Sandites Pummel Lawton 56-24 in Playoffs

It was a brisk evening under the Friday night lights at Memorial Stadium, but the Sandites heated up quickly, scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter en route to a 56-24 victory.

Class 6A-II No. 5 Charles Page High School (8-3) earned its highest-scoring playoff win in program history against Lawton (3-8) in the first meeting between the two programs since 1987.

The Sandites stormed out to a 50-6 halftime advantage and were able to play their backups throughout the second half.

“It’s a little bit different with the new playoff system and all that stuff, but it’s good that we get other people in and get meaningful snaps in situations like this,” said fourth-year head coach Bobby Klinck.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb connected with Kenneth Page on a 65-yard screen pass to score on the first play from scrimmage.

Following a quick three-and-out from Lawton, the Sandites scored on their second offensive play with a 39-yard touchdown run from Ali McCoy. Kicker Dawson Puckett ran in a two-point play on a fake kick to make it 15-0.

After the defense forced another quick three-and-out, Page led a methodical nine-play scoring drive, earning 45 yards on five carries and scoring a 15-yard touchdown before exiting the game before the second quarter.

“It was great,” said Page, a senior. “I didn’t know it would feel like this. Last time coming through the tunnel, running out on the field with my guys I grew up with and having fun with them.”

“It was my last home game, so it meant a lot.”

Dallas Elifrits and Keagan Gilman combined on a sack to force a third consecutive three-and-out, and once again the Sandites needed only a single play to score on their ensuing drive.

This time it was a 49-yard touchdown pass from Webb to freshman Dom Forbes to go up 29-0.

Landyn Barnes closed out the first quarter with a 26-yard interception return to set up a one-yard dive by Jace Arnold on the first play of second quarter.

“I’m proud of Landyn,” said Klinck. “He struggled a little bit early and he’s really coming into his own at cornerback. He’s really become a really solid football player for us. It speaks a lot about what Coach (Jay) Fleischman does with those corners.”

Lawton finally earned a first down on its fifth possession, but Gilman gave the Sandites their second takeaway on a fumble recovery.

The Wolverines finally got a stop of their own when Puckett missed a 32-yard field goal, but Owen Floyd cashed in a 22-yard pick six on the very next play to make it 43-0.

Lawton finally hit paydirt behind the legs of Nathen Jones, leaning on the junior running back for a 68-yard drive and two-yard touchdown plunge with 3:44 in the half.

But, the Sandites would get the final say of the half when Webb connected with Caleb Goodman for a 62-yard screen to hang half a hundred by halftime.

Webb exited the game at halftime 7-of-7 passing for 207 yards and three touchdowns, his best performance of the season.

“It’s important for him,” said Klinck. “Moving forward, the competition is obviously going to stiffen up, but having a confident quarterback to go with our run game which has been good all year, that’s good going into the next game.”

“It felt great,” said Webb. “I feel like every week we’ve slowly and progressively gotten better at everything we’ve been doing. The connections have gotten better.”

One of those growing connections is with Forbes, who recently moved up to varsity after closing out an undefeated season as the freshman quarterback.

“He was really good,” said Webb. “I feel like he really helps us a lot. He’s a good kid. He’s fast, he knows what he’s doing, he’s football savvy, he’s smart. He knows everything.”

“That’s a huge deal for Dom,” said Klinck. “He was playing scout team and just started making a bunch of plays on our defense and I said ‘shoot, we’ve got to get that guy in the game.’ That kid’s worked hard, he does everything right, and he’s going to become a weapon for us moving forward.”

Kambren Foster recorded the Sandites’ third interception of the night on a pass that was deflected by Joseph Farmer.

Wolverine quarterback Pene Vaisagote finally found the end zone on a one-yard sneak with 1:16 left in the third.

Arnold ran the offense in the second half and was 5-of-6 passing for 67 yards while running the ball four times for 18 yards. He added the Sandites’ final touchdown on a 17-yard pass to Puckett early in the fourth.

Vaisagote responded with a 22-yard touchdown throw to Tyrone Dean with 6:28 to play and Tamarcus Malone ran in a two-yard score with thirteen seconds remaining. All four of the Wolverines’ PAT attempts failed.

Vaisagote ended the night 11-of-22 passing for 95 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Jones paced the Wolverine offense with 35 carries for 206 yards.

The Sandite defense was led by Floyd and Gatlin Gunn with nine tackles apiece and Gunn was also in on four tackles for loss. 33 different Sandites made defensive plays.

“I obviously wanted to play some more, but it was great getting the other guys in behind me so they can get practice for next year,” said Gunn, who leads the Sandites with 81 tackles this season.

“It was awesome to be able to play with my boys again on the home field for the last time.”

Next up for the Sandites is a trip to No. 3 Choctaw (7-1) next Friday. The Yellowjackets have been a familiar foe, beating the Sandites in each of the past three seasons, including a 48-29 playoff quarterfinal last year.

“We’ve got to step up,” said Klinck. “They’re a good football team. Coach (Jake) Corbin and their staff do an unbelievable job. That’s a tough place to win, that’s a tough football team to beat. We’re going to have to bring our A-game to have a chance.”

CPHS 56 Lawton 24

First Downs: CPHS 9, Lawton 18.
Fumbles/Lost: CPHS 3/1, Lawton 2/1.
C-A-Y-I: CPHS 12-13-274-0, Lawton 12-23-138-3.
Rushing: CPHS 26-124, Lawton 50-248.
Offense: CPHS 39-398, Lawton 73-386.
Penalties: CPHS 2-15, Lawton 5-40.

Scoring Summary

1Q (11:47) - Page 65-yard Pass from Webb, Puckett Kick, CPHS 7-0.
1Q (9:41) - McCoy 39-yard Run, Puckett Run, CPHS 15-0.
1Q (4:25) - Page 15-yard Run, Puckett Kick, CPHS 22-0.
1Q (1:39) - Forbes 49-yard Pass from Webb, Puckett Kick, CPHS 29-0.
2Q (11:57) - Arnold 1-yard Run, Puckett Kick, CPHS 36-0.
2Q (6:58) - Floyd 22-yard Interception Return, Puckett Kick, CPHS 43-0.
2Q (3:44) - Jones 2-yard Run, Kick Failed, CPHS 43-6.
2Q (1:42) - Goodman 7-yard Pass from Webb, CPHS 50-6.
3Q (1:16) - Vaisagote 1-yard Run, Kick Failed, CPHS 50-12.
4Q (8:49) - Puckett 17-yard Pass from Arnold, Kick Failed, CPHS 56-12.
4Q (6:28) - Dean 22-yard Pass from Vaisagote, Pass Failed, CPHS 56-18.
4Q (0:13) - Malone 2-yard Run, Pass Failed, CPHS 56-24.

Sandite Football drops third-straight, prepares for Bartlesville trip

A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Sandite football team has been through the gauntlet this past month, dropping three consecutive games to the top three teams in Class 6A-II.

No. 4 Charles Page High School (5-3, 2-3) fell 41-28 at home last Friday in a district match against No. 2 Choctaw (6-2, 4-1), ending a brutal three-game stretch that also saw losses to Bixby and Booker T. Washington.

With the loss, the Sandites can finish no higher than fourth in the district, and they’ll need to win their last two games to make the playoffs. Fortunately they’ll be heavy favorites after three weeks as underdogs. 

“We still control our own destiny,” said Sand Springs head coach Bobby Klinck. “That’s what I tell these kids. It’s okay to be disappointed. Last week we got rolled at Bixby. I could tell the kids were disappointed.”

“We’ve got two weeks to get a lot better. I do feel we’re going to be a dangerous football team when it comes time for the playoffs.”

Choctaw already saw the Sandites as a dangerous team, and was on upset alert throughout the night.

“They’ve got tough, hard-nosed kids like us that just keep battling,” said Choctaw coach Jake Corbin. “We knew it would be an absolute battle on the road and a great atmosphere. It’s a cool place to play when you’re not the opponent. We knew it’d be a big-time game and we knew that they were a really good team, a really talented team.”

Choctaw struck first on a 34-yard pass from Steele Wasel to Jax Smith, but Drake Fain stopped a two-point conversion attempt, and the Sandites took their only lead of the night soon after. Keaton Campbell put the home team on the board with a 15-yard reception from Ty Pennington, and Logan Wolfe kicked the point-after for the lead.

The Yellowjackets got back on top with a two-yard run by Wasel, who then tossed a two-point pass to La’Trell Ray to make it 14-7 late in the first. Ray then scored on a 40-yard run in the second quarter.

Brooks Dudley brought pressure on Choctaw’s next possession to force a three-and-out, and a bad punt snap was recovered by Landon Hendricks to set up a three-yard run from Pennington to make it 21-14.

JuJu Smith scored on a 10-yard reception late in the half, and added a two-yard run in the third quarter to put his team up 34-14, but Sand Springs wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Pennington connected with Brody Rutledge for a 24-yard score, the defense forced a punt and a turnover on downs, then Pennington found Ryan Shoemaker for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 34-28 with 4:10 to play.

Ryder Barnes recovered an onside kick and the Sandites marched to the Choctaw 35-yard line before Cameron Hunt picked off Pennington and set up a 61-yard touchdown run by Ray for the final points of the game.

Even down double digits with only two minutes left, they didn’t give up, and the Sandites put together a ten-play 54-yard drive that ended on a fourth-down incompletion in the red zone as time expired. 

“The difference between winning and losing can be just a few plays,” said Klinck. “Whether it’s blown coverage or a missed interception opportunity, those types of things. We’ve got to start making those types of plays if we’re going to get this program over the hump.”

“That’s what we try to get these kids to understand, that’s why we’re so hard on them during practice and demand excellence. Hat’s off to Choctaw, really good football team, but I like my team.”

While the Sandites matched up well against the Yellowjackets overall, they couldn’t find an answer for the heavily recruited DeSean Brown, who sacked Pennington four times for 37 yards.

The senior record-breaking quarterback was 19-of-33 passing on the night with 272 yards, and even strung together nine-straight completions late in the game with 189 yards in the fourth quarter. He also ran for 74 gross yards, but lost 63 to sacks.

“He’s an absolute stud,” Corbin said of the Sandite QB. “He’s just a tough kid, throws really accurate balls. He plays tough as nails. He can barely walk at the end and he’s still standing in there firing off, running it. I definitely shook his hand after the game and wanted to tell him what a great job he did. He’s a super tough kid.”

Choctaw was paced offensively by Wasel, who was 16-of-29 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while Ray had 11 carries for 122 yards and two scores.

Shoemaker led the Sand Springs receiving corps with four catches for 77 yards, while Kenneth Page led on the ground with ten carries for 62 yards. Fain paced the defense with nine tackles, three for loss, and two pass deflections, followed by Dudley with eight tackles, three for loss, one sack, and one deflection.

Next up for the Sandites is a district road match at Bartlesville (2-6, 1-4), Friday at 7:00 p.m. Last year the Sandites beat Bartlesville 21-14 at home on Senior Night.

Choctaw deals Sandite football team 41-28 loss

A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

There’s one thing that Sand Springs and Choctaw have in common. Both teams’ coaches had to tip their hats to the other side at the end of the game.

“That’s a really good football team,”  said Sand Springs coach Bobby Klinck. “Hat’s off to them.”

“So proud of our kids for finding a way to win,” said Choctaw coach Jake Corbin, “but also hat’s off to Sand Springs, they did a great job.”

The Class 6A-II No. 2 Yellowjackets (6-2, 4-1) prevailed 41-28 at No. 4 Charles Page High School (5-3, 2-3) to retain sole ownership of the No. 2 spot in the district Friday night at Memorial Stadium, though the game was far closer than the final score indicated.

Sandite quarterback Ty Pennington found Ryan Shoemaker for an 11-yard touchdown with 4:10 left to play and the home team only trailed 34-28, then recovered an onside kick and drove to the visitors’ 39-yard line before Cameron Hunt picked off Pennington with 2:06 to play.

Possibly expecting the Yellowjackets to take victory formation, the Sandites were caught sleeping on a 61-yard scoring run from La’Trell Ray on the very next play.

Still, they didn’t give up and drove right back down to the red zone before time ran out on a fourth-down incompletion. 

“The difference between winning and losing can be just a few plays,” said Klinck. “Whether it’s blown coverage or a missed interception opportunity, those types of things. We’ve got to start making those types of plays if we’re going to get this program over the hump.”

“That’s what we try to get these kids to understand, that’s why we’re so hard on them during practice and demand excellence. Hat’s off to Choctaw, really good football team, but I like my team.”

Sand Springs did make several big plays, including a fumble recovery from Landon Hendricks on a bad punt snap that set up Ty Pennington for a 3-yard touchdown run late in the first half.

Ryder Barnes recovered the onside kick late in the fourth that also gave the home team a huge opportunity, and Pennington didn’t waste any opportunity.

The senior record-breaking quarterback was 19-of-31 passing on the night with 272 yards, and even strung together nine-straight completions late in the game with 189 yard in the fourth quarter. 

All while being mercilessly pursued by the heavily recruited DeSean Brown, who sacked Pennington four times for 37 yards. 

“He’s an absolute stud,” Corbin said of the Sandite QB. “He’s just a tough kid, throws really accurate balls. He plays tough as nails. He can barely walk at the end and he’s still standing in there firing off, running it. I definitely shook his hand after the game and wanted to tell him what a great job he did. He’s a super tough kid.”

Corbin gave credit to the entire Sand Springs operation for creating a hostile road environment.

“They’ve got tough, hard-nosed kids like us that just keep battling. We knew it would be an absolute battle on the road and a great atmosphere. It’s a cool place to play when you’re not the opponent. We knew it’d be a big-time game and we knew that they were a really good team, a really talented team, and you know we had to play well for 48 minutes. Obviously we did. It came down to the last couple of plays to be able to do it.”

Choctaw was paced offensively by quarterback Steele Wasel, who was 16-of-29 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while Ray had 11 carries for 122 yards and two scores.

Both teams will wrap up the season as heavy favorites against Bartlesville and Putnam City West in the coming weeks. 

“We still control our own destiny,” said Klinck. “That’s what I tell these kids. It’s okay to be disappointed. Last week we got rolled at Bixby. I could tell the kids were disappointed. That’s what you want, so I’m glad about that. We’ve got two weeks to get a lot better. I do feel we’re going to be a dangerous football team when it comes time for the playoffs.”

Sandite Football hosts Choctaw Friday in pivotal district matchup

If you can only make it to one Sand Springs football game this season, this Friday is the one you don’t want to miss. No. 4 Charles Page High School (5-2, 2-2) hosts No. 2 Choctaw (5-2, 3-1) Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, and the outcome could be the difference between fourth and second place in the district.

If Sand Springs beats Choctaw, it’ll force a three-way tie for second place behind Bixby. In such an event, at the end of the season, it’ll come down to district point differential to settle things between the Sandites, Yellowjackets, and Booker T. Washington Hornets. That’s a difference between a first-round playoff game against the District 1 Champions, and a home game against the No. 3 team in District 1.

The Game

Tickets for the game are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and $10 for reserved seating. Memorial Stadium is located at 600 N. Adams Road on the campus of CPHS.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-19. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they have won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington and 58-14 to Bixby.

“We’re going to reset this,” said Klinck after Friday’s loss. “We’re going to give the kids some time, we’ll see them on Sunday. Let them kind of recover. Then we’re going to get right back at it. We’ll put it to bed, make corrections, and then we’ll come up with a brand new game plan and we’re gonna see what happens.”

“It’ll be a measuring stick for our program to see how we respond to something like this” said Klinck.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 109-175-1535-1 passing with 17 touchdowns, and is 90-335 rushing with six TDs. He has over 5,000 passing yards in his career and holds the school record.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 108-746 rushing with seven touchdowns but was injured against Booker T. Washington and his status is unknown going into Friday’s game.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 26-413 receiving with three TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 29-373 receiving with six touchdowns and averages 22.8 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 36-528 receiving with five TDs and averages 19 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 14-153 receiving with four TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 38.9 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 46 tackles, 14 for loss, 7 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 4 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 60 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Gabe Brown has 38 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 45 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 62 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 34 tackles, 0.5 for loss, two interceptions, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 24-of-29 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Choctaw

The Yellowjackets are in their fifth season under Head Coach Jake Corbin, who holds an all-time coaching record of 37-30 and a record of 27-18 at Choctaw. He previously went 2-7 at Sapulpa and 6-5 at Del City in one-year stints.

Choctaw has put together back-to-back winning seasons with playoff appearances, and made it as far as the State finals last year. Coming into the season, the Yellowjackets were considered by many to be the biggest threat to Bixby’s reign after close losses of 24-13 in last year’s regular season and 17-14 in the championship.

Choctaw started strong with wins of 66-0 and 63-6 against Beacon Hill (1-5), and Springdale (1-6), but they suffered their first loss 36-29 at Dallas Jesuit (6-1). They got back on track with a huge 29-20 win over Booker T. Washington (6-1), then earned a 36-0 shutout against Ponca City (3-4). The much-anticipated rematch with Bixby was nothing like anyone expected, however, as the Spartans decimated the Yellowjackets 70-7 on statewide television. Choctaw got back on track with a 49-32 win at Muskogee (2-5) last week.

Players to Watch

Three-star senior DL DeSean Brown (6’3”, 230) has offers from over a dozen D1 programs, including Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska, Indiana, Missouri, and most of the Big 12. The 247 Sports Crystal Ball projects him as a likely Oklahoma State commit.

Three-star senior IOL Cade McConnell (6’5”, 290) is committed to Texas Christian University.

Junior quarterback Steele Wasel has passed for over 1,000 yards and 17 TDs this year, including a 6-9-124-0, 2 TD performance against Muskogee last week. He recently received an offer from Virginia Tech.

Junior running back La’Trell Ray put up 207 yards and two touchdowns against Muskogee last week.

The Series

The Yellowjackets lead the all-time series 5-2 and have won the last three consecutive meetings. Choctaw’s biggest win was a 37-0 shutout in 2000, while the Sandites’ biggest win was 29-6 in 2001.

The home team has only failed to win one time in the history of the series, a 21-20 Yellowjacket upset in 2017 at Memorial Stadium.

Coach Corbin is 2-1 against the Sandites in his career, losing his one Highway 97 Rivalry game, but winning both meetings as the Choctaw lead man.

1992: Choctaw 21-14 (A).
1993: Sand Springs 31-18 (H).
2000: Choctaw 37-0 (A).
2001: Sand Springs 29-6 (H).
2016: Choctaw 45-41 (A).
2017: Choctaw 21-20 (H).
2020: Choctaw 34-9 (A).