Sandites Advance in Playoffs With 31-21 Win Over Putnam City

After watching a 21-7 first-quarter lead slip away, the Sandites needed fourth-quarter heroics to stave off an upset in the first round of the 6A-II playoffs Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

A pair of fourth-down stands, a pair of fumble recoveries, and the senior leadership provided by Brody Rutledge and Drake Fain led No. 6 Sand Springs (7-4) to a 31-21 victory over No. 10 Putnam City (4-7) in the Sandites’ fifth nail-biter win of the season.

“That’s kind of the identity of our team,” said third-year coach Bobby Klinck, whose teams have won a playoff game every year since his arrival.

“We have opportunities to really finish it up and break out and sometimes we don’t get that done. I think that just speaks to a little bit of our inexperience. But credit to our kids and our coaches of just finding ways to win.”

“That’s kind of been our MO this year. We found ways to win. It’s a lot better to find ways to win than to find ways to lose.”

Keagan Gilman found a way to win when he made a fourth-and-goal stop to open the fourth quarter.

Rutledge found a way to win when he broke off a 70-yard run two plays later to set up an eventual 26-yard go-ahead field goal from Jonathan Daniels.

And Fain found a way to win when he forced a fumble with 1:41 to play, which Charles Gaylord recovered.

The Sandites held the Pirates to negative yardage in the fourth quarter, but were out-gained 294 yards to 100 over the middle two stanzas and all the momentum was on Putnam City’s side.

“I’m 40 going on 50 right now with this team,” said Klinck. “I’d like to get some easier wins.”

“It’s Oklahoma high school football. There’s great coaches everywhere, great players. You’ve got to come correct every week, especially in the playoffs.”

Sand Springs got off on the right foot as Kenneth Page broke off an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, but the Pirates responded with a 10-play, 62-yard march and tied it up on a 1-yard sneak from Jud Keefer.

Easton Webb threw a 4-yard fourth-down strike to Rutledge to reclaim the lead, and the two connected again from six yards out to open the second quarter.

Then the Pirates came surging back with a 42-yard touchdown throw from Keefer to Shawn Hill in the second quarter, and opened the second half with another score.

Putnam City found success with a wildcat package for Taje McCoy, who marched his team downfield and scored on a nine-yard run. He added a two-point conversion to make up for a PAT that was blocked by Gaylord in the second quarter.

McCoy continued to move the ball well throughout the third quarter, setting his team up at the 3-yard line before a third-down hike was fumbled and Gilman came up big to stop the fourth-down attempt.

The Sandites used their own wildcat option with Rutledge, who had 10 carries for 107 yards and a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth.

“I’m just proud that we got a win,” said Klinck. “That Putnam City team has gotten so much better and kind of found out their identity and who they were, so they did a really good job.”

The Sandites will return to action Friday at 7:00 p.m. with a trip to No. 2 Choctaw (9-1), who received a bye this week.

Scoring Summary

CPHS;14;7;0;10–;31
PC;7;6;8;0–;21

First Quarter
CPHS - Page 80 run (Daniels kick), 11:40
PC - Keefer 1 run (Cervantes kick), 8:19
CPHS - Rutledge 4 pass from Webb (Daniels kick), 3:35

Second Quarter
CPHS - Rutledge 6 pass from Webb (Daniels kick), 8:57
PC - Hill 42 pass from Keefer (Kick blocked), 4:54

Third Quarter
PC - McCoy 9 run (McCoy run), 8:27

Fourth Quarter
CPHS - Daniels 26 field goal, 8:21
CPHS - Rutledge 10 run (Daniels kick), 3:57

Team Statistics

First Downs: CPHS 14, PC 21. Rushes-Yards: CPHS 35-258, PC 48-138. Comp-Att-Int: CPHS 11-19-0, PC 15-25-0. Passing Yards: CPHS 152, PC 212. Total Yards: CPHS 410, PC 350. Fumbles-Lost: CPHS 1-1, PC 6-3. Penalty Yards: CPHS 95, PC 84. Punts-AVG: CPHS 2-37.5, PC 2-24.5. Records: CPHS 7-4, PC 4-7.

Sandites Fall 41-14 to Booker T. Washington in Second Half Shutout

At halftime it looked like the district meeting between No. 5 Booker T. Washington (5-4, 4-2) and No. 6 Sand Springs (5-4, 3-3) would end up in a down-to-the-wire battle.

Instead, the Hornets held the Sandites to 48 yards in a second-half shutout to clinch third place in District 6AII-2.

The Hornets prevailed 41-14 on Senior Night behind a dominant defensive effort and a typical performance from Arkansas-commit Micah Tease, who finished the night with four catches for 162 yard and four touchdowns.

“He’s just an outstanding player,” said third-year head coach Jonathan Brown. “That’s why he’s committed to Arkansas. He’s a D1-caliber player. We’ve just got to find good ways to get him the ball. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”

The Hornets took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter after Lathan Boone flipped a 12-yard shovel pass to Tease as he was getting tackled on a designed keeper. Then Boone ran in the second score from 10 yards out.

The Sandites scored on a 20-yard pass from Easton Webb to Jabe Schlehuber early in the second, but Tease responded with a 58-yard reception to go up 20-7.

RJ Smittick blocked the point-after and the Sandites made it a one-possession game with an 11-yard pass from Webb to Brody Rutledge with 1:55 in the half.

It looked like momentum was on the Sandites’ side after Dallas Elifrits made a huge sack on the Hornets’ ensuing possession, but Boone responded by airing out a 49-yard completion to Grayson Chalk and soon scored on an 11-yard toss to Tease. Boone added a two-point scamper on a fake kick.

“(At halftime) we just told our guys to play harder and play tighter,” said Brown.

“We were making a few little mistakes throughout the first half. We just tidied those up as far as playing tight and getting our hands on the receivers. We were just letting them run so I thought we did a really good job of getting them off their lanes and making it tough for them.”

The Hornets ended the night with 14 tackles for loss and Elias Sherman had three sacks in crucial moments.

“Elias has been doing a good job for us all year,” said Brown. “He’s one of our captains. He’s a big time player for us and I think he’s one of the most unstoppable players in Oklahoma right now. He dominates up front and we’ve just got to make sure we get him in one-on-one situations.”

Washington held a typically lethal Sandite run game to negative yardage in the second half.

“Our whole philosophy on defense is to make them one dimensional or take what they do well and take it away from them. I thought we did a good job on defense of taking away the run and forcing them to pass.”

Midway through the third quarter Daylin Mayes blocked Jonathan Daniels’ punt in the end zone and Jayden Oates recovered it for the touchdown. Then Tease added an 81-yard scoring reception late in the third for the final points of the game.

“We’ve just got to keep getting better,” said Brown. “Just keep grinding.”

Washington will return to action Friday at Putnam City West (3-6, 1-5) while the Sandites will host U.S. Grant (0-9, 0-6) in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

BTW;14;14;13;0--;41

CPHS;0;14;0;0--;14

First Quarter
BTW - Tease 12 pass from Boone (Patel kick), 9:59
BTW - Boone 10 run (Patel kick), 5:38

Second Quarter
CPHS - Schlehuber 20 pass from Webb (Daniels kick), 9:28
BTW - Tease 58 pass from Boone (kick failed), 8:48
CPHS - Rutledge 11 pass from Webb (Daniels kick), 1:55
BTW - Tease 11 pass from Boone (Boone run), 0:29

Third Quarter
BTW - Oates blocked punt return (Patel kick), 6:17
BTW - Tease 81 pass from Boone (kick failed), 3:10

Fourth Quarter

Team Statistics

First Downs: BTW 16, CPHS 9. Rushes-Yards: BTW 24-146, CPHS 33-41. Comp-Att-Int: BTW 18-33-0, CPHS 14-22-0. Passing Yards: BTW 355, CPHS 126. Total Yards: BTW 501, CPHS 167. Fumbles-Lost: BTW 1-0, CPHS 1-1. Penalty Yards: BTW 85, CPHS 26. Punts-AVG: BTW 3-33.3, CPHS 9-32.5. Records: BTW 5-4 (4-2), CPHS (5-4, 3-3).

Drake Fain and Sandite Football Stave Off Late Bartlesville Rally, Win 36-29 in OT

The sixth-ranked Sandites survived a scare Friday night at Custer Stadium and needed overtime to win 36-29 against No. 8 Bartlesville after squandering a 22-point lead during the Bruins’ Homecoming.

With ten seconds left in regulation, all the momentum was behind the Bartlesville Bruins and PJ Wallace.

The Bruins had out-gained the Sandites 250 yards to 100 in the second half and Wallace was sitting just over 200 yards rushing.

On a fourth-and-five from the Sand Springs’ 37-yard line, Wallace took his 27th handoff of the night and was hammered in the backfield by senior linebacker Drake Fain.

The momentum shifted back to Sand Springs.

“I knew they were gonna run it,” said Fain. “They had about five yards left and I knew that they had the balls to run it and I was just there for it. I just read it perfect.”

Fain had a big night all around, scoring touchdowns on both sides of the ball while recording a team-high seven tackles. He opened the game with a 20-yard pick six on the first play from scrimmage.

“My buddy Dom (Ornelas) actually tipped the ball and it just landed right in my hands,” said Fain. “I’m living right, I guess.”

Dallas Elifrits scooped the Sandites’ second takeaway late in the first quarter, and they cashed in on a one-yard bruiser from Kenneth Page to make it 12-0.

Sand Springs went for two on each of its first two touchdowns and failed to convert on either.

Bartlesville got on the board with a 98-yard kick return from Noah Darnell, but Sand Springs went right back to scoring.

After a quick three-and-out, Owen Floyd recovered a muffed punt and soon after Easton Webb connected with Fain for an eight-yard score.

Keagan Gilman stopped Kaden Brown a yard shy of moving the sticks on a fake punt and the Sandites went back to Page for their ensuing score - this time a two-yard plunge for a 26-7 halftime advantage.

Jonathan Daniels added to the lead with a 29-yard field goal to open the second half, but from there it was all Bruins.

81 yards in second-half penalties derailed the Sandites and fueled the Bruin fire as Nate Neal found Damien Niko for a 36-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Wallace broke off a 63-yard scoring run that put him over 1,000 yards on the season, then Neal added a four-yard toss to Eli Lino with 2:16 left to play to tie it up.

Sand Springs got the ball to start overtime and Page put the visitors back on top with a three-yard plunge.

Gilman put the game to bed, drilling Neal as he threw on fourth-and-nine to cement the win.

“We’re back to our old ways of stupid, personal foul penalties,” said head coach Bobby Klinck.

“That’s been a point of emphasis for what we’ve done. But to get lucky enough for it not to cost us a win, especially in district, and to have a chance to have a home playoff game, that’s huge that it didn’t cost us.”

The game marked the first overtime outing for the Sandites since a 2018 loss at Shawnee.

“It’s always fun,” said Klinck. “To have that type of second half and a lot of chips stacked against us, and for us to step up right there says a lot about our team. I’m very proud of them.”

Webb finished the night 21-of-32 passing for 175 yards, with Brody Rutledge hauling in 9 catches for 100 yards. Page added 55 yards on 24 carries.

Bartlesville will return to action Friday at No. 4 Muskogee (8-0, 5-0) while the Sandites will travel to No. 5 Booker T. Washington (4-4, 3-2).

CPHS;12;14;3;0;7–;36.

BHS;7;0;8;14;0–;29.

First Quarter
CPHS - Fain 20 interception return (pass failed), 11:48
CPHS - Page 1 run (run failed), 0:07
BAR - Darnell 98 kick return (Gordan-Bernstein kick), 0:00

Second Quarter
CPHS - Fain 8 pass from Webb (Daniels kick), 7:30
CPHS - Page 2 run (Daniels kick), 0:39

Third Quarter
CPHS - Daniels 29 field goal, 5:58
BAR - Niko 36 pass from Neal (Niko pass from Neal), 1:34

Fourth Quarter
BAR - Wallace 63 run (Gordan-Bernstein kick), 10:31
BAR - Lino 4 pass from Neal (Gordan-Bernstein kick), 2:16

OT
CPHS - Page 3 run (Daniels kick)

Team Statistics

First Downs: CPHS 18, BHS 14. Rushes-Yards: CPHS 41-107, BAR 31-195. Com-Att-Int: CPHS 21-33-0, BHS 12-28-1. Passing Yards: CPHS 175, BHS 173. Total Yards: CPHS 282, BHS 368. Fumbles-Lost: CPHS 1-0, BHS 4-2. Penalty Yards: CPHS 126, BHS 40. Punts-AVG: CPHS 7-36.9, BHS 1-16. Records: CPHS 5-3 (3-2), BHS 3-5 (2-3).

Stillwater Throttles Sandites 58-7 on the Gridiron

The top-ranked Stillwater football team looked like a well oiled machine when it rolled into Memorial Stadium Friday night. The Pioneers dominated No. 6 Sand Springs to the tune of 58-7 to improve to 6-0 on the season.

“In the first half we played really well,” said Stillwater head coach Tucker Barnard. “Really good on both sides of the ball.”

A mild understatement. The Pioneers scored on six of seven possessions while holding the Sandites to only 24 yards of offense for a 44-0 halftime lead.

“Threw the ball really well, protected really well. Pretty pleased with that,” said Barnard. “Defense was pretty dominant in the first half. Just gotta finish. I think we came out a little flat in the second half

Senior quarterback Gage Gundy was 21-of-31 passing for 309 yards and only played two series in the second half, scoring five total touchdowns.

Junior star Heston Thompson helped his already exceptional quarterback look even better with 134 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone.

“He’s a great player,” said Barnard. “He’s got great speed. He’s getting better and better as far as being a receiver. He’s running great routes, he’s continuing to improve there. He’s a kid that’s always been, on grade level, better than everybody else around him. Now in high school he’s really learning how to be better at the craft.”

Thompson scored on receptions of 27, 19, 49, and 5 yards, while Josh Ford added a 6-yard scoring reception in the first half.

Julius Talley also got on the board, tackling Jonathan Daniels for a safety after the Sandite punter lost a high snap over his head late in the second quarter.

Noah Roberts scored on a pair of one-yard runs and ended the night with 12 carries for 93 yards, while Ondre Long also had a one-yard touchdown dive.

The Sandites moved the ball fairly well in the second half behind Kehlan Corbbrey, who ended the night with 18 carries for 96 yards. The freshman running back averted the shutout with a 5-yard plunge late in the third.

“Coach (Bobby) Klinck has things heading in the right direction for sure,” said Barnard. “They’re playing with a ninth grader at quarterback. They’re playing the second half with a ninth grader at tailback. The future’s really good here.”

Stillwater will play its last home game of the regular season Thursday against No. 9 Bartlesville (3-3, 2-1) before going on the road for the rest of the season.

“We’re a long way from perfection,” said Barnard. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and it doesn’t get easy. So we’ve got to keep our foot on the gas.”

“Little bit of road warrior mentality right now, but that’s okay. I don’t love it. We wouldn’t have set it up that way on purpose, but it’s probably good for us to have a test on the road a little bit. We’re going to have to win on the road in the playoffs.”

Sand Springs will host Putnam City West (2-4, 0-3). The Sandites lead the Patriots 4-0 all time.

Stillwater;14;30;14;0–;58
CPHS;0;0;7;0–;7

First Quarter
ST - Thompson 27 pass from Gundy (Grant kick), 10:36
ST - Thompson 19 pass from Gundy (Grant kick), 5:09

Second Quarter
ST - Ford 6 pass from Gundy (Grant kick), 11:54
ST - Thompson 49 pass from Gundy (Grant kick), 9:57
ST - Thompson 5 pass from Gundy (Grant kick), 5:36
ST - Talley safety, 3:47
ST - Roberts 1 run (Grant kick), 2:31

Third Quarter
ST - Roberts 1 run (Grant kick), 8:39
ST - Long 1 run (Grant kick), 4:29
CPHS - Corbbrey 5 run (Daniels kick), 1:50

Team Statistics

First Downs: ST 21, CPHS 15. Rushes-Yards: ST 28-157, CPHS 43-137. Comp-Att-In: ST 27-41-0, CPHS 10-18-2. Passing Yards: ST 373, CPHS 39. Total Yards: ST 530, CPHS 176. Fumbles-Lost: ST 1-0, CPHS 4-3. Penalty Yards: ST 70, CPHS 30. Punts-AVG: ST 2-45.5, CPHS 5-39.6. Records: ST 6-0 (3-0), CPHS 3-3 (1-2).

Cash Lucas Sparks Sandites to 25-21 Comeback Win at Tahlequah

Cash Lucas recovered two fumbles Friday night at Doc Wadley Stadium. The second was the spark his team needed to overcome a 21-6 second quarter deficit.

No. 7 Sand Springs (3-2, 1-1) scored 19 unanswered points for a 25-21 victory over No. 8 Tahlequah (2-3, 1-1)  in its first district win of the season.

“Any time you get a road win in 6A Oklahoma high school football, you’ve got to celebrate that,” said Sand Springs coach Bobby Klinck.

The Sandite defense got burned by a 67-yard hook and ladder on the first play from scrimmage when Brody Younger tossed a short pass to Race Stopp, who pitched it to Brayden Northington for the score. 

That one play accounted for nearly a quarter of the Tigers’ offense, however, and the Sandites held Tahlequah to only 65 yards in the second half.

Back-to-back sacks from Dallas Elifrits and Waylon Jeffers put a stop to Tahlequah’s last chance drive late in the fourth and the Sandites escaped with a win.

“I’m more proud of how they responded to some tough plays like that first razzle dazzle,” said Klinck.

“People are going to come after us now. We’re not the same old Sand Springs. People see us as a marquee win, so we’ve got to be ready for that kind of stuff. I’m really proud of the way our guys respond.”

After Tahlequah’s opening score the Sandites put together a 10-play, 56-yard march, but Dylan Leep broke up Easton Webb’s fourth-down pass attempt in the end zone.

Lucas recovered a fumble deep in Tiger territory, but a 28-yard field goal attempt by Jonathan Daniels was no good and the Tigers responded with a 10-play, 80-yard scoring march. 

Younger found Northington wide open on a 9-yard touchdown pass, but the Sandites responded with a 31-yard pass from Webb to Kenneth Page to end the quarter with points on the board. Brody Rutledge’s two-point pass attempt was broken up, however.

Tahlequah opened the second period with an eight-play, 61-yard drive that ended in controversy. A short pass to Eli Gibson appeared to be broken up by Gatlin Gunn, but no whistle was blown.

A full four seconds after everyone else had turned their backs on the ball, Stopp realized it was still live and scooped it up for the touchdown.

After a Sandite turnover on downs and Lucas’s second fumble recovery of the night, the Sandites brought out some trickery of their own.

With 4:47 left in the half, Webb threw a lateral to running back Ali McCoy, who played quarterback in junior high, and the sophomore aired out a 49-yard touchdown pass to Brody Rutledge.

“Anybody on this team - we trust them,” said Klinck. “We put them through a lot around here and we put them through a lot so they make these types of play.”

Rutledge ran the ball for an extra 20 yards after contact, tiptoed the sideline, and dived into the pylon for the score to showcase his athleticism.

“What can you say about him? I mean, he’s just done everything right not only with his talent, but with his work ethic and the way he’s done everything,” said Klinck. “I couldn’t be happier for that young man. It’s all paying off for him.”

A three-and-out set the Sandites up for a 47-yard scoring run by Page, but Jacob Blevins was stopped short on a two-point pass from Rutledge and Tahlequah took a 21-19 lead into the half.

Webb gave his team the lead once and for all on the opening drive of the second half with a three-yard QB draw.

The freshman quarterback ended the night 14-of-24 passing for 201 yards and two total touchdowns. 

Blevins was his top receiver with nine catches for 134 yards, and Page had 32 carries for 208 yards in addition to his 44 receiving yards.

Defensively the team was led by Elifrits, Gunn, and RJ Smittick with six tackles each. Lucas added five. 

Most impactful for the Sandites was their clean performance. After back-to-back games with 150+ yards in penalties, the team only had 30 yards against the Tigers with no unsportsmanlike flags.

“It was a concerted effort to try to eliminate those things,” said Klinck. “We had a nice talk on Sunday and we had to change a few things to make sure that we’re disciplined.”

Younger gave an exemplary performance for the Tigers, going 14-of-17 for 176 passing yards and added 31 more on the ground.

“I just want to give a shoutout to Coach Gilbert over there at Tahlequah,” said Klinck. “I’ve gone against him for a long time and he’s nothing but class. He’s one heck of a football coach and he had those guys ready to play tonight.”

“They’re a team that moved up, but they’re no stranger to big-time football. We knew we were going to get their best shot.”

Next up for the Sandites will be a home test against No. 1 Stillwater (5-0, 2-0). The Pioneers lead the series 31-12-1, winning the most recent meeting 49-17 in the 2020 quarterfinals.

“We’ll look at the tape and make some adjustments, see what we can do, and we’ll get back after it,” said Klinck.

“We’ve got to be ourselves. They’re going to do some different things defensively. We’ve just got to be ourselves and get after it.”

Tahlequah will look to get back to .500 with a road game at No. 6 Muskogee (5-0, 2-0).

Sand Springs;6;13;6;0–;25
Tahlequah;14;7;0;0–;21

1Q: THS - Northington 67 pass from Younger (Jimerson kick), 11:45
1Q: THS - Northington 9 pass from Younger (Jimerson kick), 0:59
1Q: CPHS - Page 31 pass from Webb (pass failed), 0:00
2Q: THS - Stopp 4 fumble return (Jimerson kick), 8:35
2Q: CPHS - Rutledge 49 pass from McCoy (Daniels kick), 5:37
3Q: CPHS - Webb 3 run (pass failed), 6:13

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs: CPHS 19, THS 13. Rushes-Yards: CPHS 44-201, THS 30-105. Comp-Att-Int: CPHS 14-24-0, THS 14-17-0. Passing Yards: CPHS 201, THS 176. Total Yards: CPHS 402, THS 281. Fumbles-Lost: CPHS 5-1, THS 6-2. Penalty Yards: CPHS 30, THS 65. Punts-AVG: CPHS 1-28, THS 4-36.5. Records: CPHS 3-2 (1-1), THS (2-3, 1-1).

Spartan Football Train Runs Over Sandites, 67-3

If anyone was expecting a close rematch of the 2015 State Finals in Friday night’s game between 6A-II No. 5 Sand Springs (1-1) and Bixby, they were sorely disappointed.

The top-ranked Spartans (3-0) easily rolled to their 52nd consecutive win, 67-3, in their home opener against their former 6A-II rivals.

Austin Havens was 12-of-15 passing for 158 yards and three touchdowns, and starter Connor Kirby was 3-of-4 for 135 yards and two touchdowns, with another score on the ground.

“We’ve got packages for each of those guys,” said Spartan coach Loren Montgomery. “So it just kind of depends on what the defense is giving us, how they’re lining up to the different personnel packages. We try to roll in a lot of people.”

The Spartans took a 25-0 lead in the first quarter and steamrolled to a 53-0 halftime lead to put to bed any thoughts of an upset.

“I was pleased, obviously, with the way we played defense, particularly in the first half,” said Spartan coach Loren Montgomery.

Bixby held the Sandites to only 56 yards and three first downs in the first half, while coming away with two interceptions.

“I felt like we were clean early in the first quarter and a half or so, protected the football pretty well, executed our stuff,” said Montgomery. “I would have liked to have seen us run the ball a little bit better, but I was proud. We had a lot of guys step up and make plays.”

Bixby racked up 186 yards on 34 carries from 11 different backs, led by Jett Turner with 4 carries for 53 yards.

After forcing a punt on the Sandites’ opening drive, the Spartans needed only two plays to get on the board with a 62-yard pass from Connor Kirby to Kordell Gouldsby. Kirby ran in the PAT for an 8-0 lead.

Sam McCormick picked off Marek Matheson at the Sandites’ 12-yard line, setting up a 31-yard field goal from Levi Hoffman.

A quick three-and-out for the Sandites led to a 71-yard scoring strike from Kirby to Luke Hasz, followed by an encore on the two-point conversion.

Tyson Williams got the Spartan defense on the board with a 35-yard pick six, but the Sandites managed to block Hoffman’s kick to make it 25-0 after the first quarter.

Bixby opened the second stanza with a 10-play, 67-yard march, capped by a 1-yard run from Kirby. Joshua Newkirk recovered Hoffman’s onside kick and Austin Havens found Hasz for a 9-yard score three plays later.

Havens added a 31-yard touchdown strike to McCormick and Hasz scored on a 17-yard reverse to end the half.

In the second half Christian Kaiser scored on a 12-yard shovel pass from Havens to make it 60-0.

Kyle Morrall recovered a muffed punt to set up a 28-yard field goal from Jonathan Daniels to avert the shutout, and the Spartans scored their final touchdown on a 37-yard run by Turner.

Matheson ended the night 5-of-10 passing for 30 yards and two picks and the Sandites turned to freshman Easton Webb midway through the second quarter.

Webb was 6-of-11 for 59 yards. Jacob Blevins led the receiving corps with 5 catches for 50 yards.

The Sandites were limited to only 23 rushing yards on 27 carries.

Luke Hasz was the star for the Spartans with three catches for 93 yards and had 13 yards rushing for three total TDs.

Despite Bixby’s total dominance, there were still some mistakes to clean up before the Spartans start district play September 23rd at No. 9 Norman North (2-0).

“We put the ball on the ground a little too much,” said Montgomery. “We need to work better on protecting the football. I thought we did a little bit better job of it tonight, and got a little sloppy at times.”

“We need to become more efficient and continue to grow and develop an identity as a football team.”

The Spartans also expect to get back Arkansas-commit Dylan Hasz in time for the trip to Norman, who was out with a minor injury.

“We were missing three starters tonight, so hopefully this bye week will give us a chance to get a little bit healthy and get some guys back out on the field,” said Montgomery.

Sand Springs will return home next Friday with a non-district game against No. 10 Ponca City (0-2).