4X Sandite of the Week: Daton Fix wins Bronze at World Championship

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Daton Fix still has a year left of high school, and he's already got more on his resume than most athletes ever will. The eighteen-year-old Charles Page High School senior has wrestled in eight countries and most recently claimed Bronze at the Junior World Championships in Macon, France. 

Fix is a three-time undefeated Oklahoma State Champion with a 118-0 high school record, but his dreams lay well beyond the confines of this state. Since winning State his junior year, he's also won the United World of Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Championship. He then competed with Team USA in the Beat The Streets: United In The Square exhibition match against Team Iran in Times Square, New York City. From there he won All-American status for the umpteenth time by going undefeated with Team Oklahoma at the Junior Dual Nationals. In July he competed in his first senior level event at the Spanish Grand Prix and lost by a single point to 2014 Youth Olympic Gold Medalist Mukhambet Kuatbek of Kazakhstan. 

At the Junior World Championships in France, he went 3-1 to win Bronze through repechage. In the opening round, he was dealt a 9-6 loss to eventual World Champion Khasankhusein Badrudinov of Russia. In repechage he scored back-to-back tech falls over Darthe Capellan of Canada and Mikyay Salim Naim of Bulgaria to earn his way into the placement match. There he defeated two-time Cadet World Champion Andriy Yatsenko of Ukraine 10-3 to earn his second World Championship Bronze Medal. 

Fix is currently 58-2 for 2016 and is undefeated in the U.S. The following is his national and international-level competition history. 

2011 ASICS/USAW Kids Freestyle Schoolboy National Champion
2011 ASICS/USAW Kids Greco Schoolboy National Champion
2012 ASICS/USAW Kids Folkstyle National Runner-Up
2012 ASICS/USAW Kids Freestyle Schoolboy National Champion
2012 ASICS/USAW Kids Greco Schoolboy National Champion
2012 Cliff Keen USAW Preseason National Middle School Champion
2013 FILA Cadet Nationals Freestyle Runner-Up
2013 USAW Cadet Greco National Champion
2013 USAW Cadet Freestyle National Champion
2014 Cliff Keen USAW Cadet Folkstyle National Champion
2014 Cadet Freestyle Pan-American Champion (Brazil)
2014 Cadet Greco-Roman Pan-American Champion (Brazil)
2014 ASICS/FILA Cadet Freestyle National Champion
2014 USAW Junior Freestyle Duals National Championship team-member
2014 Youth Olympic Games Freestyle Silver Medalist (Nanjing, China)
2015 Junior Folkstyle FloNationals Champion
2015 UWW Junior Freestyle National Champion
2015 UWW Cadet Freestyle National Champion
2015 Junior Freestyle Duals National Championship team-member
2015 USAW Junior Freestyle National Champion
2015 Cadet World Championship Bronze Medalist (Sarajevo, Bosnia)
2016 UWW Junior Freestyle National Champion
2016 Junior World Championship Bronze Medalist (Macone, France)

Other notable Sandite achievements this week include:

Junior running back Payton Scott ran the best game of his career Friday in a 45-41 loss at Choctaw. He picked up 239 yards on 39 carries for two touchdowns, including his fifteenth career touchdown. 

Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse had his best passing game of his career, throwing 14-29-215-1 with 1 touchdown, putting him over 2000 career yards. 

Senior linebacker Delvin Jordan surpassed 250 total career tackles and 35 tackles for loss.

Senior Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington hit four home runs in three games and was six of eight from the plate. She also picked up a win from the mound against Ponca City.

Sophomore Aden Baughman, who qualified for State last year, placed sixth in the Broken Arrow 5K with a PR time of 17:01.40, shaving 05:12 off his previous best.

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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. The award is not given to anyone in 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 the Sandite Pride Editorial Board.

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

New 6A-II rankings and predictions; a look at this weekend's games

Photo: MORGAN MILLER

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

No. 1 Bixby Spartans (Last week No. 1) vs No. 8 Putnam City Pirates (7)

The back-to-back defending State Champions (0-2) haven't won a game yet, but only due to their strength of schedule. The Spartans gave 6A-I No. 1 Jenks (3-0) a closer run for their money than 6A-I No. 2 Union (2-1), leading 34-31 with forty seconds left before giving up a touchdown. In week two they traveled to Arkansas to take on Class 7A State Semi-finalist Bentonville (1-1) and lost 44-34. QB Tanner Griffin is 50-82-549-2 with 7 touchdowns.

The Spartans play their home-opener Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Putnam City (2-0).

Putnam makes the drop from 6A-I after a 5-6 season with a 58-28 playoff loss to Union. The Pirates won their in-town rivalry game against 6A-I Putnam North (0-2) 16-7 and trounced 5A El Reno (0-2) 24-6. 

The Pick: Bixby 53-12

No. 2 Booker T Washington Hornets (3) vs Shawnee

The Hornets are 1-2 after starting with the toughest pre-conference schedule in the class. In week one they lost to 6A-I No. 3 Edmond Santa Fe (3-0) by a close 26-23, then followed it up with a 21-14 win over No. 5 Midwest City (0-2). This weekend they traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana to take on the number two team in the nation. Florida's IMG Academy (3-0) features 29 NCAA Division One committed players and had little difficulty in shutting down the Hornets 49-7 in the Battle of the Border high school showcase. 

Booker T travels to 5A Shawnee (1-1) Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The Pick: Booker T 36-13

No. 3 Muskogee Roughers (4) vs Bentonville

Former 5A State Championship-winning coach from Guthrie, Rafe Watkins, has spent the last season rebuilding Muskogee's program, and it looks like the move has paid off. The Roughers are 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2007 and did so against solid teams. They defeated Midwest City 16-12 in week one and McAlester 51-13 in week two. 

This week they'll travel to Bentonville for a 7:00 p.m. game.

The Pick: Bentonville 41-18

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (5) vs Del City

Midwest City is two in the hole, but both losses were to top-five teams, and both were by a touchdown or less. 16-12 to Muskogee and 21-14 to Booker T. The Bombers will take on 5A No. 6 Del City (2-0) on the road Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The Pick: Midwest City 33-15

No. 5 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9) vs Putnam North

Choctaw (2-0) has relied entirely on its offense this season, winning its first two games by an average score of 49-42. In week one they were the leading team in a 52-42 shootout with Sapulpa, and in week two they scored a major 45-41 upset over the Sandites, coming from behind with a minute left. The pass-heavy offense will help Choctaw to prevail against many teams in 6A-II, but they'll need to develop their defense before the playoffs if they want to take down Bixby or Booker T. 

The Pick: Choctaw 55-33

No. 6 Sand Springs Sandites (2) vs No. 11 Putnam West Patriots (14)

The Charles Page High School football team (0-2) bit off more than they could chew in week one with a 56-21 loss to Arkansas 5A back-to-back State Champions Pulaski Academy (1-1). Last week they led a shootout with No. 9 Choctaw for the entire game before giving up a last minute touchdown for a 45-41 loss. Sr. QB Hunter Greathouse holds a 27-55-389-2 passing record with 2 touchdowns, and Jr. RB Payton Scott has 57 carries for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Sandites are reloading on defense behind Sr. Delvin Jordan, but retain a powerful O-line lead by Nathan Simonton, Danny Ropp, Michael Carper, and Lincoln Adams. 

The Sandites look to get in the win column with their home-opener Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Putnam City West (2-0).

The Patriots are looking to compete this year after going 4-6 last season for their best record in over a decade. They got off to a great start with a 43-14 win over 5A Duncan (1-2), then defeated in-town rivals from 6A-I Putnam North (0-2) 16-5 in week two. 

The Pick: Sand Springs 46-19

No. 7 Lawton Wolverines (8) vs Lawton Eisenhower

The Wolverines (0-2) are off to a rough start, dropping a 56-41 shootout to No. 3 Carl Albert (2-0) and a 35-28 loss to in-town rivals 5A No. 1 Lawton MacArthur (2-0). They still have strength of schedule in their favor, and are likely to get in the win column against 5A rivals Lawton Ike (0-2).

The Pick: Lawton 37-10

No. 9 Bartlesville Bruins (6) 

The Bruins (1-2) lost a lot of talent in their starting QB, lead RB, and most of their starting defense and is unlikely to pose the threat they did last year. They won their season opener 27-24 over 5A McAlester, but dropped a 59-14 beatdown to 6A-I No. 9 Owasso (1-2) and 27-7 to 4A No. 4 Cascia Hall (2-0). Bartlesville has a bye week this week and will return to action September 23rd against Muskogee.

No. 10 Enid Plainsmen (12) vs Bishop McGuinness

The Plainsmen (2-0) are recovering from a 3-7 season with a pair of wins, 22-19 over 5A No. 10 Guthrie (1-2) and 42-31 over Ponca City (1-2). This week they'll have their toughest opponent yet in 5A No. 7 Bishop McGuinness (1-1). 

The Pick: Enid 20-19

No. 12 Deer Creek Antlers (11) vs Edmond Memorial

Edmond Deer Creek (0-2) went 8-4 last season in 5A before stepping up a division. They lost their season opener 52-13 to No. 6 Southmoore (1-1), then lost the first game of Edlam 47-31 to No. 3 Edmond Santa Fe (3-0). Despite being winless, they have scheduling strength in their favor. This week they'll finish out their in-town rivalry series against Edmond Memorial (2-1) Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The Pick: Deer Creek 24-19

No. 13 Stillwater Pioneers (10) vs Mustang

Stillwater (1-1) slated nothing but 6A-I teams for their pre-conference schedule and fared well against Edmond Memorial (2-1) for a 24-7 win in week one, but fell 16-7 to No. 10 Moore (1-1) last week. This week they'll have an even tougher opponent in No. 7 Mustang (2-0). Mustang will have the home field advantage this Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The Pick: Mustang 39-19

No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (13) vs Bishop Kelley

Sapulpa (0-2) looks to new leadership in the former Sand Springs defensive coordinator Robert Borgstadt. Borgstadt is in his first year at the head coaching position, and the Chieftains are already competing. They lost their season opener 24-21 to 5A Duncan (1-2) and got in a shootout with Choctaw (2-0) but fell 52-42. The fast-paced offense benefits from double-threat QB Cameron Elder with a 49-72-522-3 passing record and 3 touchdowns in addition to his 33 carries for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. 

The Chieftains will play a home game Friday at 7:00 p.m. against 5A No.8 Bishop Kelley (1-1).

The Pick: Bishop Kelley 

Ponca City Wildcats (15)

The Wilcats (1-2) employ a solid QB in Brice McDougal who's 58-104-729-3 for 5 touchdowns already this season, but are hurting in the run game. Both of their first two opponents hung 42 points on them. Edmond Memorial (2-1) won 42-6 and Enid (2-0) won 42-31, but the Wildcats did manage a 9-0 win against 5A No. 10 Guthrie (1-2). The Wildcats got an early start on the season and will take a bye this week.

Editorial: How the 6A split saved 6A football

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Oklahoma high school football experienced a dramatic and controversial change in the fall of 2013 when the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) announced a split in Class 6A. The 16 highest-enrollment schools would be separated from the lower 16 and each division would play for their own State Title.

The reason for the decision was simple. Population. The current enrollment of Broken Arrow High School is 4,872. The enrollment of Booker T Washington? 1,317. The difference between the top of 6A and the bottom of 6A is greater than the top of 5A and the smallest schools in the State. Schools like BA, Union, Jenks, and Owasso have four times the talent pool to draw from. While the majority of the Hornet starters play both sides of the ball and never get a break, the Redskins have a roster larger than some colleges and have backups for their backups.

Class 6A was created in 1992 and the inaugural Championship was won by Norman. Jenks won it in ’93, Midwest City went back-to-back from ’94-95, and nobody but Jenks or Union has won it since. More often than not, the State Championship game has simply been a rematch between the Backyard Bowl rivals. Since the inception of 6A, Jenks leads the series with 14 titles to Union’s 7, and only 2 other teams have ever won.

Clearly population isn’t the only deciding factor, otherwise Broken Arrow would have won it every year. But there’s no denying the significance it plays. 6A teams were judged by their ability to turn a winning record, not by their ability to win State Titles. That was irrelevant. Nobody won State Titles but Jenks and Union.

In the 22 seasons that Sand Springs played the 6A division, they earned a total record of 98-131 and only managed 7 winning seasons with 7 playoff appearances. In five of those years they were eliminated by top-four-enrollment schools. The other years it was by top-ten schools. Since the 6A split, the Sandites have gone 15-11, made the playoffs both years, and actually won playoff games for the first time since 1997. In 2015, the Sandites made their first State Final appearance since 1966.

While the problems with the 6A split were clear—increased travel, “easier” brackets—the solution has proved to be a game-changer for the 16 schools who now feel like they actually have a legitimate chance. The culture around Sand Springs football has changed, and it’s not an isolated event.

The Class 6A-II conversation begins with two-time reigning State Champions, the Bixby Spartans. Bixby was an annual contender in Class 5A without fail. They weren’t part of the inaugural class of 6A. They didn’t move over until 2010. Prior to that, they had six-straight winning seasons with ten-straight playoff appearances. In their first year of 6A they finished the regular season 5-5, their worst record since 2003, and were eliminated in round one by Jenks. For the next two years they posted losing records and didn’t make the playoffs again till the 6A split. In a single year, the 6A powerhouses had killed the football culture at Bixby. They were lucky that they only had to live through it for four years before the split. In 2014, the Spartans were once again playing teams at their size, and they went 12-1 for their first ever State Title. Their only loss? A season-opening non-conference game against Jenks. Jenks won that one 66-20. The Spartans defended their title in 2015 and are currently ranked number one in 2016. After two straight winning seasons and State Titles, the Spartans challenged Jenks in their season opener and nearly won it, 38-34.

Booker T Washington has always had a culture of winning, with eight State Championships including two recently in 2008 and 2010 at the 5A level. The Hornets only had to play two seasons of 6A football, both ending in first round devastating playoff defeats at the hands of the Big Four. As soon as 6A split, they were back in it with a 7-game winning streak and a 10-2 season in 2014. Last year they went undefeated in the regular season and earned the number one rank before Sand Springs defeated them in the semi-finals. This year the Hornets are laying the foundation to take their program to the next level with College Hall of Fame member Brad Calip taking over as Head Coach and former University of Tulsa Head Coach Bill Blankenship volunteering with the quarterbacks and offensive coaching. The Hornets have stepped up their pre-conference scheduling with 6A No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe and Florida-based private school IMG Academy which is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation with an entire roster of division-I commits.

Bartlesville was part of the first class of 6A, and went 0-10 in the first two years. They didn’t post a winning record till 2002, when they were doubled down on by Union 54-27 in the first round of the playoffs. Their next winning record wouldn’t come till 2008, and that was only due to a forfeiture by Jenks due to OSSAA sanctions. In 2009 they gave it a real run and even defeated Owasso, but still couldn’t fend off Jenks, BA, and Southmoore. In 2010 they had another winning record at 7-4. Their losses were to the Big Four. Since the 6A split they’ve made the playoffs both years and finished last season with only two losses. They held the No. 1 rank briefly after defeating Bixby, before falling to BTW two weeks later.

The success stories continue from there. The evidence is undeniable, the 6A split has saved 6A football. While critics of the sixteen-team bracket call it a JV division, the reality is that the top teams in 6A-II never could compete with the Big Four when they were in 6A, but now they could. Bixby nearly defeated 6A No. 1 Jenks in a pre-conference battle. BTW almost defeated 6A No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe. Sand Springs has begun scheduling real opponents like Arkansas State Champion Pulaski Academy, instead of their past habit of lighting up Nathan Hale, who has lost 37-straight games. Muskogee has brought in 5A State Championship coach Rafe Watkins from Guthrie and is now a real contender for the first time in years. Putnam City West is confidently rebuilding their program after a decade of losing seasons. Sapulpa brought on former Sand Springs Defensive Coordinator Robert Borgstadt as head coach to rebuild their ailing program.

Success breeds success. Is the 16-team bracket the best way to go? Who knows? Maybe one day there will be a full 32 schools the size of BA and we can re-institute the 32-team standard. Maybe we should split all the other classes into 16-team divisions as well. Or maybe we should call Bixby and Jenks Division Champions instead of State Champions and have them play each other for the true 6A State Championship. There’s many things we could try; some could work, and some won’t. But the fact is, 6A football is more competitive than it has ever been, and almost every school in the Class is now vying to be the next big deal. The Big Four monopoly hasn’t been broken, but at least 16 teams now feel like they have a real shot.

Choctaw stuns Sandites in come-from-behind 45-41 shootout

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

The No. 2 Charles Page High School Varsity Football team (0-2) came into their non-district contest with the No. 9 Choctaw Yellowjackets (2-0) looking to get things going offensively after only managing to score 21 points in their season opening loss to Pulaski Academy. They succeeded, scoring 41 points in the game but it would not be enough as the team fell 45-41 to the Yellowjackets. 

The contest was a back and forth battle all game, with the Sandites threatening to pull away multiple times, but the Jackets kept clawing their way back into it.  

The teams traded possessions until near the end of the first period when Payton Scott, who was the game's workhorse for the visitors, capped an 8 play, 66 yard drive with a 6 yard touchdown run. Kasey Bales tacked on the extra point and the Sandites lead 7-0. On the ensuing Choctaw possession Senior quarterback Dylan Weaver threw a pass into the waiting arms of defensive back Cody Motes who scampered 36 yards up the sideline for the pick 6 and the lead was 14-0. 

Choctaw got on the board with a touchdown pass from Weaver, and the Sandites answered on the first play of the second quarter on a touchdown pass from Dalton Morgan to Bales.  

Another touchdown toss from Weaver, and a rushing touchdown by running back JD Kolb tied the game at 21. Second-year quarterback Hunter Greathouse scored on a quarterback sneak with 0:33 left in the first half but Bales's PAT was blocked. On the last play of the first half, Jacket kicker Liam Jones made a 32 yard field goal and the game went to intermission with the home team trailing 27-24.  

Scott found pay dirt again in the third, this time from 23 yards out to extend the Page lead to 10 points, but Kolb cut it back to 3 quickly with a run of his own. The Sandite offense faced a fourth and 15 deep in Choctaw territory, and elected to go for the conversion. It proved to be a smart decision as Greathouse connected with Caleb Wash for a 25 yard touchdown and increased the lead to 41-31. Kolb ran 21 yards for his fourth touchdown of the game just 30 seconds later and put the pressure back on Sand Springs. 

Choctaw snagged an interception on the ensuing Sandite drive, but Jerry Lyons forced a fumble and got the Sandites the ball back in Yellowjacket territory with under four minutes remaining.  

With 1:16 remaining Choctaw stuffed a fourth down run by Scott to give their offense one more attempt at scoring, and they made the most of it. On fourth and 5, Weaver completed a pass to Kolb who broke a tackle short of the first down marker, and turned on the jets up the sideline for a 78 yard touchdown, his fifth of the game.  

Down four points with just 0:49 seconds left, Greathouse lead the offense back on the field. With 0:10 left he completed a pass to Wash for 45 yards down to the Choctaw 13-yard-line. Greathouse attempted two throws to the end zone, the first broken up, and the second just past the fingertips of Bales and the game ended.

Scott lead the way for Sand Springs, carrying the ball 39 times for 239 yards and two scores. Greathouse passed 14-29-251-1 for one touchdown, and also scored a touchdown rushing. Bales lead the way receiving with 5 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Delvin Jordan took a beating, going down twice, but rejoining each time to lead the Sandite defense in tackles.

Charles Page will host their first game of the season Friday at 7:00 p.m., in a non-district match-up with Putnam City West  (2-0). Choctaw will take on Putnam North (0-2) in a non-district battle Friday at 7:00 in Putnam City. 

Sandite Football drops season opener to Pulaski Academy

Photo by: Morgan Miller

SCORING SUMMARY

1Q 11:08 Hatcher 88 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt conversion failed. 6-0 Pulaski.
1Q 9:25 Greathouse 29 yard pass to Bales. Bales PAT. 7-6 Sandites.
1Q 8:59 Hatcher 23 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt conversion failed. 12-7 Pulaski.
1Q 2:14 Hatcher 80 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt run by Adams. 20-7 Pulaski.
1Q 0:15 Edwards 55 yard interception return. Bales PAT. 20-14. Pulaski
2Q 8:28 Hatcher 14 yard pass to Watkins. 2pt run by Hatcher. 28-14 Pulaski.
2Q 4:37 Hatcher 44 yard pass to McMillan. 2pt pass from Hatcher to Johnson. 36-14 Pulaski.
2Q 1:34 Anderson 33 yard run. Hatcher PAT. 43-14 Pulaski.
3Q 5:48 Hatcher 3 yard pass to Johnson. Hatcher PAT. 50-14 Pulaski.
4Q 9:46 Scott 7 yard run. Bales PAT. 50-21 Pulaski.
4Q 4:14 Titus 11 yard run. PAT failed. 56-21 Pulaski.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (0-1) bit off more than they could chew when they traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas Friday night. The 6A-II State Runners-Up played well against No.1 Pulaski Academy (1-0), but the Bruins rode a 27-game winning streak and back-to-back 5A State Championships. Their offense was machine-like, never punting, always going for fourth down, and racked up 614 offensive yards while holding the Sandites to 222.

Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse was consistent with his performance last year, completing 12 of 25 passes for 110 yards and 1 interception. Junior running back Payton Scott led the Sandite ground game with 101 yards on 14 carries. Each scored a touchdown. Delvin Jordan led the defense with 11 tackles and a 7-yard sack. Josh Taber performed well in the secondary with 3 tackles and 3 pass break-ups, and sophomore Hayden Cramer impressed with 7 tackles.

The Sandites won the toss and elected to kick. The Bruins received the ball at their 27 and it looked like the Sandites would have little problem getting a turnover early-on. Gage Fain tackled Jaren Watkins for a loss of three, the Bruins had two passes fall incomplete, and a sideline interference call pushed Pulaski back to their 12. On fourth and 28 at their own 12 yard line, any normal team would have punted.

The Bruins aren’t any normal team.

Junior quarterback Layne Hatcher sent a screen pass to Tra Johnson and the receiver got the edge on the Sandite secondary for an 88 yard touchdown reception. Hatcher completed a pass to Johnson for a conversion attempt, but the receiver was laid out by Cramer.

Less than a minute into the game and the Sandites trailed 6-0.

The Bruins let off one of their notorious onside kicks, but Cody Motes downed it at the Sandite 49. Greathouse connected on his first pass attempt of the season to Kasey Bales for a gain of 4 and Scott picked up the first down with a 14-yard run. Scott only managed 1 yard on the next pitch, but on second down Greathouse let loose a 29-yard pass to Bales for a touchdown. Bales sent in the PAT to make it 7-6 in the Sandites’ favor and it looked like the game would be a shootout.

The Bruins scored on their next drive after picking up two first downs, each on a single play. Watkins ran for 30, Brett Lynch hauled in a pass for 16, and Johnson caught a 23-yard touchdown reception to regain the lead barely three minutes into the game. Once again the two-point conversion failed, but the home team led 12-7.

This time the Bruins’ onside kick was successful and they regained possession at the Sandite 48. Their drive fell flat, however, after Delvin Jordan picked up a 7-yard sack and three pass attempts fell incomplete.

Sand Springs picked up a pair of first downs, one on a fourth-and-short, before running out of steam. Isiah Woods tackled Scott for a loss of 4 and Blake Titus sacked Greathouse for a loss of 12. Bales punted and the Bruins took possession at their 20 after a touchback.

Hatcher’s first pass attempt was incomplete, but the second found its mark in Johnson for yet another massive touchdown. After receiving the screen, Johnson broke three tackles before clearing the Sandite secondary and running it 80 yards to score. This time the two-point conversion was good in the hands of Trey Adams and the Bruins took the 20-7 advantage with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter.

The Sandites succeeded in downing the ensuing onside kick, but failed to convert a first down and gave up the ball at the Bruin 46.

Taber pulled down receiver Jacory McMillan who picked up 8 yards, and Tre Finch tripped up Watkins to hold the Bruins at third and 1. A pass attempt fell flat on third down, and a fourth down pass attempt found the open arms of Kris Edwards.

Edwards is a junior transfer from Okmulgee who had to sit out last season due to OSSAA eligibility rules. Edwards picked off the pass and returned it the full 55 for a touchdown with 15 seconds on the clock.

The Sandites began to plug the holes in their offense that allowed the long runs, but they couldn’t stop the Bruins from moving the ball all together. The next drive saw four first-downs for the Bruins before Hatcher connect on a 14-yard touchdown screen to Watkins. Hatcher punched in the two-point run and the Bruins doubled down on the Sandites, 28-14.

The Sandites’ next drive ended in a punt and once more the home team made quick work in driving 42 yards before connecting on a 44-yard pass to McMillan to score. Hatcher sent a two-point pass to Johnson for the 36-14 advantage.

Sand Springs punted once more on their next drive and the Bruins scored in six plays. RJ Anderson took a handoff and ran it 33 yards to score. Hatcher kicked the first point-after of the game for the Bruins and Sand Springs was down 43-14.

Sand Springs picked up 13 yards on a pass to Caleb Wash, then added another first down on a 12 yard reception by Mack Thompson. With 0:04 left Greathouse lobbed a deep ball downfield intended for Wash, but it was picked off by Hayden Henry and ran out of bounds to end the half.

The Sandites received the ball to start the second half and quickly picked up a pair of first downs before Henry broke up a pass attempt to Bales to force a turnover.

Pulaski went to work on a 91-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 3 yard pass to Johnson. Hatcher’s kick was good and the lead furthered to 50-14.

The Arkansas High School Activities Association utilizes a mercy rule adopting a “running clock” anytime a team reaches a 35-point lead after the first half. The Sandites were quickly running out of time.

Sand Springs quickly went to work on a 71-yard drive and Scott broke three tackles on a run before being piled into the endzone for a 7-yard touchdown. Bales sent in the PAT, but the Sandites still trailed 50-21 with less than ten minutes remaining.

The Bruins fielded an onside kick attempt at their 33 and made quick work with another march downfield. Titus took a direct snap 11 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point attempt was a miss.

The remaining few minutes quickly passed and the Bruins had secured their 29th-straight victory.

The Sandites will return to action on Friday, September 9th, when they travel to Choctaw. The Yellowjackets won their first game Friday night in a 52-42 shootout with Sapulpa.

Sand Springs Football heads to Little Rock for season-opener against Pulaski Academy

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in- Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity football team is headed to Little Rock, Arkansas for their season opener against the Pulaski Academy Bruins.  

Both teams are 2015 State Finalists, but not much else is similar between the two teams.  

While the Sandites were the sleeper team in last year's playoffs, the Bruins were the top dog from the very beginning of the season. Pulaski has won back-to-back State Titles. 

The Sandites started last season hot, crushing Tulsa Hale 61-8 and breezing through Enid 33-7. Despite the dominating performances, they found themselves down 0-2 after forfeiting the games due to playing an ineligible transfer student. A third game, against Guthrie, was cancelled due to lightning with the Sandites leading 18-7 shortly before the half. 

From there they took on a highly touted Bartlesville team and lost 24-7. The boys didn't officially get in the win column till week four when they trounced Claremore 27-7 on homecoming. They then beat Highway 97 rival Sapulpa 44-10 and Ponca City 44-27. 

After picking up their fourth straight win 34-10 against Muskogee, they lost in a close 17-14 to the top-ranked Booker T Washington Hornets in a knock-down drag-out downpour. The game was a loss, but it showed that the Sandites could hold pace with anyone in the State. The next week they dominated the defending State Champions from Bixby in a 20-0 shutout.  

The first round of the playoffs went more like the game against Hale than anything, and nearly every eligible player got to see action in the 49-14 quarterfinal win. The semifinals saw a rematch with BTW and this time it was Sand Springs who got the 30-23 edge and prevailed to their first State Finals game since they won it all in 1966. A rematch with Bixby saw a much different opponent. While the Spartans' energy had pilfered out earlier in the season, they reignited their flame in the playoffs and massacred Lawton 36-6 and Bartlesville 67-21. Sand Springs had some big plays that at times made them look like they could win it, but ultimately the defending Champs reclaimed their title 38-28. 

Since Oklahoma split their top class into two sixteen-team divisions in 2014, the newly formed 6A-II has been in a power struggle with each school looking to establish itself as a regular contender. With the powerhouse programs of Jenks, Broken Arrow, Union, and Owasso removed from their schedules, the smaller 6A schools are still trying to find their place in the new hierarchy. 

Pulaski Academy is a whole different beast from anything the Sandites encountered last year, and is most comparable to the Guthrie team that Sand Springs faced in 2014. The Bruins are on a 27-game winning streak and haven't lost since their season opener in 2014. Pulaski isn't in the top bracket of Arkansas schools. They play a weaker 5A division in a state that goes all the way to 7A. The small private school has an enrollment of 1380 from preschool through high school and is dwarfed by Sand Springs which enrolled 1700 high school students this year. 

But what they lack in depth, they make up for in talent. The Bruins aren't just ranked top of their class, they come in at sixth in the whole state. MaxPreps, a computer-generated ranking site lists the Sandites at 701 in the nation against the Bruins' 326. Both the Tulsa World and the Oklahoman rank Sand Springs at fourth in 6A-II. 

Both teams boast impressive stats. The Sandites are known for having the best defense in the State, but Pulaski is described as machine-like in their offense. 

Both teams have impressive quarterbacks. Sand Springs senior Hunter Greathouse played his first season in the position last year and was 99 of 185 for 1767 yards and 18 touchdowns on a team that favored the run game. Meanwhile the Bruins are devastating from the air behind the arm of junior Layne Hatcher who finished last season with 4,667 and 55 touchdowns.

The Sandites took a big loss at running back in Southwestern College freshman Lane Lettich who led in almost every game for the last two years. Lettich was a powerhouse who would bulldoze through the lines and drag defenders four or five yards every time. Junior Payton Scott will take the starting position now, already well seasoned after seeing significant playing time since making varsity as a freshman. Scott finished with 900 yards and 9 touchdowns on 117 carries last season. The 5'6" 165 pound wrestler is like a mouse when it comes to finding holes in the defense, scurrying through any opening and exploding for first downs. Averaging eight yards per carry, he doesn't have an okay run. He either gets shut down immediately or goes the distance. Almost every game last season saw a 30-yard carry from Scott as the juggernaut will often break multiple tackles from defenders twice his size once he's allowed to build momentum.

Pulaski isn't hurting in the run department either in the elusive Jaren Watkins. Watkins and Scott are very similar physically and the senior finished last year with 2,067 yards and 24 touchdowns on 166 carries. 

Both teams are reloading at wide-receiver. Both of their starting backs are capable of catching, but neither did much of it last year. The Sandites lost Trace Fleischman to Northeastern Oklahoma and are looking to all-purpose Kasey Bales and Josh Taber. The Bruins will look to junior Tra Johnson who only received 23 passes last year. 

Senior defensive back Hayden Henry leads the Bruin defense and is the brother of San Diego Charger Hunter Henry. Henry led in tackles with 89 last season. Sand Springs lost a lot of talent, graduating seven of their top eleven tacklers. The Sandites will rebuild around senior linebacker Delvin Jordan who registered 87 tackles last season, including 15 for losses totaling 64 yards. He also recovered four fumbles and scored the first safety in years for the Sandites. Gage Fain, Nathan Simonton, Danny Ropp, and Kris Edwards will anchor the defensive line. DB Treyce Tolbert also brings some experience to the game with a pair of fumble recoveries and interceptions last season. 

The offensive line is a particularly strong point for the Sandites. The O-line committed less than two fouls per game last season and despite losing a few good players, also returns a lot of talent. Lincoln Adams spent most of the summer traveling to football camps across the country and was named to the Vype-Tulsa All-Metro First Team. Ropp will play both sides of the ball and is joined on the line by Michael Carper, Cameron Lierly, Kobe Chen, Michael Karper, Myron Krotzer, and Caleb Mallory.

Dustin Kinard enters his tenth year as the Sandites' head coach and has successfully taken the program from ten-straight years without a winning record to four-straight years of playoff berths and the program's first playoff wins since 1997. With a 48-49 record since assuming the position, Kinard looks to gain a winning record this season. 

Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. and the Sandites will begin their effort to achieve the dream that they so nearly reached in 2015. This is the fiftieth season since the Sandites won the Class 2A State Championship over Ada in 1966, and the perfect time to remind everybody that they wish they were a Sandite.