Sandites vs Hornets: Get to know your semi-finalists

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There's only three games left in the race for the 2015 State Championship, and all three are rematches between District 1 rivals. 

#1 Booker T Washington (10-0, 7-0) District Champions

#3 Charles Page (6-4, 5-2) *2 Forfeitures

The week 9 opponents will get their rematch at Sapulpa's George F. Collins Stadium. The last time the two teams met was a rainy run-game with barely a hundred passing yards combined between the two teams.

Since then the Sandites squashed Stillwater 49-14 thanks to a marvelous run game that saw both Lane Lettich and Payton Scott rack up over 100 yards each, complemented by QB Hunter Greathouse's perfect night passing for 181 yards.

Meanwhile, the Hornets did nearly as much damage to Choctaw in a 47-17 rout that saw Justice Hill run up 191 yards, complemented by Dakari Willis's 11-13-134 in the air. 

While the stadium is technically neutral territory, it can be noted that Sand Springs has a long history of battling it out on the Cheiftain turf due to their long-standing rivalry with Sapulpa. 

While the hornets have a 10-win streak going into the game, the Sandites' win at Stillwater was only the second time since 1997 that they've won in the post season, and with all their starting lineup in tact, the Minutemen will be out to prove that they have what it takes to be a major contender for the first time in the current century. 

The two teams have met only 12 times till now; the Hornets lead the series 8-4.

The first time the teams met was during a mediocre 1986 season in which the Sandites went only 2-8. However, the 42-21 loss was the most points anyone had scored on the Hornets all season. 

The next meeting in 1987 saw a narrow 15-12 Sandite win on their way to the semi finals.

The Hornets walked away with the next three wins before Sand Springs managed to edge them out 15-14 in 1991 to clinch a playoff berth. 

The next year, the Hornets put the biggest beat down of the series on Sand Springs in a 48-7 rout. The most Sand Springs has ever beaten the Hornets by was 21-7 in 2012.

The highest scoring game of the series came in 2006 when the Hornets handled the Sandites 62-28.

For the current class of seniors, the series is an even split. 2012 saw a 21-7 Sandite upset at SE Williams Stadium, followed by a 42-38 home shoot out that the Sandites came out on top of. 

The Hornets walked away with the next two, however, spoiling a Sandite Halloween Senior Night in 2014 in a come-from-behind 42-35 victory, then kicking a tie-breaking field goal this year with 14 seconds left.

This will be the first time the two teams have met twice in one season. 

The pick: CPHS 35, BTW 24

Playoff roundup and Week 12 rankings

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

If there was any doubt that District 1 teams were the only real contenders for the title, it's been laid to rest after solid beatdowns in the first round of the playoffs this weekend. 

#1 Booker T Washington (10-0, 7-0) District 1 Champions

#9 Choctaw (5-6, 2-5) District 2

No surprise here, OSU-commit Justice Hill exploded for 189 yards and five touchdowns in a home quarterfinal performance. The yellowjackets never really had much of a chance against the #1 rungame in the state. 

The pick: BTW 52, Choctaw 17.

Results: BTW 47, Choctaw 17. 

#3 Charles Page (6-4, 5-2) District 1

#8 Stillwater (5-6, 3-3) District 2

It was more-or-less granted that Sand Springs would win, but the real surprise here is just how badly they beat the Pioneers. It wasn't so much the Pioneer's faults--they actually completed more passes than in their last game and had a standard night. It was the Sandites who showed up better than ever and completely out-athleted the home team. The Sandite secondary held the Pioneers to zero first downs in the first quarter and only five per-quarter to follow, not to mention 10 tackles-for-loss and a blocked kick that resulted in a safety. Hunter Greathouse had his first perfect night passing, completing all 11 of his throws for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lane Lettich and Payton Scott combined for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.

The pick: CPHS 27, Stillwater 3

Results: CPHS 49, Stillwater 14. 

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#4 Bixby (7-4, 4-3) District 1

#5 Lawton (8-2, 6-0) District 2 Champions

The only game that was expected to be close this week was anything but close. The Spartans have had a rough time these last few weeks, getting hammered by Booker T, barely squeezing past Muskogee in overtime, and being shut out by Sand Springs. They put a stop to that streak Saturday at Lawton, handing the wolverines their first loss of the season by a large margin. Bixby completed 20 first downs and held Lawton to a staggering low 4 while doubling the wolverines' total yardage.

The pick: Bixby 35, Lawton 28

Results: Bixby 36, Lawton 6.

#2 Bartlesville (10-1, 6-1) District 1

#6 Midwest City (6-4, 4-2) District 2

Midwest City made probably the biggest effort at upsetting it's District 1 opponent, and were it not for a 1-yard line fumble to end a 79 yard drive, it may have been a lot closer. As it were, the Bombers failed to stop Colton Penrod's aerial assault that ended up tallying 279 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The pick: Bartlesville 42, MWC 35

Results: Bville 35, MWC 14.

The rest of the rankings

• #7 Muskogee
• #10 Ponca City
• #11 Sapulpa
• #12 Eisenhower
• #13 Putnam City West
• #14 Enid
• #15 Claremore

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)
• Week 7: 8-0 (1.00)
• Week 8: 7-1 (.875)
• Week 9: 6-2 (.750)
• Week 10: 6-1 (.857)
• Week 11: 4-0 (1.00) 
• Overall: 78-16 (.829)

Sandite All-Stars: Your leaders in Defense

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It's been a tremendous season for the Sandites. While they're technically 5-4, on the field they're 7-2, not even including the Guthrie game that we were leading 18-7 when it was called off due to lightning. Two of our losses come from forfeitures (due to an ineligible player) that were actually wins of 61-8 and 33-7. So while the books say otherwise--we all know that realistically Sand Springs is 8-2, which (were it official) would make it our best record since 1997.

Not to mention we beat Booker T in total yardage of 232-217 and we're the only team to score first on them all season. We're also one of only two teams to lead them at any point all season. We also dealt Bixby their first shut out in seven years.

It's well known that Sand Springs has the best secondary in the state, but just how good are they? This season, our defense has 60 tackles for loss totaling 282 yards and 11 interceptions for 223 yards!

Our opponents only average 72 rushing yards and 113 passing yards per game for an average of 11 points!

So who are the incredible players that have made all this impossible?

The following stats include both forfeitures and the Guthrie game. Whether officially recognized or not, they did happen.

Total Tackles

Senior Cole Dixon leads the team with 70 tackles, followed closely by junior Delvin Jordan with 60, and senior Jacob Taber with 59.

Here's where the rest of the team sits:

• Jaxon Starling, 33
• Parker Taylor, 31
• Jason Cooper, 27
• Nathan Simonton, 25
• Cruz Desjarlais, 25
• Brett Freeman, 21
• Gage Fain, 20
• Treyce Tolbert, 18
• Malachi Walton, 11
• Dalton Morgan, 11
• Kris Edwards, 6
• Danny Ropp, 5
• Cody Motes, 3
• Josh Taber, 3
• Kameron Carpenter, 2
• Tyler Delozier, 2
• Hunter Willis, 1
• Jacob Fortune, 1
• Gino Lopez, 1
• Austin McNatt, 1
• Tyler Brown, 1
• Jerry Lyons, 1
• Jake Ward, 1
• Chase Burris, 1
• Miron Krotzer, 1
• Lydon Lundy, 1
• Jeffrey Whinery, 1
• Ben Norte, 1

Tackles For Loss/Sacks

Senior Jaxon Starling leads the team with 16 tackles-for-loss in 8 games totaling 97 yards. He had a season-high 5 TFLs against Enid for 18 yards, but drove back Bixby 41 yards with 4. 7 of those were sacks totaling 71 yards.

Other Sandites with tackles for loss are:

• Cole Dixon 13-49 (2-10 sacks)
• Delvin Jordan 10-45 (7-31)
• Jacob Taber 8-33 (1-1)
• Gage Fain 5-12 (1-5)
• Brett Freeman 2-15 (1-12)
• Kris Edwards 2-10 (2-10)
• Nathan Simonton 1-10 (1-10)
• Treyce Tolbert 1-6 (1-6)
• Cruz Desjarlais 1-3
• Dalton Morgan 1-2 (1-2)

Pass Defense

Jason Cooper leads the Sandite secondary on interceptions with 4 catches and 28 return yards, as well as 3 breakups. 

• Cole Dixon, 2 interceptions for 11 yards and 1 touchdown, as well as 2 breakups
• Treyce Tolbert, 2-42
• Tyler Delozier, 1-52, 1 BU
• Kameron Carpenter, 1-65
• Austin McNatt, 1-25 
• Cruz Desjarlais, 6 BU
• Paker Taylor, 5 BU
• Malachi Walton, 2 BU
• Brett Freeman, 1 BU
• Delvin Jordan, 1 BU

Fumbles

Delvin Jordan has been the most effective Sandite when it comes to fumbles, recovering 3 for 23 yards and 1 touchdown.

• Cole Dixon has 1 forced fumble, and 1 recovery for 1 yard
• Treyce Tolbert has 1 forced, and 1 recovery
• Jason Cooper has 1 forced
• Gage Fain has 1 recovery for 8 yards
• Brett Freeman has 1 recovery for 7 yards
• Nathan Simonton has 1 recovery for 5 yards
• Dalton Morgan has 1 recovery for 3 yards
• Parker Taylor has 1 recovery

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#3 Sand Springs (5-4, 5-2) will enter the playoffs for the fourth-consecutive season tonight at #8 Stillwater (5-5, 3-3) and is the favorite to win. 

Sandite All-Stars: Your leaders in Special Teams

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It's been a tremendous season for the Sandites. While they're technically 5-4, on the field they're 7-2, not even including the Guthrie game that we were leading 18-7 when it was called off due to lightning. Two of our losses come from forfeitures (due to an ineligible player) that were actually wins of 61-8 and 33-7. So while the books say otherwise--we all know that realistically Sand Springs is 8-2, which (were it official) would make it our best record since 1997.

Not to mention we beat Booker T in total yardage of 232-217 and we're the only team to score first on them all season. We're also one of only two teams to lead them at any point all season. We also dealt Bixby their first shut out in seven years.

So who are the incredible players that have made all this impossible?

The following stats include both forfeitures and the Guthrie game. Whether officially recognized or not, they did happen.

Kicking

Sand Springs has tried out three kickers at this spot but it seems like junior Kasey Bales is the one who stuck. Bales has kicked off 18 times this season, averaging 39.3 yards. He's had 1 touchback, 4 inside the 20, and 5 that were 50+. 

Senior Jacob Fortune has done the brunt of the kicking this season, but hasn't appeared in the last two games. He sits at 23 kicks for an average of 47.8. He's had 1 touchback, 8 inside the 20, and 14 that were 50+.

Cade Loomen hasn't been seen since week 4, but in that time kicked off 17 times for an average of 52.18 with 2 touchbacks, 2 inside the 20, and 14 that were 50+.

Punting

Bales is the primary Sandite punter this season, and has 23 punts for an average of 25 yards. His long is 57 against Bixby. He has 3 touchbacks, 4 in the 20, and 3 that were 50+

Fortune kicked one punt against Hale for 45 yards..

PATs and Field Goals

Bales leads the team in total PATS, connecting for 25 of 29. He's kicked the only two field goals of the season, one from 29 yards and one from 36 yards. He also nailed a season-best 38-yard goal against Booker T, but it was negated due to an illegal procedure. Sand Springs had only 10 men on the field. 

Loomen is a perfect 7-for-7 on PATs.

Kick Returns

Senior Trace Fleischman is the leader with 6 returns for 212 yards. He averages 35 and has longs of 57 against both Guthrie and Muskogee. 

Bales is close behind with 9 returns for 193 yards and a best of 31 against Bartlesville.

Punt Returns

Senior Parker Taylor leads on punt returns with 4 for 128 and a long of 62 against Hale for a touchdown. 

Sophomore Bryson Denton has 1 return against Hale for 40 yards and a touchdown. 

Bales has 1 return for 3 yards.

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#3 Sand Springs (5-4, 5-2) will enter the playoffs for the fourth-consecutive season tonight at #8 Stillwater (5-5, 3-3) and is the favorite to win. 

Sandite All-Stars: Your leaders in offense

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It's been a tremendous season for the Sandites. While they're technically 5-4, on the field they're 7-2, not even including the Guthrie game that we were leading 18-7 when it was called off due to lightning. Two of our losses come from forfeitures (due to an ineligible player) that were actually wins of 61-8 and 33-7. So while the books say otherwise--we all know that realistically Sand Springs is 8-2, which (were it official) would make it our best record since 1997.

Not to mention we beat Booker T in total yardage of 232-217 and we're the only team to score first on them all season. We're also one of only two teams to lead them at any point all season. We also dealt Bixby their first shut out in seven years.

So who are the incredible players that have made all this impossible?

The following stats include both forfeitures and the Guthrie game. Whether officially recognized or not, they did happen.

Passing

The leader in passing is first-year starting junior quarterback Hunter Greathouse who has completed 71 of 140 for 1271 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 9 yards per pass attempt and 18 per completion. His season long is 70 yards against Guthrie, but has connected for huge throws in every game he's been in, including 63-yarders against Booker T and Bixby, and a 60 against Claremore. His best game this season was against Sapulpa when he threw 10-18-0-204 for 3 touchdowns. He is currently third in 6A-II.

• Multi-purpose junior Kasey Bales also has a 37 yard pass against Enid and is 1 for 2 this season.
• Freshman QB Caden Pennington connected on 1 of 2 passes at Hale for 8 yards. 
• Senior holder Jacob Taber has had to throw a couple of passes this season due to bad snaps and is 1 of 2 for 5 yards.

Receiving

Senior Trace Fleischman is the go-to-guy on receptions with 26 catches for 593 yards and 4 touchdowns. His longest reception of the season was 70 yards against Guthrie. He is the #4 receiver in class 6A-II.

Kasey Bales is the only Sandite with both passing and receiving yards this season. He has 17 catches for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. His longest reception of the season was 63 yards against Bixby.

Sand Springs has several other talented receivers.

• Lane Lettich 10-165 and 2 touchdowns, long 44.
• Ty Fain 7-107 and 1 touchdown, long 37.
• Payton Scott 2-74 and 1 touchdown, long 59.
• Josh Taber 4-50 and 1 touchdown (on his first play of the season), long 27.
• Jake Ward 4-34, long 13.
• Dalton Honneycut 2-26, long 13.

Rushing

Senior Lane Lettich is the clear leader on the ground for Sand Springs. He currently has 172 carries for 813 yards, averaging 4.73. He has 13 touchdowns and a long of 29 yards against Muskogee. His best game of the season was against Sapulpa where he carried 23 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns, though he had three touchdowns against Hale as well as Claremore. Lettich is #7 in 6A-II at rushing.

Trailing Lettich is sophomore Payton Scott who will likely be the starting tailback next season. He sits at 93 carries for 705 yards and 7 touchdowns with a long of 45 against Ponca City. He averages 7.58 yards-per-carry and his season-best was a breakthrough 17-200 and 2 touchdowns against Ponca. Scott is #9 in 6A-II at rushing. 

Lawton is the only other team with two players in the top-10 for rushing yards. 

Other Sandites with rushing yards are

• Trace Fleischman 16-86, long 31.
• Ben Norte 14-79, long 36.
• Hunter Greathouse 50-25 and 2 touchdowns, long 23.
• Tony Chinchilla 2-21 and 1 touchdown, long 11.
• Kasey Bales 3-9, long 16.
• Jaxon Starling 1-1.

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#3 Sand Springs (5-4, 5-2) will enter the playoffs for the fourth-consecutive season tonight at #8 Stillwater (5-5, 3-3) and is the favorite to win. Sand Springs's offense averages 3.5 touchdowns per game.

Week 11 Rankings and Playoff Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The quarterfinals are upon us and with the top four teams all being from the same district, the predictions are all pretty easy. 

Bracket 1

#1 Booker T Washington (9-0, 7-0) District 1

#9 Choctaw (5-5, 2-4) District 2

Get ready for a swarm, because it's Hornets vs Yellowjackets and everybody's a loser in that situation. My hatred for flying pests aside, Booker T shouldn't find Choctaw to be anything more than a pesky gnat. Between Dakari Willis and Justice Hill, Booker T won't be a one-sting-wonder in this game. 

The pick: BTW 52, Choctaw 17.

Location: Booker T, Friday @ 7:00

#3 Charles Page (5-4, 5-2) District 1

#8 Stillwater (5-5, 3-3) District 2

The Pioneers might have a home field advantage, but considering Sand Springs hold numerous records in Pioneer Stadium, I don't think the Sandites are sweating it. Stillwater managed to complete only one pass in their last game against Eisenhower, and considering Sand Springs held Bixby to negative rushing yards in their last game, I'd say Stilly's in for a beat down. Keep your eyes on Cole Dixon in this game if you can keep up with him.

The pick: CPHS 27, Stillwater 3.

Location: Stillwater, Friday @ 7:00

Bracket 2

#4 Bixby (6-4, 4-3) District 1

#5 Lawton (8-1, 6-0) District 2

If there's a single game I'm unsure about, it's this one. Lawton has the better record and a third-straight undefeated district championship, but they still haven't taken on any tough competitors to weigh them against. Lawton's only opponent worth its salt is MacArthur, who beat them. Then again, Bixby's been falling further and further behind the team we thought they were going into the season. All the potential is still there, but they're not living up to it. If the Spartans manage to wake up in this game, they still have everything it takes to make another run at the title. But if I had to pick an upset, this would be it. 

The pick: Bixby 35, Lawton 28.

Location: Lawton, Saturday @ 2:00

#2 Bartlesville (9-1, 6-1) District 1

#6 Midwest City (6-3, 4-2) District 2

Theoretically, this should be a blow out. But the bombers are resilient and gave Sand Springs a lot of grief in the playoffs last year. Still, it should be Colton Penrod dropping bombs this weekend.

The pick: Bartlesville 42, MWC 35. 

Location: Bartlesville, Friday @ 7:30

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)
• Week 7: 8-0 (1.00)
• Week 8: 7-1 (.875)
• Week 9: 6-2 (.750)
• Week 10: 6-1 (.857)
• Overall: 74-16 (.822)

*All round one playoff games will be free to past and present service members in honor of Veterans Day. From the bottoms of our hearts, we thank you for your service.