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).

Sandites fall 37-32, Ty Pennington sets Sand Springs passing record

A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Usually when a football team takes a knee to run out the clock, that means the game’s over. But with 1:21 left to play, Dominic Ornelas burst through the Booker T. Washington line and snatched a takeaway to give the host Sandites one last shot.

Unfortunately for the Sandites, the Hornets would also get a sudden takeaway in the dying moments, as Micah Tease snagged a fumble from Jacob Blevins just 16 seconds later, and this time the offensive line held up to the hungry Sandites.

Class 6A-II No. 3 Booker T. Washington (5-1, 2-1) led for most of the ballgame, but never comfortably, and held on for a 37-32 win at previously undefeated No. 4 Charles Page (5-1, 2-1). 

A far departure from last year’s 49-0 rout at S.E. Williams Stadium.

“Every time we’ve been out here it’s usually tough,” said Hornets head coach Jonathon Brown. “I’ve been out here eight years, and every time we come over here it’s usually a tough game. Coach (Bobby) Klinck is doing a hell of a job of building that team in his image. They’re hard-nosed and they fight and they do a hell of a job, so I’m proud of them and it was a hell of a game.”

“I think it’s just another year in the program and all the off-season stuff and just them being in our system more,” said Klinck. “We’re a little more familiar with what we’re doing. We told them that this game was going to be a measuring stick for our program and where we’re at. It would have been really nice to come away with a win, but I was very proud of the way we competed and we weren’t scared for sure, so that was very great to see.”

“When people describe Sand Springs it’s ‘they play hard, they’re disciplined and tough,’” said Klinck. “Nobody ever says ‘well they’ve got good football players.’ I think we proved last night that we’ve got good football players. I’ll say it again, Ty Pennington’s the best quarterback in the state and he proved it going against a secondary that’s got two or three Division I guys in there. Our receivers are getting open as well. We’ve got good football players at Sand Springs. That’s a huge takeaway that I took away from it.”

Pennington was 14-of-27 for 270 yards and two passing scores, and had 62 rushing yards with two more touchdowns. His Hornet counterpart Lathan Boone was 21-of-29 passing for 253 yards and three touchdowns.

Pennington’s yardage was enough to set the Sand Springs career passing record at 5,061, surpassing his own quarterback coach, Darrack Harger.

“If anybody’s going to do it, I’m glad it’s that guy,” said Harger. “I’ve told him for the past three years that my goal for him was to beat my record. That dude is a baller and he’s going to go on to the next level and do all kinds of great things.”

The visiting Hornets took the lead on their first possession with a 25-yard strike from Boone to Tease, but the Sandites quickly responded.

After completing a 22-yard pass to Brody Rutledge to set the new school record, Pennington dove in for a one-yard touchdown to tie it up. He then found Blevins for a 30-yard score to take the 13-7 lead, but Logan Wolfe’s kick was blocked.

Deon McKinney, Jr. tied it up for the Hornets on an 11-yard run, but Charles Gaylord blocked Jackson Marsh’s kick to pay back the Hornets. 

Boone gave the visitors the lead soon after on a 17-yard fourth-down strike to Demitrius Prudom and the Hornets went to the locker room up 20-13 at the half.

The Sandites got possession to start the third quarter and Pennington walked untouched into the end zone on a 13-yard draw, and Jonathan Daniels kicked the point after to tie it up.

McKinney Jr. put the visitors right back on top five plays later with a 43-yard run late in the third, then Marsh kicked a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth to make it 30-20.

Kenneth Page entered the game for Sand Springs after star running back Blake Jones left with an injury in the first quarter, and scored his first varsity touchdown on a 13-yard run, but Daniels’ kick missed off the left upright. 

The Hornets retaliated with a 40-yard pass from Boone to Tease, then the Sandites struck right back with a 9-yard throw from Pennington to Keaton Campbell. A two-point pass came up a yard short, and the final score settled at 37-32.

Rutledge led the Sandite receiving corps with 94 yards, followed by Blevins with 81 and Campbell with 73. Page rushed for 49 yards on 12 carries. Drake Fain led the defense with 14 tackles, Gabe Brown had six tackles and a sack, and Conner Light had seven tackles with two for loss.

Jones’s undisclosed injury isn’t expected to be season-ending, but Klinck is confident in Page’s ability to perform while Jones is out. 

“For a sophomore he was pretty dang impressive. I was scared about ball security, we’ve done so well with our ball security. He did a fantastic job. Great for him to get some early varsity action. I hate how it happened, but Blake’s a tough kid and he’ll come back, and it’s good to have a guy like Kenneth Page to fill in for the time being.”

Klinck was also impressed with his receivers’ ability to compete against one of the best secondary units in the state. 

“Brody Rutledge, Keaton (Campbell), and Jacob Blevins. Great route runners, good hands, we’ve got speed and size. Ty’s able to fit it into windows and they make big plays. Again, as a coaching staff, we learned that our guys can make plays against the best in the state, so we’re going to take that moving forward into the rest of the season.”

Sand Springs will have another tall task Thursday at No. 1 Bixby (6-0, 3-0), who just beat No. 2 Choctaw 70-7. The Spartans have won 42 consecutive games and three State titles in a row. 

“We’re going to show up,” said Klinck. “Our kids aren’t going to back down, our coaches certainly won’t. We’re going to try to put a game plan together where it gives our guys a chance to be successful, but it’s really up to them to go make the plays. I do hope and I do feel like we got a confidence boost from playing a really good Booker T. Washington team that’s very fast, has really good skill players, and I think we found some things out defensively and offensively and kind of figured out who we are and what our identity is. We’re going to take this next week and really push that on our kids. We’ll see what happens on Thursday, we’re excited.”

Booker T. Washington knocks off Sand Springs 37-32

A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

Usually when a football team takes a knee to run out the clock, that means the game’s over. But with 1:21 left to play, Dominic Ornelas burst through the Booker T. Washington line and snatched a takeaway to give the host Sandites one last shot.

Fortunately for the Hornets, they would also get a sudden takeaway in the dying moments, as Micah Tease snagged a fumble from Jacob Blevins just 16 seconds later, and this time the offensive line held up to the hungry Sandites.

Class 6A-II No. 3 Booker T. Washington (5-1, 2-1) led for most of the ballgame, but never comfortably, and held on for a 37-32 win at previously undefeated No. 4 Charles Page (5-1, 2-1). 

“I just told our team to keep fighting, keep going out there and making plays,” said Hornets head coach Jonathon Brown. “It was just a hell of a win.”

A far departure from last year’s 49-0 home field rout. 

“Every time we’ve been out here it’s usually tough,” said Brown. “I’ve been out here eight years, and every time we come over here it’s usually a tough game. Coach Klinck is doing a hell of a job of building that team in his image. They’re hard-nosed and they fight and they do a hell of a job, so I’m proud of them and it was a hell of a game.”

Despite the defensive reputation that both teams have built, it was their offenses that shined.

Junior Hornet quarterback Lathan Boone was 21-of-29 passing for 253 yards and three touchdowns, while his Sandite counterpart was 14-of-27 for 270 yards and two passing scores.

“I thought the best pass he threw was the last one to Micah Tease,” said Brown, of Boone. “So composed. He just went back and let it go. That’s a credit to the offensive staff and the quarterback coach getting him ready. He’s truly becoming a leader. The game is starting to slow down for him and he’s doing a hell of a job.”

Meanwhile the Sandite quarterback had a bit of a consolation prize, as he set the Sand Springs career passing record at 5,061, surpassing his own quarterback coach, Darrack Harger.

“If anybody’s going to do it, I’m glad it’s that guy,” said Harger. “I’ve told him for the past three years that my goal for him was to beat my record. That dude is a baller and he’s going to go on to the next level and do all kinds of great things.”

Pennington also had 62 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.

In addition to Tease’s defensive takeaway to seal the game, he also had a huge hand in the offense, racking up 98 yards on five catches with two touchdowns, including a 40-yarder for the 37-26 lead with 4:57 to play. 

Sand Springs will have another tall task next week at No. 1 Bixby (6-0, 3-0) while the Hornets will host Putnam City West (0-6, 0-3).

Sand Springs Football Preview: Undefeated Sandites Host Booker T. Washington Friday

The Class 6A-II No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (5-0, 2-0) will host No. 3 Booker T. Washington (4-1, 1-1) Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Sandites are looking for their first 6-0 start since 2012 and first win against the Hornets since 2015.

The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at 600 North Adams Road, on the CPHS campus. Home-side parking is at the high school, while visitor-side parking is the grass field north of the stadium. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and $10 for reserved seating.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-17. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

Sand Springs has emerged undefeated through the first five games of the year. In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they have won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 81-120-1167-1 passing with 13 touchdowns, and is 66-273 rushing with four TDs.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 106-736 rushing with seven touchdowns.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 19-319 receiving with three TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 20-218 receiving with three touchdowns and averages 22.8 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Sr. WR) is 28-430 receiving with four TDs and averages 19 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 11-131 receiving with four TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 45 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 37 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 42 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Gabe Brown has 29 tackles, 3 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 31 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 39 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 29 tackles, 0.5 for loss, one interception, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 21-of-25 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Booker T. Washington

The Hornets are a blue-blood program with nine State Championships, and are the only team other than Bixby to win one in Class 6A-II. They are in their second year under Head Coach Jonathan Brown, who guided his alma mater to a 7-4 record last year.

The Hornets have dominated in all but one game this year, winning 51-7 at Southmoore (0-5), 39-26 at No. 5 Del City (4-1), 64-13 against Edison (1-4) and 66-0 against Bartlesville (1-4). Their only loss was a 29-20 district opener at No. 2 Choctaw (4-1).

Players to Watch

Lathan Boone (Jr. QB/FS) is 61-92-950-1 passing with 11 TDs and 37-191 rushing with 3 TDs.

Four-star recruit Gentry Williams (Sr. WR/CB) is 1-13 rushing and 13-135 receiving with 1 TD. Has 17 tackles and 1 pass breakup.

DJ McKinney (Jr. RB/CB) is 22-296 rushing with 4 TDs and 5-104 receiving. Has 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass breakup.

Issac Covington (So. FS/RB) is 12-109 rushing with 5 TDs. He has 13 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup, and 1 interception.

Ethan Washington (Sr. RB/WR) is 45-298 rushing with 5 TDs and 2-16 receiving with 1 TD.

Four-star recruit Micah Tease (Sr. WR/SS) is 13-309 with 4 TDs. Has 13 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 interceptions, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, 139 yards on turnover returns, and two defensive touchdowns.

Jayden Oates (So. TE/OLB) has 27 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

Solomon Thompson (Sr. OLB/DE) has 38 tackles, 4 for loss, and 2 sacks.

Aiden Walker (Jr. MLB) has 87 tackles, 6 for loss, and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown.

The History

Booker T. Washington leads the series 17-7 and has won five straight meetings, the longest streak in the history of the series. They are also coming off a 49-0 win, the biggest win in the history of the series, and their third shutout of the Sandites.

The teams first met in 1986 and the Hornets doubled Sand Springs 42-21 on their way to a State Title, but the Sandites paid it back 15-12 the next year. The last time Sand Springs won was in 2015 when the Hornets won 17-14 in the regular season, but Sand Springs got revenge 30-23 in the State Semifinals.

2020. Booker T. Washington 49-0 (A)
2019. Booker T. Washington 34-7 (H)
2018. Booker T. Washington 48-21 (A)
2017. Booker T. Washington 40-0 (A)
2016. Booker T. Washington 17-12 (H)
2015. Sand Springs 30-23 (N, State Semifinals)
2015. Booker T. Washington 27-14 (A)
2014. Booker T. Washington 42-35 (H)
2013. Sand Springs 42-38 (H)
2012. Sand Springs 21-7 (A)
2007. Booker T. Washington 23-7 (H)
2006. Booker T. Washington 62-28 (A)
1997. Sand Springs 23-15 (H)
1996. Booker T. Washington 34-7 (A)
1995. Sand Springs 14-10 (A)
1994. Booker T. Washington 28-7 (H)
1993. Booker T. Washington 21-14 (A)
1992. Booker T. Washington 48-7 (H)
1991. Sand Springs 15-14 (H)
1990. Booker T. Washington 31-17 (A)
1989. Booker T. Washington 35-0 (H)
1988. Booker T. Washington 28-14 (A)
1987. Sand Springs 15-12 (H)
1986. Booker T. Washington 42-21 (A)