Sandite Soccer Alums Conclude Successful College Seasons

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Jack Bratcher.

Men’s Soccer

Jack Bratcher (2021) wrapped up his junior campaign at Oral Roberts University earlier this month, helping the Golden Eagle to a 10-4-3 record. Bratcher saw action in five games and recorded one assist in an 8-0 rout of Western Illinois.

Women’s Soccer

Josie Gelsthorpe.

Junior midfielder Josie Gelsthorpe (2021) started 13 games for Central Baptist University this season, helping the Mustangs to a 5-10-1 record. Gelsthorpe was named to the American Midwest Conference All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year.

Freshman defender Carson Sargent (2023) and sophomore midfielder Karsen Lynch (2022) were reunited at Rogers State University this season and helped the Hillcats to a 7-9-2 record. Sargent saw action in one game while Lynch played 13 games and started 3.

Southwestern College center back Teagan Smith (2021) had a successful junior campaign, playing 18 games, 14 as starter, with nine full-time performances. She scored her first career goal in a 3-0 shutout of Bethany.

Sophomore right back Cassidy Tiepelman (2022) played in six games, helping the Moundbuilders to a 7-8-4 record.

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Basketball Sweeps Roughers, Athletes Sign LOIs

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Sandite basketball swept the Muskogee Roughers Friday night with the varsity boys winning 72-65 while the girls won 63-41.

The 6A-East No. 6 Lady Sandites (12-5, 5-3) never trailed against No. 14 Muskogee. It was still a close game at 39-31 entering the fourth but the Sandites steamrolled the Roughers 24-10 in the final stanza.

Hailey Jackson scored 24 points to lead all scorers, Taiona “Yanni” Morris added 13, Sakauri Wilson had 9, and three different Sandites scored 5 apiece.

“We’re starting to play better as a unit,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We have more people stepping up.”

Sand Springs will have to cover six games over the final two weeks after meetings with Bartlesville and Booker T. Washington were postponed due to weather. This is the second time the Washington game has been rescheduled.

“This is our second game in 17 days,” said Berry. “It’s a bit different from when we start the season out with eight games in like 14 days.”

“We’re rested and we’re ready to go. It’s nothing that we can control so we just try to get better.”

The No. 11 Sandite boys (9-8, 2-6) snapped a five-game conference skid and got back above .500 overall with a win over the No. 15 Roughers (3-13, 0-9).

The Sandites led 34-27 at halftime but a seven-point run put the Roughers up 45-44 entering the final stanza.

Jamarian Ficklin tied it for the final time at 52-52 but Kooper Kelly hit a pair of free throws and layed up on a steal to put his team ahead for the final three minutes of the game.

Kelly tied his career-high with 20 points to lead all scorers while Luke Hooper also had a career night with 15 points.

“Any conference win, especially on the road, is a good feeling,” said head coach Eric Savage.

“In the past we’ve kind of lost our composure. A couple of times this wear we gave up the lead and never got it back. We showed some growth tonight and were able to weather the storm and get back in control late in the fourth quarter.”

Sand Springs will travel to Bixby on Tuesday and Bartlesville on Thursday before hosting Sapulpa Friday night.

Signing Day

School may have been canceled, but the festivities couldn’t be stopped Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House. Sand Springs celebrated 10 student-athletes who signed letters of intent to continue their careers at the collegiate level.

Many of the players will get to enjoy Sand Springs connections on their new rosters.

Kyle Morrall, Jacob Blevins, and Drake Fain signed with Northwestern Oklahoma State University to play Division II football. There they will be reunited with former Sandite assistant coach Jason Medrano, who recently took over as Offensive Coordinator for the Rangers.

Brody Rutledge signed to play Division II football at Northeastern State University. There he will join former Sand Springs teammates Gabe Brown, Landon Hendricks, and Blake Jones.

Dominic Ornelas and Jabe Schlehuber signed to play junior college baseball together at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid.

Carson Sargent signed to play Division II soccer at Rogers State University, where she will join former teammates Ali Day and Karsen Lynch.

Payton Robbins signed to play NAIA volleyball at Friends University in Kansas, where she’ll be reunited with Sandites Tehya Johnson, Charley Fahland, and Kasidy Holland.

Madori Bland signed with the stunt team at Drury University, a Division II program in Missouri.

Coleman Hight signed to play NAIA golf at Southwestern College in Kansas.

Baseball

Freshman quarterback Easton Webb has been getting lots of attention as a football prospect, but on Friday he announced his commitment to Oklahoma State University as a baseball player before ever playing a varsity minute.

Sand Springs will kick off the preseason with a home scrimmage against Sapulpa on the 16th at 4:30 p.m.

Girls Powerlifting

The Sand Springs girls powerlifting team took second place at the All-American Lift-a-thon in Shawnee Saturday with two champions. The Sandites had 137 team points, just behind Choctaw with 141.

Madison Thompson won the 220 weight class, sweeping all three events. She benched 140, squatted 285, and deadlifted 295.

Jaden Jordan won at heavyweight, taking first in squat at 335 pounds, first in deadlift at 375, and third in bench at 155.

Melani Skelly placed third, Gracie Worthington placed fourth, and Bailey Doughty and Kiyah Dover placed fifth.

Ten Sandites Sign College Letters of Intent

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The Sand Springs athletic department celebrated ten student-athletes Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House, who have all signed letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level.

For the first time in school history, two Sandites signed to compete in collegiate shooting sports. Gunnar Casey and Sammy Naugle are both headed to Connors State College after building impressive careers with the FFA shooting team.

“We actually started the program back in 2008,” said coach Randy Evans. “Both of these boys have shot with me for the last four years. It’s the first set of kids we’ve ever actually sent to college to shoot.”

Casey was the 2019 SCTP State Skeet Champion, 2019 20-gauge Oklahoma State Skeet Champion, 2020 28-gauge Oklahoma State Skeet Champion, and was on the five-man HOA State Championship team in 2019. 

Naugle was on the 2021 2nd-place team at the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Sporting Clays Championship and placed second at the Dewey Invitational. 

“Our school board and our administration is extremely supportive of that whole program,” said Evans. “They realize the kids never actually have guns in school and when we practice there’s eight to ten adults around, so it’s a really safe and secure thing.”

“I actually started watching these kids when they came to my contests about four years ago,” said Connors State coach Sierra Walker. “They’ve been on my radar since eighth grade. They just have a really unique technique and style about them and they are really good.”

“Even in eighth grade they were making the hits and killing the targets, so I was really excited to get to have them come to Connors.”

The Sandite football team will have three players continuing their careers at the next level.

Quarterback Ty Pennington received a full ride scholarship to play football at Pittsburg State University in Kansas. 

“Pennington, you know, statistically is the greatest quarterback in Sand Springs history,” said Sand Springs coach Bobby Klinck. “I’m going to have to actually coach now that he’s gone. I’m very proud of him and what he’s accomplished.”

Pennington follows in the footsteps of his position coach Darrack Harger, who played for the Gorillas from 2012 to 2013. 

The three-year starter set single-season records of 2,831 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, and 39 total touchdowns while leading the Sandites to an 8-4 record and semifinal appearance in the OSSAA 6A-2 playoffs.

He also set career records of 6,455 passing yards, 54 passing touchdowns, and 79 total touchdowns.

“It checked all the recruiting boxes academically and athletically. I know I made the right decision,” said Pennington, who also had offers from Central Oklahoma, Missouri Southern, Washburn, Central Missouri, East Central, and a preferred walk-on opportunity at Oklahoma State.

“At first I thought about going to OSU, but once I started to figure out the kind of school Pitt State was, it was pretty obvious where I wanted to go,” said Pennington. 

Pitt State has won two national championships at the NCAA Division II level. The Gorillas went 8-3 last season in their second year under head coach Brian Wright 

Pennington was recently named to the All-State East team and will play in the All-State game on Friday, July 29th alongside defensive end Gabe Brown.

“It was a marathon, not a sprint for Gabe,” said Klinck. “He played a position that he wasn’t quite sure of and ended up being an All-Stater at it… He’s one of those guys that kept chopping wood and is very deserving of everything that he’s getting now.” 

Brown signed with Northeastern State University after a senior campaign that included 69 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two fumble recoveries, including a 75-yard scoop and score.

NSU competes at the NCAA Division II level in the MIAA. The RiverHawks went 2-9 last season under third-year head coach JJ Eckert. Sandite Justis Myers is also on the roster at NSU. 

Outside linebacker Conner Light signed with Southwestern College, an NAIA school in Kansas that competes in the KCAC. 

Light tallied 74 tackles for the Sandites this season, along with 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. He received All-District and Academic All-Conference Honorable Mentions.

“I couldn’t be more proud of that young man,” said Klinck. “He just maxed out his ability and ended up being a really good football player for us.”

“He’s one of those kids that you’re going to miss seeing. I’m very happy for him going off to school. He’ll be successful in whatever he does.”

The Moundbuilders are entering their eighth season under head coach Brad Griffin. They recently finished their most successful season since 1999 after posting a 9-2 mark and making it to the NAIA Championship Series. Light will join fellow Sandite JT Bristow, a sophomore tight end, at Southwestern.

“All three of those guys are great ambassadors for our football program,” said Klinck.

Shortstop Keaton Campbell signed to play baseball at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas. 

Campbell batted .299 last season with 23 runs, 30 RBI, a .465 slugging average, a .392 on-base percentage, with 10 double plays, and one save on the mound. 

In addition to his baseball accomplishments, he was also an All-District selection in football after making 55 receptions for 774 yards and 9 touchdowns this fall, and he received Academic All-Conference accolades for both baseball and football.

The Tigers compete in the NJCAA and have won four consecutive KJCCC East Division titles, finishing 47-10 last season with a fifth-place finish at the JUCO World Series. They are coached by Darren Burroughs. 

Karsen Lynch signed to play soccer at Rogers State University, an NCAA Division II program competing in the MIAA. The Hillcats went 9-8-1 last season and are about to enter a new era under recently appointed head coach Chris Jones.

Lynch is a four-year starter for the Sandites, who are about to start their first season under head coach Cisco Chavez. She also plays for the Side FC 92 semi-pro team, which placed third in its inaugural season in the UWS. Last season she made the Academic All-Conference team and was team offensive MVP.

She will be reunited with former Sandite goalie Alison Day, who is a freshman at RSU.

Cassidy Tiepelman signed to play soccer at Southwestern College. The Moundbuilders went 13-5-1 last season and were the KCAC tournament runners-up. Tiepelman will join fellow Sandite Teagan Smith under head coach Joe Schwartz. Tiepelman was Academic All-Conference last season.

Charley Fahland and Tehya Johnson both signed to play volleyball at Friends University, an NAIA school in Wichita that competes in the KCAC. The Falcons are coached by Martin Ayin and went 12-19 last season.

Fahland and Johnson helped the Sandites to a 14-20 record this season. Fahland was second on the team in aces with 36 and led the team with 353 digs. Johnson had 217 digs and a team-high 689 assists.

Johnson was named to the Frontier Valley All-Conference Second Team and Academic All-Conference. Fahland received an All-Conference honorable mention and both made the Sandite Invitational All-Tournament Team.

The Sandites have now signed 13 athletes from the Class of 2022. Raegan Rector and Avery Tanner previously signed to play college softball in November and John Keim signed to play baseball.

Two Sandites headed to NCAA Softball Super Regionals, and other alumni updates

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The No. 13 ranked Oklahoma State University Cowgirl Softball team (42-14) won its first Regional Championship since 2011 Saturday afternoon, squeezing out a 2-1 come-from-behind Finals win over No. 25 Tulsa (37-20). The Pokes also won 3-1 against the West Coast Conference Champions from BYU (30-26) and beat Tulsa 13-10 in their first meeting of the tournament.

The Cowgirl roster includes two former Sand Springs standouts in sophomore Sydney Pennington and senior Mallory Goodman.

Pennington played third base throughout the three-game tournament, recording two put outs and eight assists. At the plate she was 2-of-10 with 2 runs and 1 RBI, hitting a solo homer in the top of the second inning in the first game against Tulsa. 

Pennington is .250 on the season with 30 runs, 42 hits, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 10 homers, 33 RBI, a .482 slugging average, .314 on-base-percentage, and a .948 fielding average. In her career she’s .277 with 57 runs, 102 hits, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 17 homers, and 76 RBI.

Goodman hasn’t seen any action this season, but she’s .241 in her career with 17 runs, 28 hits, 5 doubles, 3 homers, a .362 slugging average, and .343 on-base-percentage.

The Pokes will return to action Thursday and Friday against the defending National Champions from No. 4 Florida State (54-8) at the Tallahassee Super Regional. Game times are 6:00 p.m. CT Thursday, 2:00 p.m. CT Friday, and 11:00 a.m. CT Saturday (if necessary). Thursday and Saturday’s games will be on ESPN and Friday’s game will be on ESPN2.

Other softball news…

Central Christian College senior Breanna Bill batted .271 this season with a .388 slugging average, 23 runs, 35 hits, 4 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run, 11 RBI, and 8 sacrifices. The Tigers went 16-38 overall and 8-28 in the SAC.

1983 grad Randall King led the Broken Arrow High School Slow Pitch Softball team to a 23-9 record, Class 6A No. 5 ranking, and State Tournament appearance.

2011 grad Joely Rogers finished her first season as Pitching Coach at Coffeyville Community College, helping the Ravens to a 7-34 record.

Sophomore Jessica Collins batted .284 with a .327 on-base percentage, .561 slugging average, 32 runs, 42 hits, 5 doubles, 12 home runs, and 33 RBI at Connors State College as the Cowgirls went 16-31 overall and 11-22 in conference. She went 1-5 on the mound, throwing 5 strikeouts in 34 innings with a 9.34 ERA and .948 fielding percentage.

Northeastern State University went 28-27 overall and 14-12 in conference. Junior Jessica Schuler batted .297 with 29 runs, 47 hits, 33 RBI, 14 doubles, 5 homers, a .481 slugging average, .386 on-base percentage, and a .991 fielding percentage.

Junior Kennedy “Goose” Salyers finished the season .234 at the plate with 5 runs, 11 hits, 1 double, 1 RBI, a .255 slugging average, and a .250 on-base percentage at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The Savage Storm went 29-28 overall and 25-19 in conference.

Baseball

Rhett Rutledge is playing NCAA Division I baseball at Florida International University in his junior year, following a two-year stent at Northern Oklahoma College. He currently owns a .250 batting average and .300 slugging average on the season with five hits, seven runs, and one RBI, with a .905 fielding percentage. The Panthers are 22-29 overall and will return to action Thursday with a three-day three-game home series against Louisiana Tech.

Sophomores Mack Thompson and Treyce Tolbert saw action on a 24-22 Rose State College baseball team, the school’s best record since 2013. Thompson ended the season with a .879 fielding percentage, .337 batting average, .413 on-base percentage, and .402 slugging average, recording 31 hits, 6 doubles, 20 runs, and 16 RBI. Tolbert finished with a .909 fielding percentage, .297 batting average, .360 on-base percentage, and .436 slugging average, with 30 hits, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 17 runs, and 19 RBI.

Berryhill grad and native Sandite Jacob Bailey is seeing reduced duty with the Seminole State baseball team. He is 1-0 on the mound in 3.2 innings pitched with a 0.0 ERA and 6 strikeouts. Last season he was 6-1 for a 4.14 ERA. Seminole went 39-14 this season.

University of Oklahoma sophomore Jake Terry has pitched two innings this season and thrown one strikeout. His career ERA stands at 7.53. The Sooners are 31-20 overall and 9-12 in Big 12 action. They will play a three-game Red River Rivalry series this week to conclude the regular season.

CPHS Class of 1981 grad Mike Moore is Head Baseball Coach at Jay High School, and recently wrapped up the season with an 18-14 record.

Basketball

University of Central Oklahoma freshman Colt Savage scored 84 points with 25 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals for the Men’s Basketball team this past season, helping the Broncos to an 11-17 record. He shot 55.6% on field goals, 50% on three-pointers, and 90% on free throws.

Football

Sophomore Jacob Taber and the Fort Hays State University football team earned their second-straight MIAA Conference Title with a 9-3 overall record and 6-0 undefeated performance on their home turf. Taber played in all twelve games, recording 4 total tackles.

Jerry Lyons didn’t see any action his freshman year at Southwestern College football, but the Moundbuilders finished the season 6-5 overall and 5-5 in conference.

Payton Scott took a redshirt his freshman year at the University of Central Oklahoma, but the football team went 8-4 overall, 7-4 in conference, and won the Heart of Texas Bowl.

Golf

University of Denver golfer Carson Griggs cracked the starting lineup this season as a true freshman and helped his team to a Summit League Conference Championship with a sixth place finish out of 44 golfers. The Pioneers concluded their season Wednesday with a 12th place finish at the NCAA Stanford Regional.

Griggs placed 54th out of 96 at the Ram Masters Invitational, helping his team to a 4th place finish. He was first on his team and 13th out of 100 at the William H. Tucker Invitational. He was second on his team and 31st of 84 at the Bayou City Collegiate Tournament. He placed 30th of 90 at the Ping Cougar Classic, 67th of 75 at Regionals, 68th of 72 at the Paintbrush Invitational, 84th of 112 at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational, and 101st of 120 at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate Classic. 

Rowing

University of Oklahoma senior Hannah Hammond was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rowing Team.

Soccer

1991 grad Roger Bush led the Oral Roberts University Women to an 8-12 record. Junior Brooklyn Eardley played eight games and recorded one assist.

1999 grad Ryan Bush led the Oral Roberts University Men to a 6-7-3 record.

2012 grad Tyler McIntosh led the Midwest City Boys to a 2-12 record.

2010 grad Aaron McIntosh led the Mingo Valley Boys to a Heartland Christian Athletic Association Conference Championship in his first year as Head Coach.

Junior Kayla Foster played seven games this past season at Missouri University of Science and Technology, scoring one goal and one assist. The Miners went 4-11-1 overall and 3-9-1 in conference.

Megan Deshazo (sophomore) and Emma Peak (freshman) helped the Northern Oklahoma College (Tonkawa) team to an 8-7-1 overall record and 7-5-1 conference performance this season. Deshazo was named Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year and made the NJCAA All-Region team, leading the team in total scoring with eight goals and three assists. Deshazo is signed to play for Southwestern Christian University next season. Peak scored one goal and two assists.

Oklahoma City University freshman Abigail Banks only got to play one game this season, due to sharing the lineup with an All-Conference goalie. The Stars went 11-3-2 overall and 6-1-1 for second in conference.

Redlands Community College and sophomore Brooklyn Turner went 9-6-2 this season. Turner saw action in twelve games.

Tennis

Assistant Coach Peter McCorkle (C/o 2005) helped the Oral Roberts men’s team to a 6-12

Track and Field

Colby Community College freshman Ian Baustert finished 27th in the 800 meter run at the NJCAA Region VI Track Championships with a time of 2:09.10 last week. Earlier this season he set 4:28.77 PR in the 1500.

Grand Canyon University sophomore Cheyenne Walden finished the season 6th in the 3K Steeplechase in 11:12.13 and 23rd in the 5K run in 18:47.24 at the Western Athletic Conference Championships. Over the course of the season she set PRs of 4:45.56 in the 1500 run, 5:22.13 in the one-mile, 10:17.49 in the 3k, 17:10.40 in the 5K, and 10:54.11 in the 3K Steeple. She also won the NAU Friday Night Duals one-mile run in the season-opener, placed second in the 3K Steeple at the Aztec Invitational, and broke the school’s 5K record.

Volleyball

Kansas State sophomore Gloria Mutiri had a remarkable season this past fall, earning a multitude of accolades. She was twice named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week, made the All-Big 12 Rookie Team, and was a second team All-Big 12 selection. The American Volleyball Coaches Association selected her for the All-Midwest Region First Team, named her Midwest Freshman of the Year, and gave her an All-American Honorable Mention.

Mutiri finished the season with 271 kills, 3 assists, 15 aces, 192 digs, and 67 blocks in 98 sets. The Wildcats went 15-12 overall and 5-11 in Big 12 action. They will be taking a nine-day trip to Brazil later this month to play a series of exhibition matches in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Labette freshman Kylie Taylor recorded 2 assists, 2 aces, and 44 digs in 34 sets, helping the Cardinals to an 8-22 record.

Wrestling

Oklahoma State redshirt freshman Daton Fix won the first 26 matches of his career and went 35-2 overall this season, picking up titles at the Oklahoma City Open, the Reno Tournament of Champions, the Southern Scuffle, and the Big 12 Conference Tournament. His only losses came to All-Americans and he placed second at the NCAA Tournament.

UCO redshirt junior Cody Karstetter went 1-0 in his debut season with the Bronchos, winning an 8-3 decision in a dual with Fort Hays State.

Former classmates Betts and Sigmon go head-to-head in MSU vs SW College

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Two Charles Page High School graduates found themselves at odds recently in a matchup between Southwestern College and Missouri State University.

Class of 2014 grad Jacob Sigmon started in the Southwestern College season opener two weeks ago. The Moundbuilders (0-1) dropped the first game of the season to Missouri State 57-0. Sigmon was the number two receiver for his team, hauling in three catches for twenty-seven yards. Southwestern returns to action Saturday at McPherson College (0-2).

On the other side of the ball was former classmate Tre Betts. Betts recorded two assisted and two unassisted tackles in the shutout win, but none were against his former teammate. Betts also played in week two against Murray State (0-2), but didn't record any tackles in the 28-22 victory. MSU improves to 2-0 and will next take on Kansas State (0-1) on Saturday, September 24th. 

Class of 2013 grad Isaiah Silversmith has seen action in both games this year for Northeastern State University (1-1). He didn't record any stats in the season-opening 38-19 loss to Washburn (1-1), but picked up two solo tackles in a 35-31 win over Lindenwood (1-1). The RiverHawks travel to Pittsburg State (1-1) Saturday.

Class of 2016 grad Jason Cooper saw action as a true freshman in the first game of the season at Southern Nazarene University (0-2). He recorded one solo and one assisted tackle during his third quarter showing in the season-opening 46-0 loss to Arkansas Tech (1-0) and earned a starting spot in week two where he posted one solo and two assisted tackles in a 63-7 loss to Harding University (2-0).

Eleven Sandites have signed college letters of intent

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

Eight Charles Page High School seniors signed college letters of intent Wednesday morning. Four are members of the girls' soccer team and four are members of the State Runner-Up football team. 

Jacob Taber Senior year stats

Linebacker Jacob Taber signed with Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. The FHSU Tigers compete in the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and finished last season with an 8-4, 8-3 record. Taber was third among the Sandites in tackles with 67 and 10 for loss. He has also started several games this season for the boys' basketball team which is currently ranked No.13 in class 6A with a 14-5 record. 

Cole Dixon Senior year stats

Linebacker Cole Dixon was the leading tackler for the Sandites this season and signed to play for Northeastern State University in Tahlequah along with soccer player Madison Dye. The NSU RiverHawks are a NCAA Division II school that also competes in the MIAA with FHSU and finished last season 3-8 in football and 14-5-2 in soccer. Dixon finished the season with 73 tackles, 15 for loss. Dixon is also a member of the #1 ranked Sandite wrestling team and has a 4-4 record. He plans to study nursing. The two will also be joined by All-Metro Player of the Year Jessica Schuler of the State Runner-Up softball team who signed with the RiverHawks in the fall.

Lane Lettich Senior Year Receiving Stats

Cornerback Parker Taylor and runningback Lane Lettich both signed to Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. The Southwestern Moundbuilders compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and had a 3-8, 3-6 record last season.

Lane Lettich Senior Year Rushing Stats

Lettich rushed for 1,110 yards and 17 touchdowns as the starting runningback this past season and added another 232 yards receiving for 2 touchdowns. He's also a starter on the wrestling team with an 11-6 record this season at 182 pounds. 

Parker Taylor was the leading punt returner, averaging 17 yards per return, and was fifth in total tackles with 45. He was also team leader in pass-breakups. 

Parker Taylor Senior Year Defensive Stats

Parker Taylor Senior Year Defensive Stats

The Charles Page High School football team was a bit of a sleeper in the race for State this year, forfeiting their first two games due to an ineligible player. Their third game was called off shortly before the half due to lightning, and the fourth game was a loss to quarter-finalist Bartlesville. 

Parker Taylor Senior Year Punt Return Stats

By the time the Sandites reached the playoffs they only had a 5-4 record and most eyes were on Booker T Washington and Bartlesville for the title. Instead, Sand Springs upset Washington 30-23, avenging a week 9 loss of 17-14, and Bixby upset Bartlesville by a staggering 61-27 after falling to the Bruins 50-33 in week 5. Ultimately Bixby would defeat the Sandites 38-28 to defend their 6A Division II State Title. 

Kayla Foster signed for soccer and academics to Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. The Lady Miners compete in NCAA Division II in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and had a 1-14-2 record last season. 

Brooklyn Eardley signed to play for Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. ORU is a NCAA Division I school that participates in The Summit League. The Golden Eagles went 10-8-2 this past season.

Kylee Cramer signed to play for Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. The Bison are an NCAA Division II school and earned a 6-11 record during their first year in the Great American Conference after moving over from the NAIA for the 2015 season.

Other college-committed Sandites include Stella Millican (Mid American Christian University), and Kennedy "Goose" Salyers (Southeastern Oklahoma State University) who played on the State Runner-Up Softball team.