Lady Sandite Volleyball upsets No. 14 Bixby Spartans 3-2

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team is continuing to impress in what could quite possibly be one of the best years in Sandite Volleyball history. It's been a long time since the girls have had a winning season, and they currently hold a 20-11 record and are ranked sixteenth by the OSSAA Coaches' Poll, despite the fact that just last week they upset the No. 10 Union Redskins (8-10). This past weekend the Lady Sandites went 6-2 at the Catoosa Port City Classic, and Tuesday they scored yet another upset over the No. 14 Bixby Lady Spartans (10-10).

At the Port City Classic this weekend, the Sandites defeated 5A No. 11 Claremore (12-16) 2-0 (25-23, 25-16), 4A No. 8 Catoosa (14-15) 2-0 (25-12, 25-16), 5A No. 5 Collinsville (17-6) 2-1 (25-22, 14-25, 15-12), 5A No. 7 Coweta 2-1 (23-25, 25-12, 15-4), 4A No. 1 Metro Christian (27-6) 2-0 (25-23, 25-19) and 5A No. 6 Shawnee 2-1 (21-25, 25-22, 15-11). They lost 2-0 to 4A No. 3 Victory Christian (18-5) in pool play with close sets of 25-23 and 25-21, and were eliminated in bracket play with a rematch against Metro Christian who won 2-0 with sets of 25-19 and 25-16.

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The Sandites were neck and neck with the Spartans for most of the match Tuesday, sometimes giving up the lead, but always competing. The Sandites sided out on a service error to start the game 1-0 and Lee Leslie set up Gloria Mutiri for a kill. Rachel Fisher returned the favor for the Spartans, but Mutiri tacked on another, followed by two Spartan errors, then Mutiri and Makenna Cypert combined on a block for the 6-1 advantage.

Bixby had the edge from there and battled back to tie it up at 10-10 with a kill from Fisher. Fisher and Mutiri both wore 21 on their uniform and the two were in a shootout for most of the match.

After Fisher briefly gave her team the 11-10 lead, the Sandites went on a run with a pair of kills from Leslie, a shot from Mutiri, and an ace from Devree Youngblood to make it 15-11. The Spartans tried to keep up from there, but the Sandites pulled ahead for a 25-18 win. Leslie scored a pair back-to-back aces late in the match and Mutiri added one as well.

The second set was marred by errors for the Sandites who handed Bixby nearly as many points as they earned. The first four Spartan points of the set were from Sandite errors, but the home team quickly took an 8-4 lead with kills from Mutiri and Holly Kersgieter after cleaning up the errors. 

The Spartans started to play then and scored a series of kills of their own and capped it off with an ace from Kendra Horowitz to tie it at 8-8. The teams exchanged a pair of service errors and continued to battle closely till Mutiri and Kersgeiter gave their team a 12-10 edge, followed by a pair of Spartan faults. 

Bixby tied it up again at 15-15 as Kayla Little and Sophie Childs combined to block one of Mutiri's hard-hitting spikes. The Sandites briefly trailed after Gaby Justus took the lead for the Spartans, but Kersgieter scored an ace to tie it at 21-21. The Sandites gave up three-straight errors from there, however, and Little notched the game-winner at 25-22 to tie the match.

The third set also went to the Spartans who benefited from thirteen Sandite errors. Tori Holt entered the game for the Spartans and notched five kills in the set. Sand Springs trailed by as much as 17-11 midway through the game before battling back to tie it up at 23-23 with an ace from Kendall Wise. Bixby came out of a timeout to score on a hit from Little and a Sandite error clinched the game for the Spartans to take the 2-1 lead.

The Sandites cleaned up their act a bit in the fourth set and the Spartans had to put in extra effort for a match-best eighteen kills. The game got off to a good start with an ace from Baylee Mudd followed by three-straight Spartan errors. The Spartans tied things up at 8-8, but Sand Springs went back on the run and held the lead till Holt hit an ace at 14-14. 

Youngblood took the lead back from the Spartans at 17-17 and Kersgieter scored back-to-back kills for the lead. The game tied up four more times from there and went into extra points. Tied at 24-24, Mutiri took the lead, Little tied it up then took the lead for the Spartans. A Spartan collision tied things up and a consecutive contact call gave the Sandites the lead. The set ended as Justus sent a spike out of bounds and the Sandites secured the win at 28-26. 

The final set was a "never count yourself out" type of game as the Spartans took the early lead and held it to the very end. Bixby lead by as much as 8-4 after Little scored three-straight, but the Sandites got within a point at 10-9 after back-to-back kills from Mutiri. Mudd built a campfire on a tipped ball to make it 12-11 and a Spartan error tied the match. The Spartans committed another pair of errors and Madison Burris set up Mutiri for the game-winner, 15-12. 

Mutiri lead in scoring for the Sandites with 30 kills, followed by Kersgieter with 15, Leslie with 8, and Youngblood with 7. Fisher and Little split the scoring for Bixby with 18 kills each, followed by Holt with 9, Justus with 7, and Childs with 6. Burris was the leading setter for the Sandites with 20 assists, followed by MaKenzie Ward with 19. 

The Lady Sandites have only six matches left this season before the Regional playoffs. They'll return to action Thursday at Booker T. Washington (8-16). Freshmen start at 4:00 p.m., followed by JV at 5:00 and Varsity at 6:00. 

Oklahoma dominates Georgia 68-2 in Dual Nationals round one

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Team Oklahoma got off to a fast start against Team Georgia Blue in the first round of the Junior Greco-Roman Dual Nationals Wednesday morning, building up a massive lead before the wrestling even started.

Jet Taylor, Jacob Butler, and Jaxen Gilmore received forfeits for 126 to 138. Tuttle's Brik Filippo wasted no time in putting points on the board with a 10-0 tech fall over Khyree Alexander, then Sand Springs's Payton Scott took down Dustin Berry 10-0 in thirty seconds flat. Ezequiel Rubio pinned Cole White in a quick twenty then Nick Mahan teched Chandler Miele 13-2.

Bear Hughes continued the winning streak with an 11-0 tech over Devyn Villafane. Zach Marcheselli received a forfeit, Tanner Hawkins picked up a 16-6 tech fall over Richard Walker, then Trenton Lieutance, Alex Fields, and Wyatt Adams all received forfeits.  Alec McDoulett teched Brandon Foster 11-0 and Westmoore's Dalton Duffield wrapped things up with a 12-0 tech of Alex Cain for a final score of 68-2 with no matches lost.

Up next for Oklahoma is Team Pennsylvania who solidly defeated Team Kansas Red 49-12 in round one. 

CPHS junior Blake Sargent goes undefeated in Greco-Roman Nationals Day One

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Last week the Schoolboy (ages 13-14) National Duals came to a close with Team Oklahoma placing ninth in Greco-Roman and seventh in Freestyle with four undefeated All Americans, including Clyde Boyd Middle School's Carter Young. The young Sandite was one of only sixteen wrestlers in the country to make the All-Tournament team in both styles. 

Wednesday began the Cadet (ages 15-16) National Duals in York, Pennsylvania, and once again Sand Springs is representing well on Team Oklahoma. Charles Page High School junior Blake Sargent is currently undefeated after day one in Greco Roman and the team placed second in their pool.

Sargent finished his sophomore year with a 39-12 record and placed third in the State Championship. Since then, he's won the Team Big Freestyle Tournament and came in Runner-Up in the OKUSA Freestyle State Tournament in Cushing. 

Oklahoma was pitted against North Carolina in the first round of pool play and devastated their opponents, giving up only one match for a 73-5 victory, the second-largest win of any team in the tournament. Sargent kicked things off with the first match of the dual and pinned his opponent in the first period. North Carolina Greco State Runner-Up Phifer Ozimek went down in 2:11, setting the tone for the rest of the dual. Team Oklahoma won the next thirteen straight matches with nothing but pins and tech falls.

The next dual wasn't quite as big of a blowout as the first, but it was a clear and dominating victory, nonetheless. The Okies won twelve of seventeen matches over Florida for a final score of 55-25. Sargent put the icing on the cake, pinning Florida Greco State Champion Emauni Smithson in 1:27 for the final match of the dual.

Oklahoma finally met its match in the pool finals. Minnesota Storm raised off to a quick advantage with four-straight victories before Oklahoma evened it out with four of their own. The back and forth affair continued right down to the end, but Minnesota got the 39-33 edge. Sargent remained undefeated with a close 12-8 decision over Northern Plains Regional Champion Sebas Swiggum. 

Team Oklahoma will return to action Thursday morning in the Gold Pool against a tough team from Illinois who breezed through their first pool with dominating victories over Kansas Red, Pennsylvania Red, and Missouri Red. From there the Okies will battle Pennsylvania Blue, and New Jersey Red before the placement matches. 

Lady Sandite Softball drops season slow-pitch opener to Tahlequah

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Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity slow pitch softball team (0-1) got off to a rough start in the season opener, dropping a 14-7 home loss to No.8 Tahlequah (5-3).

Senior Mid-American Christian University-signee Stella Millican got the start and loss on the mound.

The Lady Tigers took a quick 5-0 lead in the first inning and pitched a no hitter to come in and smack a homer in the second to make it 6-0. Jessica Collins was able to land a double in the bottom of the inning but was ultimately stranded on third. 

Neither team scored in the third inning, but the Sandites finally got on board in the bottom of the fourth as Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington doubled and came in on a single by Maddelyn Blair.

The Sandites held the Tigers scoreless in the fifth as well, and tied things up as Rachel Blair reached on a fielder's choice and came home on a Kennedy "Goose" Salyers triple. Salyers is signed to play for Southeastern Oklahoma State University in the fall. Freshman Kimi Presnall singled to bring in Salyers, Pennington doubled, and Northeastern State University-signee Jessica Schuler batted both runners in on a 3RBI Homerun. Collins doubled, but was left stranded as the Tigers came in to bat tied up 6-6.

The Tigers scored one run in the top of the sixth and held the home team scoreless before exploding in the seventh. Four batters were walked, errors abounded, and the Tigers scored a 2RBI double and a 3RBI homerun for a 14-6 lead. The Sandites tried to rally as Pennington homered, Schuler was walked, and Collins singled, but the two on base were stranded as Tahlequah brought home the 14-7 victory.

Moore scores 10 runs in bottom of the sixth, but Sandites hold on for 11-10 victory

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Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

If Monday night's 7-6 victory over Moore was the Hollywood classic, Tuesday night's rematch was the action-packed reboot: same story, just far more explosions.

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (8-2) won their fourth-straight game Tuesday night at Moore (2-6), and their second straight against the Lions. Jake Ward (4-0) got the win on the mound and remains undefeated for the season. 

Treyce Tolbert hit a single on a hard ground ball to start the game, but was put out at second on a fielder's choice as Rhett Rutledge took first. Ward flied out to short, but Sandite of the Week Hunter Greathouse and Josh Taber were walked to load the bases. Trevor Tolbert singled to score Rutledge and Joey Montgomery sacrificed to bring in Greathouse for a 2-0 lead. 

Josh Detweiler singled for the Lions but was put out on a double play as Drew White grounded to Ward. Ty Fain was hit by pitch to top the second inning and Tyler McCallie singled. Fain was put out on the next play, however, as Treyce Tolbert reached on a fielder's choice. Rutledge sacrificed to bring in McCallie, but Ward grounded out to short and the Sandites went to field with a 3-0 advantage. They would come right back in soon after, however, as Ward only gave up one walk and no hits in the bottom of the second. 

The slow-rolling Sandite offense added yet another run in the top of the third. Greathouse singled but was put out on a fielder's choice that singled Taber. Trevor Tolbert advanced Taber to third on a sacrifice, and Montgomery doubled to bring the runner home. The bottom of the third fared no better for the host team as Conner Chapman and Masters were put out at first on dropped third strikes and Andrew Brewer flied out to Treyce Tolbert in center field.

In the fourth inning, Treyce Tolbert was walked, Rutledge doubled, and Ward brought Tolbert in on a sacrifice. Rutledge was left stranded. Detweiler singled for the Lions but was put out on a fielder's choice that put White on base. Joe Balak walked and Cooper reached on an error to load the bases. Two would be left stranded, however, as Matt Reeves and Cooper were outed on a double play.

Taber was hit by pitch to start the fifth, Trevor Tolbert struck out swinging, and Montgomery singled and was replaced by Cody Motes on base. Fain sacrificed to score Taber and the Sandites brought a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the inning. Logan Wint was walked, but Chapman and Masters both struck out swinging and Greathouse caught a Brewer fly in foul territory.

Both teams had their biggest offensive outputs in the sixth. McCallie, Treyce Tolbert, and Rutledge all singled to load the bases with no outs. Ward singled to score McCallie, Greathouse doubled to score Tolbert and Rutledge, and Taber singled to score Mack Thompson who was courtesy running for Ward. Trevor Tolbert flied out, Greathouse was put out at home on a fielder's choice as Montgomery reached first, but Taber scored on a passed ball for the 11th and final run of the evening for the Sandites. It would appear the game was all wrapped up and the Sandites had it in the bag.

That's when Moore exploded.

Detweiler doubled and White hit a homerun over the left field fence. Balak doubled and Greathouse relieved Ward on the mound. Cooper walked, Reeves reached first on catcher's interference, and the bases were loaded. Wint was walked to score Balak, Cooper scored on a Chapman single. Masters was walked, Brewer singled to score Alvarado (courtesy running for Reeves), Detweiler singled to score Chapman and Masters, and finally the Sandites found another out as White was struck out looking. The Lions weren't done yet, however. Balak hit yet another double, scoring Brewer. Detweiler and Balak came home on a throw as Cooper reached on error, and just like that it was 11-10 and the home team was putting up the most impressive rally attempt the Sandites had seen this season. 

In the top of the seventh, Jake Terry grounded out, Treyce Tolbert flied out, and Rutledge struck out looking. The Lions needed only two runs to win and they had just scored ten in a single inning. Greathouse saved the game striking out the side in order to hold the Lion rally fruitless for the second night in a row. 

The Sandites will return to action Thursday morning at 11:00 when they take on Hilldale (4-6) in the first round of the Bixby tournament.

 

 

 

Sandites split at Bixby, girls win 2-1, boys fall 2-0

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Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity soccer teams are on two different paths right now.

The Varsity girls have amassed a 4-1 record this season, shutting out three opponents and mercy-ruling East Central 10-0 in only 23:00. Their only loss is 1-0 to Metro Christian (4-1). The girls rebounded from the Metro Christian loss with a 5-0 shutout of the Enid Pacers (2-1) and a 2-1 victory over the Bixby Lady Spartans (1-2). 

The boys, meanwhile, are sitting a 1-4, with their lone victory coming in a 4-0 shutout of Muskogee (0-4). From there they gave up losses of 4-0 to Metro Christian (4-1), 5-1 to Enid (3-1), and 2-0 to Bixby (1-3). 

The Spartans came into the Tuesday night match winless with losses to Bishop Kelley, Booker T, and Jenks, but finally found the win column with a pair of goals from Daniel Quiroga and Hunter Haugland. 

Like the girls game, the boys went into the second half scoreless on both sides, though it was the Spartans doing most of the pressing. Haugland got a sneaky corner shot halfway through the first half and instead of the keeper, it was Kristian Fairchild with the desperate save. 

Alex Hernandez took a shot with 19:02 left and landed it on top of the net. With 15:42 remaining, a Spartan shot narrowly swung wide and the home team continued the offensive press giving Edgar Soberano a pair of saves including a header with 0:42 left. 

Quiroga got the first goal of the game less than a minute into the second half, sending it into the top right corner for the first lead of the game. Jake Deloache nearly added another point a minute later but landed just a little bit wide. Haugland picked up where Deloache left off, however, and gave his team a 2-0 advantage four minutes later. 

There were a couple of close calls deep in the box at 28:16 from a bouncing ball that ultimately made its way over the goal. Less than a minute later Seth Ryan sent a shot high center. 

Worake Guy missed a pair of shots, one that was completely unguarded and would have been in had it not been a hair high, then another close miss minutes later. Miles Miller and Logan Cherry each took shots of their own but neither came close. 

Andrew Morrison set up Kaleb Brooks with a good look at 8:55 remaining, but the Spartan keeper snagged the save. The Sandites put forth their best offensive effort of the night in the final ten minutes, but were unable to rally despite several shots including an extremely close highball from Morrison.