Noah Grimett's debut varsity start is stellar

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Claremore Zebras found themselves in a bind in the opening week of district play as they took on the top-ranked defending state champions from Bixby. When word came that Spartan star running back Nic Roller would be sitting out the game, the Zebras thought the odds were on their side--right up until their starting quarterback had to leave the game. 

They found their saving grace in 5'8" 215-pound sophomore Noah Grimett. Grimett wasted no time in putting points on the board with a 2-yard run to cut the Zebra deficit to 17-14 with just over a minute in the first half.

His next big play came on an 80-yard touchdown pass to Paul Hoke for the final Claremore score of the game. Though the game was a 20-point loss, it was a moral victory as they proved they could roll with the best as they lead the Spartans multiple times and didn't allow the state champs to pull away until the fourth quarter.

The next week Grimett got his first varsity start at quarterback in a district match-up against the Sand Springs Sandites, but looking at his stats, you wouldn't think it was his first. Though he only scored one touchdown, it was an impressive 28-yard pass to Paul Hoke and it was against one of the best defenses in the state.

Grimett was 6 of 11 for 106 with zero interceptions and led both teams in rushing with 89 yards over 28 plays. Though Arron McCollough expected to return in week 7 against Muskogee, Grimett will get one more start next week when they take on yet another top ranked team--Booker T Washington at home.

With two and a half seasons ahead of him and two solid games under his belt, the future looks bright for young Noah Grimett.

Week 5 Roundup

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

#1 BOOKER T WASHINGTON (5-0, 2-0) DISTRICT 1

#13 SAPULPA (1-3, 0-2) DISTRICT 1

Booker T is off to a great start this year, putting up more than 60 points in each of their last three games and totally dominating both sides of the ball. Still undefeated two weeks into districts, their next big challenge will come in week 7 against Bartlesville. 

Sapulpa looks to be better than last year, but is still rebuilding from the ground up. We may see a solid state contender in years to come, but this year I'll be impressed if they win a single game in district play.

The pick: BTW 54, Sapulpa 12

Results: BTW 63, Sapulpa 24

#2 BIXBY (3-2, 1-1) DISTRICT 1

#3 BARTLESVILLE (5-0, 2-0) DISTRICT 1

Bartlesville pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season thus far with a  come-from-behind victory over the defending State Champions. The Bruins and the Hornets are the only undefeated teams left in 6A-II and will likely remain so until they meet each other in week 7. Nic Roller, the difference maker in most Bixby games, rushed for two touchdowns before Bartlesville got on the board and eventually tied it up 21-21 in the third period and led from there onward. Bixby relied on a pass-heavy offense with QB Tanner Griffin throwing 51% for 315 yards. Usually the Spartans are the ones dominating the ground game due to Roller, but this week it was the Bruins with 200 yards rushing in addition to their 226 passing yards.

The pick: Bixby 47, Bartlesville 35.

Results: Bartlesville 55, Bixby 33.

#4 SAND SPRINGS (1-3, 1-1) DISTRICT 1

#9 CLAREMORE (2-3, 0-2) DISTRICT 1

Sand Springs had a rough week, forfeiting both of their wins due to the discovery of an ineligible transfer student, but they didn't let it get them down. The Sandites dominated the ground and the air at their homecoming and reminded the Zebras that their 0-3 record was merely technical. The Sandites had a  slight edge on the Zebras offensively, but the defense is where Sand Springs always shows off their talent, snagging two fumbles and leading in tackles for loss. 

A lot can be said for Claremore for even showing up after the beating Bixby put on them. Not only did they put up 27 points against the State Champions last week, but they were right behind Sand Springs this week in total offense despite being without their starting quarterback, their leading rusher, their star defensive tackle, and several other key players. While they are still looking for a district win and probably won't get one next week (against BTW) either, they shouldn't be discounted as an all around solid-team, especially once they get their main players back next week. 

The Pick: Sand Springs 21, Claremore 13.

Results: Sand Springs 27, Claremore 7.

#5 MIDWEST CITY (3-2, 1-1) DISTRICT 2

#15 STILLWATER (2-3, 1-0) DISTRICT 2

Please excuse me for a moment while I extract the foot from my mouth and make room to eat my words. A completely unexpected tie game came down to the wire between these two teams and Stillwater snatched the victory as the clock hit 0:00 on a career-long 46-yard field goal by Zach Bryant. Midwest City ended the first half of their homecoming scoreless with only one first down and an impressive rally in the second half was not enough to overcome the upset. 

The Pick: MWC 41, Stillwater 10.

Results: Stillwater 25, MWC 22.

#6 LAWTON (3-1, 2-0) DISTRICT 2

#12 ENID (1-4, 0-2) DISTRICT 2

After those first two upsets, I'm glad Lawton scratched my back on this game. The Wolverines relied on a ground-heavy game, rushing for 460 yards of 577 total offense against Enid's 387 total yardage. Lawton lead with a 36-point first-half shut-out and the Plainsmen didn't get on the board till a kickoff fumble recovery lead to a 3-yard Devin Pratt run. 

The Pick: Lawton 52, Enid 12.

Results: Lawton 60, Enid 26.

#7 CHOCTAW (3-2, 1-1) DISTRICT 2

#10 PUTNAM CITY WEST (2-3, 1-1) DISTRICT 2

While I didn't actually pick PCW to win this game, I did say "if I had to pick an upset for this week, this would be it." Now I'm wishing I had gone with my instincts as the Patriots not only pulled ahead, but put distance on the Yellowjackets.

The Pick: Choctaw 28, PCW 21. 

Results: PCW 32, Choctaw 21.

#8 MUSKOGEE (2-3, 2-0) DISTRICT 1

#11 PONCA CITY (1-3, 0-2) DISTRICT 1

For the second week in a row, the Roughers were just shy of 500 yards-total-offense in their homecoming win over Ponca. 

The Pick: Muskogee 35, Ponca 14.

Results: Muskogee 42, Ponca 13.

#14 EISENHOWER (0-5, 0-1) DISTRICT 2

5A #69 CANYON, TEXAS (3-1)

The Eagles traveled 224 miles looking for a win, but all they found was 442 yards of total offense and a whole mess of touchdowns. 

The Pick: Canyon 35, Ike 6.

Results: Canyon 48, Ike 6.

My Record

  • Week 1: 10-2 (.833)
  • Week 2: 12-2 (.857)
  • Week 3: 6-3 (.666)
  • Week 4: 6-2 (.750)
  • Week 5: 5-3 (.625)
  • Overall: 39-12 (.764)

#4 Sand Springs clobbers #9 Claremore 27-7 for Homecoming

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Click to Enlarge

It was a tough night for the Claremore Zebras at the Sand Springs Homecoming game as the Charles Page High School Sandites defeated them for the second year in a row, this time 27-7. The last time the two teams faced, Sand Springs sabotaged Claremore’s homecoming with a 17-0 shutout.

Sandite star running back Lane Lettich rushed for 64 yards and three touchdowns, meanwhile the Zebra’s star, Keegan Hisey was out due to an undisclosed injury. Hisey has 390 yards for the season while no other Claremore running back had more than 100 going into the game.

Several of Claremore’s starters were out after their 47-27 loss to Bixby last week, including their starting quarterback, Arron McCollough, defensive tackle Roger Starkey, and offensive lineman Hunter Nixon. Though most are expected to return next week, they were certainly missed Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Sand Springs defense was as spectacular as usual, holding the Zebras to only two red-zone penetrations and barely 200 yards of total offense.

Senior Jacob Fortune got his second start and first full game at kicker and averaged just shy of 54 yards per kickoff with one touchback. After a dropped kick attempt in a week one game against Tulsa Hale, Fortune was eager to prove himself. “I finally got my chance,” he said after the game, “and I nailed it.”

It took a little time for the home team to find their rhythm, needing ten plays to find the endzone, but they finally got on the board midway through the first quarter on a 1 yard carry by Lettich. 

Claremore returned the favor on their first possession of the second quarter. Alex Moore intercepted a pass from Sandite quarterback Hunter Greathouse and five plays later the Zebras capitalized on it with a 28 yard pass from Noah Grimett to Paul Hoke. This was Grimett’s first varsity start at quarterback and third career touchdown. He ended the game just shy of 180 yards of total offense and completed more than half of his 11 passes.

It would also be the only Zebra touchdown, and Sand Springs scored on their next possession on a 3 yard carry by Lettich.

It took only three plays for the Sandites to travel 76 yards and score on a 60 yard pass from Greathouse to Trace Fleischman barely a minute into the half. A two point conversion attempt failed, but the Sandites drew blood again on a 5 yard carry by Lettich in the fourth quarter.

Kasey Bales was three-for-three on extra point attempts for Sand Springs and Payton Scott and Brett Freeman both grabbed key fumbles.

Homecoming Kissing Captain Jacob Taber had seven tackles for the Sandites, surpassed only by Junior Delvin Jordan, though he was probably more excited about his 1-for-1 record on kissing dancers.

Varsity Dance team-member Addy Lee was named Homecoming Queen and was stunning in a beautiful red dress.

Claremore (2-3, 0-2) will next take on Booker T Washington (4-0, 2-0) in week three of district play and will need to pull off a big upset to have a shot at the playoffs. The Sandites (1-3, 1-1) found their first technical win after having to forfeit their first two victories earlier this week due to an ineligible player.

With Bixby, Booker T Washington, and Bartlesville expected to win playoff spots from district 1, the rest of the district is vying for that fourth position.

Next week Sand Springs hopes to move a bit closer to that goal as they travel to Sapulpa (1-3, 0-2) to take on their long-time Highway 97 rivals. 

*This article has been corrected to reflect that Grimett's touchdown against CPHS was his third career TD, not his 1st, as he scored two against Bixby as a mid-game replacement.

**The graphic at the beginning of this article has been corrected to attribute 3 fumbles to Claremore instead of Sand Springs.

Week 5 Predictions

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

#1 Booker T Washington (4-0, 2-0) District 1

#13 Sapulpa (1-3, 0-2) District 1

Booker T is off to a great start this year, putting up more than 60 points in each of their last three games and totally dominating both sides of the ball. Still undefeated two weeks into districts, their next big challenge will come in week 7 against Bartlesville.

Sapulpa looks to be better than last year, but is still rebuilding from the ground up. We may see a solid state contender in years to come, but this year I’ll be impressed if they win a single game in district play.

Thursday night results: BTW 63, Sapulpa 24.

#2 Bixby (3-1, 1-0) District 1

#3 Bartlesville (4-0, 1-0) District 1

Bixby doesn’t look quite as hot as last year, and in last week’s game against Claremore we saw how much of a difference maker Nic Roller is. He’s expected to be back this week against Bartlesville, otherwise my pick would be quite different. Bixby better hope nothing happens to him this season or they may find themselves in the same spot Sand Springs did last year.

Bartlesville definitely overcame my expectations last week against Sand Springs. Their offense has been touted as the best in the division, and it definitely overcame the Sandites’ famous defense. What hasn’t been talked about as much is the Bruin defense. While the Spartans are lightyears beyond anything Bartlesville has encountered thus far, the Bruins still managed to hold Sand Springs to 117 yards of total offense. I expect a shootout, but I said the same thing last week.

The pick: Bixby 47, Bartlesville 35.

#4 Sand Springs (0-3, 0-1) District 1

#9 Claremore (2-2, 0-1) District 1

Don’t let the Sand Springs record fool you. Two of those games were won on the field and forfeited this week due to the discovery of an ineligible transfer student. The week 3 game was almost a certain Sandite victory, had it not been cancelled halfway through the second quarter due to lightning. The Sandite offense may not be as good as last year, but the defense is as good as ever.

Last week we saw why the Claremore Zebras are red, and the reason is because they’re out for blood. They put up 27 points last week against the defending state champs, and this week they’re looking to avenge the 17-0 homecoming shutout we hit them with last year.

The pick: Sand Springs 21, Claremore 13

#5 Midwest City (3-1, 1-0) District 2

#15 Stillwater (1-3, 0-0) District 2

If there was a single safe-bet game this week, it would be this one. The Bombers are dropping bombs all over their opponents and the Pioneers are easy targets. MWC’s only loss is to top ranked BTW and they had the closest game of any of the Hornet’s opponents. Stillwater’s only win is against a team that’s only won six games in the last twelve years.

The pick: Midwest City 41, Stillwater 10.

#6 Lawton (2-1, 1-0) District 2

#12 Enid (1-3, 0-1) District 2

All I have to say about these teams is that Enid’s only win was a forfeit that was lost on the field 33-7. They haven’t gotten within a touchdown of a single opponent thus far and Lawton’s won by a minimum of 20 points in every game but their hometown rivalry loss to MacArthur.

The pick: Lawton 52, Enid 12.

#7 Choctaw (3-1, 1-0) District 2

#10 Putnam City West (1-3, 0-1) District 2

Choctaw failed to put the hurting on Enid that I expected and PCW’s actually putting up some decent numbers despite their losses. I wouldn’t call it a toss-up per se, but if I had to pick an upset for this week, this would be it.

The pick: Choctaw 28, PCW 21.

#8 Muskogee (1-3, 1-0) District 1

#11 Ponca City (1-2, 0-1) District 1

Muskogee’s doing about the same as last season and probably nowhere near as good as they were hoping to do in their second year under 4-time 5A State Championship-winning coach Rafe Watkins. Luckily for them, Ponca City’s doing about as bad as Ponca City always does.

The pick: Muskogee 35, Ponca 14

#14 Eisenhower (0-4, 0-1) District 2

5A #69 Canyon, Texas (3-1)

I don’t know jack diddly squat about Texas football, but I do know that Eisenhower is nothing to worry about this year. I’m definitely jealous that District 2 has one less week of district games. I love getting to take on new teams and see our boys travel a bit.

The pick: Canyon 35, Ike 6.

My Record

  • Week 1: 10-2 (.833)
  • Week 2: 12-2 (.857)
  • Week 3: 6-3 (.666)
  • Week 4: 6-2 (.750)
  • Overall: 34-9 (.790)

Sandite Athletics Weekly Newsletter

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Last Week

9/21/15

  • Sandite Volleyball's 7th and 8th grade teams both defeated Bartlesville and Union at Home.
  • The 8th Grade Sandite football team continued a three game losing streak, falling 34-14 to Sapulpa Blue. Blake Goodman scored both TDs for the Sandites. The boys are now 1-3 for the season.
  • The 9th Grade football team suffered their first loss of the year, 12-7 to Jenks White and are 2-1 overall. QB Hayden Cramer completed a 35-yard TD pass to Noah Almy and kicked the PAT for Sand Spring's only score. 
  • JV football lost 35-14 to Bixby. Cade Pennington threw a 6-yard TD pass to Bryson Denton and Ben Norte registered a 70 yard rushing TD. The team falls to 1-2 for the season. 

9/22/15

  • Highway 97 rivalry resulted in an intense battle for Sandite Volleyball at Home. Sapulpa won the 9th grade match, but the JV squad won 25-14 and 25-12 for a 2-0 shutout. The varsity girls lost their first set 18-25 but had back-to-back wins of 25-14 and 25-21 before the Lady Chieftains came back for a fourth set win of 22-25. The final set marked a Sandite V-I-C-T-O-R-Y in a close 18-16 as our girls claimed a 3-2 win!
  • Lady Sandite softball extended their undefeated district record to 13-0 with a 7-2 win over Bixby at home.

9/24/15

  • Lady Sandite varsity volleyball lost straight sets to 5A #1 Collinsville, 15-25, 15-25, 14-25. The girls are 11-20 for the season. 
  • Varsity Softball lost their first district game of the season to Yukon, 4-0 on the road. Previously the Sandites beat the Millerettes 7-6 at home. 

9/25/15

  • Varsity football suffered its first loss of the season 24-7 at Bartlesville. The lone score came on a Hunter Greathouse 2 yard keeper and a Cade Loomen PAT.

9/26/15

  • Girls Cross Country came in 17th at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree, lead by Cheyenne Walden in 1st place overall.
  • Boys Cross Country came in 37th at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree, lead by Aden Baughman in 133rd place overall. 
  • Sandite Cheer came in 8th at the 6A state championships in Stillwater.

On the Horizon

9/28/15

  • 8th Grade football vs Bishop Kelley Red at Home
  • 9th Grade football vs Sapulpa Blue at Home
  • JV football vs Bartlesville at Home
  • 8th Grade volleyball vs Broken Arrow and Muskogee at BA
  • 9th Grade volleyball tournament at Owasso

9/29/15

  • Final home softball game of the regular season against Skiatook
  • 9th Grade/JV/Varsity volleyball at Bartlesville

10/1/15

  • 9th Grade/JV/Varsity volleyball vs Jenks at Home
  • Cross Country race at Claremore

10/2/15

  • Varsity football homecoming vs Claremore
  • Varsity softball at Bixby Festival

10/3/15

  • JV Volleyball tournament at Bishop Kelley
  • Cross Country race at Fayetteville

Week 4 6A-II Roundup

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

#1 Charles Page (2-1, 0-1) District 1

#5 Bartlesville (4-0, 1-0) District 1

The Sandites were on fire in the first three games of the season, but were no match for their district-opening matchup against Bartlesville. In years past, the Sandites have lost games due to sloppy mistakes and inconsistency. This was not one of those games. CPHS gave a solid performance on all fronts that would have been a beat down on any other team. Bartlesville was reported to have the best offense in the state going into the game; the Sandites are known to have the best defense. The Bruin defense, however, was grossly underestimated, putting up major stops against the Sandites through the whole game and held them to only 7 first downs.

My pick was CPHS 46, BHS 35.

The final score was BHS 24, CPHS 7.

#2 Bixby (3-1, 1-0) District 1

#10 Claremore (2-2, 0-1) District 1

Bixby has been the team to beat this season, and it looked like Claremore might actually pull it off. The Spartans were without their star running back, Nic Roller, and leading receiver, Cade Cabbiness. The Red Zebras not only kept neck-and-neck with the defending state champions, but even lead 24-21 midway through the third, before the Spartans found their mojo and scored 23 unanswered points to end the game.

My pick was Bixby 52, Claremore 3.

The final score was Bixby 47, Claremore 27.

#3 Booker T Washington (3-0, 1-0) District 1

#9 Ponca City (1-2, 0-1) District 1

The BTW Hornets rained hellfire down on the Wildcats, ruining their homecoming and bringing a total slaughter. The home team managed only nine first downs for one touchdown, while their visitors accumulated nearly 500 yards of total offense for their best score of the season.

My pick was BTW 42, Ponca 13.

The final score was BTW 68, Ponca 7.

#4 Midwest City (3-1, 1-0) District 2

#14 Eisenhower (0-4, 0-1) District 2

The MWC Bombers easily dominated Lawton Ike, taking a 22-0 lead before the game was stalled for an hour due to lightening. It's unfortunate for the Eagles that the game wasn't cancelled all-together. 

My pick was MWC 28, Ike 6.

The final score was MWC 47, Ike 8.

#6 Choctaw (3-1, 1-0) District 2

#12 Enid (0-4, 0-0) District 2

Enid fared better than expected against the Chcotaw Yellowjackets than I expected them to, but were still unable to break their season-long losing streak. Darian Groins threw for three touchdowns and at one point closed the gap to 23-21 before the visitors pulled away for the win.

My pick was Choctaw 38, Enid 12.

The final score was Choctaw 37, Enid 28.

#7 Muskogee (1-3, 1-0) District 1

#13 Sapulpa (1-2, 0-1) District 1

The Rougers finally registered their first win of the season in a district opener at Sapulpa's homecoming. Sapulpan Senior Tom Schadel suffered a broken leg that will sideline him for the season, along with Trey Bilby who broke his in week 1. The Chieftains scored first on a 24 yard run by Dae Williams, but Muskogee returned 34 straight points before Williams found the endzone again. 

My pick was Muskogee 35, Sapulpa 12.

The final score was Muskogee 41, Sapulpa 29.

#8 Putnam City West (1-3, 0-1) District 2

#11 Lawton (2-1, 1-0) District 2

PCW has been on the rebound as a team from previous awful years, and managed to stay neck and neck with the Wolverines in a first quarter shootout, but after Lawton's Levi Cain picked off a pass from Trey Gooch, there was no stopping them from reasserting themselves as a dominant power in District 2 after a rocky start to the season.

My pick was PCW 31, Lawton 28.

The final score was Lawton 57, PCW 20. 

#15 Stillwater (1-3, 0-0) District 2

Stillwater was the only team not to start distrcit play this week, instead taking on U.S. Grant for Homecoming. Both teams entered the game win-less, but Stillwater asserted themselves as the dominant force early on and hopes to ride that momentum into district play next week.

My pick was Stillwater 29, Grant 14.

The final score was Stillwater 49, Grant 6.

My Record

  • Week 1: 10-2 (.833)
  • Week 2: 12-2 (.857)
  • Week 3: 6-3 (.666)
  • Week 4: 6-2 (.750)
  • Overall: 34-9 (.790)