Week Six 6A-II Rankings and Predictions; a look at this weekend's games

/

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

No. 1 Muskogee Roughers (Last week No. 3) vs No. 2 Booker T Washington Hornets (2)

Rafe Watkins's Muskogee Roughers (5-0, 2-0) came into the season highly ranked, but it wasn't high enough for them. Friday night on their home turf, the Roughers upset the top-ranked two-time defending State Champions from Bixby (2-3, 0-1) 45-42 in a wild aerial shootout. Muskogee quarterback Jacob Medrano finished 20-33-377-1 for four touchdowns, and running back Molijah Gilbert carried 20 times for 99 yards.

The Hornets (4-2, 2-0) completed their second-straight shutout of the season with a powerful 45-0 victory over Sapulpa (0-5, 0-2). QB Phillip Wheatley has accounts for the bulk of the Hornet offense and surpassed 1000 yards for the season Friday night. The run game is stacked with Rylan McQuarters, Tyler Holmes, and Garrick Jackson all in triple digits for the year.

The Pick: Muskogee 43, Booker T 35

No. 3 Bixby Spartans (1) vs No. 15 Sapulpa Chieftains (15) 

The Spartans (2-3, 0-1) may have lost their battle with the Roughers, but it wasn't due to poor performance. QB Tanner Griffin was 33-49-318-1 for four touchdowns and Tucker Pawley ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns. The Spartans have had a tough schedule thus far in the season, but should have an easy time getting their first district win Friday night in Sapulpa (0-5, 0-2).

Sapulpa posted a mere 54 yards passing and 67 yards rushing in their sixth-straight loss Friday against Booker T.

The Pick: Bixby 60, Sapulpa 3

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (4) vs No. 11 Choctaw Yellowjackets (10)

The Midwest City Bombers' (3-2, 2-0) first four games this season were decided by a touchdown or less, but they broke that streak Friday night at Deer Creek, scoring their first shutout since mid-2014. Astin Anderson finished with 130 yards on 23 carries, but it was the defense that starred, giving up an incredible 3 first downs and 78 yards of total offense in the 35-0 rout.

Choctaw (2-3, 0-2) led the Enid Plainsmen with a minute and a half left last week before giving up an interception deep in Enid territory and allowed their opponents to score a touchdown with 17 seconds left for the 43-39 win.

The Pick: Midwest City 31, Choctaw 14

No. 5 Sand Springs Sandites (5) vs No. 14 Ponca City Wildcats (14)

The Sandites (3-2, 1-0) secured their third-straight win Friday night at home in a non-conference matchup with Yukon (0-5) and dominated the entirety. The visiting Millers scored before either offense ever stepped foot on the field, returning the opening kickoff 95 yard for a touchdown. That would be their last score till the fourth quarter as the Sand Springs defense drilled the Millers with seven tackles for loss totaling 35 yards, as well as two sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. While the run-game has dominated the Sand Springs offense this year, QB Hunter Greathouse had his time to shine, throwing 13-24-192-0 for two touchdowns, and secured his career-best run game with eight carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. Payton Scott netted his fifth-straight triple digit run game with 22 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Ponca City (1-4, 0-2) lost their second-straight game to Bartlesville (2-3, 1-1) Friday night, despite a solid passing performance from Brice McDougal. The Wildcat QB finished 19-37-176-1 with two touchdowns, but the run game amounted to a mere 29 yards as a team with no touchdowns. Kicker Mitchell Wilson sank a pair of field goals. The return game was strong, averaging about 14 yards per punt return and 16 yards per kickoff return. The Sand Springs special teams have had a hard time stopping returns this season, so the Wildcats will likely look to capitalize on that.

The Pick: CPHS 40, Ponca 17

No. 6 Lawton Wolverines (7) vs No. 12 Stillwater Pioneers (11)

Lawton (2-3, 1-1) got back in the win column with a big district battle against Putnam City (3-2, 1-1) last week, racking up a 20-0 lead in the first half. Sophomore backup QB Kyler Jenderseck replaced Zack Hanna who tore his MCL in practice this week. He completed 5 of 12 passes for 48 yards and scored on touchdown on the ground. The defense was the MVP of the game, making several big plays including a tipped pass in the endzone by Kejuan Neal to prevent a touchdown. Miles Davis recovered a muffed punt at the Putnam 22, leading to a touchdown run on the next play by Tre Curry. Curry carried the offense with 29 runs for 168 yards and two touchdowns. 

Stillwater (2-3, 0-2) made a big case for themselves early in the season, going 2-1 against ranked 6A-I opponents. Since then, they've given up two-straight district losses, 21-14 to Deer Creek (1-4, 1-1) and 10-7 to Putnam City West (4-1, 2-0). The Pioneers traveled to Putnam Friday and trailed 10-7 with 3:34 left and a fourth and goal conundrum. They went for the touchdown instead of the field goal and were stuffed. The Stillwater defense was stout through the game, giving up only ten rushing yards till the final minutes when the PC QB scrambled 81 yards and nearly scored. The Pioneers rallied for turnover on downs deep in their red, but QB Garrett Leming threw an interception three plays later. Leming only completed 2 of 12 passes for 10 yards with 3 interceptions. The run game was strong with the Pioneers, however, with a little over 200 yards between three carriers. 

The Pick: Lawton 23, Stillwater 10

No. 7 Putnam City West Patriots (8) vs No. 8 Putnam City Pirates (6) 

A rivalry game with major district implications; Putnam City (3-2, 1-1) and Putnam West (4-1, 2-0) are both top dogs in their district and both have a lot to play for. The Patriots look to continue their undefeated district winning streak and hold themselves to a one-loss season. The Pirates need to reassert themselves after going down 26-14 against Lawton.

The Patriots won a close one over Stillwater (2-3, 0-2), only coming up with a 10-7 victory, but it was a victory nonetheless. They're one of only two teams left without a district loss and are shaping up to possibly make their first playoff appearance of the twenty-first century. They have already matched their record from last season, their best since 2000, and can only go up from here. QB Trey Gooch and Memphis commit WR Nick Robinson have brought heavy offense all season until they encountered Stillwater, and hope to build momentum before their crucial match up against Midwest City next week.

The Pirates have only two losses this season, both to solid opponents in Bixby (2-3, 0-1) and Lawton (2-3, 1-1). QB A.J. Newsome was 12-28-168-0 passing against Lawton and led on the ground with 20 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns. The special teams were impressive, averaging fifteen yards per kick return and 29 yards per punt return. 

The Pick: Putnam West 23, Putnam City 21.

No. 9 Deer Creek Antlers (9) vs No. 10 Enid Plainsmen (12)

Deer Creek (1-4, 1-1) has had a hell of a schedule this year, starting the season with three straight losses to top-ten 6A-I opponents before finally finding a win against Stillwater. In week two of districts they went up against Midwest City and were shutout 35-0, their first shutout loss since 2011. The Antlers were held to a mere 78 yards of total offense and three first downs. QB Hunter Freese completed only 6 of 18 passes for 45 yards and was sacked three times. With the exception of the last game, the Antlers have actually played fairly well this season, averaging 24 points per game in their first four encounters, before being smothered by the powerful Bomber defense.

Enid (2-3, 1-1) secured a big upset over Choctaw (2-3, 0-2) last week, coming from behind for a 43-39 win. The Plainsmen averaged 5 yards per carry for 236 total, and first-time starting QB Mason Skrimager was 31 of 41 for 233 passing with no interceptions.

The Pick: No consensus. Scott Emigh says 28-14 Deer Creek, Virgil Noah says 28-14 Enid.

No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (13) 

The Bartlesville Bruins (2-3, 1-1) will take a bye week after winning a district match against Ponca City (1-4, 0-2) Friday night. QB Garrett Meidl was 16-26-294-1 with three touchdowns; two by air and one on the ground. 

District Two Standings

2-0 Booker T Washington
2-0 Muskogee
1-0 Sand Springs
1-1 Bartlesville

0-1 Bixby
0-2 Ponca City
0-2 Sapulpa

District One Standings

2-0 Putnam West
2-0 Midwest City
1-1 Lawton
1-1 Putnam City

1-1 Deer Creek
1-1 Enid
0-2 Choctaw
0-2 Stillwater

Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Record: 18-8, 69.2%

 

Virgil Noah, Staff Writer
Record: 14-12, 54%

Greathouse scores three touchdowns in 30-14 defeat of Yukon

/

Hunter Greathouse looks to find Payton Scott on a screen pass. Photo: Erik Sedwick

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

Just seventeen seconds into Friday night's showdown between the Charles Page High School football team (3-2, 1-0) and  Yukon High School (0-5, 0-1) the Millers had the lead.

Tyrese Antwine fielded the game's opening kickoff at around the 10 yard line and took it to the house, virtually untouched. Ryan Lucas added the extra point and just like that, before either offense had set foot on the field the Sandites trailed 7-0. Once the Sandite offense did make it onto the field, the game turned around quickly. Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse drove the offense straight down the field, and ended the drive with a 25 yard touchdown strike to Kasey Bales. Greathouse and Bales were on the same page the whole night, hooking up eight times for 123 yards and a pair of scores. 

The Yukon offense then got their turn to touch the football, and looked good doing so picking up four first downs and moving the ball to the Sand Springs 28 yard line. The Sandite defense got things going though when Cody Motes intercepted Senior quarterback Trevor Smith to get the ball back. Sand Springs drove the ball 88 yards in 12 plays, capped of by a 26 yard field goal from Alejandro Hernandez.

The Sandite defense forced another turnover on the ensuing Miller drive, when sophomore Hayden Cramer hit the ball carrier on a rush and the ball squirted loose. Gage Fain jumped on the fumble, and the offense capitalized with Greathouse and Bales connecting on their second score of the evening. 

The defense continued their stout play by forcing a quick three-and-out, and Greathouse continued the onslaught of scoring with a sensational 14 yard keeper, breaking a tackle and spinning his way into the end zone for a 24-7 lead to head into the half. 

The second half saw far less offense for the Sandites, but the defensive unit kept the pressure on. Payton Scott finished the scoring for the Sandites with a 12 yard touchdown run early in the third stanza. 

Yukon executed a long drive capped off with a 2 yard run by Ethan Scott, but those would be the only points the Millers saw for the rest of the game. Sand Springs racked up two sacks, six tackles for loss, and three forced turnovers on the game. Delvin Jordan led the Sandite defense with five tackles. Treyce Tolbert, Hayden Cramer, and Nathan Simonton each had four tackles. Tolbert also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

The Charles Page offensive line led by senior Lincoln Adams played great all evening, giving up no sacks and paving the way for 233 yards rushing. Payton Scott led the way with 147 yards and the team averaged over 6 yards-per-carry. Greathouse went 12-23-0-192 for two touchdowns and went 8-58 and a touchdown on the ground. 

The Sandites will resume district play next Thursday, when they play Ponca City High School (1-3, 0-2) for homecoming. Yukon will face Norman High School (0-5, 0-2).

Sandite of the Week: Payton Scott rushes for 3 touchdowns and 197 yards against Sapulpa

/

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

Charles Page High School junior tailback Payton Scott was selected as this week's Sandite of the Week for his outstanding performance in the Highway 97 Rivalry football game last Friday.

Scott has been the Sandite workhorse this season, carrying 183 times for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns and has been in on nearly 60% of offensive plays this season. 

The Sandites hosted Sapulpa Friday and dominated their foes 35-7. Scott carried 39 times for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns and accounted for just under 50% of the entire Sandite offense. He was aided by the powerful Sandite O-line which constantly opened up holes for him and in a few cases even pushed him forward for extra yardage.

Scott picked up a first down on the first offensive play of the game with a 17 yard rush to midfield. He went on to pick up a total 40 yards on a 72 yard drive before capping it off with a 2 yard touchdown run for the 7-0 lead. 

On the second Sandite drive he totaled 40 yards once again, this time on even fewer carries thanks to a 27 yard run into the Chieftain redzone. Once again he had the scoring run from the one yard line to make it 14-0.

He didn't get long to rest as the salty Sand Springs defense forced a turnover less than two minutes later. He picked up a first down on the first snap with a ten yard run. On the next play he took a handoff from QB Hunter Greathouse, then reversed it back to Greathouse who threw a deep 46-yard pass to Kasey Bales at the three yard line. Greathouse scored on a keeper on that drive.

The Sandites got the ball to start the second half and needed less than two minutes to score thanks to yet another 40 yard drive by Scott, which included a thirty yard run and a five yard run to score and make it 35-0.

He saw a little more action throughout the game before Sand Springs started bringing in the backups, but he finished with his third-highest rushing game of his career and second best this season. 

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.

Week Five 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. 3 Muskogee Roughers (3)

It's the marquee match-up for week six of High School football as two of the top teams in the State ride dominating performances into a district game of playoff-level intensity. 

The Spartans (2-2, 0-0) have yet to begin district play and just wrapped up the toughest pre-conference schedule of Class 6A-II. In week two they gave 6A-I No. 1 Jenks (5-0) their closest game of the year, losing 38-34. The next week they lost 44-34 to Arkansas 7A State Runners-Up Bentonville (3-1) and finally got in the win column with a dominating 56-20 performance over Putnam City (3-1, 1-0). This week they really proved just how powerful they are as they steamrolled 6A-I No. 4 Westmoore (3-1) 70-28 in an incredible performance that featured two 90+ yard kickoff returns for touchdown. Tanner Griffin's passing was off for the evening, completing only 9 of 22 for 96 yards and 1 touchdown against 2 interceptions. But the run game was dominant as Tucker Pawley carried 19 times for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns. Griffin had two touchdown runs and 46 yards on 5 carries, while Braden Roller added another touchdown and 66 yards on 5 carries.

The Roughers (4-0, 1-0) have had a fairly weak schedule thus far, with the exception of a close 16-12 win over Midwest City (2-2, 1-0), but when they go up against lesser competition, it's a blow-out. They've won their last three games by an average score of 59-11, and they notched their first district win Friday with a 63-6 shutdown of Bartlesville (1-3, 0-1). Running back Molijah Gilbert finished with 16 carries for 184 yards and two touchdowns. QB Jacob Medrano completed 11 of 20 passes for 197 yards and no interceptions.

The pick: Bixby 38 Muskogee 28

No. 2 Booker T Washington Hornets (2) vs No. 15 Sapulpa Chieftains (14)

The Hornets (3-2, 1-0) had an easy start to district play with the Ponca City Wildcats (1-3, 0-1) and rolled to a dominating 47-0 shutout victory. In the past two seasons, the Hornet offense regularly routed their opponents by massive margins, but this year it still remains to be seen just how powerful they'll be against quality opponents. They barely got the 21-14 edge on Midwest City (2-2, 1-0) and lost 26-23 to Edmond Santa Fe (4-1, 1-0). After going down 49-7 to the Nationally ranked No. 2 IMG Academy (5-0) they've since been unstoppable with a 43-6 win over Shawnee and the victory against Ponca. They won't get their first real test till they take on Muskogee next week, but first they have to get past Sapulpa. Rylan McQuarters led the run game against Ponca with 8 carries for 82 yards, followed by Tyler Holmes with 15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Two other running backs scored touchdowns in the rout, and double-threat QB Phillip Wheatley was 15 of 22 in the air for 214 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.

Sapulpa (0-4, 0-1) still looks to get in the win column this season after dropping their rivalry game to Sand Springs 35-7. The Chieftains failed to make headway through the air as QB Cameron Elder was only 8 of 13 for 53 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, but the ground game was alive and well. Elder carried 12 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Dayton Vann also had 59 yards from 11 carries, and Marcus Henderson carried 8 times for 67 yards. 

The pick: Booker T 56 Sapulpa 3

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (4) vs No. 9 Deer Creek Antlers (12)

The Midwest City Bombers (2-2, 1-0) have won or lost every game this season by a touchdown or less and notched their first district win of the season 20-17 over Lawton (1-3, 0-1) Friday night at home. QB Preston Colbert was 8 of 12 for 139 yards and a touchdown. Astin Anderson was the workhorse for the Bombers and carried 38 times for 133 yards. Earlier this season they fell 16-12 to Muskogee (4-0) and 21-14 to Booker T Washington (3-2), two of the top three teams in the division. They got in the win column two weeks ago with a 28-21 victory over 5A Del City (2-2).

The Antlers (1-3, 1-0) got their first win of the season with a 21-14 upset over Stillwater (2-2, 0-1) Friday night at a game in which they were the 18-point underdogs. QB Hunter Freese passed for 190 yards and the bulk of the Antler offense. The run game only accounted for 87 yards. Deer Creek may only have one win, but their losses were to quality 6A-I programs. 52-13 to Southmoore (3-1), 47-31 to Edmond Santa Fe (4-1), and 48-31 to Edmond Memorial (3-2).

The pick: Midwest City 23 Deer Creek 14

No. 6 Putnam City Pirates (7) vs No. 7 Lawton Wolverines (5)

While Bixby at Muskogee is the biggest game of District 2, Lawton vs. Putnam City is equally huge for District 1. The Wolverines (1-3, 0-1) and Pirates (3-1, 1-0) both have a lot to prove going into week two of districts. While Lawton was edged out 20-17 by Midwest City (2-2, 1-0), the Pirates got the 36-32 edge on Choctaw (2-2, 0-1). Putnam's only loss this season was 56-20 to Bixby (2-2), while Lawton's only win this season was 62-37 over in-town rival Lawton Eisenhower (1-3).

Lawton demonstrated a powerful aerial assault against Midwest City as QB Zach Hannah completed 11 of 18 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The running game was almost nonexistent, however, as Tre Curry carried 19 times for a mere 60 yards and one touchdown. Curry has proven his abilities in the past with a 201 yard performance against Eisenhower and a 311 yard performance in a 56-41 loss to 5A Carl Albert (4-0). The Wolverines are clearly a double threat team, meaning the Putnam defense will need to be sharp on their toes to keep the scoring in check. Lawton's offense averages 415 yards and 5 touchdowns per game this season. Putnam's defense is stout, however, and averages 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions per game this season. 

The Putnam offense has ran up the yards this season, led by QB AJ Newsome in the air and RB Damon Jemison on the ground. Newsome is only 32 of 82 this season with 6 interceptions, exacerbated by a 6 of 24 performance against the killer Bixby defense which picked off four passes. But he holds 871 yards and 9 touchdowns to pad his resume. Jemison has rushed 78 times this year for only 259 yards. The Lawton defense isn't as tight on the run game as Putnam, but if the Pirates rely on the pass as they have for most of the season, they might find trouble in a team that averages 2 interceptions per game. 

The pick: Putnam City 28 Lawton 26

No. 5 Sand Springs Sandites (6) vs Yukon Millers

The Sandites (2-2, 1-0) won their first district game with a 35-7 rout of Highway 97 rival Sapulpa (0-4, 0-1), and will play their final non-district game this weekend against 6A-I Yukon (0-4). Sand Springs started off with a big 56-21 loss to Arkansas powerhouse Pulaski Academy (3-1) and were upset in week two 45-41 by Choctaw (2-2, 0-1), but got in the win column with a close 29-24 victory against Putnam West (3-1, 1-0). RB Payton Scott accounts for the majority of the Sandite offense with 183 carries for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns, while QB Hunter Greathouse is 42 of 90 for 601 yards and 4 touchdowns by air and 4 touchdowns on the ground. 

Yukon has yet to even come close to a win this season, falling 42-20 to Mustang (3-1), 55-7 to Norman North (4-0), 38-7 to Southmoore (38-7), and 33-9 to Broken Arrow (2-2). The Millers held a tough schedule with nothing but ranked 6A-I powerhouses and that experience could give them an edge on the Sandites who have played only one powerhouse team this year. 

The pick: Sand Springs 38 Yukon 13.

No. 8 Putnam City West Patriots (8) vs No. 11 Stillwater Pioneers (10)

The Patriots (3-1, 1-0) haven't had a winning season since 2000 and they're looking to change that in 2016. After beating Duncan (2-2) 43-14 and Putnam North (1-3) 16-5, the Patriots experienced their first loss of the season 29-24 at the Sandites' (2-2) home-opener. They didn't let that hiccup slow them down, and rebounded with a dominating 35-10 district victory over Enid (1-3, 0-1). 

Stillwater (2-2, 0-1) started with one seriously tough pre-district schedule and secured a pair of high quality wins against ranked 6A-I opponents, before giving up a big upset this week. They won their season opener against Edmond Memorial (3-2) 24-7, then lost 16-7 to Moore (2-2) before netting another big win over Mustang (3-1) at 36-24. The Pioneers clearly have what it takes to win big games against big opponents, but after falling 21-14 to Deer Creek at home, they're going to need to buckle down and secure some district wins if they want a shot at their first State Championship since 1967. The Pioneers are led on the ground by Josiah Castleberry who has already ran over 600 yards thus far this season. 

The pick: Putnam West 33 Stillwater 29

No. 10 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9) vs No. 12 Enid Plainsmen (13)

Choctaw (2-2, 0-1) is still struggling to find its place in the rankings, starting strong with 52-42 and 45-41 wins over Sapulpa (0-4) and Sand Springs (2-2), respectively, but falling 17-14 to Putnam City North (1-3) and 36-32 to Putnam City (3-1, 1-0). The Yellowjackets are true to their name when it comes to offense, hammering their opponents from the air, but just can't seem to get their defense rolling. QB Dylan Weaver is 64 of 107 for 864 yards this season.

Enid (1-3, 0-1) was edged out 22-19 in the season opener by Guthrie (2-2) and got in the win column in week two with a 42-31 victory over Ponca City (1-3, 0-1), but hasn't come close since. They were dominated in week three 44-14 by Bishop McGuinness (3-1) and shut down 25-10 last week by Putnam West (3-1, 1-0). 

The pick: Choctaw 40 Enid 10

No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (11) vs No. 14 Ponca City Wildcats (15)

Bartlesville (1-3, 0-1) and Ponca (1-3, 0-1) are both in precarious spots this season with a single win apiece and one of the two destined to be 0-2 in district play after this Friday's meet. The Bruins' lone win was a close 27-24 over McAlester (2-2) while Ponca blanked Guthrie (2-2) 9-0. 

The Bruins were utterly dominated 63-6 at the hands of Muskogee (4-0) last week, while the Wildcats were shut out 47-0 by Booker T Washington (3-2). Bartlesville has shuffled through three quarterbacks this year after starter Garrett Meidl was out with a knee injury and Will Walton and AJ Archambo both tried out the position. Meidl returned to action against Muskogee but was held to a mere 10 completions on 24 attempts for 59 yards. Ponca QB Brice McDougal has a solid record this season with 58 completions on 104 passes for 729 yards and only 3 interceptions. 

The pick: Bartlesville 21 Ponca 14

6A-II District One Standings

Putnam City West (1-0)
Deer Creek (1-0)
Putnam City (1-0)
Midwest City (1-0)

Lawton (0-1)
Choctaw (0-1)
Stillwater (0-1)
Enid (0-1)

6A-II District Two Standings

Muskogee (1-0)
Booker T (1-0)
Sand Springs (1-0)
Bixby (0-0)

Bartlesville (0-1)
Ponca City (0-1)
Sapulpa (0-1)

Payton Scott rushes for 3 touchdowns and 197 yards in 35-7 victory over Sapulpa

/

Photos: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.6 Charles Page High School varsity football team (2-2, 1-0) secured their first district win of the season with a dominating 35-7 victory over the No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (0-4, 0-1) Friday night, taking a 35-0 lead in the third quarter before their rivals got on the board.

This was the 90th year of Highway 97 Rivalry and the Sandites won their third-straight installment to bring the record to 41-45-5 with the Chieftains still leading overall. The two teams, which are separated by only a few miles of Highway 97, have met consecutively since 1930 and have hated each other ever since. 

There's been a lot of bad blood over the decades and in past years fights were notorious and security was always heavier at the Sapulpa game than any other game of the year. Even this year saw an unsportsmanlike penalty on Sapulpa for an out-of-bounds shove. The week preceding the game is known as "Sapulpa Hate Week" in Sand Springs, and both schools take their rivalry trash talk to twitter where it can get pretty heated. 

This year, however, the two teams were able to come together in solidarity to honor a Sandite who passed away shortly before the game. Swift Myers, who graduated in May of this year, was battling his seventh bout with cancer when it took his life Friday evening. His wife, Abbi Myers, tweeted that "Swift made it clear to us before he left that when he died, he didn't want people saying he lost his battle. He beat the shit out of cancer."

After seven long bouts with the condition, Myers is finally at peace in Heaven, and for this year, the two football teams put aside their rivalry and met in the field after the game to honor and remember him. Swift's classmate America Higgins tweeted "I honestly I can't even consider Sapulpa a rival after their support they showed tonight." Even before the game, Sapulpa students were hanging banners throughout the school bearing the #SWIFTSTRONG motto, and brought those banners to the game as well. Wrestling National Champion Daton Fix posted that "Heaven gained an amazing person tonight. One of the toughest guys I will ever know. A fighter and a winner. #SwiftStrong forever."

The game itself was a dominating performance by the Sandites, who rushed for over 300 yards and held the Chieftains to a mere 12 first downs and forced six turnovers. Hunter Greathouse led the Sandites in passing with 5 completions for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Payton Scott led the ground game for both teams with 29 carries for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dalton Morgan also played a significant factor on the ground with 11 carries for 100 yards. Sophomore Hayden Cramer led the defense with six solo tackles, followed by Tyler Delozier with five tackles and an interception.

Sandite Flag Crew members are painted with the Flash symbol, which has been adopted by #SWIFTSTRONG supporters.

Sapulpa quarterback Cameron Elder completed 8 of 13 passes for 53 yards and 1 interception. The ground game was fairly split between Elder and Dayton Vann with 59 yards each, but led by Marcus Henderson with 67 yards on 8 carries. Trevin Inks and Stanley White had four tackles each, and B.J. Dansby had the lone tackle-for-loss for the Chieftains.

Sapulpa got the ball to start but was held to fourth-and-two and had to punt less than two minutes into the game. The Sandites got on the board midway through the first quarter with a two-yard run from Scott to cap off a methodical 13-play, 72-yard drive. Kasey Bales kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead. 

Sapulpa's next drive ate up the rest of the first quarter and two minutes of the second as they drove 51 yards to the Sandites' 29 before a tackle for loss by Jerry Lyons and fumbled snap forced them back to fourth and nineteen and they had to punt. Less than three minutes later, Scott pushed in yet another touchdown on a one-yard run to make it 14-0.

The Chieftains had yet another drive end without a first down after a third-and-seven pass was nearly picked off by Cody Motes, but was dropped. The punt gave Sand Springs the field at their 36 and they needed only five plays to score. Scott picked up a first down on a ten-yard run, and an offsides penalty put the Sandites at the Sapulpa 49. Greathouse pitched the ball to Scott, who reversed it back to Greathouse for a 46-yard pass to Bales who was barely stopped by Aaron Sechrist at the three-yard-line. Two plays later, Greathouse punched in the touchdown on a 1-yard sneak to make it 21-0 after the Bales kick.

Dansby got a huge kickoff return to the Sandite 38, and a 37-yard run from Henderson put the Chieftains at first-and-goal from the one-yard line. An illegal procedure on the Chieftains, followed by a sack from Gage Fain pushed Sapulpa back to the 7, and Tyler Delozier picked off a pass from Elder and returned it to the 47 before being forced out by Inks. 

Sapulpa nearly got the ball back as Greathouse nearly threw an interception in the endzone, but intended-receiver Kasey Bales managed to swat the ball away from the Chieftain defender. A few plays later, Greathouse connected from eleven yards out to Mack Thompson for the score. With 29 seconds left in the half, Bales sent in the point-after to make it 28-0.

The Sandites were only two minutes into the second half when they scored once more on a five-yard run from Scott to make it 35-0.

Sapulpa finally got on the scoreboard on the corresponding drive. Henderson picked up a fifteen-yard run, Elder connected with Dansby for thirteen yards, then went 36 yards on a keeper to score. Bobby Schmidt sent in the extra point to make it 35-7 where the score would remain for the duration.

The Sandites put together a big drive on their next possession, starting at their 15. Scott found a first down in a twelve-yard run, then Bales snagged a lateral and ran it eleven yards. A facemask penalty put the Sandites at the Sapulpa 42, and a run by Morgan took them to the 35. A handoff to Scott should have been a loss of two, but the running back was bolstered by offensive lineman Lincoln Adams who pushed it into a three yard gain and a first down.

Morgan picked up nine yards on a run and Bales hauled in a screen to put the Sandites at the 16. Morgan ran another seven yards while carrying four Sapulpa defenders before he went down, and Scott went five more for the first down at the four-yard line. Sapulpa brought the drive to an end, however, with an endzone interception by Sechrest who ran it all the way back to the Sandite 46 before being ran down by Cameron Lierly. 

The two teams exchanged possessions from there and with five minutes left, the Sandite backups went in to play. Sophomore Caden Pennington took over at quarterback, but didn't get to make any plays. Sophomore running back Garrett McCallie picked up 14 yards on 4 carries before Sapulpa put a stop to the drive and took over possession shortly before time expired.

The Chieftains are still looking for a win this season and will host No. 2 Booker T Washington (3-2, 1-0) next Friday at 7:00 p.m. The Sandites will look to improve to a winning record as they host 6A-I Yukon (0-4) in a non-district home game Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Sandite Freshmen score first touchdown of the season in 7-6 loss to Jenks

/

Photo: Virgil Noah

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

It's been a frustrating start to the year so far for the Sand Springs 9th Grade football team (0-4) as they've fallen to each opponent they have faced. Despite the four straight losses, the Sandites are improving. 

The freshmen opened their season with a 10-0 defeat to Owasso, followed by a 42-0 loss suffered at the hands of Muskogee White. In game three the Sandites faced Broken Arrow Gold, giving up 20 points in the first half, but shutting the Tigers out in the second. Sand Springs failed to get on the board though for the third straight game falling 20-0. 

Sand Springs played their best game of the season Monday night against Jenks White, in a game where a mere extra point was the difference in winning and losing. 

In the first half the Trojans and Sandites traded possession the entirety of the half without scoring, though there were some close calls. On a fourth down in Trojan territory Sandite quarterback Braden Foster threw a deep pass that fell off his receiver's fingertips at the goal line. The Trojans' closest scoring effort came at the end of the half When quarterback Jake Mulready led the offense down the field with less than a minute to go, but as time expired completed a pass short of the goal line and the Sandite defense wrestled the receiver to the ground and sent the game to halftime scoreless. 

The second half saw a first for the Sandites' offense, a touchdown. Trace Evans intercepted a pass and returned it all the way to the 14 yard line of the Trojans. Two plays later, Aaron King took a handoff to the left side and scored a 10 yard touchdown to give his team their first points of the year. Sand Springs attempted a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful. On the ensuing kickoff the special teams got the ball back, when Jerret Haley recovered a fumble. 

Jenks took a 7-6 early in the fourth quarter on a short touchdown run and successful extra point. Sand Springs was moving the ball, nearing the red zone, but Foster's fourth down pass attempt fell incomplete to end the game.  

Sand Springs looks to continue improving, and will try to get in the win column on Monday, against Sapulpa Blue.