Sandite Freshmen score first touchdown of the season in 7-6 loss to Jenks

Photo: Virgil Noah

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

It's been a frustrating start to the year so far for the Sand Springs 9th Grade football team (0-4) as they've fallen to each opponent they have faced. Despite the four straight losses, the Sandites are improving. 

The freshmen opened their season with a 10-0 defeat to Owasso, followed by a 42-0 loss suffered at the hands of Muskogee White. In game three the Sandites faced Broken Arrow Gold, giving up 20 points in the first half, but shutting the Tigers out in the second. Sand Springs failed to get on the board though for the third straight game falling 20-0. 

Sand Springs played their best game of the season Monday night against Jenks White, in a game where a mere extra point was the difference in winning and losing. 

In the first half the Trojans and Sandites traded possession the entirety of the half without scoring, though there were some close calls. On a fourth down in Trojan territory Sandite quarterback Braden Foster threw a deep pass that fell off his receiver's fingertips at the goal line. The Trojans' closest scoring effort came at the end of the half When quarterback Jake Mulready led the offense down the field with less than a minute to go, but as time expired completed a pass short of the goal line and the Sandite defense wrestled the receiver to the ground and sent the game to halftime scoreless. 

The second half saw a first for the Sandites' offense, a touchdown. Trace Evans intercepted a pass and returned it all the way to the 14 yard line of the Trojans. Two plays later, Aaron King took a handoff to the left side and scored a 10 yard touchdown to give his team their first points of the year. Sand Springs attempted a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful. On the ensuing kickoff the special teams got the ball back, when Jerret Haley recovered a fumble. 

Jenks took a 7-6 early in the fourth quarter on a short touchdown run and successful extra point. Sand Springs was moving the ball, nearing the red zone, but Foster's fourth down pass attempt fell incomplete to end the game.  

Sand Springs looks to continue improving, and will try to get in the win column on Monday, against Sapulpa Blue. 

Lady Sandites head to Bixby with eleven straight wins, seven by shutout

Madelyn Blair leads Lady Sandites to victory at Jenks

by: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

The Charles Page High School Lady Sandite Softball Team (14-3, 5-0) extended their winning streak to nine games Thursday against the Jenks High School Lady Trojans (6-9, 4-5). Their streak of six consecutive shutouts would come to an end, but Madelyn Blair (5-2) did a great job holding Jenks in check allowing just two earned runs while striking out six batters in seven innings of work from the mound.

Each team went remotely quietly in the first two innings, each picking up hits, but failing to score. Felicity Horn led off the top of the third inning with a walk, Jessica Collins bunted her way to first base, and Sydney Pennington drew a walk to load the bases. Madelyn Blair picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice that scored Horn but outed Pennington at second, and Collins scored on an illegal pitch by Lady Trojan pitcher Lauren Watkins.

Sand Springs added three more runs in the fourth inning. Kimi Presnell, Cameron Clemons, and Rachel Blair all singled, and Presnell advanced to home on a throw. Horn reached on a fielder's choice that outed Clemons at third, and Horn and Blair both advanced on a wild pitch. Collins singled to score Blair, and Horn scored on a throw. Things looked promising for Jenks in their half of the fourth as Brenlyn McCoy singled to lead off the inning, but the next batter, Ally Ryan, lined a pitch right to Presnell who tagged out McCoy for an unassisted double play, and the visitors would make it out of the inning unscathed with a 5-0 advantage. 

Presnell reached on a fielder's choice in the top of the fifth, stole second and eventually scored after a wild pitch and an error. Chancy Hupp got Jenks on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two RBI double, but an RBI double by Madelyn Blair and two more runs scored on errors would put the game away for the Lady Sandites.

Sandites go undefeated at OSU Festival in extra innings

by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Lady Sandites picked up their tenth and eleventh-straight wins at the OSU Festival Friday afternoon. Sophomore Jacie Taber (6-1) got the win on the mound against Piedmont (6-5) with six strikeouts against four hits. Madelyn Blair led in scoring with four RBI.

The Sandites got on the board early in the game with a sacrifice hit from Blair to score freshman Felicity Horn. In the bottom of the third Blair doubled to score Horn, Jessica Collins, and Sydney Pennington, but was left stranded.

Pennington added another run in the bottom of the fifth after tagging up on a flyout from Taber. 

In the second game of the festival the girls faced Muskogee (3-7) for the second time in a week. The Roughers were no challenge for the Sandites at the Rogers State festival, but this game would be a far cry from last Friday's 11-0 shutout.

With Lexy Watson on the mound, Muskogee gave up only five hits, as opposed to fourteen hits the last time the two teams met. The Sandites had to use two pitchers for the first time this season, starting with Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington (3-0), but trading to Madelyn Blair (5-2) in the bottom of the fifth

Felicity Horn got on base in the top of the first on a walk, but was stranded on third. Neither team reached again till Shania Henry walked in the bottom of the third. Kennedy Glass reached on a fielder's choice and was joined on base by Dymin Purdin who drew a walk. Brookelyn Gilmore singled with a groundball and Glass advanced home while Purdin was put out at third while advancing on the play. 

The Sandites tied things up in the top of the fifth as Elizabeth Luttrell singled to score Kimi Presnell who also singled. 

Muskogee threatened again in the bottom of the fifth as Purdin singled and Henry was hit by pitch. Blair relieved Pennington on the mound and the Sandites picked up an out on a fielder's choice at third. Phynix Coleman reached on an error at second to load the bases, but Purdin flied out to Rachel Blair and Gilmore grounded out to Madelyn Blair to save the inning.

The two teams remained tied up through the bottom of the seventh when the Roughers once again threatened with a pair of runners on base. Blair struck out two, hit one, and gave up a single before Gilmore flied out to strand the runners. 

The game entered an international tie-breaker and Makenna Skaggs was placed on second to speed up game-play. Clemons sacrificed to advance Skaggs to third, and Sabrina Usher hit a line drive single into right field for the go-ahead run. 

Gilmore was placed on second for the Roughers and advanced to third on a passed ball. Kayleigh Phillips walked, but the runners were stranded after three flyouts to net the Sandites the win. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday evening in Bixby when they play a district game against the Lady Spartans (6-9, 5-2). The Sandites and Spartans are second and third, respectively, in district standings. Bixby is coming off a 6-1 win over Putnam City. The game was originally scheduled for Sand Springs, but was moved due to standing water on the field after a soaking Monday night. First pitch is at 5:00 p.m.

 

Jenks sweeps Sandites 3-0 despite strong defense from Holly Kersgieter

Photo:// MORGAN MILLER

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (2-2) had little time to rest after falling to the 5A State Champions from Bishop Kelley Monday night before taking on yet another top-tier team Tuesday. 

The Lady Sandites met their match in the Jenks Lady Trojans (6-2) at the Ed Dubie Field House. The 2015 State Runners-Up picked out all the holes in the Sandite defense, scoring heavily on tipped balls.

Sophomore Gloria Mutiri led in scoring for the fourth-straight match with eleven total kills. Despite averaging more than six blocks per match this season, Mutiri ended up with only one due to the crafty Trojan offense. The majority of Jenks's kills came from lightly tipped balls and rarely on hard spikes. 

When the Trojans did go for the hard hits, the Sandites were more than ready. Sophomore Holly Kersgieter was outstanding on defense with eighteen digs in addition to her four kills. Senior Lee Leslie added eight digs and Mutiri had seven. Devree Youngblood hit the lone ace of the evening for Sand Springs.

Jenks won varsity 3-0 with sets of 25-14, 25-14, and 25-11. The Sandite JV lost 2-0 with sets of 25-12 and 25-16. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday at the Coweta Volleyball Tournament. 

Jenks Trojans smother Sandite offense, boys fall 3-0

By: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director
Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School boys soccer team (2-10) hasn't ended up on the winning side of things very often this season, but no one can say they don't put forth effort. The Sandites lost another hard fought match, this time against Jenks High School (3-1-5) on the road by a final score of 3-0. 

The initial 17 minutes of first half action saw mostly possession battle, until a Trojan cross took a ricochet and midfielder Trace Gelso stroked a volley from 35 yards out to the left-upper-90 for a 1-0 lead. Sand Springs would attempt to push the ball for the remainder of the half but would only manage one shot, by Ignacio Garcia that curled just past the right post. Sandite goalkeeper Edgar Soberano made a number of impressive diving saves on shots and kept his team just one goal down headed into the intermission. 

Jenks extended its lead to two goals less than three minutes into the second half. Jack Deer took a touch off of a cross from the right sideline and shot the ball just past Soberano who dove a split second late. 

The Sandites had a pair of dangerous opportunities to score, but shots from Sam Short and Cody Gurley were both saved by the Trojan keeper's diving efforts. Jenks put the game away with 8 minutes remaining on Gelso's second goal of the match.  

The Sand Springs squads return to action with home games Friday evening against Westmoore High School. The girls kick off at 6 pm. and the boys at 8 pm.