Sports Roundup: Final Football Stats, Wrestling "Meet the Sandites" coming up

The Charles Page High School varsity football team wrapped up the 2021 season a touchdown shy of the State finals, falling 20-17 to Edmond Deer Creek in the semifinals to cap off an 8-4 campaign.

The Sandites will be graduating a number of top contributors next spring, including three-year starting quarterback Ty Pennington, who rewrote the school record books in his senior season. 

Pennington set single-season records of 2,831 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns, and career records of 6,455 passing yards, 54 passing TDs, and 77 total TDs. He also rushed for 1,306 yards and 23 TDs in his career. 

Blake Jones wrapped up his senior year with 164 carries for 945 yards and 11 TDs, and had 374 carries for 1,877 yards and 19 TDs in his career. 

Junior Jacob Blevins led the receiving corps with 64 catches for 981 yards and 8 TDs, followed by Keaton Campbell with 55 catches for 774 yards and 9 TDs. Brody Rutledge had 42 catches for 697 yards and 6 TDs, and Ryan Shoemaker had 23 catches for 295 yards and five TDs. 

Campbell concluded his career with 147 catches for 2,048 yards and 18 TDs, and Shoemaker had 44 catches for 521 yards and 5 TDs.

Junior star Drake Fain led the defense with 116 tackles, followed by several seniors. Brooks Dudley had 99 tackles, Conner Light had 74, Gabe Brown had 69, Ryder Barnes had 98, and Landon Hendricks had 66. Dudley had an impressive 338 tackles in his four-year career.

Hendicks had 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and 2 blocked kicks. Brown had 11.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Barnes had 3 interceptions and 13 passes defended. Fain had a team-high 3 fumble recoveries. 

Jabe Schlehuber made his way into the school record books with a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown against Muskogee.

Junior kicker Jonathan Daniels was 13-of-16 on PAT kicks this season and 2-of-3 on field goals with a long of 35, while Logan Wolfe was 29-of-34 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34.  

The team will also have to replace senior linemen Matthew Shelton, Morgan Eubanks, and Owen Higgins, but will return Mason Harris and Marcus Sims.

Wrestling

The Charles Page High School wrestling team will be hosting Meet the Sandites Thursday, December 2nd at Clyde Boyd Middle School at 6:00 p.m. Fans will get to watch the youth, junior high, and varsity ranking matches. 

CPHS Football Preview: Sandites vs. Deer Creek, Friday at Yukon

The Sandites have only played once at Miller Stadium, and defeated Yukon 26-21 in 2017.

The No. 3 ranked Sand Springs football team is back in the Class 6A-II playoff semifinals for the first time since 2016, and this time it’s a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff game against No. 4 Edmond Deer Creek.

The game will utilize the GoFan Electronic Ticket process, with tickets priced at $8.35. Cash admission will be $10 per person. School-aged children and above will need to purchase a ticket but children ages three and younger are admitted free of charge.

The game will be played at 7:00 p.m. at Miller Stadium at 1777 S. Yukon Pkwy, Yukon, OK 73099. Miller Stadium has a capacity of 6,112. Deer Creek will be the home team, and Sand Springs fans will sit on the visitor side. Sand Springs is planning a tailgate beginning at 5:30 p.m.

There is no livestream planned for the game, so fans should watch out for fake scam pages on social media.

The winner of the game will play the winner of No. 1 Bixby (11-0) vs. No. 2 Stillwater (9-2).

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 28-20. 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.

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 won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington, 58-14 to Bixby and 41-28 to Choctaw.

The Sandites snapped the losing streak 41-20 at Bartlesville after jumping out to a 41-0 lead before sending in the backups. They then rolled Putnam City West 44-7, once again getting a first-team shutout before allowing the Patriots on the board in the final minutes. In the first round of the playoffs they upset the District One Champions from Del City 21-17 on the road.

“We have unbelievable players, unbelievable coaches,” said Klinck after Friday’s game. “We’ve got great players in Sand Springs. We are not good coaches without great players. It’s all about those dang kids and the effort and the heart they give.”

Sand Springs holds one gold ball, a 2A title in 1966, and last appeared in the state finals in 2015. Their last semifinal appearance was 2016, and they are 2-6 in the semifinals all-time.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 170-265-2544-4 passing with 27 touchdowns, and is 134-467 rushing with ten TDs. He holds the school records in career passing yardage at 5,935, career passing touchdowns at 52, single season passing touchdowns, single season passing yardage, and career total touchdowns at 77.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 149-918 rushing with eleven touchdowns an 7-56 receiving.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 4-11-58-1 passing with two touchdowns and 39-658 receiving with six TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 45-678 receiving with nine touchdowns and averages 18.6 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 56-833 receiving with eight TDs, 9-43 rushing with one TD, and averages 16 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 22-291 receiving with five TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 31.5 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 58 tackles, 19 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and 2 blocked kicks.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 93 tackles, 6 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

Gabe Brown (Sr. LB) has 65 tackles, 11 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light (Sr. LB) has 71 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles.

Drake Fain (Jr. LB) has 105 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack, 3 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, an interception, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes (Sr. CB) has 63 tackles, 0.5 for loss, three interceptions, 9 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Edmond Deer Creek

The Antlers (9-2) are in their fifth season under head coach Wade Standley, who holds a 26-25 record with the Antlers and is 67-51 in his career. He also went 11-10 at Ada and 30-16 at Norman North.

Deer Creek currently holds its first winning record since a 9-4 mark in 2015. They dropped to 2-8 in 2016 and went 4-6, 4-6, 5-5, and 4-6 over Standley’s first four seasons.

This year they won 35-7 at Edmond North, 44-0 against Southmoore, and 35-14 at Yukon before dropping a 35-28 overtime battle against Stillwater to start district play. They then won 38-13 at Putnam North, 70-0 against Northwest Classen, and 23-6 at Midwest City before falling 35-28 to Del City in overtime. They are currently on yet another three-game win streak, 67-20 at Lawton, 65-7 against U.S. Grant, and 36-29 with a road upset against Choctaw.

The upset of No. 2 Choctaw gave the Antlers their first-ever playoff win at the 6A level. Deer Creek last made it to the State semifinals in 2001, and won their only championship in 2000 at the 3A level. The Antlers are 1-2 in the semifinals, all-time.

Players to Watch

Brett Pense (Sr. QB) is 149-250-2061-2 passing with 27 TDs and 57-190 rushing with 6 TDs.

Deontaye Wilson (Jr. RB / CB) is 178-930 rushing with 10 TDs and 12-131 receiving with a TD.

Michael Holley (Sr. WR) is 28-415 receiving with 6 TDs.

Berkley Dalton (Jr. WR) is 27-367 receiving with 5 TDs.

Jevion Jones (Sr. WR / OLB) is 17-299 receiving with 4 TDs.

Gavin Smith (Sr. WR / FS) is 16-284 with 5 TDs and 3-7 rushing with a TD.

Jacob Sexton (Sr. OT) is a four-star Oklahoma commit standing at 6’5”, 285 pounds.

The Series

The two teams have met only once before, and it was in last year’s first-round playoff. The Antlers didn’t qualify for the postseason outright last year, but due to the high number of COVID-related game cancelations, the OSSAA added a play-in round for anyone who wanted to compete.

Sand Springs was short 27 players due to contract tracing, but they still prevailed 34-29 to advance to the quarterfinals at Stillwater.

Sand Springs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and led by as much as 20-3 before the Antlers surged back. Pennington was 14-of-24 passing for 171 yards and a TD, and ran 26 times for 163 yards and two more TDs. Jacob Blevins caught five passes for 104 yards a TD, while Blake Jones was 10-73 rushing with a TD.

Deer Creek quarterback Brett Pense was 18-of-36 for 293 yards and two TDs, but the backfield was held to 29 yards on the ground.

CPHS Football Preview: Sandites travel to Del City for playoffs

For the second consecutive year the Sandites are headed to the playoffs, but despite a better season than last year they’ll have a tougher first-round opponent.

While the Sandites benefited from a bizarre COVID season last year that allowed them to host a fifth-seed Deer Creek in an extra playoff round, this time around they’ll play their first game on the road at District Champion Del City in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

In honor of Veterans Day, all veterans, either active duty, retired, reserve, or national guard, will receive free admission to the first round of the playoffs with free admission for one guest as well. Veterans must have either a Military ID card or driver’s license showing proof of military status.

The game will also utilize the GoFan Electronic Ticket process, with tickets priced at $8.35. Cash admission will be $10 per person. School-aged children and above will need to purchase a ticket but children ages three and younger are admitted free of charge.

The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Robert Kalsu Stadium at 1900 S. Sunnylane Rd, Del City, OK 73115. Formerly known as Eagles Stadium, it was rededicated in 2020 following a $17 million renovation.

The game will be livestreamed by Del City on the Oklahoma Sports Network.

The winner of the game will play the winner of No. 2 Choctaw (8-2) vs. No. 7 Deer Creek (8-2). On the other side of the bracket are No. 1 Bixby (10-0) vs. No. 8 Putnam City North (5-5) and No. 3 Booker T. Washington (8-2) vs. No. 5 Stillwater (8-2).

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 27-20. 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.

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 won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington, 58-14 to Bixby and 41-28 to Choctaw.

The Sandites snapped the losing streak 41-20 at Bartlesville after jumping out to a 41-0 lead before sending in the backups. They then rolled Putnam City West 44-7, once again getting a first-team shutout before allowing the Patriots on the board in the final minutes.

“Definitely satisfied, glad we’re healthy, glad we were able to make some explosive plays,” Klinck said after the last game. “Little disappointed in the personal foul, that was a point of emphasis last week, so we need to do better because next week in Del City those are going to really hurt us. But all in all, happy for the win, happy for the seniors, but we’ve got a lot left to play for.”

As for the Eagles… “They do a really good job of running the football and then defensively they’re very sound, so we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Klinck. “It’s going to be a physical football game, so we’ve got to bring our lunch pail and come ready to go.”

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 157-245-2311-3 passing with 25 touchdowns, and is 117-426 rushing with nine TDs. He holds the school records in career passing yardage at 5,935, career passing touchdowns at 52, single season passing touchdowns at 25, and career total touchdowns at 74.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 131-858 rushing with eleven touchdowns.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 4-10-58-1 passing with two touchdowns and 35-538 receiving with five TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 42-619 receiving with eight touchdowns and averages 18.6 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 54-818 receiving with six TDs and averages 16 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 20-261 receiving with five TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 31.9 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 57 tackles, 19 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 84 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

Gabe Brown (Sr. LB) has 57 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light (Sr. LB) has 59 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain (Jr. LB) has 90 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack, 3 pass breakup, three fumble recoveries, an interception, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes (Sr. CB) has 52 tackles, 0.5 for loss, three interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Del City

The Eagles are in their first season under head coach Robert Jones, who spent the previous four years as defensive coordinator. He is the fourth head coach in the past seven years for Del City, who has historically been an above average team in the class.

Del City went 4-6 last year, but that was their first losing record since 2011. Three of those losses were by a touchdown or less, and four were non-district. Every loss came to a playoff-bound team, and the Eagles themselves went 1-1 in the playoffs with a 41-7 trouncing of Ponca City before falling 63-27 to State Champion Bixby.

After six years at 5A, the Eagles moved up to 6A-II in 2018 and are 29-14 since then.

This year, the Eagles lost their season opener 39-26 to No. 3 Booker T. Washington, but have won out since then despite some close scares that included three overtime trips.

They won 52-20 at Carl Albert, 27-21 against Bishop McGuiness in overtime, 62-0 against Northwest Classen, 30-7 at Stillwater, 27-6 against Midwest City, 20-14 at Putnam City North in overtime, 35-28 at Deer Creek in overtime, 59-7 at U.S. Grant, and 62-35 at Lawton.

Players to Watch

Virgil Yates (Sr. QB) is 31-69-541-4 passing with 7 TDs and 134-817 rushing with 17 TDs.

Ethan Lawrence (Sr. RB/SS) is 93-799 rushing with 5 TDs and has 28 tackles with 5 tackles for loss and an interception.

Jayson Smith (Sr. RB/MLB) is 85-540 rushing with 5 TDs and has 53 tackles with 16 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and an interception

Jaylin Sweet (Jr. WR/CB) is 13-234 receiving with 2 TDs and has 4 interceptions.

Kanijal Thomas (Jr. WR/CB) is 6-158 receiving with 2 TDs and has 46 tackles. A three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Thomas has offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.

Darius Hampton (Sr. DE) has 72 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles.

Brian Stocker (Sr. MLB) has 67 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Aaron Carter (So. MLB) has 58 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and a fumble recovery.

Jaedon Foreman (Jr. DE) has 31 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks.

Braelon Adamah (So. FS) has 50 tackles and 4 interceptions.

Sandite Football Preview: Veterans get free admission to final home game

In honor of Veterans Day, all current and past members of the United States military will receive free admission to the final Sandite home game of the 2021 football season, Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Class 6A-II No. 6 ranked Charles Page High School football team (6-3, 3-3) will play unranked Putnam City West (0-9, 0-6) in a district tune-up game with nothing on the line, having already clinched a postseason berth at No. 4 Del City (8-1) next week.

Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. on the campus of Charles Page High School at 600 North Adams Road. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 26-20. 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.

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 before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington, 58-14 to Bixby and 41-28 to Choctaw.

Last week the Sandites won 41-20 at Bartlesville after jumping out to a 41-0 lead before sending in the backups.

“We certainly expected to win,” said Klinck. “The biggest thing I wanted to see was us get off to a good start. We hadn’t really gotten off to good starts this year. So we definitely emphasized that with our players and I was very proud that we came out and got on them really fast.”

“When you come off of three tough losses, it’s always good to get a win,” said Klinck. “We want to be playing our best football come November. So we need to have a great practice session this week and get after Putnam City West.”

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 139-223-2018-3 passing with 23 touchdowns, and is 114-407 rushing with eight TDs. He holds the school records in career passing yardage at 5,642, career passing touchdowns at 50, and single season passing touchdowns at 23.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 118-795 rushing with eight touchdowns.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 4-7-58-1 passing with two touchdowns and 32-464 receiving with four TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 37-552 receiving with eight touchdowns and averages 18.6 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 46-697 receiving with five TDs and averages 16 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 18-230 receiving with five TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 31.9 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 53 tackles, 17 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 82 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

Gabe Brown (Sr. LB) has 56 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light (Sr. LB) has 51 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain (Jr. LB) has 88 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 pass breakup, three fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes (Sr. CB) has 49 tackles, 0.5 for loss, three interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 28-of-33 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Putnam City West

The Patriots are in their third season under head coach Craig Maynard, who owns an 0-27 record at Putnam West. The Patriots have lost 33 consecutive games and haven’t had a winning season since 2016.

This year the Patriots lost 67-0 to Guthrie, 55-12 to Putnam City, 56-5 to Putnam City North, 42-12 to Muskogee, 81-6 to Bixby, 43-6 to Ponca City, 62-6 to Booker T. Washington, 41-19 to Bartlesville, and 60-27 to Choctaw.

Players to Watch

Corey Gordon (Sr. S/WR) is a three star recruit committed to Baylor.

The Series

Sand Springs is undefeated against the Patriots with a 3-0 record. The Sandites won 29-24 in 2016, 28-14 in 2017, and 51-13 last season.

Sandite Football Preview: Sand Springs travels to Bartlesville Friday

The Class 6A-II No. 6 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (5-3, 2-3) will travel to unranked Bartlesville (2-6, 1-4) Friday in a must-win district battle. The Sandites need to win their last two games in order to reach the playoffs.

The Game

The game will be played at Custer Stadium at 7:00 p.m., on the campus of Bartlesville High School at 1700 SE Hillcrest Drive, Bartlesville, OK 74003.

Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-20. 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.

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 before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington, 58-14 to Bixby and 41-28 to Choctaw.

“We still control our own destiny,” Klinck said after the loss to Choctaw. “That’s what I tell these kids. It’s okay to be disappointed. Last week we got rolled at Bixby. I could tell the kids were disappointed.”

“We’ve got two weeks to get a lot better. I do feel we’re going to be a dangerous football team when it comes time for the playoffs.”

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 128-204-1827-3 passing with 20 touchdowns, and is 111-359 rushing with seven TDs. He has over 5,400 passing yards in his career and holds the school record in passing yardage. He also set the school record in passing touchdowns at 47.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 110-742 rushing with seven touchdowns but has been battling injury since the Booker T. Washington game, and only took two reps last week.

Kenneth Page (Fr. RB) is 22-113 rushing with one TD as Jones’s backup.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 30-446 receiving with four TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 33-493 receiving with seven touchdowns and averages 20 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 41-585 receiving with five TDs and averages 16 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 18-230 receiving with five TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 31.9 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 52 tackles, 17 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 74 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

Gabe Brown has 51 tackles, 6.5 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 46 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 76 tackles, 4 for loss, 3 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 44 tackles, 0.5 for loss, two interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 28-of-33 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Bartlesville

The Bruins are in their third season under Head Coach Jason Sport, who was previously the defensive coordinator. Sport is 8-21 as head coach and is the third head coach for the Bruins in the past five years. They haven’t had a winning record since a 10-2 season in 2015.

Bartlesville won its season opener 15-14 at Claremore, but lost six in a row from there: 34-14 to Sapulpa, 42-7 to Collinsville, 71-0 to Bixby, 66-0 to Booker T. Washington, 49-14 to Muskogee, and 34-7 to Ponca City. Last week they snapped the skid with a 41-19 trouncing of Putnam City West, who has lost 32 consecutive games.

Players to Watch

Harrison Clark (Sr. QB) made his first career start last week after Simian Gilkey was injured against Ponca City. The backup was 13-of-20 passing for 196 yards and one touchdown.

Gage Keaton (WR) was 4-110 receiving against Putnam West.

Austin Zink (So. RB) was 20-118 rushing with two TDs against Putnam West.

The Series

Assigning an exact number to the Sand Springs vs. Bartlesville rivalry is difficult due to the number of different high schools in Bartlesville history. Bartlesville schools overall lead Sand Springs 40-25, but the current Bruins program, which unified two previous Bartlesville schools, only leads 21-16 since it opened in 1982.

Last year Sand Springs won 21-14 on Senior Night to snap a two-year losing skid. Ty Pennington had 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns with 180 passing yards in the game, while Blake Jones scored one touchdown with 43 rushing yards.

Bartlesville won the two years prior, but in 2017 Sand Springs throttled the Bruins 55-13 behind a school-record 507-yard, seven TD rushing performance from Payton Scott.

16-21 vs. Bartlesville High
2020: Sand Springs 21-14 (H)
2019: Bartlesville 54-34 (A)
2018: Bartlesville 29-27 (H)
2017: Sand Springs 55-13 (H)
2016: Sand Springs 47-28 (A)
2015: Bartlesville 24-7 (A)
2014: Sand Springs 28-27 (Homecoming)
2013: Bartlesville 40-27 (A)
2012: Sand Springs 27-25 (H)
2011: Sand Springs 34-0 (Homecoming)
2010: Bartlesville 48-16 (A)
2009: Bartlesville 45-14 (H)
2008: Sand Springs 52-24 (A)
2007: Bartlesville 27-26 (H)
2006: Bartlesville 24-14 (A)
2005: Sand Springs 22-3 (A)
2004: Sand Springs 28-18 (H)
2003: Bartlesville 35- (A)
2002: Bartlesville 34-7 (H)
2001: Sand Springs 13-8 (H)
2000: Sand Springs 21-0 (A)
1997: Sand Springs 31-0
1996: Bartlesville 20-16
1995: Sand Springs 28-12
1994: Sand Springs 27-7
1993: Sand Springs 28-6
1992: Bartlesville 40-33
1991: Bartlesville 21-0
1990: Bartlesville 7-0
1989: Bartlesville 23-20 OT
1988: Bartlesville 27-7
1987: Bartlesville 28-27 OT (Shared District Title)
1986: Bartlesville 20-6
1985: Sand Springs 35-15
1984: Bartlesville 17-6
1983: Bartlesville 24-21
1982: Bartlesville 14-0

4-10 vs. College High
1979: Sand Springs 8-0
1978: College 20-15
1975: College 21-0
1974: College 14-7
1973: Sand Springs 14-7
1972: College 43-15
1960: College 48-14
1959: College 16-6
1958: College 30-0
1957: College 19-0
1956: Sand Springs 6-0
1955: College 19-0
1954: College 28-6
1953: Sand Springs 13-7

2-6 vs. Sooner High
1977: Sand Springs 21-0
1976: Sooner 6-0
1975: Sooner 28-6
1974: Sooner 28-9
1973: Sand Springs 34-22 (Sooner)
1972: Sooner 41-7
1971: Sooner 21-6
1970: Sooner 29-0

3-3 vs. Central High
1930: Central 20-6
1929: Sand Springs 12-0
1922: Central 6-0
1921: Sand Springs 22-6
1920: Central 43-7
1919: Sand Springs 19-7

Things to do in Bartlesville:

Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve
1925 Woolaroc Ranch Road
Barlesville, OK 74003

Frank Phillips Historic Home
1107 South Cherokee Avenue
Bartlesville, OK 74003

Price Tower Arts Center
510 South Dewey Avenue
Bartlesville, OK 74003

Phillips Petroleum Company Museum
410 Keeler
Bartlesville, OK 74004

Bartlesville Union Depot
201 South Keeler Avenue
Bartlesville, OK 74003

Bartlesville Area History Museum
401 South Johnstone Avenue
City Center Building - Floor 5
Bartlesville, OK 74003

Sandite Football drops third-straight, prepares for Bartlesville trip

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

The Sandite football team has been through the gauntlet this past month, dropping three consecutive games to the top three teams in Class 6A-II.

No. 4 Charles Page High School (5-3, 2-3) fell 41-28 at home last Friday in a district match against No. 2 Choctaw (6-2, 4-1), ending a brutal three-game stretch that also saw losses to Bixby and Booker T. Washington.

With the loss, the Sandites can finish no higher than fourth in the district, and they’ll need to win their last two games to make the playoffs. Fortunately they’ll be heavy favorites after three weeks as underdogs. 

“We still control our own destiny,” said Sand Springs head coach Bobby Klinck. “That’s what I tell these kids. It’s okay to be disappointed. Last week we got rolled at Bixby. I could tell the kids were disappointed.”

“We’ve got two weeks to get a lot better. I do feel we’re going to be a dangerous football team when it comes time for the playoffs.”

Choctaw already saw the Sandites as a dangerous team, and was on upset alert throughout the night.

“They’ve got tough, hard-nosed kids like us that just keep battling,” said Choctaw coach Jake Corbin. “We knew it would be an absolute battle on the road and a great atmosphere. It’s a cool place to play when you’re not the opponent. We knew it’d be a big-time game and we knew that they were a really good team, a really talented team.”

Choctaw struck first on a 34-yard pass from Steele Wasel to Jax Smith, but Drake Fain stopped a two-point conversion attempt, and the Sandites took their only lead of the night soon after. Keaton Campbell put the home team on the board with a 15-yard reception from Ty Pennington, and Logan Wolfe kicked the point-after for the lead.

The Yellowjackets got back on top with a two-yard run by Wasel, who then tossed a two-point pass to La’Trell Ray to make it 14-7 late in the first. Ray then scored on a 40-yard run in the second quarter.

Brooks Dudley brought pressure on Choctaw’s next possession to force a three-and-out, and a bad punt snap was recovered by Landon Hendricks to set up a three-yard run from Pennington to make it 21-14.

JuJu Smith scored on a 10-yard reception late in the half, and added a two-yard run in the third quarter to put his team up 34-14, but Sand Springs wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Pennington connected with Brody Rutledge for a 24-yard score, the defense forced a punt and a turnover on downs, then Pennington found Ryan Shoemaker for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 34-28 with 4:10 to play.

Ryder Barnes recovered an onside kick and the Sandites marched to the Choctaw 35-yard line before Cameron Hunt picked off Pennington and set up a 61-yard touchdown run by Ray for the final points of the game.

Even down double digits with only two minutes left, they didn’t give up, and the Sandites put together a ten-play 54-yard drive that ended on a fourth-down incompletion in the red zone as time expired. 

“The difference between winning and losing can be just a few plays,” said Klinck. “Whether it’s blown coverage or a missed interception opportunity, those types of things. We’ve got to start making those types of plays if we’re going to get this program over the hump.”

“That’s what we try to get these kids to understand, that’s why we’re so hard on them during practice and demand excellence. Hat’s off to Choctaw, really good football team, but I like my team.”

While the Sandites matched up well against the Yellowjackets overall, they couldn’t find an answer for the heavily recruited DeSean Brown, who sacked Pennington four times for 37 yards.

The senior record-breaking quarterback was 19-of-33 passing on the night with 272 yards, and even strung together nine-straight completions late in the game with 189 yards in the fourth quarter. He also ran for 74 gross yards, but lost 63 to sacks.

“He’s an absolute stud,” Corbin said of the Sandite QB. “He’s just a tough kid, throws really accurate balls. He plays tough as nails. He can barely walk at the end and he’s still standing in there firing off, running it. I definitely shook his hand after the game and wanted to tell him what a great job he did. He’s a super tough kid.”

Choctaw was paced offensively by Wasel, who was 16-of-29 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while Ray had 11 carries for 122 yards and two scores.

Shoemaker led the Sand Springs receiving corps with four catches for 77 yards, while Kenneth Page led on the ground with ten carries for 62 yards. Fain paced the defense with nine tackles, three for loss, and two pass deflections, followed by Dudley with eight tackles, three for loss, one sack, and one deflection.

Next up for the Sandites is a district road match at Bartlesville (2-6, 1-4), Friday at 7:00 p.m. Last year the Sandites beat Bartlesville 21-14 at home on Senior Night.