Sandite Recruiting Report: Nine Sandites Sign College LOIs

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#55 Marcus Sims, middle, signed with NWOSU and #2 Kenneth Page, right, was offered by NSU. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Nine seniors from Charles Page High School signed letters of intent to play collegiate sports Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House on National Signing Day.

For the football team:

Offensive linemen Mason Harris, Marcus Sims, and Marcum Sims and linebacker Keagan Gilman signed to play at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Marcus, a 6’1”, 270-pound guard picked Northwestern over offers from Southwestern College, Langston University, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Marcum (5’11”, 225-pounds) didn’t announce any other offers prior to committing to Northwestern on Tuesday, nor did Harris, a 6’0”, 260-pound center.

Gilman (5’10”, 190 pounds) picked Northwestern over Bethel College. He had 58 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries this season.

Marcus and Gilman were All-District selections this year while Marcum was an All-District Honorable Mention. Harris was an All-District and OCA All-Star selection.

Northwestern is an NCAA Division II program competing in the Great American Conference. The Rangers went 1-10 this year in a rebuilding season under first-year head coach Ronnie Jones.

The assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the program is Jason Medrano, who coached offensive line at Sand Springs for two seasons before joining the Rangers.

The four seniors will be reunited with fellow Sandites Blake Jones, Drake Fain, Kyle Morrall, and Jacob Blevins, who also followed Medrano to Northwestern.

Offensive lineman Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10,” 285 pounds) signed with Hendrix College, a Division III program in Conway, Arkansas.

The Warriors compete in the Southern Athletics Association and went 3-7 last season under 11th-year head coach Buck Buchanan.

Smith was an All-District selection and chose Hendrix over offers from McPherson College and Southwestern College.

Lineman Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) signed to play at Bethel College, an NAIA program in North Newton, Kansas.

The Threshers went 6-5 last season in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Championship under first-year head coach A.B. Stokes.

Several other football players have received offers but have yet to commit or sign.

Senior linebacker Owen Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds) holds offers from Oklahoma Baptist University, Hendrix College, Oklahoma Wildcats Prep, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) holds two offers from Northeastern State University and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior defensive end Dallas Elifrits (6’1”, 230 pounds) holds offers from McPherson College and Bethel College.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) holds offers from North Texas, UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he also holds a Division I football offer from UNLV.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Girls Basketball

5’10” forward KiAryn Taylor signed with Ranger College, an NJCAA program in Ranger, Texas.

Taylor averaged 8.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals over the first five games of the season before tearing her ACL. She chose Ranger College over Cleveland Community College, Western Texas College, and Lincoln Trail College.

The Rangers are 4-19 this season under first-year head coach Mark Morefield.

5’7” guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris signed with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, an NJCAA team in Miami.

Morris is averaging 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game this season, leading the team in scoring six times.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

Boys Golf

Zane Downey signed with Southern Nazarene University, an NCAA Division II program in Bethany, Oklahoma.

The Crimson Storm competes in the Great American Conference, taking third place in the GAC Preview tournament in September and seventh in last year’s GAC Championship in April. They are coached by Derrick Taylor in his 13th year.

Downey was an Academic All-Conference selection last year, placing as high as third at the Muskogee tournament last season.

Mason Ward signed with Coffeyville Community College, an NJCAA program in Kansas. The Red Ravens placed 10th in the KJCCC Championship last season under fourth-year head coach Conner Murrell.

Ward was an Academic All Conference selection in 2022 and an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2023 as a State qualifier. Ward took first place at the Jenks S.L.A.M. event last year.

Baseball

Senior RHP/OF Cole Pearson (6’2” 150 pounds) signed to play at McPherson College next season.

McPherson is an NAIA program competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs went 37-16 overall and 26-7 in conference play last season. The program is led by Chris Dawson in his first year.

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Softball

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes announced on X this week that she has received an offer to play at Southwestern Christian University in Bethany. She also holds offers from East Central University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and Coffeyville Community College.

Boys Basketball

6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson holds one offer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Sandites Beat Enid, Putnam City, and U.S. Grant in Perfect Week

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A 77-23 rout of U.S. Grant capped a perfect week for the Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team (13-6, 5-5), which has now won three in a row since a 61-43 loss to No. 2 Owasso last Friday.

All 14 varsity players saw substantial playing time in the Saturday afternoon district makeup game that easily could have eclipsed 100 points had the Sandites not limited themselves to their third string for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

“We got back late last night after a tough win on the road,” said head coach Eric Savage. “We just knew we had to come out early with some emotion and some intensity. Didn’t want to be flat.”

“I thought we came out and shot the ball well early and everybody got off to a good start, then we were able to get up and down the lineup and give everybody some significant minutes today.”

Kason Evans scored back-to-back buckets to open the game and Deke Thompson added a trey for a 7-0 lead before Dontay Phillips got the visitors on the board. The Sandites responded with a 17-0 run and took a 29-4 advantage into the second quarter.

After Phillips’s second bucket late in the first, Sand Springs went on a 24-0 streak and ultimately took a 58-7 lead into halftime.

Things slowed down in the second half, but the Sandites still got 28 points off their bench and 12 different players entered the scorebook.

“They show up every day and they’re putting in as much time as the starters and they’re working just as hard,” said Savage. “It’s great to be able to reward them with some playing time when we get the opportunity.”

Thompson led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Evans with 11 as the only other Sandite in double digits. Khalil Allen had the best all-around performance with 7 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.

Zane Fueshko, usually the first man off the bench, got the start after strong performances at Putnam City on Friday.

Allen scored 11 and Fueshko added 10 in the 51-34 district road win, trailing only Thompson, who had 22.

“(Zane) gave us a spark,” said Savage. “He’s been shooting the ball really well and I just wanted to kind of reward him for that.”

Putnam City led early, but the Sandites went on a 15-0 run from the first into the second and led 21-18 at halftime. Sand Springs held the Pirates to only two points in the third quarter and maintained a comfortable lead through the fourth.

“It was a rowdy environment,” said Savage. “We had the band right behind us. We jumped out early and then it was a little sluggish there in the second quarter.”

“We really just wanted to keep playing defense and were finally able to get some stops and run-outs and created a little space, then just kind of maintained it from there.”

Last Friday, Thompson went off for 28 points and 7 rebounds in a loss to Owasso (16-3, 9-1) that was far closer than the final score.

The Sandites only trailed 24-23 at halftime and 40-31 to open the fourth quarter before the Rams finally pulled away behind 16 points from Jax Kerr and 20 from Jalen Montonati.

But on Tuesday they bounced back with a 65-55 Homecoming win over Enid (8-9, 4-5) to pay back a December loss.

Thompson scored 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, followed by Kooper Kelly with 12 points and Evans with 12 points and 8 boards.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday with a district home game against No. 4 Union (18-2, 10-1). They previously fell to the RedHawks 76-72 and 71-51 in January.

“We have a tough week ahead,” said Savage. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ll go get some rest and try to put a good game plan together and just go compete.”

“Hopefully being home will maybe give us a little edge, but they’ve got some mountain guys down there and they can play both ways. They’re extremely athletic and we’ll just have to do our best to try and find a way to score with them.”

Sandite Recruiting Report: Sims Commits to NWOSU, 4 Other Sandites Announce Offers

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#55 Marcus Sims, middle, committed to NWOSU and #2 Kenneth Page, right, was offered by NSU. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Charles Page High School senior lineman Marcus Sims announced on X Thursday that he has committed to playing football at Northwestern Oklahoma State University next season.

"I would like to thank God for everything he has done in my life and the opportunities he has given me,” tweeted Sims.

“Thank you to my mom who had poured everything she has into me and my brother to be the best athletes we can be. Thank you to my brother who pushes me to be the best I can be everyday. I also want to thank all of my coaches, friends, and gf who have helped me make the best decision possible.”

The 6’1”, 270-pound guard picked Northwestern over offers from Southwestern College, Langston University, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Northwestern is an NCAA Division II program competing in the Great American Conference. The Rangers went 1-10 this year in a rebuilding season under first-year head coach Ronnie Jones.

The assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the program is Jason Medrano, who coached offensive line at Sand Springs for two seasons before joining the Rangers.

Sims will be reunited with fellow Sandites Blake Jones, Drake Fain, Kyle Morrall, and Jacob Blevins who also followed Medrano to Northwestern.

Senior linebacker Owen Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds) announced on Thursday that he has received an offer to play at Oklahoma Baptist University, a Division II program in Shawnee. OBU went 6-5 this season under 11th-year head coach Chris Jensen.

Floyd also has offers from Hendrix College, Oklahoma Wildcats Prep, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) announced on Thursday that he has received an offer to play at the University of North Texas, an NCAA Division I program in Denton.

The Mean Green went 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the American Conference last season under first-year head coach Eric Morris.

Kester has also received offers from UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) announced on Tuesday that he has received an offer to play at Northeastern State University, an NCAA Division II program in Tahlequah.

NSU went 1-10 last season and fired head coach JJ Eckert. The Riverhawks will be coached by Darrin Chiaverini next season - a former NFL star who coached Chaffey junior college to an 11-0 record in 2023.

Page also holds an offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior linebacker Keagan Gilman (5’10”, 190 pounds) announced on Sunday that he has received an offer to play at Bethel College, an NAIA program in North Newton, Kansas.

Bethel went 6-5 last season under first-year head coach A.B. Stokes, winning their straight KCAC championship.

Six other Sandite football players have received offers to play at the collegiate level:

Senior OL Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10,” 285 pounds) is committed to playing at Hendrix College.

Senior DE Dallas Elifrits (6’1”, 230 pounds) holds offers from McPherson College and Bethel College.

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) committed to play at Bethel College on November 10th.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he also holds a Division I football offer from UNLV.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Boys Golf

Senior Zane Downey is committed to Southern Nazarene University.

Senior Mason Ward is committed to Coffeyville Community College.

Softball

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes holds offers from East Central University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and Coffeyville Community College.

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Baseball

Senior RHP/OF Cole Pearson (6’2” 150 pounds) is committed to playing at McPherson College next season.

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Girls Basketball

5’10” senior small forward KiAryn Taylor is committed to Ranger College.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

5’7” senior guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris recently announced her commitment to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Boys Basketball

6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson holds one offer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Sandite Recruiting Report: Sims and Floyd Offered by Kansas Wesleyan, Downey Commits

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#55 Marcus Sims, far right, was offered by Kansas Wesleyan.

Charles Page High School senior Zane Downey recently announced his commitment to play golf at Southern Nazarene University.

“I want to give thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ for blessing me with this opportunity,” Downey posted on Instagram. “I want to thank all my family and friends for believing in me and pushing me to be the best that I can.”

“I also want to thank my coach Matt Webb for always reminding me to stay level headed and take it one day at a time. And most importantly my Dad for all those times driving me to the course to practice and always being my biggest supporter and competitor.”

SNU is an NCAA Division II program in Bethany, Oklahoma, competing in the Great American Conference. The Crimson Storm tied for seventh in last year’s GAC tournament and tied for 17th at the NCAA Super Regional Preview in October. They are led by 13th year head coach Derrick Taylor.

Fellow senior Mason Ward announced his commitment to Coffeyville Community College on Monday, November 13th.

Football

Two senior football players announced offers to play college ball recently. Owen Floyd and Marcus Sims were both offered by Kansas Wesleyan University.

Wesleyan is an NAIA program in Salina, Kansas, competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Coyotes went 8-3 on the season and 4-1 in the KCAC under second-year head coach Matt Myers.

Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds), a linebacker, also has offers from Hendrix College and Oklahoma Wildcats Prep.

Sims (6’0,” 265 pounds), an offensive lineman, also holds offers from Southwestern College, Langston University, and Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Eight other Sandites have received offers to play football at the next level.

Senior OL Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10,” 285 pounds) is committed to playing at Hendrix College.

Senior DE Dallas Elifrits (6’1”, 230 pounds) holds offers from McPherson College and Bethel College.

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) committed to play at Bethel College on November 10th.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he also holds a Division I football offer from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) has received offers from UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Softball

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes announced on Wednesday that she had received an offer to play at East Central University, an NCAA Division II program in Ada, Oklahoma.

The Tigers went 21-27 overall and 14-19 in the Great American Conference last season under 17th-year head coach Destini Anderson.

Hughes went 12-7 in the circle this season with a 2.89 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, 115 strikeouts, and two perfect games.

She also holds offers from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Coffeyville Community College.

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Baseball

Senior RHP/OF Cole Pearson (6’2” 150 pounds) is committed to playing at McPherson College next season.

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Girls Basketball

5’10” senior small forward KiAryn Taylor is committed to Ranger College.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

5’7” senior guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris recently announced her commitment to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Boys Basketball

6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson holds one offer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Hot Streak Continues for Sandite Boys Basketball

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A 61-49 victory over Raymore-Peculiar (6-8) in the Jenks-Union Invitational opener Thursday evening gave the Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team its ninth consecutive victory, their longest win streak since the 2019-2020 season.

That streak came to a close on Friday in a close 76-72 loss to No. 4 Union (13-2) in the semifinals, but the boys bounced back with a 60-37 upset of No. 12 Jenks (10-5) for third place.

After opening the season 0-3, Sand Springs is now 10-4 and ranked for the first time this year at No. 14. Next up for the Sandites is a rematch with Union Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. at the UMAC, this time in district play.

Winter weather postponed two of the Sandites’ recent games. A January 9th home game against U.S. Grant (0-10, 0-6) was rescheduled for February 3rd and a January 16th road game at No. 5 Edmond Memorial (10-4, 5-2) will be rescheduled for a later date.

In between the two, Sand Springs improved to 2-3 in district play with a 77-50 romp at Bartlesville (2-9, 1-6) on Friday the 12th.

Deke Thompson III led the Sandites for the tenth time this season with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.

Kason Evans scored 16 points with 9 rebounds and Khalil Allen matched his career high with 14 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field.

Against Raymore-Peculiar on Thursday the Sanditse had four in double-digits: Thompson with 16, Allen with 12, Evans with 11, and Alijah Roper with 10.

It was the Deke Thompson show against Union on Friday with the junior going off for a career-high 33 points, followed by Evans with a double-double 13 points and 10 rebounds.

On Saturday the team took a more balanced approach with Evans scoring 12, Roper and Kooper Kelly scoring 11 apiece, and Thompson scoring 10 to defeat the Trojans.

Sandites Win East Central Oklahoma Classic, Deke Thompson Named MVP

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The Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team won the East Central Oklahoma Classic last weekend in Ada for its first regular season tournament title since 2019. The Sandites have now won seven games in a row for their longest streak since 2020.

On Thursday the Sandites rolled to an 87-47 win against Hugo (5-9) for their third consecutive victory by 40 points or more with a season-best performance from three-point range, shooting 11-of-24.

Deke Thompson III scored a team-high 25 points with 8 rebounds, followed by Kooper Kelly with a season-high 16, and Kason Evans with 11 points and 9 boards.

On Friday the Sandites had to gut out a 50-46 win against 4A No. 10 McLain (11-3), dealing the Titans their first in-state loss of the season.

Thompson once again led the team, this time with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Blake Johnson scored 14 and Evans added 10.

In Saturday’s finals the Sandites won 51-35 against host 4A No. 7 Ada (9-2), snapping the Cougars’ six-game win streak.

Thompson scored 16 points with 12 rebounds for his second double-double and ninth team-high of the season. Evans scored 15 points and Kelly added 10.

Thompson was named the MVP of the tournament and is averaging 20.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and 2.1 blocks on the season.

Johnson and Evans were also named to the All-Tournament team. Johnson is averaging 7.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, while Evans is averaging 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

The Sandites had their Tuesday night district games U.S. Grant canceled on Tuesday due to weather and are scheduled to return to action Friday at Bartlesville (1-7, 1-4), weather permitting.