Sandite Soccer Alums Conclude Successful College Seasons

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Jack Bratcher.

Men’s Soccer

Jack Bratcher (2021) wrapped up his junior campaign at Oral Roberts University earlier this month, helping the Golden Eagle to a 10-4-3 record. Bratcher saw action in five games and recorded one assist in an 8-0 rout of Western Illinois.

Women’s Soccer

Josie Gelsthorpe.

Junior midfielder Josie Gelsthorpe (2021) started 13 games for Central Baptist University this season, helping the Mustangs to a 5-10-1 record. Gelsthorpe was named to the American Midwest Conference All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year.

Freshman defender Carson Sargent (2023) and sophomore midfielder Karsen Lynch (2022) were reunited at Rogers State University this season and helped the Hillcats to a 7-9-2 record. Sargent saw action in one game while Lynch played 13 games and started 3.

Southwestern College center back Teagan Smith (2021) had a successful junior campaign, playing 18 games, 14 as starter, with nine full-time performances. She scored her first career goal in a 3-0 shutout of Bethany.

Sophomore right back Cassidy Tiepelman (2022) played in six games, helping the Moundbuilders to a 7-8-4 record.

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Basketball Sweeps Roughers, Athletes Sign LOIs

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Sandite basketball swept the Muskogee Roughers Friday night with the varsity boys winning 72-65 while the girls won 63-41.

The 6A-East No. 6 Lady Sandites (12-5, 5-3) never trailed against No. 14 Muskogee. It was still a close game at 39-31 entering the fourth but the Sandites steamrolled the Roughers 24-10 in the final stanza.

Hailey Jackson scored 24 points to lead all scorers, Taiona “Yanni” Morris added 13, Sakauri Wilson had 9, and three different Sandites scored 5 apiece.

“We’re starting to play better as a unit,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We have more people stepping up.”

Sand Springs will have to cover six games over the final two weeks after meetings with Bartlesville and Booker T. Washington were postponed due to weather. This is the second time the Washington game has been rescheduled.

“This is our second game in 17 days,” said Berry. “It’s a bit different from when we start the season out with eight games in like 14 days.”

“We’re rested and we’re ready to go. It’s nothing that we can control so we just try to get better.”

The No. 11 Sandite boys (9-8, 2-6) snapped a five-game conference skid and got back above .500 overall with a win over the No. 15 Roughers (3-13, 0-9).

The Sandites led 34-27 at halftime but a seven-point run put the Roughers up 45-44 entering the final stanza.

Jamarian Ficklin tied it for the final time at 52-52 but Kooper Kelly hit a pair of free throws and layed up on a steal to put his team ahead for the final three minutes of the game.

Kelly tied his career-high with 20 points to lead all scorers while Luke Hooper also had a career night with 15 points.

“Any conference win, especially on the road, is a good feeling,” said head coach Eric Savage.

“In the past we’ve kind of lost our composure. A couple of times this wear we gave up the lead and never got it back. We showed some growth tonight and were able to weather the storm and get back in control late in the fourth quarter.”

Sand Springs will travel to Bixby on Tuesday and Bartlesville on Thursday before hosting Sapulpa Friday night.

Signing Day

School may have been canceled, but the festivities couldn’t be stopped Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House. Sand Springs celebrated 10 student-athletes who signed letters of intent to continue their careers at the collegiate level.

Many of the players will get to enjoy Sand Springs connections on their new rosters.

Kyle Morrall, Jacob Blevins, and Drake Fain signed with Northwestern Oklahoma State University to play Division II football. There they will be reunited with former Sandite assistant coach Jason Medrano, who recently took over as Offensive Coordinator for the Rangers.

Brody Rutledge signed to play Division II football at Northeastern State University. There he will join former Sand Springs teammates Gabe Brown, Landon Hendricks, and Blake Jones.

Dominic Ornelas and Jabe Schlehuber signed to play junior college baseball together at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid.

Carson Sargent signed to play Division II soccer at Rogers State University, where she will join former teammates Ali Day and Karsen Lynch.

Payton Robbins signed to play NAIA volleyball at Friends University in Kansas, where she’ll be reunited with Sandites Tehya Johnson, Charley Fahland, and Kasidy Holland.

Madori Bland signed with the stunt team at Drury University, a Division II program in Missouri.

Coleman Hight signed to play NAIA golf at Southwestern College in Kansas.

Baseball

Freshman quarterback Easton Webb has been getting lots of attention as a football prospect, but on Friday he announced his commitment to Oklahoma State University as a baseball player before ever playing a varsity minute.

Sand Springs will kick off the preseason with a home scrimmage against Sapulpa on the 16th at 4:30 p.m.

Girls Powerlifting

The Sand Springs girls powerlifting team took second place at the All-American Lift-a-thon in Shawnee Saturday with two champions. The Sandites had 137 team points, just behind Choctaw with 141.

Madison Thompson won the 220 weight class, sweeping all three events. She benched 140, squatted 285, and deadlifted 295.

Jaden Jordan won at heavyweight, taking first in squat at 335 pounds, first in deadlift at 375, and third in bench at 155.

Melani Skelly placed third, Gracie Worthington placed fourth, and Bailey Doughty and Kiyah Dover placed fifth.

Corbin Wooley Wins Bixby Open, Seven Sandites Medal

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Wrestling

Corbin Wooley won first place and six other Sandites medalled at the Bixby Open on Saturday.

Wooley pinned his way through the junior high bracket without giving up a single point, and even took an 11-0 lead in the 132-pound finals before pinning Hayden White in 2:10.

Rylee Allen lost her first match to the eventual champion in junior high 117 but pinned her next three opponents to finish third. Colt Chambers took third in 126 with two pins, only losing to the bracket winner.

In high school action, Dawsen Briscoe placed fourth at 106 with one pin.

David Ritchey placed fourth at 120, losing his opening match to defending State Champion Christopher Kiser before pinning his next four opponents. He had to medical forfeit in the consolation finals, however.

Peyton Callis placed third at 165, outscoring his opponents 24-8 with one pin. His only loss came to the tournament champion and he won a 16-5 major decision in the consolation finals.

Kelsi Hilton placed third in the high school girls 140-pound bracket. She took a 4-2 lead against Broken Arrow’s Alexandrea Coombs but got stuck in the third period. She pinned her next two opponents and earned a rematch with Coombs in the finals, this time prevailing 10-4.

Youth Football

The Sand Springs sixth grade team wrapped up a successful 8-3 season Saturday, falling 35-20 at Verdigris (10-0). The Sandites won a 19-7 upset at Stillwater Gold (6-4) in the first round of the Indian Nations Conference AA playoffs on Tuesday before falling to the undefeated Cardinals.

The seventh-grade Sandites went 4-6 in the tough A division of the INFC this season, falling to top-seeded Jenks White (9-1) in the first round.

The fifth-grade Black team (5-6) won its first playoff game against Owasso Black on Thursday but fell to Lincoln Christian on Saturday. The Sandites are still alive in the consolation bracket and will play Bixby White Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Jenks.

Soccer

Sand Springs 2022 graduate Karsen Lynch has been named a recipient of the West Side Alliance’s $1500 SoccerCity Senior Scholarship. Lynch was an All-State selection for the Sandites last season and is currently a freshman on the Rogers State University team, studying nursing.

Jolee McNally finds closure at All-State Softball game

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Courtesy.

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

For most of the girls at the OFPCA All State softball games, the exhibition match between the state’s best seniors was just the final game in their high school uniforms, but for Jolee McNally it was the final game of her career.

As the announcer read off name after name, almost all of them were signed to play at the next level, but due to issues with her back, the Sandite outfielder will spend the next few years at Tulsa Community College where there are no athletic programs.

“It’s heartbreaking, and it’s not by choice,” said McNally. “At least I got the closure I needed.”

She went out with a bang, going two-for-two at the plate with a pair of singles, two RBI, and scored the final run in a 10-7 loss for the Large School East while playing three innings in left and right field.

McNally wasn’t the only Sandite at Oklahoma Christian University’s Tom Heath Field Saturday. Reagan Rector also donned the black and gold one last time. She didn’t get a hit, but saw three innings of action at first base and one inning in right field.

Rector will continue her career alongside Avery Tanner, who was in the stands as an alternate, at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville.

Keaton Campbell added a few extra innings to his high school career at the OBCA All-State baseball game in Enid on Sunday, June 5th. 

The Cowley College-bound senior played third for the East team and recorded an assist and one put-out with no errors.

At the plate he was 1-of-4 with a triple off the outfield wall in the bottom of the third, and scored one run in the East’s 5-4 victory.

Ty Pennington was also selected for the All State team, but was unable to attend the game. He was also selected to the All-State football team alongside teammate Gabe Brown, but that game won’t be played till Friday, July 29th.

In soccer action, first-year Sandite head coach Cisco Chavez got to coach Karsen Lynch and the All-State East team in a 2-0 loss against the West Thursday night at Bishop Kelley High School. 

Lady Sandite basketball coach Josh Berry got to coach Journey Armstead one last time as the OGBCA East fell 72-55 to the West on Saturday, June 4th in Mustang.

Armstead didn’t score any points but collected a handful of steals and assists. She will also play in the Oklahoma Coaches Association All State Games later this summer, and will continue her career at Hutchinson Community College.

Fishing

Nathaniel Griffin and Jaxon Trotter took fifth place at the Oklahoma Bass Nation High School State Championship on Keystone Lake, Saturday, June 4th. The duo caught three fish weighing 8.13 pounds. They also placed 28th in the regular season.

Gabriel Castellano and Dallas Elifrits placed 26th at State with a 2.39 pound catch and were 57th in the regular season.

Mack Taylor and Parker Haling placed 28th at State with a 2.12 pound fish and finished third in the regular season standings.

Eli Rogers and Caden Shea didn’t fish the State Championship but placed fifth in the regular season. Cruz Norris and Gunnar Casey also didn’t fish at State but were 83rd in the regular season.

Caden Strawn and Drew Turner placed third in the youth division with a 2.79 pound catch, while Hayden Lowrence and Hunter Spencer placed fourth with a 1.94 pound fish.

Historic Sand Springs Soccer season comes to end at Broken Arrow

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This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The winningest season in program history came to a close for the Lady Sandites soccer team Tuesday evening in Broken Arrow, as the host Tigers shut out Charles Page High School 5-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

“This has been a historic team, historic season,” said head coach Cisco Chavez. “The girls fought till the very end. It didn’t go our way tonight. We versed a very well-coached Broken Arrow team. This team is history and I couldn’t be more proud of them, even with the result tonight.”

The undersized Sandites (12-5) qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2012 but couldn’t get past the 6A-4 district champions from Broken Arrow (13-1). 

Cora Hair got the Tigers on the board in the 27th minute, then Brianna Castleberry scored on a wild bounce five minutes later. She attempted to pass the ball up to a forward, but it skipped up over the heads of both her teammate and the Sandite goalie for a 2-0 halftime lead.

In the second half Broken Arrow’s rotational depth exposed the Sandites’ short bench and holes began to open in the Sandite backfield. The Tigers only had four shots on goal in the first half but upped that number to 13 in the second half.

“We knew going into this season, having a small team would be challenging for when we versed the bigger schools, but these girls fought,” said Chavez.

Elena Conoway and Cameron Majka also scored goals in the second half and Hair added another to end the Sandites’ historic season.

“Every game they fought,” said Chavez. “They were able to upset Union, able to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. This team, it’s all praise from me. They left it all out there for me and that’s all you can ask for from them from a coach perspective. And this coaching staff, they’ve had a great year.”

Sophomore star Christina Thompson came away with 12 total saves for the Sandites, including 10 in the second half.

“Christina played out of her mind tonight,” said Chavez. “She played amazing. Like I said, we faced a very good BA team that won their district, so I’m very happy with our performance. Not happy with the result, of course, but these girls fought to the very end. To my seniors, I wish them nothing but the best going forward.”

The season will continue for Rogers State-bound senior midfielder Karsen Lynch, who was named to the OSCA 6A All-State team. She is the 29th All-State selection for the Lady Sandites. 

The 6A All-State game will be held June 9th at 6:00 p.m. at Bishop Kelley High School, and Chavez will be the head coach for the East girls.

The Sandites are poised for continued success in the coming seasons, as they’ll return the vast majority of their starters.

“We’re young. We’re one of the youngest teams I think,” said Chavez.

“We only started one senior, the rest were juniors, sophomores, and I think we had the most freshmen out there. So these next few years for the Sandites are very strong. I think they got their first playoff experience and they’ll come back stronger next year.”

Freshman Lainey Stanfill led the Sandites with 23 goals this season, followed by Ava Watts with 16, Alyssa Cunningham with 5, Lynch with 4, and Carson Sargent with 2. Lauren Foster, Evelin Marino, and Ashlee Feigenbaum all scored one apiece.

Broken Arrow went on to defeat Bixby 3-0 in the quarterfinals and will play Edmond Deer Creek (12-2) Tuesday at home. Deer Creek is looking for its seventh title overall and first since 2015, while Broken Arrow is looking for its eighth title overall and first since 2018.

Stanfill's hat trick leads Sandites to 6-0 Senior Night rout of Putnam City

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This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School soccer teams went in different directions this season, with the boys going winless while the girls are still enjoying their best season in program history.

The girls (12-4) ended the regular season with a 6-0 senior night rout of Putnam City (3-12) Monday at Memorial Stadium and will travel to Broken Arrow (11-1) Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. for the playoffs.

“Great ending to a great regular season,” said head coach Cisco Chavez. “Moving forward…we’re done with the regular season. It’s out of our minds and we’re focused on postseason.”

The Lady Sandites haven’t made it to the playoffs since 2012 and likely haven’t won a playoff game since 1988, though records for the program are spotty at best.

While past successful teams have often been senior-loaded, this year’s unit is led by a lot of younger players, including freshman forward Lainey Stanfill, who scored a hat trick with two assists in Monday’s regular season finale.

Alyssa Cunningham scored the first goal of the game in the 18th minute on a second-effort kick after her first shot was smacked down by the goalie.

Stanfill had her first two shots on goal saved late in the first half and the Sandites only led 1-0 at halftime.

In the 52nd minute Stanfill juked past the Putnam goalie and tapped in a leftie layup to ignite a scoring frenzy from the home team. 

Karsen Lynch scored a header off a blocked shot from Stanfill three minutes later, then Stanfill drilled her second goal from 25 yards out in the 65th minute. 

Stanfill booted her 23rd goal of the season in the 70th minute, then freshman Ashlee Feigenbaum connected on her first goal of the year with four minutes left on an assist from Cunningham.

“Obviously Lainey’s had one heck of a season, but it’s really been this team,” said Chavez. “They’re something special. They all gel well, they all cheer each other on.”

“That last goal - we’ve been cheering for Ashlee to get her goal. She’s hit the crossbar so many times and she finally got it on Senior Night, so it’s a pretty cool ending. All the girls were happy for her.”

“This is a team that’s together, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Moriah Literell recorded the clean sheet in the victory.

The boys suffered a 6-0 loss despite a seven-save effort from freshman goalie Eddie Hernandez. 

The game stayed scoreless till the final ten minutes of the first half, and the Sandites only trailed 2-0 at halftime before the Pirates got hot late in the second half.

“This was a rebuilding year from the beginning, and we knew that going in,” said first-year head coach Brent Lollis. “What we did this year was, we played the youngest 6A team in the state all season.”

“They’re essentially a team that got a full year of varsity experience that the other guys their age didn’t get. So building into next year, I think these boys are going to be better for the experience that they got this year.”

“They grew together, they did a lot of things that needed to happen at Sand Springs to build a program. They raised a bunch of money, they got new training equipment, they got new uniforms, they did a lot of things that are building blocks.”

“One of the things that I think it’s important for people to know is that the goal of our team here is to build a program at Sand Springs that can compete every year without relying on star players.”

Between matches, the Sandites celebrated seniors Alisa Gramm, Litterell, Lynch, Evelin Marino, Jade Patton, Jocelyn Sigala, Cassidy Tiepelman, Evan Bise, Ryan Clark, Justin Guynn, Shawn Hayes, Kyle Haynes, and Tyson Wright.