Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Softball Goes 3-0 to End Regular Season

Sandite softball (23-14) went 3-0 in the final week of the regular season, winning 6-0 against Sperry, 8-3 against Sapulpa, and 7-2 against Collinsville.

They also received their Regional assignment and will return to action Tuesday, October 4th, at Broken Arrow with a first round game at 2:00 p.m. against Muskogee (14-22). On the other side of the bracket is Broken Arrow (25-9) vs. Putnam City North (8-23).

Sand Springs has yet to play Muskogee this season but lost a close 7-5 meeting with Broken Arrow at the Tigers’ home tournament, and beat Putnam North 1-0 twice in district action.

The Sandites have won 17 Regional titles and are aiming to return to the State Tournament for the first time 2019.

On Monday Addison Hughes tossed seven strikeouts with only four hits in the shutout at Sperry (23-10). Kenzie King went 3-of-4 at the plate with one run and one RBI.

The Sandites haven’t lost a Highway 97 Rivalry game in over a decade and this time it was Kelsi Hilton who led the charge against the Chieftains (14-17) with a seventh-inning grand slam while tossing eight strikeouts. Jaden Jordan also hit a home run.

In the final game of the regular season Hughes tossed eight strikeouts and three hits against Collinsville (9-22). The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead but Jordan tied it with a two-run double in the third and Mikena Stephens hit the go-ahead RBI single in a five-run fourth inning.

Volleyball

The 16th ranked Sandite volleyball team (16-16, 3-5) went 5-2 last week, splitting a pair of conference matches before going 4-1 at the Southmoore Invitational.

The team won a 3-0 sweep of Muskogee on Tuesday but fell 3-1 to Booker T. Washington on Thursday. They put up a great fight against the Hornets, however, losing close sets of 25-17, 28-26, and 25-22 after winning the first 28-26.

In Moore the girls lost 2-1 to conference foe Bartlesville, but won 2-1 against No. 12 Moore, 2-1 against Bishop Kelley JV, 3-0 against Shawnee, and 3-1 against Southmoore.

The Sandites have one last regular season match Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against No. 1 Jenks (26-4, 7-0).

Cross Country

Josie Grona took first place in the elementary meet at Kiefer Saturday morning, running the one-mile in 6:14.92. Sophie Grona finished fifth in 7:05.26 and the team took eighth.

The elementary boys also placed eighth, led by Kellen Adkins with a 6:30.74 mile for tenth place.

Shooting

Caden Shea won the Muscogee Nation Trap Shoot Wednesday with a score of 24.

Fishing

Gabriel Castellano and Ean Williams took 22nd place at the Oklahoma Bass Nation season opener Saturday on Ft. Gibson Lake. The duo caught five fish weighing 7.32 pounds. Nate Griffin and Eli Rogers placed 31st, Caden Strawn and Drew Turner placed 46th, Decana Plummer and Gunner Beasley placed 47th, and Jonathan Isley and Jaxon Trotter placed 49th.

Sandite Football looking for new leaders to step up in 2022 season

Senior linebacker Drake Fain is expected to have a big impact in the 2022 Sandite football season.

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

For the first time since 2016, the Sand Springs quarterback won’t be named Pennington when the Sandites take to the field this fall. 

After five years of being guided by brothers Caden and Ty Pennington, the Sandites will have a new set of hands under center, and it won’t be those of last year’s backup, Brody Rutledge, either.

“We’re pretty close” to naming the starter, said third-year head coach Bobby Klinck. 

“Brody has done such a good job at wide receiver. We talked to him, talked to his dad, and that’s kind of the position that he feels comfortable at and the position that we feel he has the best shot at going to the next level. We’ve kind of let him concentrate on that.”

The talented receiver ended last season with 697 yards and six touchdowns, but he’ll be relying on a fresh set of hands to get him the ball this fall.

Right now, the battle is between a senior and a freshman.

6’2” 215-pound transfer Marek Matheson comes to Sand Springs with an impressive resume as a two-year starter at Kiefer, where he guided the Trojans to a 12-10 record, including their first winning season since 2015.

“He’s done a good job of getting to know the guys and understanding the culture and working out,” said Klinck. “He’s doing a good job in terms of meeting our expectations.”

Matheson put up prolific numbers as a sophomore, throwing for 2,713 yards and 30 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, while running for 208 yards and five scores.

As a junior he put up 1,213 passing yards and 13 touchdowns with only two interceptions, while running for 305 yards and 11 scores. 

His father, Mark Matheson, played four years at quarterback for the University of Tulsa from 1989 to 1992. 

Then there’s the freshman. It’s rare to see a freshman starter at the 6A level, but Easton Webb has a resume of success. The 6’4” multi-sport star led the eighth grade Sandites to an undefeated season last year and conquered the INFC’s top division in seventh grade.

“He’s got all the tools that you want a quarterback to have. Size, athletic ability. He’s got a great arm and a really good demeanor. The physical part - he’s more than capable. It’s just the processing, the decision making, and all that stuff.”

“You can see he’s getting better with each week, with each opportunity. He’s going to be a really good football player here at Sand Springs. We’re just going to challenge him and keep encouraging him, but there’s no doubt that he’s going to be an unbelievable football player.”

“We’ve split reps coming up here just to see if anyone’s going to take the lead,” said Klinck. “The guys have done a really good job of just competing and getting after it. We’re going to take the competition into fall camp and hopefully make a decision pretty quick.”

The two have gotten plenty of reps the last two weeks after competing at a passing camp at Sapulpa, and 7-on-7 tournaments at Bixby and Owasso. 

After winning last year’s silver bracket at the two-day Owasso tournament, the Sandites actually made it to the gold bracket this time around. 

“Kind of the evolution of how we’re doing,” said Klinck. “Seems to be that we’re improving.”

The passing game isn’t all that’s been improving. The team has also been investing in its linemen - sending two dozen players to a Bixby camp for the first time.

“Coach (Jason) Medrano and Coach (Kevin) Avey got a bunch of guys together and it’s an opportunity for those guys to get more work in. It’s kind of the evolution of our program.”

“I think we’re definitely headed in that direction” of being more physical up front, said Klinck. “Coach Medrano has done a good job of really building that culture of being a big, strong, nasty human being. It’s kind of fun to see that take shape.”

Klinck also expects sophomore Kenneth Page to have a big impact after rushing for 183 yards and a touchdown as a backup last season.

“He can be one of those breakout tailbacks. We feel that’s just going to add on to our linemen and make them feel more confident.”

Webb isn’t the only highly anticipated freshman joining the Sandite ranks. Hudson Sheppard is expected to get some minutes in relief of Page, and Ryley Kester has already earned a starting spot.

“Ryley Kester is going to end up starting at offensive line for us,” said Klinck. “With his physicality and demeanor and everything - just cemented himself in that offensive line. Then we go to team camp and as a freshman he’s just a man amongst boys. He’s definitely a tone setter and we’re very excited to get his career going here.”

Another name Klinck expects fans to hear more of this fall is Blaine Phillips. 

“He’s really stepped up. He’s always been a hard worker. Some opportunities came up and he stepped in and has done a really good job. He’s kind of worked himself in to where we’ve got no choice but to give him some playing time. He’s one of those program kids who you root for. He just works hard, he’s a good athlete and he’s finally kind of found his niche to get some playing time.”

Klinck is entering his third year at the helm after guiding Sand Springs to a 7-5 mark in 2020 and an 8-4 record last season. They made the 6A-II quarterfinals in his first season and the semifinals in 2021.

The 2022 season will open on August 26th at Sapulpa in the 96th installment of Highway 97 Rivalry. Last year the Sandites evened the record at 45-45-5 and will now look to take the lead for the first time since 1944.

Sandite Cross Country impresses at Sapulpa, boys and girls both place second

High School Boys' 2-Mile

11:18 Landin Green 8th Place (PR-0:05)
11:33 Jacob Garbey 12th Place
11:38 Aden Baughman 16th Place
11:49 Pierson Balsters JV 2nd Place
12:06 Ian Baustert 30th Place
12:08 Nelson Yazzie 33rd Place
12:20 Kaegan Murray 42nd Place
12:21 Jaedyn Jackson JV 3rd Place
12:32 Cooper Lynch JV 8th Place (PR-0:11)
12:33 Phillip Elleman JV 9th Place
12:49 Danny Murray JV 12th Place
12:51 Austin McCaskey JV 14th Place
12:57 Jaden Weiser 68th Place
13:00 Nathan McKnight JV 20th Place (PR-0:01)
13:08 Jacob Smith JV 22nd Place
13:58 Charlie Everett JV 37th Place
14:02 Alex Newport JV 38th Place (PR-0:41)
14:30 Russell McCaskey JV 56th Place (PR-0:30)
17:04 Josh Ivy JV 84th Place

High School Girls' 1-Mile

5:21 Cheyenne Walden 1st Place (PR-0:02)
6:11 Alexis Davis 8th Place (PR-0:13)
6:14 Tiqvah Soap 9th Place (PR-same)
6:44 Elizabeth Watts 21st Place (PR-0:10)
6:45 Julia Lewis 23rd Place (PR-0:20)
6:49 Sara Abbet 29th Place (PR-0:18)
6:53 Stephanie Genn 33rd Place (PR-0:19)
6:58 Nia Byrd JV 4th Place
7:07 Kaitlyn Walden JV 6th Place (PR-0:10)
7:12 Erika Baker JV 9th Place
7:19 Madison Englestead JV 13th Place (PR-0:19)
7:20 Chezney Kelley JV 15th Place (PR-0:20)
7:37 Madelynn Adams JV 24th Place (PR-0:17)
7:52 Kaileeann Worthington JV 29th Place
7:58 Lily Reed JV 33rd Place (PR-0:43)
8:17 Erindira Cuevas JV 36th Place
9:22 McKenzie Cypert JV 49th Place
9:36 Ayden Meade JV 51st Place (PR-0:42)
10:41 Hope Pollard JV 54th Place (PR-0:20)
13:17 Hanna Nelson JV 55th Place
13:18 Lauren Barkdull JV 56th Place

Junior High Boys' 1-Mile

6:53 Blain Baldridge 49th Place
7:07 Caleb James 56th Place
7:30 Carter Young 69th Place

Junior High Girls' 1-Mile

6:00 Kalea Fleming 3rd Place (PR-0:11)
7:24 Kenzie Burkes 31st Place
8:10 Jolie Currie 49th Place
9:15 Sidney Cross 61st Place
9:41 Kaitlyn Converse 65th Place

Co-Ed Elementary 1-Mile

6:35 Ava Watts 3rd Place
6:53 Kelton Tarr 11th Place
6:56 Jacob Lewis 12th Place
7:21 Morgan Rector 28th Place
7:24 Brynlee Durborow 32nd Place
7:37 Dawson Briscoe 44th Place
7:42 Kodah Gregory 50th Place
7:45 Chloe Grona 59th Place
7:53 Korben McCaskey 66th Place
7:53 Braden Gregory 67th Place
8:09 Gavin Corbin 80th Place
8:18 Rogelio Ayala 83rd Place
8:19 Josie Myers 84th Place
8:20 Koby Hadley 87th Place
8:51 Sawyer Briscoe 103rd Place
9:11 Corbin Sutton 110th Place
9:23 Brody Carter 119th Place
9:32 Scout Mushrush 117th Place
9:35 Carter McDonald 119th Place
9:46 Cooper McDonald 122nd Place
9:53 Jackson Roley 125th Place

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sixty-nine Sand Springs students traveled to the Sapulpa Cross Country meet Saturday and performed excellently in all divisions. Senior State Champion Cheyenne Walden won her fifth-straight race with a 0:15 lead on her closest competitor. Thirteen total Sandites placed in the top ten in their respective divisions. The JV boys team took first place, and the JV girls and both varsity teams placed second.

Just last week the Charles Page High School teams made their season debut at Kiefer and both varsity squads won their races for the first time in school history. It was the first time the boys had ever won a meet, and they nearly did so again at Sapulpa.

Walden finished her one mile run in 5:21, a two-second improvement over her previous personal record that she had just set last week at Kiefer. Second for the Lady Sandites was Alexis Davis who finished in eighth place with a PR of 6:11, improving 0:13 over last week. Tiqvah Soap tied her last week’s record of 6:14 for a ninth place finish.

The varsity girls finished with 54 points and an average time of 6:15. The varsity boys scored 96 points and averaged 11:45. Lincoln Christian swept both races with five runners in the top-ten girls and only 26 points, while their boys team placed four runners in the top-ten and scored 36 points. 

The Lady Sandites held a thirteen point lead on third place Sapulpa, and the boys got the edge on Holland Hall by nine points.

Landin Green led the pack for the Sandite boys team, placing eighth overall with a time of 11:18, a five-second improvement over his previous PR. Jacob Garbey wasn’t far behind, finishing in twelfth place with a PR of 11:33. The boys ran a two-mile course.

The JV girls trailed Lincoln by only ten points and placed three runners in the top ten. Nia Byrd trailed varsity by a mere five seconds and finished in fourth place with a PR of 6:58. Freshman Kaitlyn Walden wasn't far behind in sixth place with a time of 7:17, knocking ten seconds off her PR. Erika Baker took ninth place with a time of 7:12.

Freshman Pierson Balsters performed incredibly in JV boys, coming in runner-up to Sapulpa's Caleb Walsh by a mere two seconds. Balsters had the fourth best time of the Sandite boys, beating four varsity runners. His time would have put him in twenty-third place in varsity. Jaelyn Jackson, Cooper Lynch, and Phillip Elleman all finished in the top ten and Jackson trailed varsity by just two seconds. Lynch also bested his last week's PR by 0:11. The great performance gave the boys a huge lead for first place over Sapulpa.

The Lady Sandite Junior High team only had five runners and placed seventh, missing sixth by only eight points. Kalea Fleming led the team with a PR of 6:00 for third place. The great time would have landed her in seventh place in varsity. The eighth grader will be a huge help in filling the void that will be left when Walden and Davis graduate. Only three junior high boys competed, so the team was unable to place. 

The elementary team also turned out in great numbers to compete, and the co-ed Sandites placed second behind Sapulpa. Ava Watts came in third with a time of 6:35, followed by Kelton Tarr and Jacob Lewis and eleventh and twelfth, respectively.