Eli Buxton Named to All-State Large-East Team

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Eli Buxton is presented with a State Runner-Up medal by CPHS Assistant Principal Ryan Bivin.

Charles Page High School senior Eli Buxton will get to represent the black and gold one last time when he suits up for the All-State game on June 2nd at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid.

The Arizona State-bound senior was named to the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Large-East team following a State Runner-Up season in which he went 6-3 on the mound with a 2.15 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched.

Some of Buxton’s highlight wins this season include an 11-strikeout one-hitter against Norman North, a 12-strikeout two-hitter against Bartlesville, a nine-strikeout two-hitter against Stillwater, a nine-strikeout one-hitter against Bishop Kelley in the Regional playoffs, and a win over Edmond Santa Fe in the State quarterfinals.

He was also a strong hitter for the Sandites, batting .227 with a .360 slugging percentage, 10 runs, four doubles, two home runs, and 16 RBIs.

Buxton is the 27th All-State selection from Sand Springs and this is the third year in a row the Sandites have been represented at the All-State games.

Rounding out the Large East team is Blake Aziere (Stillwater), Braxton Jones (Sapulpa), Chance Pair (Tahlequah), Lane Evans (Norman North), Garrett Shull (Enid), Caden Lesnau (McAlester), Tanner McMurray (Bishop Kelley), Weston Thomas (Piedmont), Ben Flusche (Union), Reace Martinez (Owasso), Malachi Wilson (Sapulpa), Colton Hollenbeck (Collinsville), and Camden Knutson (Union). The team will be coached by Collinsville’s Tony Reeder.

Sand Springs Falls 7-4 to Westmoore in State Championship Finals

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Head Coach Matt Brown speaks to the team following a 7-4 finals loss to westmoore saturday evening at Chickashaw Bricktown Ballfield in Oklahoma City.

For four innings, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Sandites.

Starting pitcher Kayden Campbell (6-3) surrendered only one hit and no walks while fanning five. The Sandites held a 3-0 lead with five times as many hits as the Jaguars.

But a fifth inning spark against Campbell and a sixth-inning flurry off of reliever Wyatt Rutledge gave Westmoore the edge as the Jaguars claimed their first State Championship since 1994, 7-4, to deprive the Sandites of their first ever crown.

“That’s a really good team over there and they capitalized when they had chances and that’s kind of the way that baseball works,” said head coach Matt Brown.

It was going to be a Cinderella story for either team, as both finished third in their districts and had to go on the road for their Regional titles.

Westmoore (25-17) was making its fifth finals appearance after coming up short in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Sand Springs (29-12) was making its first finals appearance since 1978 and first State Tournament appearance since 2011.

Sand Springs struck first in the top of the second after a lead-off walk from Jackson Turney and a line drive single from Alex Dudley set up freshman Sutton Cook for a three-run blast over the left field wall.

Gatlin Gunn and Jace Arnold also singled in the inning but were left stranded. The Sandites put two on base in the third, but stranded Turney after Rutledge was doubled off at second on a line drive from Dudley.

Runs were in short supply for both teams and the Sandites held their 3-0 lead through the top of the fifth.

Then Westmoore loaded the bases with no outs on a single, an error, and a walk. Dudley turned a 6-4-2 double play, but not before Jacob Wehba scored from third. Oklahoma-commit Josiah Kemp added an RBI single to make it a one-score game before Campbell caught Tanner Fallwell looking to end the inning.

Rutledge took over on the mound in the sixth and surrendered three singles and a walk to tie the game with bases loaded and no outs. Gage Geiger tagged up on a pop fly for the lead and Deacon Frazee added an RBI single before Arnold took over on the mound.

“Wyatt’s been awesome for us all year,” said Brown. “If I could do it again, I’d go back and put him right in the game again.”

Frazee scored off another sacrifice fly to make it 7-3 before the inning ended on an offensive interference call against Kemp.

Sand Springs didn’t go down without a fight. Gunn hit a one-out single, took second on a passed ball, and scored on a double from Arnold. Then Rutledge singled on a pop fly to center field to bring the tying run to the plate.

But, it wasn’t meant to be. Jackson Turney flied out to Kemp in center field to end the game.

“This team’s full of fighters,” said Brown. “This team just competed their absolute tails off all year. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

“These kids went out and won the games that were put in front of them, they’ve done everything they were asked to do, they played their absolute hearts out.”

It’s hard to beat a good team three times, a fact that Owasso learned the day before after falling 2-0 to Sand Springs, who it had swept 5-0 and 8-3 in the regular season.

This time it was the Sandites who had to learn that lesson against Westmoore, who it had beaten 6-1 and 24-13 just a month ago.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times in a year,” said Arnold. “We had them two-nothing, but they got us the last time.”

Arnold, together with Gunn, Campbell, Eli Buxton, Miller Tavaglione, Jackson Stewart, Connor Graham, Cole Pearson, Jesse Manuel, and Rutledge, make up a senior class that went 107-50 over four years, the Sandites’ winningest record since the Class of 2012 went 104-44.

“What a great testament to our kids,” said Brown. “Our seniors have set a standard of excellence that falls to the guys who are younger now to hold that standard of excellence. These guys that are walking out the door have won 89 games in three years…these guys have set a bar for the program.”

“I’m just proud of our kids. I’m proud of the way they that played today, I’m proud of the way that they represented our school and our town and they should be proud of themselves as well.”

Sandites Upset Owasso 2-0 for First State Finals Appearance Since 1978

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Jace ARnold flings His glove in celebration as the Sandites defeat Owasso 2-0.

Two outs away from the Sandites’ first State Finals appearance since 1978, Easton Webb gave up a ground ball single to Reace Martinez. With the tying run now at the plate, the sophomore pitcher took a step back and called time.

“Just the nerves. Regardless of how you try to avoid them, they’re still always there,” said Webb. “They’ll get to you, but you’ve just got to be able to flush it out, go out there and play still.”

After a quick chat with his infielders, the Oklahoma State-commit stepped back up on the mound and finished up. A sacrifice hit moved the runner to second, but Miller Tavaglione caught Bodie Anderson’s pop fly in left field and the gloves went flying.

Final score 2-0. Charles Page High School (29-11) paid back a pair of regular season losses and took down the district champions from Owasso (35-7) in front of a large crowd at Norman North’s Tull Lake Field Friday afternoon.

“My last outing against them wasn’t good,” said Webb (7-1), who gave up five walks and two hits in a three-inning start against the Rams on April 15. That game ended in a 5-0 defeat, his only recorded loss of the season.

“I was trying to throw it by them, but I knew I couldn’t do that this game. They’re a bunch of good hitters, so I had to be able to mix up my pitches, throw everything for a strike, let them get themselves out. If I strike them out, I strike them out. But just throw everything for a strike.”

EAston Webb and Matt Brown embrace after the sophomore pitcher’s win.

This time around he did indeed throw 68% strikes, only giving up one walk and three hits while striking out two. Not getting too deep in the counts allowed him to stay fresh, throwing just 88 pitches while going all seven innings.

Taking the loss for Owasso was Arkansas-commit Luke Williams (7-2), who struck out 10 but surrendered six walks and five hits.

Williams reached his max pitch count in the top of the seventh after walking Kayden Campbell and giving up a sacrifice bunt to Wyatt Rutledge. Jaiden Gustafson closed things out, getting Jackson Turney to pop out to left, while Tavaglione grounded out to short to leave Campbell stranded at third.

As much as Sand Springs was hoping for insurance runs, leaving eight runners stranded over the course of the game, the two they plated were enough as Owasso was shut out for only the second time this season and the first time in over two months.

“The kids played great,” said head coach Matt Brown. “We’ve been preaching all day just to stay in the moment. The kids are doing a great job of that. They played fantastic so I’m just proud of them.”

A raucous dugout appeared to get in Williams’s head early in the game as senior lefty gave up singles to Alex Dudley and Webb, then walked Gatlin Gunn and Jace Arnold for a free run.

The Rams nearly got a run back in the second after an error at short and a walk put the Sandites in a bind with no outs. Webb sent a ground ball to first and struck out the next two batters to strand the threat.

Owasso stranded a single runner in the third, fifth, and seventh innings but never made it past second base following the second inning.

Rutledge padded the Sandites’ lead in the fifth, reaching on a ground ball to center field. He took second on a passed ball and scored on a single to left from Tavaglione.

Rutledge, a Northern Oklahoma College at Enid-commit, reached base three times with one walk and a team-best two hits. He also came up big in Thursday’s quarterfinal, going 2-of-2 for two runs and an RBI against Edmond Santa Fe.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve gone to the finals,” said Rutledge. “We’re just going with the flow. We’re hot and we’re hoping to stay hot.”

Sand Springs has won eight games in a row, including shutouts, shootouts, and blowouts. Now they’re only 21 outs away from potentially bringing home the first gold ball in school history.

“The last two years we had a hard Regional and ended up losing both Regionals,” said Rutledge. “It feels really good to come out here and be in the finals.”

Sand Springs will take on Westmoore (24-17) Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ball Park in Oklahoma City.

Sand Springs is making its first finals appearance since 1978 while the Jaguars are in the finals for the fourth time since winning their only title in 1994.

“We’ve got tough kids and they’re going to go toe-to-toe with anybody,” said Brown. “It doesn’t matter who shows up in the other dugout.”

Sand Springs previously defeated the Jaguars 6-1 and 24-13 last month.

Sandites Pummel Edmond Santa Fe 9-3 in State Quarterfinals

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It was a fitting first-round assignment for Charles Page High School Thursday morning in the 6A State baseball tournament.

The last time Sand Springs played at State, it was Edmond Santa Fe who sent the Sandites packing in 2011, prevailing 9-7 in a loser’s bracket game of the old double-elimination tournament.

This time around the tournament is single-elimination and it was the Sandites (28-11) who sent Santa Fe (27-11) home in a 9-3 beatdown at Norman North.

Arizona State-committed senior Eli Buxton (6-3) went the distance on the mound, fanning eight while surrendering only four hits and three walks.

Meanwhile Oklahoma-committed sophomore Savion Sims struggled with ball control early in the game, issuing nine walks, despite striking out eight Sandites and only allowing one hit in his 3.2 innings.

Sims walked four in the first inning, giving Jace Arnold a free run. Buxton walked three and gave up a two-RBI double to Cole Britton before dialing things in for the remainder of the game.

Sims walked the bases full once again in the second, setting up Wyatt Rutledge for an RBI single, then Arnold scored on a passed ball for the 3-2 lead.

Santa Fe tied it again the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice hit from Jorge Balcazar but that would be the last run for the Wolves.

Teddy Doe took over on the mound for Edmond and surrendered a walk and three singles in the fifth, putting Sand Springs firmly out front.

Alex Dudley plated Rutledge on a bunt, Miller Tavaglione stole home, and Dudley scored on a ground ball from Easton Webb to make it 6-3.

The Sandites combined for five singles in the sixth, including an RBI hit from Tavaglione, and Rutledge tagged up on a sacrifice fly from Dudley for the five-run lead.

Gatlin Gunn and Arnold hit back-to-back doubles in the seventh with the latter scoring the former for the final run of the game.

Buxton stayed potent in the seventh, striking out two to end the game.

Sand Springs will take on Owasso Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Norman North High School in the State semifinals. It will be a rematch of the Sandites’ last trip to State, when the Rams won 6-1 in a 2011 winner’s bracket game.

Owasso (35-6) won both meetings with the Sandites in the regular season this year, 5-0 and 8-3 in district play. The Rams have won nine in a row and 21 of their last 22, including a 7-1 thrashing of Edmond Memorial (25-10) in their quarterfinal.

The last time the Sandites made it to the State semifinals was 1988 with a 5A victory over Edmond. Sand Springs is in pursuit of its first finals appearance since 1978 and first-ever championship.

Journey Armstead Commits to UAB

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Hutchinson Community College sophomore Journey Armstead announced her commitment to the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Sunday.

Armstead is a 2022 graduate of Charles Page High School, ranking among the leading scorers in program history.

This past season Armstead helped the Hutchinson Blue Dragons to an undefeated 37-0 season and an NJCAA National Championship, defeating Northwest Florida State 88-80.

She was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team and the KJCCC All-Conference First Team.

She averaged 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.2 steals on the season, shooting 37.8% in the field and 64% from the charity stripe.

Armstead had several big games as a Blue Dragon. Her 15 free throws against Seward County as a freshman ranks third in Hutchinson history. She recorded 10 assists on two occasions as a freshman, which ties for 8th among the Blue Dragons, and she had 11 assists this season against Seward County, which ties for fifth.

Her 188 assists this season rank fourth all-time at Hutchinson while her career total of 329 ranks third.

As a Sandite, Armstead was an All-State, All State Tournament, and All Frontier Valley Conference selection.

"Journey is a dynamic point guard that can score from anywhere on the court," said UAB head coach Randy Norton. "Her elite athleticism and ability to make plays on both sides of the ball will make an immediate impact on our program. Journey is a winner and will bring leadership on and off the court. She has a strong work ethic and love for the game. Journey will be an outstanding addition to our program and make an immediate impact as we continue to compete for championships on and off the court."

UAB is an NCAA Division I program competing in the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers went 18-14 overall this season, 9-9 in conference play, and was invited to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

The Blazers have been led by Norton for 12 seasons now, amassing a 213-157 record in that time. This was their first season in the American conference.

Josh Berry Departs for Union, Paige Wadley Named New Head Coach

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Charles Page High School girls basketball coach Josh Berry was recently announced as the new head coach at Union, and Paige Wadley was named his replacement.

Berry led the Sandites to two State Tournament appearances in five years, finishing his tenure as a Sandite with an 89-38 record.

“First, I have to give all thanks to my Lord and Savior. without him and his blessing, this wouldn't be possible,” Berry posted on Facebook.

“I have to thank my cphs family admin, faculty, support staff, athletic dpt, and fellow coaches for the amazing love and support these 5 years for myself and the program. Special thanks to the student body and community for the support and love every game. I have to give special thanks to the parents these 5 years wouldn't have been successful without your buy-in. thanks to my coaches and trainers for their time and dedication to the program. Thank you to my family for being there through my ups and downs of the seasons.”

“Last with small 😢 my players. These 5 years have been special to me. It didn't take me long to know why God did his thing and placed me with y'all and y'all with me. I'm forever grateful for each of you. You all have made me a better coach, person, and father. I will always be thankful for my time at SS. With much love.”

Ten days later, Sand Springs athletic department coordinator Paige Wadley was announced as his successor.

Wadley went 32-39 in three seasons as head coach at Rejoice Christian from 2020-2023 before joining the Sandite staff. She was previously an assistant at Rejoice and Owasso High School, where she won a State Championship with the Rams in 2018.

“Feeling incredibly blessed and humbled by the overwhelming support from everyone as I take on this new position,” posted Wadley.

“Huge thanks to the administration at Sand Springs for entrusting me with this opportunity to lead such an amazing program. A special shoutout to Coach Josh Berry for the incredible foundation he's built here at SS – I'm honored to take over and continue building on the success he has achieved. It's amazing to see God at work, guiding my journey and shaping my story. I had the pleasure of meeting my new team yesterday, and I love them already. Coaching has always been what I’ve felt called to do and I'm beyond excited about the journey ahead!”

Wadley is a 2001 graduate of Savanna High School where she won a State Championship in 2000 and was runner-up as a senior before playing collegiately at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Sand Springs has become a perennial contender in girls’ basketball, posting nine consecutive winning records with four Regional championships, four Area championships, two Frontier Valley Conference championships, and ten regular season tournament titles in that time.