Layne Kirkendoll sets school long jump record, wins Frontier Valley Conference

Photo courtesy of Tommy Dial.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

The Sandite track teams had a successful week, competing at the Jenks Invitational last Monday and the Frontier Valley Conference meet on Saturday. The team won five first-place medals between the two meets, including three conference championships.

Junior star Layne Kirkendoll won the high jump and long jump at both events, and at the FVC meet she broke her own school record in long jump with a mark of 18 ft. 8 in. She has now won 12 events this season and is undefeated in long jump. Joseph Mattison won the 200-meter FVC title in 22.37 seconds and placed fourth at Jenks. 

The team will take a reduced roster to the Sapulpa meet on Friday, and some will take the week off to rest for the Regional meet Saturday, May 8th, also at Sapulpa.

Baseball

Sandite Baseball (11-18 overall, 5-9 district) split a district double-header with Putnam City Monday, April 19th, beating the Pirates 9-1 in game one before falling 4-3 in the sequel. 

Cason Savage hit a triple and a home run, scoring three runs and two RBI, and Keaton Campbell hit two doubles for two runs and two RBI in the first game. Jabe Schlehuber got the win on the mound, throwing nine strikeouts, no walks, and only one hit in five innings. 

Sand Springs out-hit the Pirates ten to six in game two, but stranded eight runners in the loss. The Sandites led 3-1 till the seventh inning when Putnam loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, and scored all three runners on an error.

They lost another close one 11-9 against Oologah on Thursday, leading 9-8 till the top of the seventh. Savage and Brooks Dudley were both 3-of-4 at the plate. 

The Sandites will host Guthrie Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Glenpool Friday at 6 p.m. 

Soccer

The varsity girls (7-5, 1-4) fell 1-0 to Bixby last Tuesday in an overtime shootout. The girls made it through regulation and both OT periods without giving up a goal, despite playing shorthanded after two players fouled out. Alyssa Perry and Katie Webb made their PKs, but the Spartans won the shootout.

The Sandite boys (7-4, 3-1) won their district match with Bixby 3-0 behind goals from Jack Bratcher, Fernando Saldana, and Cameron Summerton. 

The girls started their game against Booker T. Washington last Friday, but it was rained out before either team scored. That match will be made up Friday, with girls at 6 p.m. and boys at 8 p.m. The boys will also play a make-up match Thursday at Moore at 7 p.m.

Slow Pitch Softball

Raegan Rector and Jaden Jordan hit home runs, and Lauren Hammock hit a grand slam against Broken Arrow Thursday, but the No. 2 ranked Tigers rolled to a 20-11 win after scoring eight runs in the top of the seventh. No. 15 Sand Springs (7-15) will travel to No. 3 Moore Thursday for the Regional tournament, starting with Putnam City at 11 a.m.

Wrestling

Former two-time State Champion Sandite Riley Weir went 4-3 at the NJCAA National Championships for eighth place at 125 pounds. Weir is in his freshman year at Labette Community College.

CPHS Soph. Riley Weir competes at Mid Summer Mat Bash in Texas

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School sophomore Riley Weir crossed State lines this past weekend to compete at the Mid Summer Mat Bash in Justin, Texas as part of team Texas Dynamite. The dual tournament featured twenty-four teams from eleven states. 

Texas Dynamite won five duals and lost seven for an eleventh place finish overall. Weir won seven matches and lost five, competing at 110 and 118 pounds.

In the first round of pool play Weir was pitted against Matt Wilde, a Pennsylvania State Qualifier with a 42-12 junior-year record. Wilde came out on top with a 4-1 decision as the Turks Head team doubled down on Texas Dynamite 44-21. 

Weir and his teammates got in the win column in their next battle against the lone Oklahoma team in the tournament. Geary went down 53-12 and Weir easily handed Logan Buchanan a 9-0 major decision. Next to fall was Kansas Silver 39-28. Weir pinned Carlos Gaeta in a mere 0:20 seconds.

The Dynamite streak continued with a 43-24 win over the 806 Elite and a 12-1 major decision from Weir over UIL State Qualifier Jesse Martinez. The Sandite followed it up with another quick pin in 0:36 over Jackson McCall of Kansas Black. Texas Dynamite won that dual 46-27.

The team met their match in the boastfully titled Best Trained team who defended their proud claim with a 51-12 dominating victory. Texas State Champion Jonathan Ortegon overcame Weir with an 11-3 major decision. Weir rebounded with an 0:52 pin of Grayson Fries, but his team was defeated 39-18 by the Nebraska Patriots for a fourth place finish in Pool B.

Moving to the Silver pool, the Dynamite suffered another series of losses to the tournament's toughest competitors.

Weir overcame WCA's Kaleb Getz 13-8, and his team won 40-28.

The Dynamite dual against Wrestling Factory was a close one both for the team and our Sandite. Weir got the edge for a 5-4 decision over Texas State Champion and Cotton Bowl National Champion Karsten Johnson, but Dynamite fell 39-30.

The Nebraska Warriors were the next to take down the Dynamite 46-24, and Nebraska State Champion Gage Krolikowski dealt Weir a 14-7 decision. Vision Quest won their dual 37-36, including a 1:15 pin of Weir by USAW National Runner-Up Aaden Valdez. Finally, the Texas Dynamite team came full-circle for a 46-19 defeat by Turks Head. Weir was pinned in 0:57 by Lukas Richie.

This tournament brings Weir's record for 2016 to 25-15, or 14-8 since the high school season concluded. Weir went 21-12 in his freshman year and qualified for State after a third place finish at Regionals while wrestling with an injured arm. He returned to action at the Junior Freestyle Duals in June and helped Team Oklahoma to a seventh place finish, then claimed All-American status with a fourth place finish at the USAW Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota in July. 

Sand Springs sends four to USAW National Championship, Riley Weir places fourth in Freestyle

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Two Sandites competed at the 2016 USAW Junior Men's Greco-Roman Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota this past week. Charles Page High School senior Jack Karstetter placed eighth in the tournament. Class of 2016 graduate Sage Singleton also competed, but didn't place.

Karstetter and Singleton were joined by Sophomore Riley Weir and Senior Michael Ritchey for the Freestyle competition.

The USA Wrestling event is considered by many to be the most prestigious national tournament a Cadet or Junior-aged wrestler can compete in. 

Karstetter rode an impressive wave of victories into the event. In February he came in Runner-Up at the Oklahoma High School State Championship, then came in Runner-Up at the United World of Wrestling Cadet Greco Nationals in June. Earlier this month he competed at the Cadet Pan-American Championship in Lima, Peru and took Silver.

At Fargo Karstetter stepped up to a higher age-division and competed at the Junior level in the 126 pounds bracket.

The Sandite got off to a great start with back-to-back 10-0 technical falls. The first opponent to fall was two-time Arizona State-Placer Tanner Borneman, followed by Kyle Clough of Illinois. He had a tough quarterfinal matchup in former Flonationals Champion Cole Manley, but prevailed with a 6-2 decision over the Pennsylvanian. 

Karstetter finally met his match in the semifinals against West Virginia University freshman Matthew Schmitt. The two-time Fargo Runner-Up and three-time Missouri State Champion defeated the Sandite by decision and went on to win the tournament. 

Moving to the consolation quarterfinals, Karstetter won a close 10-9 decision over three-time Montana State Champion Clayton Currier. From there he was defeated 7-1 by UWW National Champion Paul Bianchi and 12-8 by four-time Kansas State Qualifier Taylor Jokerst, but secured eighth place and All-American status for the second year in a row. 

Singleton competed at 120 pounds and was eliminated after two matches. In the first round he was pinned in 0:34 by former Fargo Runner-Up Brandon Meikel of Utah. In the consolations he was teched 10-0 by Marquel Parks of Washington. The winner of the 120 bracket was fellow Oklahoma Dalton Duffield of Westmoore High School.

Weir made an impressive return to action in the Freestyle competition.

The State Qualifier has been recovering from an elbow injury since February but you wouldn’t know it based on his performance at the prestigious tournament. Weir made a brief appearance at the Junior National Duals in Tulsa last month, but only wrestled three matches.

He kicked off the contest with a 10-0 tech fall over Luc Valdez of Illinois and followed it up with a 16-6 tech over Arkansas State Champion Christopher Whisenant.

In the quarterfinals Weir fell 14-4 to Northern Plains Champion Matthew Petersen, but worked his way up through the consolation bracket with three straight wins.

Texas’s Chris Thomas fell 14-2, Illinois Freestyle State Champion Anthony King fell 10-0, and New York Freestyle State Champion Brandon Nunez lost by an ultimate tie breaker. The winning streak finally came to an end with a 17-5 loss to UWW Cadet National Runner-Up Cevion Severado.

Karstetter got off to a great start with four straight victories before being eliminated with back-to-back losses. He scored tech falls of 10-0 and 12-2 over Hawaii’s Ryan Wahl and North Carolina Freestyle State Champion Caleb Kreitter, respectively. He picked up a high quality win with a 5-4 decision over three-time Kansas State Finalist Corbin Nirschl, and followed it up with a 12-10 decision over Colorado’s Zeke Alirez.

Karstetter finally met his match in nationally-ranked No. 20 Zachary Sherman of New Jersey in an 11-6 decision. Once again he was pitted against Schmitt and WVU wrestler prevailed again, 10-0.

Ritchey won his first match 10-0 over Utah’s Kaden Love but fell in his next match to USAW Greco National Runner-Up Gabriel Townsell of Illinois. He was eliminated by fellow Okie Trey Edwards of Mustang.

Singleton was defeated 10-0 by Codi Russell and Trevon Majette.

Seven-time USAW National Champion (three-time Greco, four-time Freestyle) Daton Fix didn’t defend his Fargo title this year and instead is spending time at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to prepare for the World Championship inMacone, France.

Oklahoma dominates Georgia 68-2 in Dual Nationals round one

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. 

Four Sandites will represent Oklahoma at Jr Dual Nationals

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Junior Dual Nationals will return to the Cox Business Center in Tulsa on June 22nd. The Tournament will last through the 25th and will feature four Charles Page High School wrestlers.

Last year Team Oklahoma bulldozed their way through both styles, placing fourth in Greco and first in Freestyle. That talented team included three Sandites. Cody Karstetter and Kyler Childers had just graduated that year and are now wrestling the collegiate circuit. Daton Fix is back to help his State defend its title.

Riley Weir just finished his Freshman year with a 21-12 record at the 106 pound class and a State Championship appearance. Weir placed fourth at the Perry Tournament of Champions and ninth at the highly prestigious Kansas City Stampede. He came in third at the Regional Championship to qualify for State, but was eliminated after losing his first two matches. Weir nursed an injured elbow throughout the final weeks of the high school season and wasn’t even close to full strength in the post-season. This event will be a great demonstration of his true potential in the upcoming high school season.

Jack Karstetter finished his Junior year with a 39-8 record and placed second at 132 pounds in the State Championship after giving up a heart-breaker 3-2 decision to Kruz Simons of Edmond North. Throughout the high school season he placed fourth at Perry, ninth at Kansas City, second at the Geary Invitational, first at the Sand Springs Invitational, first at the Jay Hancock Memorial, and secured the Regional Championship.

Since school let out he came in Runner-Up at the UWW Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals and secured his spot on Team USA for the Pan-American Championships in Lima, Peru this July.

Daton Fix is earning his way into the history books after completing his third straight undefeated high school season. He’s currently sitting at an overall record of 118-0 with three-straight State Championships. He’s only the second Sandite in school history to win three State Championships, the first being David McGuire from 1963-1965. No Sandite has won four.

Since the high school season ended, Fix won the UWW Junior Freestyle National Championship, defeated the Iranian Champion Kheyrollah Gharamani at the Beat The Streets Gala in Times Square, and scored a pair of 10-0 tech falls over National Champion Austin Gomez to earn his way onto the USA World Team.

Fix will compete at the Grand Prix of Spain, a Senior level tournament in Madrid from July 9-10, then will travel to Fargo, North Dakota for the Junior Freestyle Nationals from July 16-23 where he is a defending Champion. From August 30th through September 4th he will compete at the UWW World Championship in Macon, France.

Payton Scott finished his Sophomore year with a 19-6 record at 152 pounds and placed fourth in the State Championship. He missed the first half of the season while getting back in shape after a long and grueling football post-season, but placed fourth at Geary, second at Sand Springs, and first at the Regional Championship.

Scott was also a member of last year’s Cadet National Dual Team that finished seventh in Freestyle and second in Greco. Overall he went 13-3 between the two styles.

Other Team Oklahoma members include:

• Alex Fields of Guthrie, 2016 Southern Plains Regional Champion in both styles.
• Rhett Golowenski of Tuttle, two-time OSSAA 4A State Champion.
• Mason Naifeh of Tulsa Union, two-time OSSAA 6A State Placer.
• Wyatt Adams of Lawton MacArthur, 2015 OSSAA 5A State Champion.
• Dalton Duffield of Westmoore, three-time OSSAA 6A finalist, 2015 Fargo National Champion.
• Jacob Butler of Elgin, 2016 OSSAA 4A State Champion.
• Kaden Gfeller of Heritage Hall, three-time undefeated OSSAA 3A State Champion.
• Brik Filippo of Tuttle, 2016 OSSAA 4A State Champion, two-time finalist.
• Beau Guffey of Tuttle, three-time OSSAA 4A State Champion.
• Jaryn Curry of Choctaw, 2016 OSSAA 6A State Champion, 2015 USAW Cadet National Runner-Up.
• Dayton Garrett of Tuttle, three-time OSSAA 4A State Finalist, 2015 State Champion.
• Wyatt Sheets of Stilwell, four-time OSSAA 4A State Champion, Oklahoma State commit.
• Christian Bahl of Stillwater, 2016 OSSAA 6A State Champion.
• Dan Baker of Sulphur, 2016 OSSAA 3A State Champion.
• Drew Hinkle of Jenks, 2016 OSSAA 6A State Runner-Up.
• Zach Marcheselli of Broken Arrow, 2016 OSSAA 6A State Champion.
• Bear Hughes of Coweta, 2016 OSSAA 5A State Champion.
• Gunner Cash of Tecumseh, two-time OSSAA 4A State Qualifier.
• Gage Johnson of Norman North, 2016 OSSAA 6A State Runner-Up.
• Trenton Lieurance of Broken Arrow, two-time OSSAA 6A State Placer.

9 Sandites remain at State, only slightly behind Broken Arrow and Choctaw

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The remaining Sandites have about an hour long break before the next round begins at the 6A State Championship in Oklahoma City. 

Charles Page wrestling qualified eleven for the tournament with seven Regional Champions, more than either Broken Arrow or the Dual State Champions from Choctaw. Unfortunately 220 pound junior and Regional Champion Delvin Jordan was unable to participate dropping the number to nine. 

106 freshman Riley Weir (20-12) came in third at Regionals and was pitted against Choctaw's Colt Newton (40-3) in the first round and was pinned in 0:41. From there he was majored 14-4 by Yukon's Braden Fowler and eliminated. 

113 Regional Champion Michael Ritchey (22-16) was defeated in round one by Westmoore's Wes Hardin (31-11) by a narrow 5-2 decision but managed to hold the lead in the next match for a 5-3 victory over Spencer Schickram (14-9) of Ponca City. 

120 Regional Champion Blake Sargent (36-10) went into overtime with Zackery Bibb (24-5) of Capitol Hill and lost 4-2 in the tie breaker round. He fell in an early hole to Justin Gundlach (29-11) of Moore and trailed 3-2 going into the final period, but rallied for a takedown and pin at 5:14 to stay alive in the consolation bracket. 

126 two-time undefeated State Champion Daton Fix (44-0) pinned Bobby Robinson (30-13) of Deer Creek in 1:37.

132 Regional Champion Jack Karstetter (38-7) breezed through his first match with a 17-2 tech fall over Norman's Jeffrey Adams (23-12) in 5:42.  

138 Regional Champion Beau Bratcher (40-6) pinned Choctaw's Jeff Speer (23-10) in 4:48. 

145 Regional Champion Payton Scott (18-4) pinned Westmoore's Trey Painter (32-10) in 3:52.  

160 Regional Runner-Up Zane Basma (32-11) scored an 8-3 decision over Sam Hensley (31-13) of Edmond Memorial.  

170 Trace Fleischman (10-4) placed fourth at Regionals but rebounded big time at State with a 3-1 upset of West Regional Champion Jacob Schimmels (23-6) of Edmond. 

The top three teams are as close now as they have been all season with Broken Arrow at 25.5, Choctaw at 25, and Sand Springs at 23.5.  

The semi finals will begin at 7:15.