Week 12 6A-II Rankings and Playoff predictions; a look at this weekend's games

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

The first round of the playoffs came to a close Saturday with some surprisingly close games, but no upsets, and the Sandite Pride post-season picks are perfect thus far. 

No. 3 Sand Springs Sandites (Last week No. 3) vs No. 2 Bixby Spartans (2)

Sand Springs (7-4) beat the spread to win a defensive showdown against District One Champion Midwest City (7-4) on the Bombers' turf, for the second time in three years. Midwest City has got to be getting frustrated with the Sandites by this point, but they'll have to wait till next year for payback as the Sandites advance to the semi-finals for a rematch of last year's State Championship game. 

Sand Springs executed well on both offense and defense and won the game though consistency and discipline. The Bombers slightly outperformed on both offensive yards per play, and defensive yards-per-play allowed, but gave up 89 yards on 11 penalties, with four of those committed in their own redzone. The home team gave up multiple first downs on penalties, and gave up a safety with a block-in-the-back in their own endzone. The Sandites also won the turnover battle with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. QB Hunter Greathouse completed 9 of 18 passes for 140 yards, but this was the first game of the season without a passing touchdown after multiple endzone attempts were dropped by the receivers. Payton Scott ended with 36 carries for 139 yards and two scores. 

Bixby (8-3) absolutely steamrolled their opponents in Putnam City West for the most dominating playoff performance in the division at 49-7. QB Tanner Griffin completed 15 of 30 passes for 254 yards and five scores. The Spartans were mildly stymied on the ground with 34 carries for 134 yards, which is below their average, but still impressive considering the Patriots hold the number three run defense in the division. 

Sand Springs and Bixby already met once this season and the Spartans prevailed 35-19 to remain undefeated at home and spoil the Sandites' district title. Bixby had the home field advantage in the game, and the two teams have a habit of splitting wins. Last year Bixby lost to both Sand Springs and Bartlesville in the regular season, then beat both in the playoffs, while the Sandites lost to Booker T. Washington in the regular season and won in the playoffs. The parity of the division means anything is possible, and Sand Springs already has a win over Muskogee, who beat Bixby. 

Bixby boasts the top scoring offense in the State with 45 points per game, while the Sandites are fifth with 28 points per game. Sand Springs, however, has a habit of playing to their opponents' skill level. The Spartans have the number one run game and number two passing offense in the state, while the Sandites are only ninth in run coverage and eleventh in pass coverage. The two teams are tied for defensive scoring with both teams holding 28 total points this season. The Sandite offense is fifth in scoring, seventh in yards-per-play, and sixth in yards-per-rush. The Spartan defense is nearly identical to the Sandite defense in all areas but pass coverage, where they're significantly better. 

The two teams will meet at Sapulpa High School Stadium Friday at 7:00 p.m. where the Sandites upset Booker T. Washington in last year's semifinal game. 

The pick: Bixby 26, CPHS 24.

No. 1 Muskogee Roughers (1) vs No. 5 Lawton Wolverines (6)

Muskogee (9-1) has been heavily favored throughout the season, and was picked by a 31-point margin over the Stillwater Pioneers (5-6), leaving things very uncertain after barely coming from behind for a 24-22 win. 

The Pioneers took a 14-0 lead at the Indian Bowl before the Roughers scored three straight to reclaim the lead. Stillwater made a gutsy two-point conversion on their next play to take the lead, but Trent Dennis sent a 28-yard field goal through the uprights for the final score with 0:05 remaining. Stillwater utilized a run-only offense, racking up 403 yards on 66 rushes without a single pass attempt. Muskogee was 24 for 91 yards on the ground, and QB Jacob Medrano completed 23 of 30 passes for 309 yards and three scores. 

Lawton (7-4) was caught off guard by the return of Booker T. Washington (6-5) QB Phillip Wheatley who was expected to be out for the season, and barely pulled off a 21-20 victory in a game that they were picked to win by twelve. They took an early 14-0 lead with a pair of touchdown passes from Zack Hanna to Dominick Neal, but Wheatley responded with a 66-yard throw to DJ Jones and another pass to Trace Linn. A missed PAT proved to be the deciding factor in the game. Lawton managed only 27 yards on 32 carries against the Hornets who hold the number two run coverage in the state. Hanna was prolific in the air, however, managing 220 yards on 22 pass attempts.

Overall the Wolverines are fourth in offensive scoring with 33 points per game, while the Roughers are second with 39.5 points per game. The Roughers are also third in defensive scoring with 24 total points this season and second in points allowed, while Lawton is seventh in both defensive scoring and points allowed. Lawton will likely be able to run slightly better than in their last game, but will have a far tougher foe in the air as the Roughers are second in pass coverage.

The pick: Muskogee 31, Lawton 21.

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (4)

Midwest City finished an impressive season with a 7-4, 6-1 record and the District One Title, after being knocked out of playoff contention by the Sandites. High points included a 20-17 win over Lawton, and a 35-0 shutout of Deer Creek. The Bombers can boast one of the most talented defenses in the state with first place in points allowed and yards per play allowed against both passing and running offenses. They also hold the fifth-best passing offense in the division.

No. 6 Booker T. Washington Hornets (5)

The Hornets finished the season with a 6-5, 4-2 record that could likely have been much better with a healthy quarterback in the end of the season. High points included a 21-14 win over District One Champion Midwest City, a 47-0 shutout of Ponca City, a 45-0 shutout of Sapulpa, and a 17-12 upset over then-No.1 Sand Springs. Their season came to a close with a close 21-20 loss at Lawton. The Hornets hold the number four scoring defense and allowed and were fifth in offensive points allowed. Their run-coverage was second only to Midwest City.

No. 7 Putnam City West Patriots (7)

The Patriots may not have made it past the first round of the playoffs, but they had their best season in decades and were unfortunately paired with the top-scoring team in the State. The Pats finished 7-4, 5-2, with the number three defense in the state in points allowed, and second in yards-per-play allowed. Offensively they were seventh in scoring, and sixth in yards-per-play. High points included winning the Putnam rivalry with a 16-5 win over North and a 42-10 win over Putnam City. 

No. 8 Stillwater Pioneers (8)

Stillwater finished the season 5-6, 3-4, but were a much better team than their record indicates. Starting QB Jace Brownlee has struggled all season with a shoulder injury and has missed several games. Even when he could play, the team was rarely able to pass. High points included a 24-7 upset of Edmond Memorial and 34-26 upset of Mustang. The defense was fourth in the division in offensive points allowed, and their offense was third in rushing.

No. 9 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9)

The Yellowjackets finished a hit-or-miss season with a 5-5, 3-4 record and just barely missed the playoffs. High points included a 45-41 upset over Sand Springs, a 14-7 upset over Midwest City, and most impressively, a 52-26 upset over Lawton. Choctaw holds the number three offense in the State in scoring, and is fifth in yards-per-play. They struggled defensively, however, and finished ninth in points-allowed with almost every game being a shootout.

No. 10 Putnam City Pirates (10)

Putnam was just one win short of a winning season, finishing 4-6, 2-5. High points included a 16-7 win over in-town rival Putnam North and a 52-6 blowout of El Reno. They also upset Choctaw 36-32 and finished the season on a strong note with a 42-21 victory over Enid. They finished twelfth in offensive scoring and ninth in total offense and were fifth in the air. Their defense was solid at seventh in points allowed and fifth in yards-per-play.

No. 11 Enid Plainsmen (11)

Enid managed only three wins, but two were quite impressive, upsetting Choctaw 43-39 and dominating Deer Creek 45-17. They finished the season 3-7, 2-5 with a 42-21 loss to Putnam. They finished with the number ten offense and number twelve defense.

No. 12 Bartlesville Bruins (12)

The Bruins struggled off and on throughout the year, but finished strong despite three-straight losses. They gave it their all against Sand Springs and Booker T. and legitimately challenged both. They finished 3-6, 2-4 with wins of 42-20 over Ponca City and 51-28 over Sapulpa. They held the number eight offense in points scored, but were actually fourth in yards-per-play with the number two passing record in the division. Defense was their struggle and they finished fourteenth there.

No. 13 Deer Creek Antlers (13)

The Antlers had a rough start to their 6A debut season, finishing 2-8, 2-5 with wins of 21-14 over Stillwater and 20-14 over Putnam. They were shutout 49-0 in the finale at Lawton and finish with the number fourteen offense and number thirteen defense.

No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (14)

Sapulpa has been in a rebuilding year under new head coach Robert Borgstadt, but the Chieftains (1-9, 1-5) have shown promise. They only won a single game, 31-27 over Ponca City, but lost close ones of 24-21 to Duncan, and 52-42 to Choctaw. They finished thirteenth in running, scoring, and total offense, and fifteenth on the ground. Defensively they were fifteenth in points allowed, run coverage, and total defense, and thirteenth in pass coverage.

No. 15 Ponca City Wildcats (15)

The Wildcats finished 2-8, 0-6, but had several solid performances. They lost 42-31 to Enid, defeated Guthrie 9-0, and posted 35 points against Sand Springs. They barely lost 31-27 to Sapulpa and defeated Norman 10-6. Ponca finished the season fifteenth in total offense and eleventh in points allowed. They were tenth in points allowed, fourteenth in yards per play allowed, fifteenth in pass coverage, and tenth in ground coverage.

Payton Scott scores twice, Defense shines in 23-14 victory over Midwest City

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School football team (7-4, 4-2) put on an incredible defensive show against No. 4 Midwest City High School (7-4, 6-1), defeating the Bombers on the road by a final score of 23-14 to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Things got started on the right foot for the Sandite defense, as they stifled the initial Bomber drive at their own 33 yard line forcing a turnover on downs. When the offense took the field, they looked sharp as could be, executing a 9 play, 70 yard drive capped by a six yard run from Payton Scott. Alejandro "Alex" Hernandez added the extra point and the lead was 7-0. Scott led the offensive attack for the Sandites with 142 yards and a pair of scores on the night. 

Midwest City showed that they were more than capable of making the game competitive, by answering the Sand Springs score with one of their own. Junior Tyree Young scored on a 14 yard run up the middle and Reece Blasingame hit the PAT to bring the game level with 2:26 left in the opening stanza.

Senior Quarterback Hunter Greathouse and Scott marched the offense straight down the field again on the ensuing possession, but were turned away without adding any points when Greathouse's fourth down pass attempt was knocked away from the hands of Caleb Wash. 

The Bombers then captured their first lead of the game, taking the ball 95 yards for the one yard touchdown run from Sophomore signal caller, Preston Colbert. The touchdown made the score 14-7 in favor of the home team, but those would be the final points to hit the scoreboard for the champions of District One. Colbert was under duress from the Sandite defense, left scrambling looking for receivers to throw to. He was 13-20-159-2 on the night.

After the teams traded punts to end the half, the Sandites came back to the field with a newfound energy. After receiving the kick to start the third quarter, Greathouse and company took just 1:45 to score. Greathouse hit his favorite target, Senior receiver Kasey Bales for a 41 yard gain down to the 4 yard line, and Scott punched it in from 4 yards out. Hernandez cleaned up the extra point and the game was back to a dead draw. Bales led the Sandites in receiving, hauling in six passes for 85 yards. 

Just five plays later, Dalton Morgan intercepted a Colbert pass and from that point on the Sandite defense was electric. Delvin Jordan ended two Bomber drives with third down sacks, and, after a special teams miscue, Greathouse and the offense got the ball in enemy territory at the 18 yard-line. After a one yard quarteback sneak the Sandites had a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Greathouse finished the game 9-18-140-1 and a score on the ground. 

Treyce Tolbert intercepted Colbert, and the offense began to milk the clock, running the ball every play, until being stopped on fourth and goal. A fumble recovery allowed the Sandites to run all but 14 seconds off the clock, and on a last ditch attempt to tie the game a block in the back occurred in the end zone, awarding a safety to the Sandites for the final points of the game. 

The second half was completely dominated by the visitors, outscoring Midwest City 16-0. The Bomber offense was not allowed past mid-field for the duration of the half. Leading the way defensively for Sand Springs were Jordan and Morgan, each notching six tackles apiece. Jordan had three sacks and a forced fumble, while Morgan added an interception. The entire defensive unit was in sync, with nine defenders finishing the game with at least three tackles.

Sand Springs will return to action next week against the No. 2 Bixby Spartans (8-3) who trounced No. 7 Putnam City West Patriots (7-4) 49-7 in their playoff game. The Spartans topped the Sandites 35-19 in their regular season finale last week.

No. 3 Sand Springs Sandites challenge No. 4 Midwest City tonight at 7:00

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The third ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (6-4, 4-2) will travel to Midwest City High School Friday evening for the first round of the Class 6A-II playoffs and aim to keep their season alive against the District One Champions.

While the Sandites gave up a hard loss to the No. 2 Bixby Spartans (7-3, 5-1) last week, the No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (7-3, 6-1) won a surprisingly close battle with No. 8 Stillwater (5-5, 3-4) to close the regular season with the District Once Championship. 

This game will likely be a major defensive battle as Midwest City holds the best defense in the State when it comes to points allowed, by a significant margin. They allow only 3.413 yards per play, 2.165 yards per run, and 5.278 yards per pass. Sand Springs's offense is sixth on yards per carry, and managed an impressive 4.71 yards per carry against Bixby, who normally only allows 3.94. They also ran for 3.914 against Muskogee who normally allows only 3.023. Sand Springs is eighth in passing yards per play, so if they're to overcome the two-pronged Bomber defense, they'll definitely need to get creative.

The Bombers will have an equally difficult time against Sand Springs, as they have relied almost entirely on their defense this season. Midwest City is eleventh in offensive scoring and only eighth in yards-per-play. Sand Springs is tenth in points allowed, but third in defensive points scored and wins the turnover battle more often than not. While they give up more yards-per-play than a lot of teams, they're 71% on third-down stops this season. 

The winner of this game will take on the winner of Bixby vs Putnam West. Veterans will get free entry into tonight's game.

The pick: CPHS 24, MWC 23.

Players to watch

Sandite Offense

Junior tight end Dash Fleischman has been solid both blocking and receiving this season, often opening up paths for Payton Scott along the outside. He has also hauled in 9 passes for 143 yards, though he hasn't scored a touchdown yet. 

Junior running back Payton Scott is the work horse for the Sandite offense with 267 carries for 1574 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. His career total is 2705 yards, but this is his first year as the starter. He's also a target for screen passes with 8 receptions for 142 yards this season.

Senior Kasey Bales is the all-purpose player for the Sandites. He holds 55 receptions for 792 yards and 9 touchdowns this season and sits at 1439 yards for his career. He's ran 6 times for 44 yards, mostly on laterals. He frequently handles kicking duties for the Sandites, and is 17 of 22 on extra points this season. He averages 42 yards per punt, and 21 yards per kick return.

Second-year senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse is 122 of 243 passing this season with 1833 yards and 16 touchdowns against 8 interceptions. He has already surpassed his record last season, and he's played three less games. His career total is 3668 and could easily pass the 4000 mark tonight if Midwest City shuts down the run game. He hasn't thrown a 300+ game yet, but certainly is capable of it if necessary. He's a break-even runner due to sacks, and technically has only 3 yards on 54 carries this season. But he has seven touchdowns on the ground and can be counted on to gain a few on a designed run. He also holds two punts this season for an average of 43 yards in case fourth-down conversion attempts fall apart. 

Senior Alejandro "Alex" Hernandez is the primary kicker with 13 extra points on 15 attempts and 2 field goals on 5 attempts. He averages 45 yards per kickoff, but that's deceptive. He can easily drill it inside the ten-yard line, but the Sandites haven't done too well at return coverage this season and often have him send it high and short so they have more time to reach the ball. 

Senior Dalton Morgan is in his first season on offense and has 42 runs for 247 yards and a touchdown. He also has one pass for 29 yards and a touchdown, and 9 receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns. His native spot is on defense where he has seventeen tackles over only two games this season. He also has a fumble recovery.

Senior Mack Thompson is in his first year of Sandite football and holds 19 receptions for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Senior Caleb Wash is also a first year receiver and has 17 receptions for 226 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Offensive linemen Danny Ropp, Lincoln Adams, Michael Carper, Ethan Hooper, Austin Rutledge, Caleb Mallory, and a few others don't have any stats to track, but they are crucial players and are always impressive to watch.

Sandite Defense

Sophomore Luke Bratcher has been a playmaker on the Sandite defense this year with two fumble recoveries and an interception to complement his 26 tackles.

Hayden Cramer has made an impressive debut his sophomore season with 41 tackles, five for losses, and a forced fumble. 

Junior Gage Fain is one of the leading players on defensive line with 31 tackles, including an incredible thirteen for losses totaling 59 yards. Most impressive is his 6 sacks for 32 yards. He also holds a fumble recovery.

Tre Finch holds 28 tackles this season, mostly unassisted, with four for losses totaling 24 yards, including three sacks for losses of 19 yards. He holds one forced fumble. 

Senior Tyler Delozier sits at 25 tackles this season with 2 for loss. He has hauled in two interceptions, one of which he returned for 40 yards. He also has a fumble recovery.

Senior Brett Freeman holds 27 tackles this season with 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery. 

Senior Delvin Jordan, Jr. is Mr. Sandite Defense with 59 tackles this season, including 48 unassisted, 12 for losses totaling 64 yards, and 5 sacks totaling 37 yards. He has two forced fumbles this year and one recovery, which he returned for 32 yards to score. He also very nearly had a scoring fumble recovery in the last game on what appeared to be an incomplete lateral, but was ruled a forward pass after the play.

Senior Cody Motes holds 29 tackles, mostly unassisted, with 2 interceptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. He has one fumble recovery for 58 yards and a score.

Senior lineman Nathan Simonton sits at 33 tackles with 6 tackles for losses totaling 18 yards and 3 sacks for 7 yards. He also has two fumble recoveries. 

Senior Josh Taber splits time between wide receiver and defense and holds 35 tackles this season, mostly unassisted. He has four receptions for 28 yards this season, but mostly plays defense.

Senior Treyce Tolbert has 30 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups.

Sandite of the Week: Josh Taber tears up the Bixby offense and the classroom

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By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

Charles Page High School senior Josh Taber was selected as Sandite of the Week for his outstanding performance both on the football field and in the classroom. 

The 5'11" 160 pound defensive back and wide receiver led his team in unassisted tackles this past week in the regular season finale at Bixby and was also recently given commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program. 

Taber hasn't spent much time in the receiver slot this season, holding four receptions for 28 yards. Last season he hauled in five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. He seems to have found his niche in the secondary where he's sitting at 35 tackles for this season, with only three assisted. He has recorded one tackle for a loss of two yards and also holds five breakups for the season. 

Last Friday Taber recorded a career-high ten tackles, all unassisted, including the one for loss and one for no gain. All but two of his tackles stopped the ball carrier short of the first down. In the final stanza, as the Sandites definitely needed a turnover, he was stride for stride with the carrier on his last three tackles trying to wrestle the ball away. Though he wasn't able to force a fumble, he fought hard to try and give his offense another shot and played near-perfect defense. 

Taber was also one of two Charles Page High School students to receive commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program as a result of his performance on the PSAT-National Merit Qualifying Test.

In addition to football, he is a talented athlete on both the Sandite basketball and baseball teams. He finished last spring with a .363 batting average with 34 singles, 3 doubles, 21 RBI, 31 runs, and 7 sacrifices on 102 at bats. He was 23 of 28 stealing bases. Last winter he finished the basketball season with 33 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He will likely see increased action this year as a senior.

This is his first time being named Sandite of the Week, though he has been a finalist many times. His older brother, Jacob, was also named Sandite of the Week last December, and his younger sister, Jacie, was named Sandite of the Week in August. Josh is the son of Amy and Ronnie Taber. Ronnie is a member of the Sandite football coaching staff.

SEE RELATED: Sandites of the Week for August through September
SEE RELATED: Sandite of the Week: Jacob Taber

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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.

Week 11 6A-II Rankings and Playoff predictions; a look at this weekend's games

Photo: Scott Emigh.

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

The regular season has come to a close with few surprises. All four of Sandite Pride's pre-season top four picks from District Two have made the playoffs. We only picked two of four post-season qualifiers from District One accurately, but with the circular losses in that district, it's not surprising. Here's our season review for those who have finished play for the year, and our picks for the post-season.

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (Last week No. 5) vs No. 3 Sand Springs Sandites (2)

While the Sandites (6-4, 4-2) gave up a hard loss to the Spartans, the Bombers (7-3, 6-1) gave up a surprisingly close battle with Stillwater to close the regular season with the District Two Championship. 

This game will likely be a major defensive battle as Midwest City holds the best defense in the State when it comes to points allowed, by a significant margin. They allow only 3.413 yards per play, 2.165 yards per run, and 5.278 yards per pass. Sand Springs is sixth on yards per carry, and managed a surprising 4.71 yards per carry against Bixby, who normally only allows 3.94. They also ran for 3.914 against Muskogee who normally allows only 3.023. Sand Springs is eighth in passing yards per play, so if they're to overcome the two-pronged Bomber defense, they'll definitely need to get creative.

The Bombers will have an equally difficult time against Sand Springs, as they have relied almost entirely on their defense this season. Midwest City is eleventh in offensive scoring and only eighth in yards-per-play. Sand Springs is tenth in points allowed, but third in defensive points scored and wins the turnover battle more often than not. While they give up more yards-per-play than a lot of teams, they're 71% on third-down stops this season. 

The winner of this game will take on the winner of Bixby vs Putnam West.

The pick: CPHS 24, MWC 23.

No. 2 Bixby Spartans (3) vs No. 7 Putnam City West Patriots (8)

The Spartans (7-3, 5-1) upended the Sandites (6-4, 4-2) Friday night 35-19 at Spartan Stadium to secure a home playoff game and will host the Putnam West Patriots (7-3, 5-2). 

The Sandite defense performed well, holding the Spartans to their closest win of the season, giving up only five scores on twelve possessions, forcing two turnovers on downs, and three punts, as well as recovering a fumble and an interception. 

Bixby was one step better, however, giving up only three scores on twelve possessions, forcing two turnovers on downs with four punts, a fumble, and an interception. The Spartans split time between land and air as Tanner Griffin passed 24 of 33 for 254 yards and an interception. All four offensive touchdowns came at the hands of Tucker Pawley who carried 36 times for 248 yards and four scores, while Clayton Barbour added a fifth touchdown on a 95-yard kick return. 

Putnam City West pulled off an impressive 40-37 double-overtime win against Choctaw Friday, sabotaging the Yellowjackets' last ditch effort for a playoff berth. The Patriots ran 38 times for 204 yards and attempted 20 passes for 202 yards. 

The Spartans boast the number-one scoring offense in the division, while the Patriots own the number three defense in points-allowed. Bixby also holds the number-one scoring defense and the number-six defense in points-allowed. Putnam West has relied heavily on its defense this season and is only sixth in offensive scoring.

The pick: Bixby 44, PCW 22.

No. 1 Muskogee Roughers (1) vs No. 8 Stillwater Pioneers (9)

The Roughers (8-1, 5-1) finished the season with the best record in the division and the District Two Championship, thanks to the Spartan's defeat of Sand Springs. They sealed the deal with a powerful 48-0 shutout of Ponca City. 

Stillwater (5-5, 3-4) closed out the regular season with a loss and made the playoffs on head-to-head with Choctaw (5-5, 3-4). The Pioneers fell 26-17 to Midwest City in what was actually an impressive battle in spite of the loss. The Pioneers have been hit-or-miss this season majorly due to the health of starting QB Jace Brownlee. Brownlee has been recovering from a pre-season shoulder surgery, and his once stellar arm has seen little use. In spite of that loss, the Pioneers have ran miles on the turf and won games without even attempting a single pass. 

Muskogee's number-two scoring offense and number-one offense in yards-per-play will take on Stillwater's number-four defense in points allowed. The Pioneers have made it on their defense this season, holding only the number-nine offense in the State, and will have their work cut out for them against Muskogee. The Roughers are number two in the division in points-allowed as well as defensive scoring. 

The winner of this match will face the winner of Lawton vs Booker T.

The pick: Muskogee 45, Stillwater 14.

No. 6 Lawton Wolverines (6) vs No. 5 Booker T. Washington Hornets (4)

Lawton (6-4, 5-2) settled for second in their district this year, but ended the regular season with a powerful 49-0 victory over Deer Creek. The Hornets (6-4, 4-2) barely scraped together a 57-39 win over Bartlesville that wasn't decided till the final few possessions. 

Lawton QB Zach Hanna was nearly perfect against Deer Creek, completing 12 of 14 passes for 226 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The run game was also alive and well where the Wolverines rushed 35 times for 201 yards and a pair of scores. 

Booker T. has been scrambling to figure out a success formula that doesn't include injured QB Phillip Wheatley. They were flying through their opponents before losing Wheatley and since then have barely gotten by. They should have lost 12-10 to Sand Springs but got a miraculous fumble recovery on a bad-hike at the Sandite two-yard line late in the fourth quarter to avert the loss. They suffered their first shutout in years 28-0 at the hands of Bixby, then closed the season with Bartlesville 

Booker T.'s defense is fifth in points allowed, fourth in yards-per-play, and tied for fourth in scoring. Lawton's offense is fourth in points scored, and third in yards-per-play, so if Booker T. wants to find a win, they're going to need to come up with something new on offense. Overall the Hornets are only seventh in offensive scoring and twelfth in yards-per-play, and that's including when they still had Wheatley. Without him, they'll have their work cut out for them against Lawton's defense which is eighth in points allowed and sixth in yards-per-play allowed. 

The pick: Lawton 36, BTW 24.

No. 9 Choctaw Yellowjackets (7)

The Yellowjackets finished a hit-or-miss season with a 5-5, 3-4 record and just barely missed the playoffs. High points included a 45-41 upset over Sand Springs, a 14-7 upset over Midwest City, and most impressively, a 52-26 upset over Lawton. Choctaw holds the number three offense in the State in scoring, and is fifth in yards-per-play. They struggled defensively, however, and finished ninth in points-allowed with almost every game being a shootout.

No. 10 Putnam City Pirates (10)

Putnam was just one win short of a winning season, finishing 4-6, 2-5. High points included a 16-7 win over in-town rival Putnam North and a 52-6 blowout of El Reno. They also upset Choctaw 36-32 and finished the season on a strong note with a 42-21 victory over Enid. They finished twelfth in offensive scoring and ninth in total offense and were fifth in the air. Their defense was solid at seventh in points allowed and fifth in yards-per-play.

No. 11 Enid Plainsmen (11)

Enid managed only three wins, but two were quite impressive, upsetting Choctaw 43-39 and dominating Deer Creek 45-17. They finished the season 3-7, 2-5 with a 42-21 loss to Putnam. They finished with the number ten offense and number twelve defense.

No. 12 Bartlesville Bruins (13)

The Bruins struggled off and on throughout the year, but finished strong despite three-straight losses. They gave it their all against Sand Springs and Booker T. and legitimately challenged both. They finished 3-6, 2-4 with wins of 42-20 over Ponca City and 51-28 over Sapulpa. They held the number eight offense in points scored, but were actually fourth in yards-per-play with the number two passing record in the division. Defense was their struggle and they finished fourteenth there.

No. 13 Deer Creek Antlers (12)

The Antlers had a rough start to their 6A debut season, finishing 2-8, 2-5 with wins of 21-14 over Stillwater and 20-14 over Putnam. They were shutout 49-0 in the finale at Lawton and finish with the number fourteen offense and number thirteen defense.

No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (14)

Sapulpa has been in a rebuilding year under new head coach Robert Borgstadt, but the Chieftains (1-9, 1-5) have shown promise. They only won a single game, 31-27 over Ponca City, but lost close ones of 24-21 to Duncan, and 52-42 to Choctaw. They finished thirteenth in running, scoring, and total offense, and fifteenth on the ground. Defensively they were fifteenth in points allowed, run coverage, and total defense, and thirteenth in pass coverage.

No. 15 Ponca City Wildcats (15)

The Wildcats finished 2-8, 0-6, but had several solid performances. They lost 42-31 to Enid, defeated Guthrie 9-0, and posted 35 points against Sand Springs. They barely lost 31-27 to Sapulpa and defeated Norman 10-6. Ponca finished the season fifteenth in total offense and eleventh in points allowed. They were tenth in points allowed, fourteenth in yards per play allowed, fifteenth in pass coverage, and tenth in ground coverage.

Sandites secure fifth-straight playoff berth, travel to Midwest City Friday

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 2 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (6-4, 4-2) took on the No. 3 Bixby Spartans (7-3, 5-1) Friday night in a District Championship showdown at Spartan Stadium. The Sandites battled valiantly in their regular season finale, but fell 35-19 to take the number four seed going into the playoffs. 

It was a defensive showdown from the very beginning as the Spartans drove only 27 yards in 10 plays and the Sandites got a turnover on downs at their own 38 with some great pass defense.  They were unable to capitalize however, despite a pair of impressive third down conversion runs from Payton Scott, as receiver Kasey Bales gave up a fumble to Coby Tillman.

This time the Spartans wouldn’t be stymied as they pushed 69 yards to score in only six plays. Quarterback Tanner Griffin let loose a deep pass to Eric Calton-Watkins who was stopped by his own feet at the one yard line for a 51 yard gain. Tucker Pawley was stopped once on the run by Delvin Jordan, but found the endzone on his second attempt to take the lead. Jason Campbell sent in the point-after and the home team was off to a good start.

The Sandites started off their drive well with a 23 yard run from Scott, aided by stellar stride-for-stride blocking from tight-end Dash Fleischman. Scott nabbed another first down on an eleven yard run, but was brought to a stop for a loss of one on his next play. Two incompletions later and Greathouse punted away possession.

The Spartans picked up a first down with a 22-yard pass from Griffin to Sam Sherman to end the first quarter, then grabbed 18 yards on a Pawley run, who was barely brought down with a shoe-string tackle from Cody Motes. They drove the final fifty yards in seven plays, capped by a thirteen-yard run from Pawley to score and make it 14-0 shortly into the second quarter.

The Sandite offense found their legs on the next possession. Scott went down for a loss of three to start, but Greathouse connected with Mack Thompson for twelve and Scott tacked on the extra yard for the first down. Scott grabbed the next conversion as well with a 25 yard run before being brought down by Cade Cannon. Greathouse found Bales from forty yards out for the first Sandite score and Alex Hernandez tacked on the point-after to cut the deficit to 14-7.

Unfortunately for the Sandites, Clayton Barbour laid in wait for a 95 yard kickoff return to regain the two-score advantage.

Both teams exchanged possessions from there and the Sandites were next to strike. Caleb Wash hauled in a ten-yard screen from Greathouse, capped by a facemask penalty, and Scott ended the drive out with a 36-yard run to score. The point-after was blocked by Brendon Evers, and the Spartans had 1:40 to work with.

They made the most of it, driving 64 yards in nine plays, but a fourth and short fumble in the redzone saw Luke Bratcher come up with the ball to enter the half 21-13.

The third quarter didn’t start pretty for the Sandites as Greathouse barely recovered a fumbled hike, just to launch it ten yards short of his intended receiver and into the arms of Colton Tafoya. The Spartans capitalized, moving 76 yards on three runs, a pass, and a personal foul, to score on an eleven yard run by Pawley to make it 28-13.

The Sandites pushed 24 yards to midfield on their next possession and punted it away to Kordel Tyler who fumbled. The Sandites nearly had it but the ball squirted out and Drake Allen secured it for his team.

Delvin Jordan and the Sand Springs sideline thought they had a fumble recovery after what appeared to be a Tanner Griffin lateral fell incomplete, but it was ruled to be a forward pass.

The two teams traded punts from there until finally the Sandite offense found momentum late in the quarter. Greathouse hit Bales for 43 yards and nearly scored on the next play. The quarterback found Mack Thompson from 28 yards out, but the receiver was just a tad out of bounds in the back of the endzone. A pass interference call soon after put the Sandites in the redzone where Scott picked up another first down on a ten-yard run to end the third at the Spartan five.

On second and goal at the five, Scott managed to recover a fumbled handoff for no gain, then moved it up to the three but couldn’t find the endzone. On a fourth down the running back was stuffed and the Spartans got the ball.

They wouldn’t have it for long, however, as an interception from Tyler Delozier gave the Sandites a fresh set of downs, once again at the three. This time it Greathouse with the run and he scored from two yards out to cut the lead to 28-19. The extra point was no good, and the Sandites had 9:06 to score twice.

The Spartans pushed it to a three-score lead on their next possession, driving 65 yards in eleven plays, capped by a five-yard run from Pawley. The next Sandite drive made it to the Spartan 39 before giving up a turnover on downs. On the Spartans final possession they pushed as far as the Sandite 16 before they were able to drain the clock and secure the win.

Greathouse finished the evening 15 of 33 passing for 179 yards, a touchdown, and one interception to surpass the 3,500 mark of his career. He also had one score on the ground with 7 yards on four carries. Scott led the ground game with 26 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown and surpassed 1,500 yards for the season. Bales was the leading receiver with six receptions for 98 yards and a score. Defensively the Sandites were led by Dalton Morgan with 12 total tackles, followed by Josh Taber with 10 tackles, all unassisted. Hayden Cramer, Delvin Jordan, and Cody Motes all had eight tackles each.

On the Spartan side of the ball, Griffin finished 24 of 33 passing for 254 yards and an interception. Seminole State-commit Nic Swanson was his leading receiver with 11 receptions for 93 yards. Pawley was the man of the night with 36 carries for 248 yards and all four offensive touchdowns. Tillman led the defense with eight tackles.

Sand Springs finishes fourth in the district for the regular season and will return to action Friday when they travel to District One Champion No. 5 Midwest City (7-3, 6-1) for the first round of the playoffs. The Spartans come in second in District Two and will host a game against No. 8 Putnam City West (7-3, 5-2).