Sandite of the Week: Trace Fleischman

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride would like to recognize CPHS Senior Trace Fleischman (6-2) as Sandite of the Week, with notable mention to Beau Bratcher, Daton Fix, and the entirety of the varsity wrestling team.

Friday saw the Sandites' first trip to Dual State since 2012, and they were headed there with the No.1 ranking in the state after going 11-0 in regular season duals and defeating 5A No.1 Collinsville and previous 6A No.1 Broken Arrow.

In the quarterfinals the Sandites narrowly fended off an upset by No.7 Westmoore 28-25, then dominated No.4 Union 48-6 to earn their first ever Dual State Championship finals appearance against No.3 Choctaw who had just upset No.2 Broken Arrow in their semifinals match. Unfortunately fate would give Choctaw the 41-18 upset and the previously undefeated Sandites would settle for State Runners-Up.

Trace Fleischman was a critical component in all three duals, and was one of only two Sandites who would wrestle all three duals undefeated.

Fleischman made his first appearance since January 9th when he was injured in the Geary Invitational and was pitted against Westmoore's #9 Deven Brewer whom he defeated 6-2 at 170 pounds. Next he majored Union's Elijah Tomlin 15-5 and finished out the finals with a 6-4 decision over Choctaw's #9 Kalob Blackwell.

Beau Bratcher also went undefeated in the tournament with three decisions, and Daton Fix was undefeated but received forfeits at the last two duals and only got to wrestle against Westmoore. Cody Mathis was undefeated but only wrestled against Union. Payton Scott won both of his matches but the team forfeited his weight against Choctaw as it was too late to make a comeback and they didn't want to risk injuring him. 

Fleischman was also a crucial member of the State Runner-Up football team this fall. He was the starting wide receiver with 35 receptions for 754 yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging 22 yards per reception. He also carried 21 times for 111 yards on the ground and 1 touchdown. He led in kickoff returns with 18 for 447 yards, an average of 25 per. Very few players are allowed to play both sides of the ball under Coach Kinard, but Fleischman is one of the few exceptions and began playing defense in the 10th game of the season and delivered a total of 10 tackles over his four games in the secondary. 

Fleischman is 16-4 over the last two season of wrestling and last year he was the 6A East Regional Champion and placed 3rd at the State Championship. 

Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. Bylaws prevent the giving of the award to anyone for two consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of a three-person staff committee. 

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.

Eleven Sandites have signed college letters of intent

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

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

Jacob Taber Senior year stats

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

Cole Dixon Senior year stats

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

Lane Lettich Senior Year Receiving Stats

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

Lane Lettich Senior Year Rushing Stats

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

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

Parker Taylor Senior Year Defensive Stats

Parker Taylor Senior Year Defensive Stats

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

Parker Taylor Senior Year Punt Return Stats

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

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

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

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

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

Final Season-Stats for Sandites

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Austin Evans, Sandite Pride Correspondent

The greatest year for Sandite football in nearly half a century came to a close last Friday with a 38-28 loss in the State Championship. Here's the stats for one of the best teams this town has ever fielded.

Passing

Receiving

Rushing

Kicking

Return

Defense


Sandite of the Week: Jacob Taber

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Austin Evans, Correspondent

Senior line backer and defensive captain Jacob Taber earned himself the title of Sandite of the Week with yet another stellar performance. At the 6A-II State Championship game against Bixby, Taber had 11 tackles and arguable the greatest play of the season. 

The Sandites found themselves down 16-7 to the defending state champions going into the half and needed a big play to get things rolling. The Spartans had the ball to start the half. On 3rd and 11 at their 36, Spartan QB Tanner Griffin tried to throw a screen but found Taber's waiting arms for his first interception of the season. 

The interception was one thing, but Taber didn't stop there. Quick on his feet, Taber returned it 11 yards to the 20, and realizing he was about to get tackled, pitched it to Cruz Desjarlais who took it the rest of the way for a touchdown, evening things up to 16-14.

The Sandites would briefly pull ahead to 21-16 on their next drive, but ultimately Bixby would rally to a 38-28 win for their second state title.

Highlights for LB Jacob Taber from the 2015 Oklahoma 6A-II Championship game against Bixby

Sandites vs Spartans: Photo Gallery

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By: Austin Evans, Sandite Pride Correspondent

Charles Page dream season falls flat with loss to Spartans

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Austin Evans

Football is more than just a sport in a small town like Sand Springs. It's an opportunity for a community to come together, forget the hardships of their week, and find common ground and unity.

Football is a way of life that continues well beyond the gridiron.

It's strange to think that I could be so enthralled by a sporting event, less than 24 hours after I sat in a room filled with grieving family saying goodbye to a loved one. But, that's what football does. It brings out the best in people--and yes, sometimes the worst. But it's an escape.

When those Friday night lights illuminate the turf, the cold crisp air whips across your face, and you and your friends huddle together for warmth, focused intently on the next play...the rest of the world fades away. You're in a moment that the movies will never manage to live up to. It's not just about the players, it's about the town.

It takes a village to raise a child, and during those games, the whole team are our children. We have their backs, we have no problem giving the refs a piece of our mind if we feel our kids were wronged. We're one community. One family.

It also helps when you're winning. 

Charles Page has been to the playoffs four years in a row now. We've won games the last two years. This time we made it to the Championship.

Once upon a time, Sand Springs went 12-0 and defeated El Reno 14-7 for a 2A state title at the Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City. That was nearly half a century ago. Since then, the Sandites have had more losing seasons than winning seasons, and have only made the playoffs 15 of those 49 years. 

The program never really turned south until 1998. That season we posted a 5-5 record, ending 3-straight seasons of playoff appearances and winning records. 

From 1999-2006, we went 21-59, and we didn't see a winning season till 2008, during Dustin Kinard's second year at head coach. That year we got our first playoff appearance since 1997. It wouldn't be a trend-setter, however.

When I was in school we went 8-22.

I remember being at the University of Oklahoma and hearing about how we were winning games back home and I couldn't believe it. Sandites didn't win games.

One night I decided to make the long trip back to Tulsa to catch a game against Booker T, and we won 21-7 at their stadium. That season finally brought a change to Sandite football. Despite being killed 35-6 in the first round of the playoffs--we had posted an 8-2 regular season record.

As we saw in 2008, however, some seasons can be isolated incidents. 

The next season wasn't quite as hot; we only went 6-4 before losing to Westmoore in the playoffs. 

In 2014, however, it became clear that this wasn't just a couple of decent seasons. It was a legitimate turnaround for a school that most teams in the state laughed at. That season saw a 63-6 rout of Nathan Hale, two shutouts, and the first post-season win since 1997.

It was 20 degrees in Midwest City, but I have never been so happy as when that overtime 2-pt conversion attempt failed, and a 1 point victory was sending Sand Springs into uncharted waters.

The Charles Page Class of 2016 is the only team in the history of Sand Springs athletics to make it to the playoffs all four years.

The season started rough: two forfeitures, one cancelled game, and a defeat at the district opener mean the Sandites were 0-3 and were in a district with the top 3 teams in the division. Making the playoffs would be far from easy.

Sand Springs took it one step at a time. A 27-7 homecoming win over Claremore. A 44-10 rout of Highway 97 rival, Sapulpa. A 44-21 win over Ponca City and a 34-10 win against Muskogee. In week 9, the Sandites went up against the #1 team in the state. A team that had just slaughtered the defending state champions 52-7, and came within a field goal. 

In week 10 Sand Springs dealt the Spartans their first shutout in 7 years, 20-0 on senior night. At Stillwater, Sand Springs won their quarter-final game for the second year in a row, 49-14, then upset #1 Booker T Washington 30-23 at Sapulpa. The Hornets learned there that it's hard to beat a good team twice.

This time it was the Sandites who had to learn that lesson. 

The Class of 2016 can't focus on their 38-28 loss to the Bixby Spartans. A lot of people have been talking about how these Sandites are making history. I disagree.

The Class of '67 made history. That season is shrouded in legend. The Sandites didn't make the playoffs for another decade after that. 

The Class of '16 isn't making history.

They're building a future. 

What Charles Page seniors like Lane Lettich and Jacob Taber have done doesn't belong in the history books. It belongs in the forefront of every student's mind in the coming years. What these boys did isn't just what's possible. It's what's going to continue happening. Their torch may have been dampened tonight, but it was far from extinguished. And tonight they passed it off to the next generation.

As cool as it is to make history, it's far greater to build a future. That's what the resilience and perseverance of these great athletes has done. They showed their underclassmen that it's not your ranking or your record that matters, it's your heart. "We had a lot of heart," said junior QB Hunter Greathouse after the loss. "We put a lot into it all year...and we'll get them next season."

The Class of 2016 may have been disappointed tonight. Hell, we all were. But their great sportsmanship has paved the way and set the example for their young peers. 

These boys will go on about their lives. Some may play college ball. Most won't. They'll probably end up in the history books, and one day they may be giving a pep talk to a future team like the Class of 66 did for them earlier this week. But they accomplished a lot more tonight than they'll ever know. They proved that it doesn't matter where you came from, it matters what you're made of.