Week 6 Roundup

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

#1 Booker T Washington (5-0, 3-0) District 1

#10 Claremore (2-4, 0-3) District 1

No surprise here, the Hornets registered yet another dominating win, their first shut out of the season, over Claremore. OSU-commit Justice Hill rushed for 276 yards and five touchdowns and personally registered more than double Claremore's total yardage. 

The pick: BTW 52, Claremore 3

Results, BTW 40, Claremore 0. 

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

#6 Muskogee (2-4, 2-1) District 1

Bartlesville keeps on winning, but they keep doing it sloppily and last minute. Simply looking at the score and you'd think it was a Bartlesville slaughter, but believe it or not, the Roughers led 21-7 at one point. Statistically, the teams were neck-and-neck and it looks like Rafe Watkins might finally be whipping the Roughers into shape. Muskogee could very well be shaping up to be a major contender next year.

The pick: Bartlesville 54, Muskogee 14

Results: Bartlesville 48, Muskogee 27

#3 Bixby (4-2, 2-1) District 1

#12 Ponca City (1-4, 0-3) District 1

Oh how the mighty keep falling. The Spartans were without go-to running back Nic Roller for most of the night, and while they firmly routed the Wildcats, it was far from the devastation that was expected of the former number one team. The defending state champions are far from out of contention for a playoff-repeat, but they need to get their stuff together quick. 

The pick: Bixby 47, Ponca 6

Results: Bixby 43, Ponca 21

#4 Sand Springs (2-3, 2-1) District 1

#13 Sapulpa (1-4, 0-3) District 1

Yet another exciting installment of the greatest rivalry in Oklahoma. Between QB Hunter Greathouse's 181 passing yards and Lane Lettich's 116 rushing yards, the Sandites dominated in air and on land, and the defense was outstanding as well, with numerous interceptions and fumble recoveries. 

The pick: Sand Springs 42, Sapulpa 35

Results: Sand Springs 44, Sapulpa 10. 

#5 Lawton (4-1, 3-0) District 2

#8 Stillwater (2-4, 1-1) District 2

Just when I thought Stillwater was starting to make a come-back, they go and get shut out. Four different Lawton players crossed the hundred-yard mark against Stillwater as the top team in District 2 affirmed their position.

The pick: Lawton 35, Stillwater 14

Results: Lawton 24, Stillwater 0

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

5A Capitol Hill (1-5) 

Not going to lie, I'm jealous that District 2 gets to explore a little more. Non-district games are a lot more exciting to me. What I don't understand is why they waste their time with teams their JV could stomp. 

The pick: PCW 42, Capitol 7

Results: PCW 56, Capitol 0

#9 Midwest City (4-2, 2-1) District 2

#14 Enid (1-5, 0-3) District 2

Enid just keeps getting floored, and Midwest City found their feet after being upset last week by Stillwater.

The pick: MWC 35, Enid 12

Results: MWC 38, Enid 6

#11 Choctaw (4-2, 2-1) District 2

#15 Eisenhower (0-6, 0-2) District 2

The pick: Choctaw 38, Eisenhower 15

Results: Choctaw 59, Ike 27.

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)
  • Week 6: 8-0 (1.00)
  • Overall: 47-12 (.796)

 

#4 Sandites dominate Highway 97 rivals at Sapulpa

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Obviously, every player on the field is crucial in a football game. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, after all. But if I had to single out five names for you to remember, here they are.

Junior Hunter Greathouse, first year starting quarterback. Greathouse led the Sand Springs Sandites in a 44-10 rout of archrival Sapulpa Friday night in a blowout at the Chieftain high school. Completing 10 of 17 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns, when Greathouse takes to the air, you better make sure his receivers are covered.

Who are his receivers?

The go-to man is Senior Trace Fleischman. Fleischman is the son of Coach Jay Fleischman and has 421 yards this season on only 18 receptions. That’s an average of 23 yards per pass. Tonight was a season-best for Fleischman with 126 yards and two touchdowns.

Next is Lane Lettich. Primarily a running back, Lettich did catch two screens against Sapulpa for 41 yards and a touchdown. Add to that his 116 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns and you can bet that the Chieftains wish he had stayed home. This game was also a season-best for Lettich.

Payton Scott will be a household name by the time he graduates. With 247 rushing yards this season and 326 yards total offense, you wouldn’t believe this kid is just a sophomore. As the only freshman to regularly start last season, he’s already established himself as a major threat.

Now that you’ve got your cast, here’s your story.

The Highway 97 rivalry is one of the longest running, most passionate rivalries in the state. Fights are almost a guarantee at every game and tonight was no exception. Sapulpa has the edge on overall wins with a 45-41-3 record against the Sandites, but the Minutemen have won the last two meetings 79-23 and are 7-3 over the last decade.

It was clear going into the game who the favorite was, but in a rivalry matchup, you just never know what might happen.

It didn’t take the Sandites long to prove this game would be far from an upset. On the second play of the game, less than 20 second in, Greathouse connected with Fleischman on a 56 yard pass and kicker Kasey Bales sent home the point-after to establish the lead.

Sapulpa threatened immediately, however, and it looked like the game might very well be shoot-out. It wouldn’t be the first time the two teams went total offense against each other. In 2013 the Chieftains won a home game 49-32 against the Sandites and in 2009 the Sandites trumped Sapulpa 49-45.

Sophomore wide-receiver Gerquan Sanders caught a 9-yard pass from Sapulpa quarterback Jarrett Dilley for a first down, then on the next play caught a pass for 40 yards and was barely pushed out of bounds at the Sand Springs’ one yard-line. Penalties pushed the Sapulpa offense back to the Sandite 27, but they kept bringing the heat up until your fifth key player stepped up.

Enter junior Treyce Tolbert with an endzone interception to squelch the Sapulpa heat and remind the Chieftains why Sand Springs is known to have the best defense in the state.

Twelve plays later, Sapulpa showed some defense of their own and finally put a bit of a stop up against the Sandites on third and 16. They couldn’t, however, put up a stop against a 26 yard field goal by Bales and the visitors took a 10-0 lead.

The Cheiftains took possession at their 25 but were unable to convert a first down and sent the ball right back to their rivals.

Sand Springs converted two first downs before the first quarter reached its end and barely two minutes into the second period Lettich found the endzone on a 16 yard run. After a failed 2pt conversion, the Sandites led 16-0.

Sapulpa could barely even keep their hands on the ball and fumbled it on the very next play. The Sandites capitalized on it with a 7 yard carry by Lettich and an extra point by Bales for the 23-0 lead and a first half shut-out.

Sapulpa received the ball to start the second half and finally got on the board after what began as a successful drive finally sputtered out. The Chieftains were held from the endzone, but Senior Paige McCracken was able to connect on a career-long 38 yard field goal.

Eight snaps later, Greathouse found Lettich for a screen that resulted in a 34-yard touchdown and a 30-3 lead.

Once again, the greatest defense in the state struck on an interception by Cole Dixon before the Sapulpans had even moved the ball three yards. Greathouse connected with Fleischman for a 31 yard touchdown and the Bales PAT was good for a 37-3 lead.

Bales kicked off and I’m starting to feel like I’m repeating myself. Treyce Tolbert right away with a fumble recovery on the first play of Sapulpa’s drive. Two handoffs to Payton Scott later and it was time to send in the JV crew after Sand Springs led 44-3.

Sapulpa finally set foot in the Sand Springs end zone after an 8-play 70-yard drive with less than four minutes in the game on a 16-yard run by Dae Williams. The McCracken PAT brought the game to a final score of 44-10.

Running back Dae Williams was the stand-out player for Sapulpa with the lone touchdown and 112 yards of total offense.

Sapulpa drops to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in district play with their lone win being a 55-0 shutout of 5A Nathan Hale. Sapulpa will travel to Bixby next Thursday.

Sand Springs is 2-3 overall and 2-1 in district play after having to forfeit two pre-district victories due to an ineligible player. Sand Springs will next take on Ponca City at home on Thursday night.

 

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)