Sand Springs takes down Sapulpa 20-14 in Highway 97 Rivalry alumni game

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Sand Springs Sandites have claimed the lead in the Highway 97 Rivalry Alumni series. The third annual alumni football game was held Saturday night at Charles Page High School Memorial Stadium in Sand Springs and the home team won it for the second year in a row.

Sandite quarterback Cody Hale returned to the turf for the first time since graduating in 2014. The Seminole State pitcher had a hard time connecting with his receivers, but managed a beautiful 21-yard touchdown pass to Cody Hilderbrandt to get Sand Springs on the board moments before the end of the first half.

The Hale-Hilderbrandt combo is a duo Sand Springs will remember for years to come as Hale holds the single-season passing touchdown record for Sand Springs and Hilderbrandt holds the single-season receiving touchdown record for Sand Springs.

Sapulpa was first to draw blood with an eighteen-yard touchdown pass by J.R. Romine. Romine had a huge impact on Sapulpa’s 2014 victory and was unable to participate in last year’s 35-0 shutout by the Sandites.

Sapulpa maintained their 7-0 lead right up until the final seconds of the first half when Hale found Hilderbrandt in the back corner of the endzone with 1.4 seconds remaining. A quick hand-off to Znick Ferrell for a two-point conversion gave Sand Springs the lead at half time.

It didn’t take long for the Sandites to find the end-zone again in the second half.

Sapulpa got the ball to start the half, but a tackle for loss by Travis Tanner pushed them back two yards, followed by a false start and an incomplete pass. At third and seventeen Tanner, Pedro Negron, and Austin Perry combined to sack Romine and force a punt.

Terrance Dixon, a three-year starter for Northeastern State University, picked up thirteen yards, Ferrell grabbed seventeen, and Hale sent a pass to Michael Brown to park the Sandite Offense at the five yard line. After two failed attempts, the Sandites finally scored on a hand-off to the Class of 2015’s Davey Thayer. A conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the Sandites led 14-7.

Sapulpa didn’t take long to retaliate with a 1-yard run from Jason Broom to tie things up, but Sand Springs reclaimed the lead with 17 seconds left as Ferrell punched in a 1-yard touchdown. A conversion pass attempt to Negron fell flat, but it wouldn’t matter.

On the first play of Sapulpa’s corresponding drive, Romine threw an interception into the waiting arms of Ryan Freeman with 4.5 seconds left to put the game away for the Sandites.

Click here to see the full gallery.

 

Sand Springs:
Davey Thayer (2015)
Lane Freeman (2011)
Znick Ferrell (2009)
Travis Millikin (2014)
Ryan Umbarger (2009)
Cody Hale (2014)
Terrance Dixon (2010)
Keith Hooks (1999)
Ben Riggs (2007)
Justin Caywood
Matt Bettinger (2009)
Nathan Spencer (2009)
Mitchell Brown (2003)
Ryan Freeman (2008)
Michael Brown
Marc Brown (1999)
Keyandre Rose
Austin Ryan (2007)
Pedro Negron (1999)
Shay Kelley (2008)
Kyron Hill (2006)
Rodney Zickefoose
Deandre Smith
Luke Davis (2007)
Austin Perry (2009)
Matt Tucker (2006)
Kenny Tucker
Heath Sutherland (1998)
Levi Wilson (2012)
Kyle Riggs (2008)
Danae Wilson (2007)
Bryan Benton
Travis Tanner (1994)
Cody Hilderbrandt (2013)
Nick Millikin (2011)
Gabe Chronister

Sapulpa:
Paul Littlebear (2011)
Darien Inks (2013)
Michael Cashon (2006)
Cory Mondier (2014)
Tommy Murray (2012)
JR Romine (1998)
Caleb Meacham (2002)
Rob Gowdy (2012)
Lance Simmers (2011)
Jason Broom (1998)
Travis Munger (2011)
Josh Littlebear (2012)
Josh Hardee (2005)
Corbin Steeples (2013)
Sean Proctor (2005)
Julian Roland (2014)
Kiah Smith (1998)
John Tinsley (1999)
Brandon Hardee (2013)
Randall Hardee (2004)
Keiron Peacock (1988)
Zac Williams (1999)
Mike Taylor (2002)
Mark Wheaton (1999)
Chris Playford (1998)
Cliff Owens (2005)
Yancey Phillips (2007)
Casey Smith (2002) 
JT Rains (2014)
Trevor Toliver (2011)
John Blackburn (1998)

Jaxon Starling commits to SNU

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Jaxon Starling became the fifteenth member of the Charles Page High School Class of 2016 to sign a collegiate letter of intent.

The former Sandite linebacker will play defensive end for the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm.

Starling was fourth among his team in overall tackles this past season, but led the team in tackles for loss. He racked up 55 total tackles with 23 for loss of 136 yards. 9 of those were sacks totaling a team-high 83 yards. He also forced a fumble in the playoff win over Booker T Washington.

Starling is the fifth member of the football team to commit to collegiate team. Jacob Taber will be playing for Fort Hayes State University. Cole Dixon is signed with Northeastern State University. Parker Taylor and Lane Lettich are both headed to Southwestern College.

SNU is a NCAA Division II team that competes in the Great American Conference. Last season the Crimson Storm won only one game in a 33-32 overtime thriller against Oklahoma Baptist University, but the school has high hopes for the 2016 season after hiring Andy Lambert as the new Head Coach.

The SNU program is young. This upcoming season will be only the seventeenth year of SNU football, and Lambert is only the fourth head coach to take the reigns. He previously spent twelve years at Sterling College in Kansas and amassed a 72-52 record. He was thrice named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Previously he was at Trinity International University. Both previous programs were last in their conference the year before Lambert arrived.

Starling will be the first Sandite to play for the Crimson Storm since Shave Devers played Wide Receiver in 2011.

Pennington and Junior Mints dominate in Powder Puff Football

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School put on its annual Powder Puff football game Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, and the Class of 2017 handled both the Sophomores and Seniors easily, defeating the Sophomores 14-0 and the Seniors 35-7. The event is an annual fundraiser for Senior Celebration.

The Junior Mints, as they dubbed themselves, dominated both offensively and defensively from the very start, racking up five straight tackles for loss on the first Sophomore possession. A series of incompletions by Junior quarterback Sydney Pennington gave the Sophomores the turnover however, and the younger team picked up their first first down on a rush by Stacie Genn. Pennington is an Oklahoma State University softball-commit and the leading scorer on the basketball team with over 1,100 points.

The Sophomores quickly gave up the gain, however, and were pushed back to fourth and thirty. The Juniors got the turnover soon after at the Sophomores' 11 and Pennington went the distance for a touchdown rush with only 3:14 left in the game, then scored on another keeper with 0:45 left to put the game in the bag.

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The Juniors struck quick against the Seniors in game two as Pennington completed a 75 yard touchdown pass early in the first half. The Seniors failed to convert on their first possession and Pennington was at it again, driving sixty yards in two passes. Mid-American Christian University softball-signee Stella Millican put up a big tackle to prevent a touchdown with 8:45 to go, but it didn't slow the Juniors down for long. Julia Lewis hauled in a pass from the thirteen to make it 14-0.  

The Seniors began to put together a successful drive, picking up an eight yard rush on the next posession then grabbed the first down plus ten. Keely Brock moved it another eight and the Seniors took a timeout with 4:37 to play. Tiawna Baker picked up the first down to keep the drive alive. Southwestern Oklahoma State University softball-signee Goose Salyers added a rush for five but they gave it right back up on a fumble. Pennington knocked down a pitch on the next play and the Seniors burned another timeout with 3:41 to play. 

Lewis picked off the fourth down pass before being brought down by Brock. Brock grabbed a 7 yard tackle for loss as the Seniors transitioned to defense. Salyers went head to head with Pennington to prevent a touchdown run with 2:10 to play and the Seniors used their final timeout.

Millican prevented a touchdown on the 1 yard line and the Juniors lost a yard on a fumble, but it didn't slow them down. A two yard pass from Pennington to Lewis with 0:50 left seemed to wrap up the half, but the Juniors weren't done yet. The Seniors gave up a quick turnover in the final minute and Pennington completed another 75 yard pass to Jessica Collins for the 28-0 advantage. 

Northeastern State University softball-signee Jessica Schuler finally got the seniors on the board with a 35 yard touchdown pass with 8:38 remaining. The game dragged on from there with no big plays, but the Juniors added one more touchdown to ice the cake with 12 seconds left.  

Sandite Pride will be donating 100% of profit from the Powder Puff photo gallery to Senior Celebration. Please help support this incredible drug and alcohol-free graduation after-party by ordering prints, digitals, mugs, shirts, and more at www.sanditepride.smugmug.com 

Sandite of the Week: Delvin Jordan, Jr.

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride would like to recognize Charles Page High School junior Delvin Jordan as Sandite of the Week for his outstanding upset win at the OSSAA 6A East Regional Championship. 

Jordan was one of seven Sandite wrestlers to claim the title of Regional Champion this weekend as the team placed first overall at Tiger Field House in Broken Arrow, and qualified ten wrestlers for State.

Jordan pinned his first three opponents en rout to the finals. First to fall was Jackson McNeil (Mustang) in 1:17, followed by Brennon Melvin (Enid) in 1:35, and #10 Sam Wilson (Jenks) in 2:35.

The final round pitted him against Nic Roller of Bixby. Roller was last year's State Runner-Up and hadn't been beaten since. Undefeated 19-0 for the season, Roller had already beaten Jordan 7-3 at the Yukon Tournament in January and was the heavily favored candidate for State Champion this year. This time Jordan came out on top with a 6-3 decision that was nearly a first period pin that ended in nearfall points after time ran out.

Roller and Jordan have also stood in each others' way on the gridiron as well. Roller was the star runningback for the Spartans in their State Championship run this fall. Jordan was one of the leading linebackers for the Sandites. Jordan sacked Roller multiple times in the Sandites' regular season 20-0 shutout of the Spartans, but three weeks later Bixby caught up with Sand Springs in the State Championship game and avenged themselves 38-28 to retain their State Title. 

Sand Springs and Bixby have developed quite the rivalry in recent years as Bixby has knocked the Sandites out of the playoffs in back to back years, but Sand Springs dealt the Spartans their first shutout in over a decade. With Roller as the heart of the Spartan offense, it will be particularly sweet to see Jordan potentially get some payback for December's heart-breaker.

Jordan has an 18-5 record this season and this marks his second time qualifying for State. In the brackets released Sunday, Jordan has been pitted against Markeylo Cavers of Midwest City in the quarter finals. Cavers has a 31-11 record this year, but the two have not met before this season. If Jordan wins that round he will go up against either Seth Mischler (Union) or Mason Lancaster (Putnam City). He hasn't met Lancaster yet, but he has defeated Mischler 4-2 at Dual State where the Sandites were Runners-Up. Roller is on the opposite side of the bracket from Jordan, so the two could get a rematch in the finals.

Jordan tied with Jacob Taber at 87 for second-most tackles this season, and has the edge in unassisted tackles. He has 15 for losses of 64 yards and 8 sacks for 36 yards. He also has one pass-breakup, two blocked kicks, four fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown, and is the only player on the team with a safety.

Jordan is the son of Portia Pouncil and Delvin Jordan, Sr. who was the starting quarterback for the Sandites from 1993-1994 under head coach L.D. Baines. 

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.

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.