50 and 1 touchdown (on his first play of the season), long 27.
• Jake Ward 4-34, long 13.
• Dalton Honneycut 2-26, long 13.

Rushing

Senior Lane Lettich is the clear leader on the ground for Sand Springs. He currently has 172 carries for 813 yards, averaging 4.73. He has 13 touchdowns and a long of 29 yards against Muskogee. His best game of the season was against Sapulpa where he carried 23 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns, though he had three touchdowns against Hale as well as Claremore. Lettich is #7 in 6A-II at rushing.

Trailing Lettich is sophomore Payton Scott who will likely be the starting tailback next season. He sits at 93 carries for 705 yards and 7 touchdowns with a long of 45 against Ponca City. He averages 7.58 yards-per-carry and his season-best was a breakthrough 17-200 and 2 touchdowns against Ponca. Scott is #9 in 6A-II at rushing. 

Lawton is the only other team with two players in the top-10 for rushing yards. 

Other Sandites with rushing yards are

• Trace Fleischman 16-86, long 31.
• Ben Norte 14-79, long 36.
• Hunter Greathouse 50-25 and 2 touchdowns, long 23.
• Tony Chinchilla 2-21 and 1 touchdown, long 11.
• Kasey Bales 3-9, long 16.
• Jaxon Starling 1-1.

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#3 Sand Springs (5-4, 5-2) will enter the playoffs for the fourth-consecutive season tonight at #8 Stillwater (5-5, 3-3) and is the favorite to win. Sand Springs's offense averages 3.5 touchdowns per game.

CPHS ruins Enid's homecoming with 33-7 win

 By: Scott Emigh, Sand Springs Leader Sports Correspondent

ENID — Sand Springs picked up their second win of the season, ruining the Plainmen’s homecoming festivities.

The Charles Page High School football team beat the Enid Plainsmen 33-7 Friday night on the road, jumping out to a 20-0 lead before the Plainsmen could put any points on the board.

Click here for the full story.

Sand Springs at Enid: Week 2 Pre-game

Friday, September 11th, the 1-0 Charles Page High School Sandites will travel to Enid to take on the 0-1 Plainsmen in the second game of the season. 

CPHS annihilated the 5A Nathan Hale Rangers at the Eastside Sports Complex in their season opener 61-8, while Enid was handily defeated 41-14 at Ponca City.

Both teams are led by inexperienced Quarterbacks. Sand Springs junior Hunter Greathouse got his first varsity start against Hale and threw for two touchdowns before the JV squad went in at the second half. Enid’s Tanner Lingenfelter, a senior, started against Ponca and was replaced late in the second quarter by junior Colton Troxell. Troxell went 5-of-15 passing for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and led his team in rushing with 45 yards. Lingenfelter is now listed as WR in the current roster from Enid so it’s unclear who will get the start this Friday.

Dustin Kinard is in his ninth year as the Sand Springs Head Coach and has a record of 41-45 with four trips to the playoffs. If the Sandites perform as well this season as they have the past three seasons, he can expect to claim a winning record this year. His win over Hale helped him move up a rung on the Sand Springs ladder, surpassing Gary Quimby in win percentage.

Steve Hayes is in his first year at Enid, but was Head Coach at Texas’s Trinity Christian Academy for 11 years where he amassed an 88-49 record that included 11-straight playoff appearances and 4 state final games.

Sand Springs has an 11-14 record against Enid.

The series began in 1978 when AD James was Head Coach in Sand Springs. The Plainsmen won the first three installments, 7-6 in Enid, 13-12 in SS, and 20-14 in Enid. Quimby took over in 1980 and the Sandites won the fourth installment 21-7 at home under QB Eric Haines.

By their next meeting in ‘88, LD Baines was the man in charge in SS and Blair Culley was QB. The Sandites won 40-16 at home, but were not so fortunate the next two years. With Brett Pennington at QB, the Sandites lost 10-9 on the road, then 17-3 at home in ‘89-90. ‘90 was a big year for CPHS as they defeated both Union and Jenks in a playoff run before losing to Putnam City North in the semi-finals.

Enid won 24-14 in 1991 and 35-6 in ‘94 before SS finally scored the first shutout of the series, 20-0 in ‘95 with QB Dustin Morrow. The Plainsmen were shutout again in ‘96 by Keith Hooks, 21-0, then were defeated 30-22 in the famed ‘97 season when CPHS went 12-1 before losing by three points to Yukon in the semi-finals.

SS won the next two games before entering their dark days in 2000. The Plainsmen won 21-6, 45-29, 40-7, and 34-6 before a 4-year hiatus in the series.

The next time the Plainsmen met the Sandites was 2008—their first game against Dustin Kinard. They beat the Minutemen 38-23, 28-14, and 44-29 before the Sandites finally turned it around with QB Darrack Harger in 2011. Harger threw 14-of-27 for 272 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-13 beat-down.

From there it’s been all Sandite wins. 2012 was the best year for the Sandites since ‘97 and the Enid game was a big one. Cody Hildebrant became the highest-scoring receiver in school history with 11 touchdowns, and QB Cody Hale broke the single-season passing record with over 2,200 yards and tied the school record of passing touchdowns with 21. The Sandites won 35-21.

2013 saw the Sandites beat the Plainsmen 21-16 to place second in district and secure their first home playoff game since ‘97—which they went on to lose to Westmoore 31-10.

Last year the Sandites narrowly held off a two-point-conversion with a minute to play that would have tied the game, and won 16-14.  Charles Page went on to finish the season 8-4 and win their first playoff game since ‘97.

Enid’s longest winning streak against SS is 7 games, opposed to 5 by SS. CPHS has won the last 4 matchups.

Kick-off is at 7PM in Enid, so come support your Sandites on their path to state!