Oklahoma Wrestling: Week Eleven High School 6A Individual and Team Rankings

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

106

  1. Riley Weir (Sand Springs sophomore) 
  2. Gabe Johnson (Choctaw freshman)
  3. Braden Fowler (Yukon senior)
  4. Garrett Steidley (Edmond Memorial freshman)
  5. Jackson Cockrell (Broken Arrow freshman)
  6. Brandon Blose (Sapulpa senior) 
  7. Nate Becker (Edmond North freshman) 
  8. Austin Hall (Southmoore senior) 
  9. Corwin Strachan (Bartlesville sophomore)
  10. Yoshi Orikasha (Norman North freshman) Previously unranked

Not much changed at 106 after the shake-up last week. Gabe Johnson took first place at the Big 4+4. No. 10 Jacob Zimmer was knocked out of the rankings by Norman North freshman Yoshi Orikasha with a 14-6 major decision. 

113

  1. Colt Newton (Choctaw sophomore)
  2. TJ Long (Union sophomore)
  3. Tanner Ward (Sand Springs senior)
  4. Johnathan Warford (Sapulpa junior)
  5. Andrew Police (Broken Arrow freshman)
  6. Brayden Strachan (Bartlesville sophomore)
  7. Will Pham (Deer Creek freshman) 
  8. Joe Lupton (Mustang junior) 
  9. Yves Worou (Norman North)
  10. Noah Hanscom (Yukon)

No change at 113.

120

  1. Paxton Rosen (Edmond North senior)
  2. Canon Randall (Westmoore senior)
  3. Tyler Lawley (Broken Arrow senior)
  4. Michael Ritchey (Sand Springs senior)
  5. Caron Watson (Union junior)
  6. Cameron Picklo (Mustang sophomore)
  7. Blake Gonzalez (Broken Arrow)
  8. Laif Jones (Bartlesville sophomore)
  9. Jacob Swenson (Ponca City junior)
  10. Chase Slatton (Jenks senior)

No change at 120. Jacob Swenson placed second at the Big 4+4.

126

  1. Drew Wilson (Midwest City senior)
  2. Spencer Schickram (Ponca City sophomore) Previously #4
  3. Blake Sargent (Sand Springs junior) Previously #5
  4. Wyatt Johnson (Owasso senior) Previously #8
  5. Brandon Bright (Edmond North senior) Previously #6
  6. Trent Higginbotham (Edmond North junior) Previously #7
  7. Alaisa Rubio (U.S. Grant) Previously #9
  8. Logan Herrell (Enid sophomore) Previously #10
  9. DaQuan Carbajal (Moore junior) Previously unranked
  10. Irwin Portillo (Sand Springs sophomore) Previously unranked

No. 2 Connor Holman and No. 3 Tanner Cole both moved up to 132 for the Big 4+4. DaQuan Carbajal moved into the rankings by virtue of a fifth place finish at Blanchard earlier this season, while Irwin Portillo took the bottom spot thanks to a fifth place finish at the Sapulpa Invitational. Spencer Schickram won the 4+4 and teched Wyatt Johnson 15-0. Johnson placed second and actually defeated Schickram 5-3 in pool play, but fell in the bracket finals. 

132

  1. Daton Fix (Sand Springs senior) 
  2. Connor Holman (Choctaw junior) Previously #2 in 126
  3. Tanner Cole (Deer Creek senior) Previously #3 in 126
  4. Dylan Schickram (Ponca City junior) Previously #3
  5. Drake Vannoy (Edmond North freshman) Previously #4
  6. Sam Avant (Norman North senior) Previously #5
  7. TaJuan Daniels (Broken Arrow senior) Previously #6
  8. Easton Hudson (Bixby senior) Previously #2
  9. Jacob Blumenthal (Westmoore senior) Previously #7
  10. Trey Edwards (Mustang) Previously #9

132 just became one of the most stacked weights in the State with the addition of Connor Holman and Tanner Cole. Holman placed first at the Big 4+4, majoring Dylan Schickram 11-3 and Tanner Cole 15-6. Cole placed second and majored Schickram 7-2. TaJuan Daniels picked up a big 7-2 dual victory over No. 2 Easton Hudson. No. 10 Tyler Roberts was knocked out of the rankings by the new additions. No. 8 Baylor Smith moved up to 138 at the 4+4.

138

  1. Jaxen Gilmore (Yukon senior)
  2. Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs senior)
  3. Tyler Dieringer (Stillwater senior)
  4. Kruz Simons (Edmond North sophomore)
  5. Josh Suter (Norman senior)
  6. Elijah Barnett (Booker T. Washington) Previously unranked
  7. Bryce Mattioda (Broken Arrow freshman) Previously #6
  8. Cody Mathis (Sand Springs junior) Previously #7
  9. Baylor Smith (Owasso junior) Previously #8 in 132
  10. Dawson Hunt (Ponca City senior) Previously #8

Tyler Dieringer took first place at the Big 4+4, pinning Baylor Smith in 2:18 and topping Blake Muse 5-4. Elijah Barnett pulled off a big upset at Districts, pinning Bryce Mattioda in 1:07. Baylor Smith moved up from 132 and took second at the 4+4, defeating Dawson Hunt 3-1. Hunt placed fifth. No. 9 Austin Daniels and No. 10 Connor Simpson were bumped out by the new additions. No. 8 Blake Muse cut from 145, but came in last and didn't make the 138 rankings.

145

  1. Kendon Lee (Stillwater senior)
  2. Beau Bratcher (Sand Springs senior)
  3. Ryan Swanson (Westmoore junior)
  4. Seth Graves (Edmond Memorial senior)
  5. Zane Taylor (Yukon)
  6. Brandon Conrad (Owasso senior)
  7. Shamar Duncan (Putnam City senior)
  8. Killian McGrew (Jenks freshman) Previously #9
  9. Noah Austin (Edmond North senior) Previously #10
  10. Micah Lugafet (Deer Creek) Previously unranked

Kendon Lee took first at the Big 4+4 and defeated Brandon Conrad 9-5. Conrad placed second and majored Micah Lugafet 17-6. Lugafet majored No. 10 Cameron Traylor 14-0 at the Ram Duals and placed seventh at the 4+4. No. 8 Blake Muse cut to 138 at the 4+4.

152

  1. Payton Scott (Sand Springs junior)
  2. Baywiin Hollingshead (Yukon) 
  3. Kyle Knowles (Edmond Memorial freshman)
  4. Robert "RJ" Walker (Midwest City senior) 
  5. Ezequiel "Zeke" Rubio (Ponca City junior) Previously #7
  6. Jeff Speer (Choctaw junior) Previously #5
  7. Zach Johnson (Westmoore sophomore) Previously #6
  8. Jermain Harring (Union) 
  9. Brady Mattioda (Broken Arrow junior) 
  10. Jacob Swafford (Edmond North)

Zeke Rubio took first place at the Big 4+4 and pinned Jeff Speer in 4:40. Speer placed second. 

160

  1. Jaryn Curry (Choctaw junior)
  2. Chase Vincent (Yukon senior)
  3. Caleb Wise (Broken Arrow junior)
  4. Connor Wilcoxen (Stillwater senior)
  5. Joseph Messer (Norman North senior)
  6. Cooper Meadows (Mustang senior)
  7. Nolan Miller (Owasso junior)
  8. Chase Kelvington (Jenks) Previously unranked
  9. Noah Almy (Sand Springs) Previously #8
  10. Grayson White (Ponca City junior) Previously #9

Jaryn Curry placed first at the 4+4 and pinned Grayson White in 3:21. Connor Wilcoxen placed fourth and topped Nolan Miller 5-2. Miller placed fifth and edged out White 6-5. White finished in seventh. Chase Kelvington moved into the rankings by pinning Noah Almy in 1:10 in a dual.

170

  1. Zane Basma (Sand Springs senior) Previously #2
  2. Zane Coleman (Choctaw sophomore) Previously #3
  3. Christian Bahl (Stillwater senior) Previously #1
  4. Payden Brown (Putnam City senior) Previously #5
  5. Tyren Robb (Norman) Previously unranked
  6. Gage McBride (Mustang senior) 
  7. Sam Hensley (Edmond Memorial junior)
  8. Joe Speno (Edmond Santa Fe senior)
  9. Kaleb Mertz (Owasso junior)
  10. Lane Newlin (Ponca City) 

Zane Coleman took first place at the Big 4+4 by teching Lane Newlin 15-0 and defeating Christian Bahl 4-2. Bahl placed second and pinned Newlin in 4:54. Newlin placed third. Tyren Robb made his ranked debut by pinning Gage McBride at Districts. No. 4 Jace Brownlee moved up to 182 at the 4+4.

182

  1. Gavin Potter (Broken Arrow)
  2. Easton Rendleman (Choctaw junior)
  3. Justin "JD" Johnson (Owasso junior) Previously #4
  4. Jace Brownlee (Stillwater senior) Previously #4 in 170
  5. Shane Flandermeyer (Westmoore junior) Previously #3
  6. Dakota Carnes (Sapulpa senior) Previously #5
  7. Noah Hooks (Edmond North junior) Previously #6
  8. Declan O'Brien (Deer Creek) Previously #7
  9. Jaylen Childs (Putnam North) Previously #8
  10. Joe Curtis (Bixby sophomore) Previously #9

Easton Rendleman won the Big 4+4, defeating Jace Brownlee 5-3 and JD Johnson 3-2. Johnson topped Brownlee 5-2 for second place and Brownlee took third. No. 10 DJ Booner was knocked out by the addition of Brownlee.

195

  1. Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow sophomore) 
  2. Blake Minnick (Edmond North sophomore)
  3. Jesse Wetherington (Norman North)
  4. Rafe Johnson (Deer Creek freshman)
  5. Gary Dockery (Choctaw junior)
  6. Fisher Jones (Putnam City)
  7. Arin Copas (Mustang senior)
  8. Colin Foster (Yukon)
  9. Riley Corona (Westmoore senior)
  10. Luke Bratcher (Sand Springs sophomore)

No change at 195. Gary Dockery placed fourth at the Big 4+4.

220

  1. Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs senior)
  2. Skyler Haynes (Broken Arrow senior)
  3. Mason Lancaster (Putnam City junior)
  4. Jon Martinez (Westmoore senior)
  5. Austin Fry (Ponca City senior)
  6. Caulin Poole (Chcotaw junior)
  7. Cody Adams (Bixby senior)
  8. Yousef Aliya (Union senior) 
  9. Gage Fain (Sand Springs junior)
  10. Parsa Lessani (Edmond North)

No change at 220. Austin Fry won the Big 4+4 and topped Caulin Poole 3-1. Pool placed third. 

285

  1. Brey Walker (Southmoore junior) 
  2. Gage Johnson (Norman North senior)
  3. Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow senior)
  4. Zach Austin (Choctaw senior) 
  5. Elwood Tomlin (Union senior)
  6. Ryan Tilbury (Midwest City senior)
  7. Malik McGee (U.S. Grant)
  8. Blake Russell (Mustang senior)
  9. Brett Bridges (Ponca City)
  10. Trey Cossey (Mustang senior) Previously unranked

Zach Austin placed third at the Big 4+4 and Brett Bridges took fourth. No. 10 Griff Stanley cut to 220 at the 4+4 and Trey Cossey took his spot. 

OSSAA Team Tournament Rankings Week 11

  1. Sand Springs (15 first-place votes)
  2. Choctaw (7 first-place votes)
  3. Broken Arrow (2 first-place votes)
  4. Edmond North
  5. Yukon
  6. Ponca City
  7. Stillwater
  8. Westmoore
  9. Union
  10. Edmond Memorial
  11. Mustang
  12. Norman
  13. Sapulpa
  14. Deer Creek
  15. Norman North

OSSAA Dual Team Rankings Week 11

  1. Sand Springs (17-0, 15 first-place votes)
  2. Choctaw (8-0, 10 first-place votes)
  3. Broken Arrow (7-2)
  4. Edmond North (10-0)
  5. Yukon (7-2)
  6. Ponca City (9-2)
  7. Norman (15-2)
  8. Stillwater (8-3)

 

 

 

OSSAA Team Tournament Rankings Accumulative Final Five Weeks

  1. Sand Springs (1486)
  2. Choctaw (1432)
  3. Broken Arrow (1320)
  4. Edmond North (1240)
  5. Yukon (1071)
  6. Ponca City (876)
  7. Union (787)
  8. Stillwater (777)
  9. Westmoore (769)
  10. Mustang (628)
  11. Edmond Memorial (607)
  12. Norman (399)
  13. Norman North (371)
  14. Deer Creek (252)
  15. Sapulpa (220)

OSSAA Dual Team Rankings Accumulative
Final Five Weeks

  1. Sand Springs (1344 points)
  2. Choctaw (1334)
  3. Broken Arrow (1154)
  4. Edmond North (1086)
  5. Yukon (941)
  6. Ponca City (759)
  7. Union (675)
  8. Westmoore (641)
  9. Mustang (493)
  10. Stillwater (483)
  11. Norman (428)
  12. Edmond Memorial (388)
  13. Claremore (307)
  14. Jenks (195)
  15. Sapulpa (184)

Sandite Pride Tournament Rankings

  1. Sand Springs (94)
  2. Choctaw (79)
  3. Broken Arrow (75)
  4. Edmond North (50)
  5. Yukon (46)
  6. Stillwater (40)
  7. Westmoore (38)
  8. Ponca City (35)
  9. Norman North (31)
  10. Owasso (28)
  11. Union (27)
  12. Edmond Memorial (26)
    Mustang (26)
  13. Putnam City (24)
  14. Deer Creek (23)
  15. Midwest City (22)
  16. Sapulpa (17)
  17. Southmoore (13)
  18. Norman (12)
  19. Bartlesville (10)
  20. U.S. Grant (8)
    Bixby (8)
  21. Jenks (7)
  22. Booker T. Washington (5)
  23. Enid (3)
    Edmond Santa Fe (3)
  24. Moore (2)
    Putnam City North (2)
  25. Putnam City West (0)
    Muskogee (0)
    Lawton (0)
    Capitol Hill (0)

Editor's Note: If you think a certain wrestler should be ranked higher, send in results. We can only rank based on the results we are given. 

Greathouse scores three touchdowns in 30-14 defeat of Yukon

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Hunter Greathouse looks to find Payton Scott on a screen pass. Photo: Erik Sedwick

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

Just seventeen seconds into Friday night's showdown between the Charles Page High School football team (3-2, 1-0) and  Yukon High School (0-5, 0-1) the Millers had the lead.

Tyrese Antwine fielded the game's opening kickoff at around the 10 yard line and took it to the house, virtually untouched. Ryan Lucas added the extra point and just like that, before either offense had set foot on the field the Sandites trailed 7-0. Once the Sandite offense did make it onto the field, the game turned around quickly. Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse drove the offense straight down the field, and ended the drive with a 25 yard touchdown strike to Kasey Bales. Greathouse and Bales were on the same page the whole night, hooking up eight times for 123 yards and a pair of scores. 

The Yukon offense then got their turn to touch the football, and looked good doing so picking up four first downs and moving the ball to the Sand Springs 28 yard line. The Sandite defense got things going though when Cody Motes intercepted Senior quarterback Trevor Smith to get the ball back. Sand Springs drove the ball 88 yards in 12 plays, capped of by a 26 yard field goal from Alejandro Hernandez.

The Sandite defense forced another turnover on the ensuing Miller drive, when sophomore Hayden Cramer hit the ball carrier on a rush and the ball squirted loose. Gage Fain jumped on the fumble, and the offense capitalized with Greathouse and Bales connecting on their second score of the evening. 

The defense continued their stout play by forcing a quick three-and-out, and Greathouse continued the onslaught of scoring with a sensational 14 yard keeper, breaking a tackle and spinning his way into the end zone for a 24-7 lead to head into the half. 

The second half saw far less offense for the Sandites, but the defensive unit kept the pressure on. Payton Scott finished the scoring for the Sandites with a 12 yard touchdown run early in the third stanza. 

Yukon executed a long drive capped off with a 2 yard run by Ethan Scott, but those would be the only points the Millers saw for the rest of the game. Sand Springs racked up two sacks, six tackles for loss, and three forced turnovers on the game. Delvin Jordan led the Sandite defense with five tackles. Treyce Tolbert, Hayden Cramer, and Nathan Simonton each had four tackles. Tolbert also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

The Charles Page offensive line led by senior Lincoln Adams played great all evening, giving up no sacks and paving the way for 233 yards rushing. Payton Scott led the way with 147 yards and the team averaged over 6 yards-per-carry. Greathouse went 12-23-0-192 for two touchdowns and went 8-58 and a touchdown on the ground. 

The Sandites will resume district play next Thursday, when they play Ponca City High School (1-3, 0-2) for homecoming. Yukon will face Norman High School (0-5, 0-2).

Editorial: How the 6A split saved 6A football

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Oklahoma high school football experienced a dramatic and controversial change in the fall of 2013 when the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) announced a split in Class 6A. The 16 highest-enrollment schools would be separated from the lower 16 and each division would play for their own State Title.

The reason for the decision was simple. Population. The current enrollment of Broken Arrow High School is 4,872. The enrollment of Booker T Washington? 1,317. The difference between the top of 6A and the bottom of 6A is greater than the top of 5A and the smallest schools in the State. Schools like BA, Union, Jenks, and Owasso have four times the talent pool to draw from. While the majority of the Hornet starters play both sides of the ball and never get a break, the Redskins have a roster larger than some colleges and have backups for their backups.

Class 6A was created in 1992 and the inaugural Championship was won by Norman. Jenks won it in ’93, Midwest City went back-to-back from ’94-95, and nobody but Jenks or Union has won it since. More often than not, the State Championship game has simply been a rematch between the Backyard Bowl rivals. Since the inception of 6A, Jenks leads the series with 14 titles to Union’s 7, and only 2 other teams have ever won.

Clearly population isn’t the only deciding factor, otherwise Broken Arrow would have won it every year. But there’s no denying the significance it plays. 6A teams were judged by their ability to turn a winning record, not by their ability to win State Titles. That was irrelevant. Nobody won State Titles but Jenks and Union.

In the 22 seasons that Sand Springs played the 6A division, they earned a total record of 98-131 and only managed 7 winning seasons with 7 playoff appearances. In five of those years they were eliminated by top-four-enrollment schools. The other years it was by top-ten schools. Since the 6A split, the Sandites have gone 15-11, made the playoffs both years, and actually won playoff games for the first time since 1997. In 2015, the Sandites made their first State Final appearance since 1966.

While the problems with the 6A split were clear—increased travel, “easier” brackets—the solution has proved to be a game-changer for the 16 schools who now feel like they actually have a legitimate chance. The culture around Sand Springs football has changed, and it’s not an isolated event.

The Class 6A-II conversation begins with two-time reigning State Champions, the Bixby Spartans. Bixby was an annual contender in Class 5A without fail. They weren’t part of the inaugural class of 6A. They didn’t move over until 2010. Prior to that, they had six-straight winning seasons with ten-straight playoff appearances. In their first year of 6A they finished the regular season 5-5, their worst record since 2003, and were eliminated in round one by Jenks. For the next two years they posted losing records and didn’t make the playoffs again till the 6A split. In a single year, the 6A powerhouses had killed the football culture at Bixby. They were lucky that they only had to live through it for four years before the split. In 2014, the Spartans were once again playing teams at their size, and they went 12-1 for their first ever State Title. Their only loss? A season-opening non-conference game against Jenks. Jenks won that one 66-20. The Spartans defended their title in 2015 and are currently ranked number one in 2016. After two straight winning seasons and State Titles, the Spartans challenged Jenks in their season opener and nearly won it, 38-34.

Booker T Washington has always had a culture of winning, with eight State Championships including two recently in 2008 and 2010 at the 5A level. The Hornets only had to play two seasons of 6A football, both ending in first round devastating playoff defeats at the hands of the Big Four. As soon as 6A split, they were back in it with a 7-game winning streak and a 10-2 season in 2014. Last year they went undefeated in the regular season and earned the number one rank before Sand Springs defeated them in the semi-finals. This year the Hornets are laying the foundation to take their program to the next level with College Hall of Fame member Brad Calip taking over as Head Coach and former University of Tulsa Head Coach Bill Blankenship volunteering with the quarterbacks and offensive coaching. The Hornets have stepped up their pre-conference scheduling with 6A No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe and Florida-based private school IMG Academy which is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation with an entire roster of division-I commits.

Bartlesville was part of the first class of 6A, and went 0-10 in the first two years. They didn’t post a winning record till 2002, when they were doubled down on by Union 54-27 in the first round of the playoffs. Their next winning record wouldn’t come till 2008, and that was only due to a forfeiture by Jenks due to OSSAA sanctions. In 2009 they gave it a real run and even defeated Owasso, but still couldn’t fend off Jenks, BA, and Southmoore. In 2010 they had another winning record at 7-4. Their losses were to the Big Four. Since the 6A split they’ve made the playoffs both years and finished last season with only two losses. They held the No. 1 rank briefly after defeating Bixby, before falling to BTW two weeks later.

The success stories continue from there. The evidence is undeniable, the 6A split has saved 6A football. While critics of the sixteen-team bracket call it a JV division, the reality is that the top teams in 6A-II never could compete with the Big Four when they were in 6A, but now they could. Bixby nearly defeated 6A No. 1 Jenks in a pre-conference battle. BTW almost defeated 6A No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe. Sand Springs has begun scheduling real opponents like Arkansas State Champion Pulaski Academy, instead of their past habit of lighting up Nathan Hale, who has lost 37-straight games. Muskogee has brought in 5A State Championship coach Rafe Watkins from Guthrie and is now a real contender for the first time in years. Putnam City West is confidently rebuilding their program after a decade of losing seasons. Sapulpa brought on former Sand Springs Defensive Coordinator Robert Borgstadt as head coach to rebuild their ailing program.

Success breeds success. Is the 16-team bracket the best way to go? Who knows? Maybe one day there will be a full 32 schools the size of BA and we can re-institute the 32-team standard. Maybe we should split all the other classes into 16-team divisions as well. Or maybe we should call Bixby and Jenks Division Champions instead of State Champions and have them play each other for the true 6A State Championship. There’s many things we could try; some could work, and some won’t. But the fact is, 6A football is more competitive than it has ever been, and almost every school in the Class is now vying to be the next big deal. The Big Four monopoly hasn’t been broken, but at least 16 teams now feel like they have a real shot.

Lady Sandites dominate Moore Lions 3-1 in Broken Arrow Tournament

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Photo: Morgan Miller

After dropping the first two matches of the Broken Arrow Volleyball Tournament Friday morning, the Charles Page High School Lady Sandites (11-7) got back in the win column with a 3-1 victory over the Moore Lions (1-11). 

The Sandites took a quick 3-0 lead on errors before Bri Maxwell scored the first kill of the game. Gloria Mutiri scored the first Sandite kill on an assist from MaKenzie Ward for the 6-2 advantage and soon followed it up with an ace. A pair of kills from Kaylee Walker helped Moore close the gap to 8-7 before the Sandites pulled back ahead with a pair of aces from Ward. 

The Sandites gave up three straight errors soon after and Walker and Ashley Vap blocked an attack from Madison Burris to tie it up at 11-11. The teams battled back and forth from there with the Lions taking a brief lead on an ace from Walker before Burris got payback with a solo block of her own. Mutiri scored a kill on a set from Ward, then combined with Burris for another block. Lee Leslie added a kill, Moore committed a fault, and Devree Youngblood served an ace for the 19-14 advantage. Moore closed the gap once more to 21-20 before Sand Springs went on a run with Ward scoring a kill and setting up attacks for Holly Kersgieter and Leslie for the 25-20 win.

In the second set it was Moore who took an early advantage, surging to a 12-5 lead before a service error broke their momentum. Madison Ward scored a kill and the Lions committed a series of faults to cut their lead to 14-12 before going on another run to make it 18-12. Mutiri came to the rescue soon after with four straight aces and Kersgieter added a kill to tie it up at 21-21. Moore picked up two points on errors, but Kersgieter scored another kill and MaKenzie Ward hit a pair of aces en route to a 25-23 Sandite victory.

The third set was a shootout in the beginning before communication problems tied up the Sandites and a series of campfires and errors gave Moore the 14-8 lead. Kersgieter scored back-to-back aces to make it 17-13, but the Lions wouldn't slow down and Maxwell scored three straight kills to win it 25-15.

The fourth game looked like it would belong wholly to the Lions after they started 5-0 with kills from Maxwell, Bri Prescott, and two aces from Walker. A service error from Walker got the Sandites on the board and Burris scored an ace of her own. Mutiri and Leslie combined to block Maxwell and a Lion error cut the lead to 5-4.

Sand Springs tied it up at 7-7 with a kill from Mutiri, and the girls took the lead as Mutiri served four straight aces. Prescott broke it up with a kill, but Kersgieter took a turn hitting and scored a pair of kills. Youngblood capped off a series of errors with an ace to push the advantage to 19-10 and MaKenzie Ward and Mutiri added some late kills for the 25-12 win.

Mutiri led in the scoring with 23 kills and nine aces, followed by MaKenzie Ward with eight kills, four aces, and a team-high eleven assists. Kersgieter also had eight kills and two aces. Leslie and Youngblood scored three kills apiece and Madison Ward scored two. 

The Lady Sandites placed third in their pool with a 1-2 record after dropping matches to the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools (3-2) and No. 3 Norman North (10-2). The girls will play in the Silver bracket tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. against No. 20 Bartlesville (2-7). If they lose their first match they'll play for seventh place at noon. If they win, they'll play for fifth place at 1:30 p.m.

Mutiri and Leatherland both score 31 in shootout at BA Tournament

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-7) dropped their opening match at the Broken Arrow Tournament Friday morning to the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools (3-2).

The Lady Sandites dominated the first game 25-16. The Jaguars took an early 8-5 lead, but four straight aces from junior Gloria Mutiri put the Sandites up 10-8. Marysia Erb broke up the streak and Hannah Williams served an ace to tie it up 10-10.

The Sandites won the next five rallies with three errors, a kill from Holly Kersgieter, and an ace from Mackenzie Ward. Malia Leatherland got in a kill, but Kendall Wise scored back-to-back aces to push the lead to 19-12. Ward set up kills for Lee Leslie, Mutiri, and Kersgieter and the Sandites surged to a 25-16 finish.

The second set featured far fewer Jaguar errors and far more kills from Leatherland. The heavy-hitting senior daughter of Coach Mike Leatherland was all over the place throughout the set.

Mutiri was an ever-present threat, scoring the first three kills of the game for the Sandites and joining with Ward for a block. Leatherland scored on a tipped ball and followed it up with an ace. A series of Sandite errors and another kill from Leatherland gave NOAH the 10-7 advantage before they gave it up with six errors of their own and Devree Youngblood and Madison Burris joined for a block to make it 13-11.

NOAH pulled briefly ahead before a Mutiri ace tied it at 16-16, but the Jags tried to run away with it and pushed their lead to 22-17 before the Sandites found their feet and tied it up at 23-23 with a pair of blocks from Mutiri and Burris, and Mutiri and Leslie.

The game tied at 24-24 after a kill from Leatherland, Kersgieter tipped a kill for the lead, but Leatherland tied it right back up at 25-25. Both teams exchanged errors and NOAH took the lead on a blocked tip from Mutiri. The Sandites got the side out on a service error and Burris set up Kersgieter for the 28-27 kill. A Jaguar fault sealed the victory at 29-27 and the match was solidly in the hands of Sand Springs 2-0.

The third set was a mess of errors and NOAH took a 4-1 lead before either team scored a single kill. Makenna Cypert scored the opening kill for the Sandites, Leatherland retaliated, and Mutiri spiked in another to make it 5-3. The teams exchanged service errors, Mutiri and Leslie combined on a block, and Youngblood scored a kill to make it 8-6. A kill from Kersgieter followed by three-straight Jaguar errors gave the Sandites the lead at 11-10. Leatherland scored back-to-back kills, then Mutiri did the same.

The back-and-forth affair continued all the way into extra points where the game tied for the final time at 27-27 on a block from Mutiri. Leatherland and Erb both scored kills for the 29-27 victory.

In game four the Jags took the lead early on with back-to-back kills from Leatherland. Sand Springs pulled close at 7-5 with a kill from Mutiri, but Leatherland scored a kill followed by four-straight aces. The lead was comfortably NOAH’s till Mutiri scored three-straight to close it to 19-16. Mutiri scored off a Ward setup and a pair of errors put the Sandites within a point, 20-19. They would only win one rally from there and NOAH prevailed 25-20 to tie the match.

NOAH pulled a quick 4-1 lead in the final set and didn’t give up the lead till 13-13. Leslie scored an ace, but Leatherland scored two. Ward served one of her own and Mutiri followed with a block, but the girls still trailed 11-8. They got within a point on a kill from Leslie to make it 12-11, then scored a block from Burris and Mutiri to tie it up. Leatherland scored a kill from there, then put up an impressive block on one of Mutiri’s infamous spikes for the 15-13 win.

Mutiri and Leatherland tied in scoring with 31 kills each. Mutiri scored seven blocks to Leatherland’s four, but Leatherland scored seven aces to Mutiri’s five. Kersgieter added another twelve kills and Leslie scored seven. Ward led in assists with twenty-four and Burris added another twelve.

Gloria Mutiri scores 22 kills in 3-2 loss to Victory Christian

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-5) gave the 4A No. 4 Victory Christian Conquerors (9-3) a run for their money Thursday night at Victory. The Conquerors likely thought the match would be a breeze after winning the first set 25-14, but Sand Springs surged to victory in the next two games.

The Lady Sandites managed a mere six kills in the first game. Gloria Mutiri got the girls on the board with an assist from MaKenzie Ward, but Victory held the lead at 3-1. Senior Lee Leslie picked up a point on a solo block, but Senior Andrea Redmond responded with a tipped ball for the kill. Mutiri scored one of her signature spikes, but Redmond got in another tipped ball and the Conquerors gained a point from a Mutiri error for the 8-3 advantage. 

The Lady Sandites briefly closed the gap to 16-13 thanks to a pair of Victory errors and a kill from Mutiri off MaKenzie Ward, but the Conquerors surged ahead with four straight rally wins and an ace from Redmond. Mutiri added one more kill before Victory won the next five rallies to end things 25-14.

In the second game the Conquerors started 2-0 once again with an error from Leslie and a blocked shot by Redmond, but the Sandites battled neck-and-neck and tied things up at 3-3 with a block from Makenna Cypert, and 4-4 as Mutiri blocked a spike from Redmond. Redmond committed an error to give the Sandites the lead and Cypert added an ace to push it to 6-4. 

Sand Springs held the lead for seventeen-straight rallies before committing three straight faults to tie it at 13-13. Redmond scored a pair of kills to make it 16-14, but another Cypert ace gave Sand Springs the upper hand at 18-17. The game tied twice more at 23-23 and 24-24 before Lee Leslie got the go-ahead kill and Mutiri added a block for the 26-24 win. 

In game three the two teams exchanged errors till Mutiri scored the first kill for the Sandites to make it 3-2. The teams traded the lead three more times before Victory finally started to build ground on the Sandites and push the advantage to 17-12. A timeout for the Sandites made for a scoring catalyst and the girls won four straight rallies to force the Conquerors to use a timeout of their own. 

Freshman Devree Youngblood scored a pair of back-to-back kills and Mutiri tied things up at 22-22. A consecutive touching call gave Sand Springs the lead, Madison Ward served up an ace, and Holly Kersgieter scored the winning kill off an assist from Madison Burris. The Sandites led the match 2-1.

The fourth game was decidedly Victory's from the get-go. Youngblood scored an early kill to make it 1-1, but Victory won the next eight straight rallies. Mutiri and Redmond exchanged kills, but Redmond managed to block a pair of Mutiri's spikes and the Conquerors furthered their lead to 14-3. 

Mutiri picked up a solo block and the Sandites added another point on a waffle. Kersgieter added a block and MaKenzie Ward scored an ace, then Mutiri tipped a kill into a campfire. Ultimately the early errors were insurmountable and the Sandites lost the set 25-13.

It came down to the final set. Sand Springs scored first on an error, but gave the point right back and allowed an ace. Redmond added three more kills for an 8-5 advantage, but Sand Springs won three straight rallies with kills from Kersgieter and Youngblood to tie it up. 

Victory used a timeout to break up the Sandite momentum and the girls were unable to score again for the duration, save for a service error by the Conquerors. Victory narrowly grabbed the 15-9 win for the match.

Mutiri led her team in scoring by a landslide with 22 kills, including five blocks. MaKenzie Ward registered fifteen assists as well as two aces. Redmond led the scoring for both teams with 23 total kills including three blocks and an ace. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. in round one of the Broken Arrow Tournament against Tulsa NOAH Home School. Immediately after that match they will play No. 3 Norman North (7-2) and at 3:00 p.m. they will take on Moore (1-8).