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

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.

CPHS Track: Mitchell Mefford places second at John Jacobs Invitational

The Charles Page High School track and field teams recently competed at the University of Oklahoma’s John Jacobs Invitational. A loaded field with more than thirty schools caused the team scores to suffer, but several Sandites set personal records.

The boys placed 22nd out of 35 teams while the girls tied for last. Only top-six finishers earn team points, and only Mitchell Mefford accomplished the feat. Mefford placed second in discus with a personal-best distance of 150’05”.

Riley Magee set a personal record distance of 39’07” in shot put. Caleb James ran PRs of 11:15.49 in the 3200 and 5:21.67 in the 1600. Danny Murray also PRed in the 1600 in 4:59.50. Dalton Wilcox and Sam Smith ran PRs of 2:23.55 and 2:23.84, respectively, in the 800.

Daren Hawkins and Justis Meyers PRed in the 200 with times of 25.90 and 27.97. All three 100-meter runners set PRs. Morgan Lockhart finished in 11.73, Meyers in 12.74, and Hawkins in 12.78.

Joselyn Shinnerer and Kristen Fields set PRs in the 100-meter dash with times of 15.39 and 15.75, respectively. Erika Baker and Chezney Kelley set PRs in the 1600 run with times of 6:23.78 and 6:52.94, respectively.

Sandite Results
110 Hurdles
30th - Matt Wilkerson - 18.33
34th - Alex Newport - 19.86
35th - Knox Goggins - 20.33
300 Hurdles
38th - Alex Newport - 47.45
39th - Matt Wilkerson - 48.20
42nd - Knox Goggins - 52.53
100 Dash
29th - Morgan Lockhart - 11.73
43rd - Justis Meyers - 12.74
44th - Daren Hawkins - 12.78
200 Dash
40th - Morgan Lockhart - 25.25
42nd - Daren Hawkins - 25.90
44th - Justis Meyers - 27.97
400 Dash
36th - Titus Wright - 1:03.75
800 Run
46th - Dalton Wilcox - 2:23.55
47th - Sam Smith - 2:23.84
1600 Run
37th - Danny Murray - 4:59.50
42nd - Nelson Yazzie - 5:03.62
55th - Caleb James - 5:21.67
3200 Run
17th - Jacob Smith - 10:34.78
32nd - Caleb James - 11:15.49
43rd - Noah Hanlon - 11:46.84
Shot Put
17th - Riley Magee - 39’07.00”
27th - Mitchell Mefford - 35’06.25”
Discus Throw
2nd - Mitchell Mefford - 150’05.00”
17th - Riley Magee - 107’07.00”

Male Champions
4x100 Relay - Union - 41.55
4x200 Relay - Union - 1:28.02
4x400 Relay - Altus - 3:24.73
4x800 Relay - Weatherford - 8:04.38
110 Hurdles - Slater Ward - 14.79
300 Hurdles - Robert Wood - 38.12
100 Dash - JT McCloud - 10.47
200 Dash - JT McCloud - 21.09
400 Dash - Michael James - 50.03
800 Run - Blake McConkay - 1:58.16
1600 Run - Brady Carpenter - 4:31.88
3200 Run - Daniel Nickell - 9:48.98
High Jump - Tyler Dechant - 6’06.00”
Long Jump - Romeo Ingram - 22’04.50”
Pole Vault - Brandon Hanoch - 14’06.00”
Shot Put - Brandon Zamarripa - 52’02.25”
Discus Throw - Adrian Del Toro - 170’09.00”

Team Scores
94 Union
70 Broken Arrow
39 Altus
37 Del City
37 Norman North
35 Weatherford
31 Lawton
28 Putnam City
28 Edmond Santa Fe
26.5 Choctaw
21 Edmond Memorial
21 Yukon
20 Bartlesville
19 MacArthur
16 Owasso
14 Southmoore
14 Woodward
10 Hobart
10 Edmond North
10 Putnam West
8 Sand Springs
8 Noble
6 Stillwater
6 Westville
6 Westmoore
2 Casady
1.5 Atoka
0 Deer Creek
0 Graham-Dustin
0 Heritage Hall
0 Lincoln Christian
0 Putnam North
0 Santa Fe South
0 Shattuck

Lady Sandite Results
100 Hurdles
7th - Makenzie Rader - 17.30
22nd - Elizabeth Watts - 18.58
300 Hurdles
27th - Elizabeth Watts - 54.60
100 Dash
39th - Davina Green - 14.33
44th - Joselynn Schinnerer - 15.39
45th - Kristen Field - 15.75
200 Dash
41st - Davina Green - 30.34
43rd - Kaitlyn Converse - 33.09
400 Dash
33rd - Gigi Williams - 1:15.27
800 Run
43rd - Victoria Baker - 3:00.69
1600 Run
33rd - Erika Baker - 6:23.78
37th - Sara Abbet - 6:34.46
38th - Chezney Kelley - 6:52.94
3200 Run
18th - Erika Baker - 13:33.38
High Jump
10th - Makenzie Rader - 4’08.00”
Long Jump
18th - Makenzie Rader - 14’02.00”
Shot Put
28th - Ayden Meade - 24’09.00”
Discus Throw
17th - Ayden Meade - 76’01.00”

Female Champions
4x100 Relay - Broken Arrow - 49.08
4x200 Relay - Broken Arrow - 1:45.79
4x400 Relay - Broken Arrow - 3:57.18
4x800 Relay - Broken Arrow - 9:33.34
100 Hurdles - Shelbie Maddy - 15.70
300 Hurdles - Tahlor Brown - 44.76
100 Dash - Lyric Henry - 12.58
200 Dash - Jada Atkinson - 25.07
400 Dash - Levi Gladd - 57.47
800 Run - Daphne Matthews - 2:14.43
1600 Run - Maddie Medina - 5:09.03
3200 Run - Maddie Medina - 11:14.97
High Jump - Taylor Dozier - 5’04.00”
Long Jump - India Morgan - 18’01.00”
Pole Vault - Kyla Davis - 12’06.00”
Shot Put - Madison Collier - 42’4.75”
Discus Throw - Madison Collier - 145’01.00”

Team Scores
122.33 Broken Arrow
90.33 Edmond North
78 Southmoore
51.33 Putnam City
37 Del City
34 Weatherford
33.33 Union
28 Owasso
23.33 Choctaw
22 Heritage Hall
20 Hennessey
20 Lawton
14 Altus
12 Yukon
10 Lincoln Christian
10 Putnam West
8 Stillwater
8 Sulphur
6 Norman North
6 Edmond Santa Fe
4 Casady
4 Moore
3 Bartlesville
2.33 Westville
0 Deer Creek
0 MacAthur
0 Putnam North
0 Sand Springs

CPHS Senior Jake Terry officially signs with University of Oklahoma baseball

View fullsize

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School senior pitcher Jake Terry put pen to paper Tuesday morning and officially signed with the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners entered the 2016 season with the No. 21 ranking before dropping out in early March. They finished the season 30-27-1 overall, 11-13 in the Big 12, with four wins over ranked opponents. They split the Bedlam series 2-2 with No. 3 Oklahoma State and fell 11-1 to West Virginia in the Big 12 Championship semi-finals. Head Coach Pete Hughes will be in his fifth season when Terry arrives at OU. 

Terry finished his junior year at Charles Page with a .271 batting average, .475 slugging average, and .403 on-base percentage. He hit 8 singles, 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs and scored 9 runs and 10 RBI on 59 at bats. He recorded two sacrifices and five for six on base stealing. 

On the mound he amassed a 5-4 record with a 3.88 ERA over 48.2 innings pitched, struck out 54 batters, and only gave up 52 hits while throwing 58% strikes. 

The Sandites finished last season 21-14 with a first place finish at the Bixby Tournament and second place finish at the Sand Springs/Broken Arrow Wooden Bat Tournament.

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Sydney Pennington signs with Oklahoma State University Softball
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Jessica Collins signs with Connors State College Softball
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Cheyenne Walden signs with Oklahoma State University Cross Country
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Alexis Davis signs with SWOSU Cross Country
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Kyle Keener signs with University of Central Oklahoma Basketball

Editorial: Why OSU should NOT claim the 1945 National Championship

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Oklahoma State University, or rather, Oklahoma A&M, was retroactively awarded the 1945 football National Championship by the American Football Coaches Association last week. The problem is, there already is a National Champion for 1945--the Army. Apparently the AFCA established a panel to rewrite history. 

The AFCA has recognized a National Champion annually since 1950 when the University of Oklahoma won its first National Title under Bud Wilkinson. The organization recently decided to retroactively award Titles for the 1922-1949 seasons and will arbitrarily select Champions based on pleas from those schools, rather than based on the polls that already existed during that time period. 

The AP poll has been universally recognized as the awarding association for the 1936-1949 National Championships, and in that poll the Aggies weren't even ranked in the top four. By today's standards, they just barely missed the playoffs. 

There were several undefeated teams that season, but the undefeated Army team was unanimously selected by all 116 voters of the AP writers' poll as the top team in the country. Next up was the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide, followed by the undefeated Navy. 

No. 1 Army (9-0-0)

9/29 Army defeats Louisville Fields 32-0
10/6 Army defeats Wake Forest 54-0
10/13 Army defeats No. 9 Michigan 28-7
10/20 Army defeats Melville PT Boats 55-13
10/27 Army defeats No. 19 Duke 48-13
11/3 Army defeats Villanova 54-0
11/10 Army defeats No. 2 Notre Dame 48-0
10/17 Army defeats No. 6 Penn 61-0
12/1 Arms defeats No. 2 Navy 32-13

No. 5 Oklahoma A&M (9-0-0)

9/29 OSU defeats Arkansas 19-14
10/6 OSU defeats Denver 31-7
10/12 OSU defeats SMU 26-12
10/20 OSU defeats Utah 46-6
10/27 OSU defeats TCU 25-12
11/10 OSU defeats No. 19 Tulsa 12-6
11/17 OSU defeats Texas Tech 46-6
11/24 OSU defeats Oklahoma 47-0
1/1 OSU defeats No. 9 Saint Mary's 33-13

Comparing the two teams isn't that hard. OSU clearly had a good team. There's no contesting that. But they posted only one shutout to Army's five shutouts. OSU won their games by an average score of 31-8 whereas Army won their games by an average score of 45-5. Army had the number one offense in the country, and the number one defense. Army posted five ranked wins with an average score of 43-6, while OSU's two ranked wins came at an average of 22-9. And don't forget that Army had Heisman Trophy winner Doc Blanchard. 

But somehow, OSU was the better team?

By whatever wildly errant logic that the AFCA is using, Sand Springs should have several State Championships. The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) didn't begin holding playoffs or recognizing a State Champion until 1944, leaving individual schools to claim to State Titles as they saw fit. In 1931 the Sandites went 6-0-1 with four shutout wins and a 0-0 tie with an equally impressive Skiatook team. At the time, high schools didn't play to overtime. Though they didn't have the toughest schedule, they did go undefeated. That's good enough, right? Again, in 1937, the Sandites went undefeated at 8-0-2 with six shutout wins and two 0-0 ties, both to winning teams. Once again, it wasn't the toughest schedule in Oklahoma, but neither was OSU's. 

In 1951, the Sandites went 11-1 with their only true loss being 27-6 to Sapulpa in week three. From there they won nine straight games, including five shutouts. They defeated Poteau 54-0 in the State quarterfinals before "losing" 20-20 to Ada. At the time the OSSAA didn't allow overtime and Ada was awarded the win on red zone penetrations. Apparently having a stout defense able to put up red zone stops doesn't matter to the OSSAA. Sapulpa was Class AA at the time while Sand Springs was A, so that loss doesn't affect their claim to a State title. They essentially went undefeated in their division, and had they been allowed to play overtime against Ada, who knows what might have happened? Ada went on to defeat Ponca City 20-13 for their first Championship. They now hold nineteen State Titles.

In 1962 the Sandites went 7-0-3 with three shutouts and three ties. They even beat Broken Arrow 32-0. At the time the Sandites weren't in an eligible conference and weren't allowed to compete for the State Title. 

That makes two State Titles that the Sandites could claim on wins, due to there being no playoffs, and two Titles they can claim on being unfairly excluded from the playoffs. But Sand Springs doesn't claim those Titles. We didn't claim them then, because we followed the rules and respected that there were better teams, and we don't claim them now, because it would be unfair to the schools that have already held them for decades. We are content to settle for our 1966 State Title and work towards earning new titles in the future rather than living in the past. 

If the University of Oklahoma were to claim National Titles outside of AP rankings, they would have ten more than the seven they claim. In 1915, Oklahoma went 10-0 under Bennie Owen. The official NCAA Division I Football Records Book even lists Cornell, Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh as having equal claim to the Title, but only Cornell and Pittsburgh claim it. 

Cornell (9-0)
9/25 defeated Gettysburg 13-0
10/2 defeated Oberlin 34-7
10/9 defeated Williams 46-6
10/16 defeated Bucknell 41-0
10/23 defeated Harvard 10-0
10/30 defeated VPI 45-0
11/6 defeated Michigan 34-7
11/13 defeated Washington & Lee 40-21
11/25 defeated Penn 40-21

Oklahoma (10-0)
9/25 defeated Kingfisher 67-0
10/2 defeated SW Oklahoma 55-0
10/9 defeated NW OK State 102-0
10/16 defeated Missouri 24-0
10/23 defeated Texas 14-13
10/30 defeated Kansas 23-14
11/6 defeated Kendall 14-13
11/14 defeated Arkansas 24-0
11/19 defeated Kansas State 21-7
11/25 defeated Oklahoma A&M 26-7

Shutouts: Pittsburgh 6
Average Score: Oklahoma 37-5

Pittsburgh (8-0)
10/2 defeated Westminster 32-0
10/9 defeated Navy 47-12
10/16 defeated Carlisle 45-0
10/23 defeated Penn 14-7
10/30 defeated Allegheny 42-0
11/6 defeated Washington & Jefferson 19-0
11/13 defeated Carnegie Tech 28-0
11/25 defeated Penn State 20-0

Oklahoma was retroactively selected as National Champions by the Billingsley Report. Cornell was retroactively selected by the Helms Athletic Foundation, the Houlgate System, and the National Championship Foundation, while being selected as co-champions by Parke H. Davis. Pittsburgh was selected as co-champions by Parke H. Davis. 

Oklahoma had yet another undefeated season in 1949 under Bud Wilkinson and was retroactively awarded the National Title by the College Football Research Association, despite the AP giving it to Notre Dame. 

No. 1 Notre Dame (10-0)
9/24 defeated Indiana 49-6
10/1 defeated Washington 27-7
10/8 defeated Purdue 35-12
10/15 defeated No. 4 Tulane 46-7
10/29 defeated Navy 40-0
11/5 defeated No. 10 Michigan State 34-21
11/12 defeated North Carolina 42-6
11/19 defeated Iowa 28-7
11/26 defeated No. 17 USC 32-0
12/3 defeated SMU 27-20

No. 2 Oklahoma 11-0
9/23 defeated Boston College 46-0
10/1 defeated Texas A&M 33-13
10/8 defeated No. 12 Texas 20-14
10/15 defeated Kansas 48-26
10/22 defeated Nebraska 48-0
10/29 defeated Iowa State 34-7
11/5 defeated Kansas State 39-0
11/12 defeated Missouri 27-7
11/19 defeated No. 19 Santa Clara 28-21
11/26 defeated Oklahoma A&M 41-0
1/1 defeated No. 9 LSU  41-0

1949 saw four undefeated teams, including California and Army. However, Notre Dame received 172 of 208 first place votes in the final AP Poll. OU actually came in second on first place votes with 18, whereas the 1945 OSU team received 0. OU defeated three ranked opponents by an average score of 30-12, while Notre Dame defeated three ranked opponents by an average score of 37-9. Notre Dame also had a Heisman award winner, six players who went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and four All-Americans. Oklahoma had one future Hall of Famer and five All-Americans. Just like in 1945, it was clear to the people alive at the time that Notre Dame was the better team, despite Oklahoma having far more claim to the Title than OSU did in 1945. 

The Oklahoma conversation can continue with 1953 (9-1-1, named by Berryman and CFRA) when Maryland (10-1) was recognized by the AP. The 1957  team (10-1, named by Berryman) when Auburn was recognized by the AP, despite having paid two high school players $5000 to play. In 1967 (10-1, named by Poling System) when USC was recognized by the AP. In 1973 (10-0-1, named by CFRA, DeVold, Dunkel, Sagarin) when Notre Dame was recognized by the AP. In 1978 (11-1, named by DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, Helms, Litkenhous, Matthews, Poling, Sagarin) when Alabama was recognized by the AP. In 1980 (10-2, named by Dunkel and Matthews) when Georgia was recognized by the AP. In 1986 (11-1, named by CFRA, Berryman, DeVold, Dunkel, NY Times, Sagarin) when Penn State was recognized by AP. Finally, in 2003 (12-2, named by Berryman) when USC was recognized by AP. 

OSU fans can call themselves National Champions all they want, but the fact is all 116 AP voters, who were alive at the time and actually watched the season, thought that Army was the better team. OSU has a handful of panel members who weren't even alive at the time. 

Oklahoma only claims 7 of our 17 awarded titles. Notre Dame only claims 11 of 22. USC claims 11 of 17. Michigan claims 11 of 16. Ohio State claims 8 of 16. Harvard claims 7 of 12. 

As a proud Oklahoman, I want OSU to win a National Title one day. I would love to see a day and age when OU and OSU are in the playoffs every year as the No. 1 and 2 ranked teams. It's unlikely, but wouldn't it be nice? Heck, throw Tulsa in there as well, so long as we're imaging a perfect world. 

I would much rather see OSU make a case for the 2011 season, when they won ten-straight to earn the No. 2 rank before dropping a double overtime upset to Iowa State. They bested OU 44-10, won their first and only Big 12 title, and beat No. 4 Stanford 41-38 in overtime at the Fiesta Bowl. That year there wasn't a single ranked team without a loss, and National Champion Alabama avenged their regular season loss to No. 1 LSU with a 21-0 victory in the Championship game. While I personally think Alabama and LSU were both far better teams than OSU, at least OSU got 4 of 60 votes in the AP poll that year, as opposed to 1945 when they got 0 of 116. 

Oklahoma State has come a long way as a program and I think one day they will likely win a Championship. But that day won't be this year, it wasn't in 2011, and it wasn't in 1945 either. In 2011 they were named the National Champion by the Colley-Matrix, and the Cowboys did the right thing by not recognizing it. They shouldn't recognize this one either.

I'm not being one sided in this. The AFCA still has 27 more National Titles to give out, of which OU could make legitimate claim to the 1949 title. We were undefeated and we posted one more win than Notre Dame, who was recognized by the AP. While many OU fans may be excited to win the '49 title, I won't be. You can hold me to it, if the AFCA calls Oklahoma the 1949 National Champion, I'll still be claiming seven national titles, not eight. National Titles should be decided at the time, not decades later by people who weren't around when the games were played. Notre Dame was the better team in '49 and Army was the better team in '45.

When Oklahoma State wins its first National Title, I will be as excited as anybody, and more excited than anybody who recognizes the 1945 Championship. Winning a real Title will be much sweeter without being watered down by revisionist history.

Cheyenne Walden wins sixth State Championship

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Cheyenne Walden is quickly becoming one of the most heavily decorated athletes in school memory. The Charles Page High School junior is already a three-time State Champion in Cross Country, and she now holds three State Championship medals in Track as well. 

The 2016 season came to a close Saturday afternoon at Moore High School with Walden standing high atop the podium hand in hand with her fellow medalists, a place quite familiar for the extraordinary runner.

This past fall Walden went undefeated for the entirety of the Cross Country season with nine first-place finishes. At the Regional Championship she smashed her personal record with a 17:35.02 finish and went on to win her third-straight State Championship. 

Walden also went undefeated in the 3200 all season long in Track and only failed to win the 1600 once. She won fourteen events and expanded her resume to include the 800 and the 4x800 relay. At the Regional track meet she won the 1600 and 3200 and placed 3rd in the 800 while also helping her teammates to a fourth-place finish in the relay. She became the first Lady Sandite ever to qualify for State in four different events in the same year, and also became a member of the first ever 4x800 relay team to qualify for State from Sand Springs.

Friday afternoon the relay team, which included Nia Byrd, Alexis Davis, and Elizabeth Watts, placed thirteenth with a time of 10:28.63. Walden defended her 3200 State Championship with a 10:55.99 finish and an incredible thirty-eight second lead on her closest competitor. 

Saturday she competed in the 800 and took fourth place, a mere six seconds behind the Champion with a career-best 2:17.58 time. She later competed in the 1600 and won her first State Title in that event with a career-best 5:02.46.

Walden now holds six State Championship medals as a junior. This past November she traveled to The Woodlands, Texas South Regional and improved to a sixth place finish, earning her way to the Nike Nationals in Portland, Oregon where she placed 59th with a time of 18:19. 

Walden quickly made her mark on the field her Freshman year when she won her first two-mile run and went on to rack up seven more by the end of the season, including Conference, Regional, and State Championships and a post-season win at the Meet of Champions. Not only did she win State by an eleven-second margin, but she did it with a nineteen second improvement over her personal best. 

As the Spring Track season came around Walden didn't slow down a bit, coming in runner-up in her first two 3200 meter runs and winning the next four. She also began competing in the 1600 and placed top-five in three meets. She won Conference and Regional Championships and qualified for State in both events, placing third in the 3200 and eleventh in the 1600.

Her sophomore Cross Country season saw five first place medals and Walden defended her Conference, Regional, and State Championship titles. After beating teammate and University of Oklahoma-bound Morgan Long by fifteen seconds for an incredible 11:19.5 5K State Title, Walden traveled to The Woodlands, Texas for the Nike South Regional where she placed 22nd. 

Walden went undefeated in the 3200 during her Sophomore Track season, winning eight meets and setting a new career best of 10:54.63. She also picked up a win in the 1600 and qualified for State in both events. She won her first State Championship in the 3200 and came in Runner-Up in the 1600.

CPHS junior Cheyenne Walden wins fifth State Championship by wide margin

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Cheyenne Walden picked up her fifth State Championship medal Friday afternoon at Moore High School, and she's not done yet. The State Championship Track Meet will continue Saturday morning where the Sandite of the Week will compete in the 800 meter and 1600 meter races. 

Walden won her first state championship in cross country as a freshman, then came in third in the 3200 meter run at the State Track Meet in Yukon after being edged out by less than three seconds. Last year she defended her cross country state title and picked up her first gold medal in track after beating the runner-up by a full 18 seconds in the 3200. 

Now a junior, Walden has set her sites on even bigger fish. She won yet another cross country championship this past fall with a remarkable 52.3 second lead over her closest competitor. Friday the 13th in Moore, she won her 13th competition of the season--and it was the most important one of all. 

Beating her closest competitor by an incredible 37.34 seconds, Walden defended her 3200 title for her fourth state championship with a time of 10:55.99. 

Earlier in the day Walden competed in the 4x800 relay with Nia Byrd, Alexis Davis, and Elizabeth Watts. The four were the first team ever from Sand Springs to qualify in the 3200 relay and placed 13th with a time of 10:28.63. 

The incredible athlete will get the chance to win two more medals Saturday when she competes in the 800 meter run at 12:20 and the 1600 meter run at 2:35. Last year she came in runner-up in the 1600 behind fellow Lady Sandite Morgan Long, who is now a freshman at the University of Oklahoma.

It's worth noting that Walden is the first Lady Sandite in school history to qualify for State in four different categories in the same year. The Awards Presentation will be held at 4:00 PM.