Sandites Place 2nd at Diamond State Duals, 8th at Jenks Tournament

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Sand Springs wrestling program as the Sandites took second place at the Diamond State Duals in Springdale on December 30th and eighth place at the Larry Wilkey Invitational in Jenks on January 7th.

At the Jenks tournament the Sandites had six placers and one finalist, led by Mitchell Smith as runner-up.

“It was, in my opinion, a little bit of an up and down weekend,” said first-year coach Ty Bowling.

“I think we had a really good quarterfinal round and struggled in the semis, but I think we came back and finished pretty strong.”

Smith faced a rematch with Salina state champion Gavin Montgomery, who dealt the Sandite his only loss in December’s Enid tournament. In that event Smith led 6-0 before giving up a reversal and pin with four seconds left.

In the rematch it was Smith who had to battle out of an early hole after giving up a takedown and two nearfall points before calling an injury timeout for a knee pain.

“I think it was more of a scare than anything, just kind of an awkward position,” said Bowling. “But he came back. He was put in a bad spot down 4-0 but he battled all the way back.”

The senior tied it up at 5-5 on a third-period reversal, but Montgomery reclaimed the lead with a reversal of his own and won a 7-6 decision.

“It’s just one of those matches where we learn in January how to finish in February, so he’ll come back strong.”

Zander Grigsby placed third, Mason Harris was fourth, Kase Skaggs and Jayden Pait placed fifth, and Ethan White was sixth at the tournament.

No. 7 Sand Springs (10-1) won its first nine duals of the season before falling 39-37 to Ozark in the Diamond dual finals, then defeated Jenks on Tuesday before the tournament.

In pool play Sand Springs won 77-6 against Fayetteville, 64-9 against Bentonville, and 74-0 against Arlington for its biggest win and first shutout since 2017.

In the gold bracket the Sandites won 78-6 against Shiloh Christian, 70-6 against North Desoto, and 69-3 against Bentonville before falling to Ozark in the finals.

Skaggs, Matthew Moore, Pait, Grigsby, Jesse Moore, David Ritchey, and Cash Lucas all went undefeated in the Springdale duals. The Sandites went 85-13 in individual matches.

“I think that was really good for our confidence,” said Bowling. “Not only did we get a bunch of matches, but we were able to win as a team and come together in a dual format.”

Ritchey, Matthew Moore, Grigsby, Smith, Trotter, White, McCoy and Harris all pinned their foes in the 58-15 win at Jenks on Tuesday.

“Obviously you want to have a lot of success in December and January, but you’re always building toward February and getting your hand raised down at that last match in the state tournament, so that’s what we’re building towards.”

Sand Springs will return to action with a tough road dual at No. 3 Bixby (5-2) on Thursday before competing at the Jerry Billings Invitational in Sapulpa over the weekend.

Sand Springs Football Preview: Looking to Topple Bixby

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Throwback file: Sand Springs packed Union-Tuttle Stadium at the 2015 State Championship game vs. Bixby.

This Thursday marks a pivotal game in the trajectory of Sandite Football in a lot of ways.

If Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School (5-1, 2-1) pulls off an upset of No. 1 Bixby (6-0, 3-0), it’ll without a doubt be the biggest win for the program since the 1966 State Championship. And although it won’t come with a gold ball, such a win could even be considered of far more importance to the program.

Even if they don’t win, if they’re at least competitive, it’ll show everyone around the state that this year’s Sandites are for real.

The Spartans aren’t just another top-ranked divisional program. They’re elite. Nationally elite. Bixby has won 42 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Oklahoma history, and the fourth-longest active streak in America. Last week they rolled over No. 2 Choctaw 70-7 on statewide television to improve to the No. 20 ranking in the country according to MaxPreps.

This game will also be on statewide television, broadcast by Yurview on Cox Channel 3. To say that Sand Springs isn’t supposed to win would be an understatement. After the beating that Bixby put on Choctaw in a rematch of their last year’s State Championship, few even expect the Sandites to be competitive.

Few outside of Sand Springs, anyways.

But Bixby’s lofty resume won’t be intimidating the Sandites.

“We’re going to show up,” Sand Springs head coach Bobby Klinck said in a Sunday interview. “Our kids aren’t going to back down, our coaches certainly won’t. We’re going to try to put a game plan together where it gives our guys a chance to be successful, but it’s really up to them to go make the plays.”

Last year the Sandites lost 51-20 to the Spartans, after getting routed 49-0 by the Booker T. Washington Hornets the week prior. This year they held their own against the Hornets and only lost 37-32.

Of course, the law of transitive property doesn’t always apply in football, but if the Sandites play Bixby as hard as they played the Hornets, then the Spartans could have their hands full.

“I do hope and I do feel like we got a confidence boost from playing a really good Booker T. Washington team that’s very fast, has really good skill players, and I think we found some things out defensively and offensively and kind of figured out who we are and what our identity is,” said Klinck. “We’re going to take this next week and really push that on our kids. We’ll see what happens on Thursday, we’re excited.”

The Game

Spartan Stadium (Lee Snider Field) - Capacity 5,800, is located at 601 S. Riverview Drive in Bixby. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and can be purchased at this link.

Sand Springs

The Sandites saw their five-game undefeated streak snapped last week against Booker T. Washington but they’re still very much in the hunt this year, and could force a three-way tie for first place in the district with an upset of the Spartans.

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-18. 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 to the Hornets.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 95-147-1437-1 passing with 15 touchdowns, and is 84-335 rushing with six TDs. He has over 5,000 passing yards in his career and holds the school record.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 108-746 rushing with seven touchdowns but was injured against Booker T. Washington and his status is unknown going into Thursday’s game. Backup Kenneth Page was 12-49 with one TD in relief.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 23-413 receiving with three TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 23-291 receiving with four touchdowns and averages 22.8 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Sr. WR) is 32-511 receiving with five TDs and averages 19 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 13-154 receiving with four TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 45 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 43 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 48 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Gabe Brown has 35 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 38 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 53 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 29 tackles, 0.5 for loss, one interception, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 22-of-27 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Bixby

Bixby’s 42-game win streak includes three consecutive State Championships, six overall, and six of the last seven since the 6A split. Since their 2018 season-opening loss to Jenks, they have recorded nine shutouts and have scored 50+ points on 23 occasions. They have scored 70+ points on nine occasions, including three in a row this year.

The Spartans opened the year 69-14 against Mansfield Timberview, then won 23-15 at Jenks, 42-14 against Stillwater, 71-0 at Bartlesville, 81-6 at Putnam City West, and 70-7 at Choctaw. 12th-year head coach Loren Montgomery, a Sand Springs alumni, holds a career record of 99-39 at Bixby.

Players to Watch

Christian Burke (Sr. QB) is 97-145-1409-2 passing with 18 TDs.

Conner Kirby (Jr. QB/LB) is 6-9-61-0 passing, 56-355 rushing for 10 TDs, and 1-18 receiving. He also has 10 tackles and two two-point conversions.

Oklahoma State University-commit Braylin Presley (Sr. RB) is 53-616 rushing with 9 TDs and 30-362 receiving with 3 TDs.

Zach Blankenship (Sr. RB) is 31-199 rushing with 5 TDs and 3-60 receiving with 1 TD.

Preston Solomon (Sr. WR) is 7-268 receiving with 2 TDs.

University of Oklahoma commit Luke Hasz (Jr. TE) is 18-229 receiving with 1 TD.

Jack Puckett (Sr. LB) has 53 tackles, 9 for loss, 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 forced fumbles,

Connor Stacy (Sr. LB) has 38 tackles, 8 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception,

Miles Hill (Sr. LB) has 32 tackles, 14 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), and 1 forced fumble.

Connor Nolan (Sr. K) is 38-of-41 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 37.

The Series

The Spartans lead the series 19-12, and have won the last seven consecutive meetings. At the beginning of the 6A split, the two teams met in the playoffs for three-straight years. Bixby beat the Sandites in the 2014 and 2016 semifinals. The Sandites shut out Bixby 20-0 in the 2015 regular season, but the Spartans got revenge 38-28 in the State Championship.

Bixby’s current seven-game streak is the longest win streak in series history. Sand Springs has won three in a row on two separate occasions. Sand Springs’s biggest win was 33-7 in 1994, and Bixby’s was 75-0 in 2020. The lowest-scoring game was a 5-3 Sandite win in 1984, and the highest-scoring game was a 48-35 Spartan win in 2010.

1922: Bixby 19-14.
1926: Sand Springs 30-12.
1927: Sand Springs 20-6.
1980: Sand Springs 10-7 (A).
1981: Bixby 14-12 (H).
1982: Bixby (Score unverified).
1983: Bixby 21-4 (A).
1984: Sand Springs 5-3 (H).
1985: Bixby 14-3 (A).
1992: Bixby 20-17 (H).
1993: Sand Springs 26-20 (A).
1994: Sand Springs 33-7 (A).
1995: Bixby 17-10 (H).
1996: Sand Springs 28-7 (A).
1997: Sand Springs 19-0 (H).
1998: Sand Springs 30-6 (A).
1999: Bixby 23-7 (H).
2010: Bixby 48-35 (H).
2011: Bixby 43-23 (A).
2012: Sand Springs 21-7 (H).
2013: Bixby 35-21 (A).
2014: Bixby 34-31 (A).
2014: Bixby 41-14 (N, State Semifinals).
2015: Sand Springs 20-0 (H).
2015: Bixby 38-28 (N, State Finals).
2016: Bixby 35-19 (A).
2016: Bixby 35-21 (N, State Semifinals).
2017: Bixby 41-21 (H).
2018: Bixby 35-0 (H).
2019: Bixby 75-0 (A).
2020: Bixby 51-20 (H).

Sandite Football upsets defending Arkansas State Champions 40-33

A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

For the first time since 2012, the Sand Springs Sandites are 3-0.

The Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School football team rolled into Springdale with a big task in front of it. Repeating its last year’s win against the defending 4A State Champions from Shiloh Christian (2-1) wouldn’t be an easy task, but even down 14-0 early in the fourth quarter, the Sandites kept their cool and showed toughness.

“Our kids are from Sand Springs, so we know all about toughness,” said second-year head coach Bobby Klinck. “That’s a really freaking good football team that we just beat. I think we’re lucky to get away with a win, so we’re really pleased.”

As they should be. The Saints are ranked No. 1 in their class, and their only loss last season was 27-26 on the Sandites’ homefield. This time the visiting Sandites prevailed 40-33 behind a monumental effort from senior quarterback Ty Pennington.

Pennington finished the night with a career-high 331 yards and five touchdowns, passing 21-of-32 with one interception. The lone pick was only a tad high of his receiver, who tipped it up into Dax Widger’s hands to set up the Saints’ third score late in the first quarter.

“I’ve said it over and over again,” said Klinck. “He’s the best dang quarterback in the state. He suffers through drops sometimes with our guys, but he never flinches. That guy’s a dang winner. I’m constantly just saying, ‘put the ball in that dude’s hands. We’ve got the best dang quarterback in the state, let’s go get the dang first down.”

The Saints took a 14-0 lead behind a 2-yard run from Eli Wisdom and an 11-yard pass from Wisdom to Ben Baker, but the Sandites soon settled down and found their rhythm. It wasn’t Pennington who gave them their first score, however.

After running back Blake Jones did most of the work to move the chains, it was Brody Rutledge who tossed the first touchdown pass on a 23-yard trick play to Jacob Blevins.

“That’s all Coach (Lee) Kizzar,” said Klinck. “The trick play, that’s all our coaches. I’ve been really hands-off this year. I know I’ve hired great coaches so I let them coach. That’s all them.”

The backup quarterback and leading receiver finished the night with seven catches for 132 yards and one touchdown, a 33-yard pass from Pennington to make it 21-14 late in the first quarter.

“I’ve challenged that kid all through 7-on-7, he kind of had drop-itis during the summertime, and we challenged him,” Klinck said of Rutledge. “Now that guy’s become one our top receivers and I’m freaking proud of that kid.”

Keaton Campbell was the Sandites’ other top receiver with seven catches for 112 yards and two scores, a 49-yarder in the second quarter and a 21-yarder in the third. 

Also collecting passes for the Sandites was tight-end Ryan Shoemaker, who had three catches for 59 yards and two scores. 

Sand Springs trailed 21-20 in the second and stalled out in their own territory, but Kenneth Page recovered a muffed punt to extend the drive, and Pennington found Shoemaker for an eight-yard score. 

The Sandite defense got a turnover on downs to close the half 26-21.

Campbell’s next touchdown made it 32-21 but the Saints negated it three plays later on a 78-yard pass from Wisdom to Cooper Hutchinson, then took a 33-32 lead on a 14-yard screen to Arkansas-commit Kaden Henley. 

The Sandites got back on top with a 34-yard pass from Pennington to Shoemaker to start the fourth quarter, and Shoemaker also caught the two-point pass for the final points of the game.

“We’ve watched film, we knew they were going to come out with stuff we haven’t seen, so we just had to weather the storm,” said Klinck. “We’ve been down big before, so great job by our kids.”

“That’s an unbelievable football program. That’s a good team, they’re going to win it again. So for us to come here and really steal one from a really well-coached football team, that’s huge for our program.”

“That offense is great,” said Klinck. “They’ve been doing that for a long time. We knew it was going to be a slug fest. We knew it was last year. We had to just make one more play. ‘One more play,’ that’s what we kept saying.”

Sandite Football will return to action Friday at 7:00 p.m. with a district homecoming game against Ponca City (1-2) as the team looks to keep its winning streak alive.

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Softball Rolls at Bixby Tournament

Down 5-4 and riding a four-game losing streak, the Sandites needed a spark in the first round of the Bixby tournament Friday morning.

JoLee McNally stepped up to the plate with two runners on and smacked a ground ball single to center field in the top of the sixth, bringing in Morgan Rector and Kinzie King to kick off a great weekend for the Charles Page High School softball team (9-7).

After taking down Newcastle 6-5, the Sandites got a huge 5-4 upset against title contender Edmond Memorial then steamrolled Union 17-2 and El Reno 11-2 before falling 4-1 to Broken Arrow in the final game. 

“They had an awesome weekend, I thought,” said head coach Shelli Brown. “The turnaround from Bartlesville where we left a lot of runner-on-base opportunities, I felt like this weekend they were able to get the runners on and push them across the plate. That was the difference.”

Prior to the tournament, the Sandites had a rough stretch of district road games at Stillwater, Jenks, Bixby, and Bartlesville. 

Thursday was a tough loss, as the Sandites had previously beaten Bartlesville 12-3 at home, and led 5-0 early before the Bruins surged back with seven runs in the bottom of the third.

Friday’s win over Edmond Memorial (19-4), however, showed that this team is still capable of beating anyone in the state on any given day. 

The Bulldogs took a 4-2 lead in the third inning, but the Sandites rallied in the bottom with RBI doubles from Lauren Hammock and Nataley Crawford, and Kelsi Hilton scored on a passed ball for the lead.

Crawford got the wins in the pitching circle against Edmond and Newcastle, Hilton got the win against Union, and Addie Hughes got the win against El Reno.

“Team effort for sure on the pitching,” said Brown. ”We’ve been kind of double-teaming, so I thought our pitchers did a really good job with that.”

The team’s bats also came alive during the tournament, with McNally, Hammock, Hilton, and Crawford all hitting over .500. McNally scored eight runs and four RBI and Hammock had seven runs and seven RBI over the five games.

“I’m just happy with them,” said Brown. “I told them let’s keep moving forward. I felt like we’ve made the turn a little bit here.”

The Sandites are currently 3-4 in district action, sitting fifth in the standings. They’ll be heavily favored in four of their remaining seven district games, and they’ll have home-field advantage in their rematches with Jenks, Stillwater, and Bixby.

The Sandites have hosted Regionals seven consecutive years but that streak could be in jeopardy if they don’t finish strong in district action.

“We need to focus one game at a time, win those games, and get ourselves in a good situation,” says Brown. “Whether we host or we go travel, we’re going to have to play good teams, and we’ve just got to be ready. I think it’s going to be about timing - peaking at the right time. We’re starting to get everybody back, starting to get everybody healthy, and starting to have that team chemistry that takes some time to develop.”

“I’ve seen both districts. Whether you host or you travel, you’re going to face some really good teams so I just want us to be ready for that.”

Cross Country

Sandite Cross Country traveled to the Sapulpa Chieftain meet on Saturday, September 4th.

Chloe Grona led the elementary girls to a second place finish in the one-mile, finishing in 5:54 for first place, a full 21 seconds ahead of the runner-up, and Josie Grona placed third in 6:23.

The elementary boys placed eighth, led by Canyon Carnahan in 25th place with a time of 7:26.

Junior high boys placed fifth in the one-mile, led by Taigh Wright in 11th with a time of 5:51.21. Junior high girls didn’t have a full team, but Maddyx Hampton placed 18th in 6:38.

The varsity girls didn’t have a full team, but Jazmin Lopez placed fifth in the two-mile run with a time of 13:57.

The varsity boys finished sixth, led by Alejandro Lopez in 11:52 for 25th place, and Dalton Wilcox in 11:55 for 26th.

On Saturday, September 11th, the high school and junior high teams traveled to Broken Arrow. The junior high boys placed sixth in the 1.5 mile run, but were the only team with a full lineup. 

Lopez led the varsity girls in 26th place with a 5K time of 22:22. Noah Hanlon led the boys in 18:56 for 42nd place. Hampton led the junior high girls with a 12:01 1.5-mile run for 33rd, and Wright led the junior high boys in 9:52 for 13th.

Football

The Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Sandite football team (2-0) will look to remain undefeated when they travel to Arkansas 3A No. 1 Shiloh Christian (2-0). Both teams will be well-rested after bye weeks.

Last year Sand Springs hosted the first-ever meeting of the two teams and topped the Saints 27-26. It would be Shiloh’s only loss of the season as they went on to earn their eighth State Championship.

Volleyball

Class 6A No. 15 ranked Sand Springs (7-11) is riding a tough nine-match losing streak after traveling to the prestigious Heather Harkness Invitational in Edmond, one of the toughest tournaments in the state.

Sandite Volleyball fell 2-0 to No. 6 Deer Creek, 2-0 to No. 4 Edmond Memorial, 2-0 to OKC Storm, 3-2 to No. 10 Edmond North, and 3-0 to No. 16 Moore. 

Sand Springs will compete at the Owasso tournament this weekend with pool matches against Owasso, Edmond Memorial, and Ponca City.

CPHS Football: Sandites take down Arkansas No. 1 Shiloh Christian, Hendricks gets 3 turnovers

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Jamon Sisco scored the lone receiving touchdown for the Sandites.

Defense shined and Landon Hendricks made three fumble recoveries as the Class 6A-II No. 10 ranked Charles Page High School football team (2-1) took down Arkansas 4A No. 1 Shiloh Christian (3-1) Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The Saints went 14-1 last season and only lost their State Finals game, but the Sandites put a stop to their hopes of a second undefeated regular season with a 27-26 home upset.

Shiloh came ready to play and Cam Wiedemann snagged a short pass and took it 75 yards to the house on the second play of the game. Cale Slaba kicked the PAT for the 7-0 lead just 49 seconds into the game.

Sand Springs responded with a 12-play 66-yard march and fourth-down two-yard touchdown run from Ty Pennington. The Sandites attempted to kick a PAT but a bad snap resulted in Pennington tossing an incompletion.

Hendricks got his first recovery on the Saints’ next drive, setting up the Sandites in Shiloh territory, but the offense stalled out and the teams exchanged a trio of punts. The Sandite defense got another takeway just before the end of the first as Brycen Peterman made a pick at the Shiloh five-yard line, and Jonathan Daniels kicked a 22-yard field goal for the 9-7 lead.

The Sandites pushed their lead to 15-7 with a 52-yard touchdown pass from Pennington to Jamon Sisco, but the PAT failed. A failed onside kick gave Shiloh good field position at the 50, but Hendricks made another fumble recovery at the Sandites’ 22-yard line.

Shiloh responded with a defensive three-and-out and scored on a 61-yard touchdown pass to Drew Dudley, but Daren Hawkins stopped a two-point run attempt. Braden Tutt made a big play for the Saints on the Sandites’ corresponding drive with a blocked punt and returned it for a touchdown and a 20-15 lead after Slaba kicked the PAT.

Sand Springs had the final say of the half, however. Pennington found Jacob Blevins for 61 yards to enter the red zone and six plays later the quarterback punched it in from a yard out. His two point run attempt was stopped, but the home team took a 21-20 lead into the locker room.

The Saints took the lead again on their second offensive play of the second half, as Wisdom ran it in from 70 yards out, but Caden Harris stopped Kaden Henley’s two-point run. Both teams committed turnovers in the third quarter. Hendricks got his third fumble recovery and Ben Baker snagged Pennington’s first interception of the season, but neither team capitalized.

Pennington scored his third rushing touchdown from two-yards out early into the fourth quarter but his two-point pass to Ryan Shoemaker fell incomplete. Cooper Hutchinson recovered a muffed punt to give his team another possession deep in Sandite territory, but Sango Whitehorn sacked Wisdom on a fourth-down play for the turnover on downs.

The Sandites marched as far as Shiloh’s 29-yard line with 2:02 to play before stalling out and Zach Heinen’s 46-yard field goal attempt fell short. Brooks Dudley appeared to sack Wisdom for a safety, but the Saints retained the ball on forward progress. Their fourth-down pass attempt fell incomplete, however, and the Sandites took a series of knees in the Shiloh red zone.

Pennington finished the game 20-32-271-1 passing with one touchdown by air, and was 24-42 rushing for three scores. Blevins was his top receiver with six catches for 145 yards. Wisdom paced the Saint offense with a 9-18-172-1 passing mark and was 14-85 on the ground for three total scores.

Sandite Football will kick off district action next Friday at No. 13 Ponca City (1-1). Shiloh will host Berryville, AR (0-2).

CPHS Football: Sand Springs to host Shiloh Christian Friday

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The Class 6A-II No. 10 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (1-1) will look to get back to a winning record Friday at 7:00 p.m. when they host Arkansas 4A No. 1 Shiloh Christian (2-0) from Springdale. Both teams are coming off bye weeks.

Sand Springs has a lot to prove this season - its first under Head Coach Bobby Klinck. They missed the playoffs two years in a row, suffered losing records three years in a row, and those down years resulted in a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. They got off to a great start by beating 5A No. 6 rival Sapulpa (2-1) and led 5A No. 2 Bishop Kelley (3-0) until the final minute of the game.

Shiloh Christian is coming from the other side of the success spectrum. The Saints are 28-3 over the past three seasons and their only loss last year came in the State Championship game. They own seven State Titles, most recently in 2009, while the Sandites only have one from 1966.

Shiloh is 5-2 against Oklahoma teams in the past decade, but they have yet to play anyone above a 4A classification. They beat Poteau 34-28 in their second game this year. They beat Beggs the past two years, lost to Victory Christian in 2014, split games with Broken Bow in 2012 and 2013, and beat Webster in 2011.

Saint quarterback Eli Wisdom is already receiving attention from D1 recruiters this season. In the first two games he was 21-of-35 passing for 236 yards and two touchdowns, 22-212 rushing for three touchdowns, and he had an 85-yard kick return for a touchdown. Both Auburn and Memphis have expressed interest in the sophomore.

The Sandites also have a young star under center in 6’3” junior Ty Pennington, who is 20-of-47 passing for 500 yards and three touchdowns, with another 98 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Pennington has started only eleven games in his career, and will likely surpass the 2,000 yard passing mark on Friday.

The receiving corps has been a bright spot for the Sandites, led by Jamon Sisco with eight catches for 219 yards and a touchdown, and Keaton Campbell with eight catches for 167 yards and two scores. Jacob Blevins only has two catches and has already racked up 97 yards.

The run game has been through a rough patch, losing two backs in the first two games. Blake Jones was injured in the season opener and missed week two, while Tyyee Atkison is out for the season after an injury against Bishop Kelley required surgery. Thankfully the Sandites have a dual threat quarterback, and a promising backup RB in 5’10” 190-pound sophomore Codey Cramer, who was 5-28 against Bishop Kelley.

The Sandite defense and special teams have seen remarkable improvement over last season, with 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, four fumble recoveries, and three blocked kicks. Sango Whitehorn, Landon Hendricks, and Drake Fain have led the defense in tackles and Bryson Chase leads the team in pass deflections.

The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium and fans are required to wear masks. Prior to the game the Church That Matters Tailgate Crew will be grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken as a fundraiser for the football team. That event kicks off outside the stadium at 6:00 p.m. and tickets are $6.00.