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

No. 1 Bixby Spartans (Last week No. 1) vs. No. 10 Putnam City Pirates (11)

The defending Division II State Champions (1-1) suffered a 47-28 loss against Arkansas 7A Bentonville (1-1). The Spartans jumped out to 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Tigers closed out with five unanswered touchdowns and held the home team scoreless in the second half. Staton King was 18-31-191-2 passing and 17-82 on the ground. The Spartans gave up a full field worth of penalties, but performed well defensively with three fumble recoveries and an interception.

Putnam City (2-0) pulled off a massive victory against 5A El Reno (1-1), utterly dominating the Indians 63-6. AJ Newsome was 15-22-222 passing and scored six touchdowns, three by air and three by land. The Pirates picked up three fumbles, including a 35-yard touchdown return. 

The pick: Bixby 57 Putnam 29.

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

Booker T. (2-1) dropped their first loss of the season 30-21 to Louisiana 5A State Runners-Up West Monroe (3-0) at the Battle on the Border. Phillip Wheatley was 19-40-310-0 with all three Hornet touchdowns. The ground game was nonexistent with 19 carries for 28 yards. 

5A Shawnee (2-0) is undefeated, but their wins were low-scoring against average teams. They topped Duncan 7-6 with a fourth-quarter 69-yard pass to take the lead. Hunter Heath was 11-21-135-2. The Wolves will be without their head coach, who was ejected in the game against Duncan (1-2).

The pick: BTW 39 Shawnee 10.

No. 3 Midwest City Bombers (3) vs. Del City Eagles

The Bombers (1-1) lost a 27-24 overtime heart-breaker to Booker T. two weeks ago and had a bye week to recover. 5A Del City (1-1) picked up their first win of the season 40-14 over Eisenhower (0-2).

The pick: MWC 32 Del 14.

No. 4 Muskogee Roughers (5) vs. Bentonville West Wolverines

Muskogee (1-1) lost a close 26-20 season opener to Midwest City (1-1), but ended on a high-note. They fell in a 26-0 deficit before getting on the scoreboard, then shut out McAlester 54-0 leaving them with a streak of 74 unanswered points over the last two games. Against McAlester, QB Jacob Medrano recorded 481 yards, finding Diante Crutchfield for 292 and three touchdowns. Defensively they held the Buffalo to less than 100 yards with five sacks. The Roughers are coming off a bye week and are all rested up and ready for action.

Arkansas 7A Bentonville West (2-0) easily handled 5A Pryor (0-2) 49-13 and Central Little Rock (1-1) 48-14. The Wolverines were 10-20-241-0 passing and 35-229 on the ground with zero fumbles and only four penalties. 

Virgil says: Bentonville 42 Muskogee 28.
Scott says: Muskogee 48 Benvontille 35.

No. 5 Lawton Wolverines (6) vs. Eisenhower Eagles

Lawton (1-1) steamrolled their 5A rivals from MacArthur (1-1) 50-20, thanks in part to junior running back Miles Davis who carried 18 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns. This week is another in-town rivalry game against Eisenhower (0-2) who fell 40-14 to Del City (1-1) last week.

The pick: Lawton 58 Ike 17.

No. 6 Choctaw Yellowjackets (7) vs Putnam City North Panthers

For the second-straight week the Yellowjackets (2-0) trailed at the half and came back for the win. This time they were down 13-7 to Sand Springs (0-2) before surging to the 21-20 victory. Hudson Woods was 17-27-222-1 passing and led the ground game with 21 carries for 65 yards. 

Putnam North (2-0) won their in-town rivalry game against Putnam West (1-1) with a hearty 30-7 beat down.

Virgil says: PCN 28 Choctaw 21.
cott says: Choctaw 35 PCN 21.

No. 7 Sand Springs Sandtes (4) vs. No. 13 Putnam City West Patriots (13)

Charles Page High School (0-2) took a 13-0 lead on Choctaw (2-0) last week before the Yellowjackets surged back in the second half for a 21-20 victory. The Sandite passing game improved from the week prior, but was still shoddy at 6-18-39-1. Payton Scott led the ground with 40 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively the Sandites were solid with an interception and nine tackles for loss. 

Putnam West (1-1) was hammered 30-7 in a rivalry game against Putnam North (1-1). The Patriots also relied primarily on the ground game, carrying 48 times for 231 yards.

The pick: CPHS 31 CPW 14.

No. 8 Bartlesville Bruins (8) - Bye Week

Bartlesville (1-1) kicked off the season with a 30-25 victory over 5A McAlester (0-2), but dropped their past two games 56-14 to 6A-I Owasso (3-0) and 48-29 to 4A Cascia Hall (1-1). Noah Sunday threw 15 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. The Bruins fired their Head Coach last week, putting the reigns in the hands of interim coach Kyle Ppool. They will have some down time to adapt to the changes before returning to action against Muskogee next week. 

No. 9 Enid Plainsmen (9) vs. Bishop McGuinness

Enid (2-0) is off to a hot start with their best record since 2012, topping Guthrie (0-2) 34-23 and Ponca City (0-2) 61-34. Junior QB Mason Skrimager passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns against the Bluejays, then recorded 290 yards and two strikes against the Wildcats. 271 yards came in the first half alone. Marlo Hughes ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, while Seth Ellis set a single-game record for the Plainsmen with four interceptions, including a 99-yard return. Enid jumped to a 21-0 first quarter lead and was up 34-14 at halftime. The Plainsmen are all rested up after a bye week.

5A Bishop McGuinness (2-0) is also on a strong start to the year, handling Del City (1-1) 32-23 and Bishop Kelley (1-1) 42-21. Sophomore running back Dominic Richardson carried 26 times for 273 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Brennan Mullins scored twice on the ground. 

Virgil says: Enid 32 McG 31.
Scott says: McG 42 Enid 35.

No. 11 Deer Creek Antlers (10) vs. Edmond Memorial Bulldogs

Deer Creek (1-1) started the season with a 21-13 win over Southmoore (0-1), but fell 38-21 to Edmond Santa Fe (2-1). Dylan Diaz had a marvelous 97-yard kick return, while quarterback Hunter Freese found Logan Huslig for a pair of scores through the air. Freese was 18-28-170-1, but the ground game went negative at 21 carries for negative seven yards. 

Edmond Memorial (1-2) dropped a 25-17 decision to Edmond North (1-1). Memorial was 11-22-94-0 passing and the dogs combined for 91 yards on 30 carries. 

The pick: DC 35 EDM 30.

No. 12 Stillwater Pioneers (12) vs. Mustang Broncos

Stillwater (2-0) easily handled Edmond Memorial (1-2) 23-7 in their season opener then topped Moore (0-2) 14-7. Gunnar Gundy was 7-8-188-0 passing for both touchdowns. The game was sloppy on both sides. Moore had three fumbles but recovered each, while Stillwater lost three of their four fumbles, but picked off two passes from the Lions. Stillwater won the first half 14-0 while Moore scored the lone points of the second half with a fourth quarter run. 

6A-I Mustang (2-0) is off to a dominating start with a 31-14 victory over Yukon (1-1) and a 48-14 win against Norman (0-2). Brayden Garrett was 9-18-171-0 through the air and the Bronchos combined for 241 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. 

The pick: Mustang 43 Stillwater 18.

No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (14) vs. Bishop Kelley Comets

Sapulpa (0-2) got off to a rough start this year, falling 28-12 to Duncan (1-2) and 27-20 to Choctaw (2-0). The Chieftains took a bye week to recover and will return to action against 5A Bishop Kelley (1-1). The Comets fell 42-21 to Bishop McGuinness (2-0) but rolled over Edison (1-1) 48-14 in week one.

The pick: Kelley 30 Sapulpa 18.

No. 15 Ponca City Wildcats (15) - Bye Week

Ponca (0-3) will get a much needed bye week after being brutalized 48-0 by Guthrie (1-2), 61-34 by Enid (2-0), and 28-7 by Edmond Memorial (1-2). Justin Andrews was 14-28-116 against the Bluejays, but the ground game was practically nonexistent with 26 carries for a mere 44 yards. 

Scott Emigh
Editor-in-Chief
Overall: 15-7 (.681)
Last Week: 5-5 (.500)
Last Year: 48-21 (.695)

Virgil Noah
Staff Writer
Overall: 4-6* (.400)
Last Week: 4-6 (.400)
Last Year: 43-26 (.623)

*Virgil missed the first week of picks.

CPHS Football: Payton Scott rushes for 214 yards in 21-20 loss to Choctaw

Junior line backer Hayden Cramer starred on defense with seven tackles and an interception. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

The No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (0-2) had No. 7 Choctaw (2-0) right where they wanted them for most of the game, but despite impressive performances from most of the Sandites, the visiting Yellowjackets came from behind midway through the fourth quarter for a 21-20 victory Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

Choctaw 21 CPHS 20
1Q CPHS 7-0
2Q Choctaw 7-6
3Q All 7-7
4Q Choctaw 7-0

Passing: Choctaw 17-27-222-1, CPHS 6-18-39-1.
Rushing: CPHS 48-254, Choctaw 33-86.
Plays-Offense: Choctaw 60-308, CPHS 66-293.
First Downs: CPHS 17, Choctaw 15.
Penalties: Choctaw 10-59, CPHS 4-40.
Fumbles/Lost: Choctaw 1/0, CPHS 0/0.

Click here to view full photo gallery.

For the second-straight year, an under-ranked Choctaw dealt a top-five Sandite team an upset loss for an 0-2 start to the season. Last year the Sandites recovered from their 0-2 start to finish 7-5 with a Playoff Semifinal appearance. This year's team has a lot of the ingredients for a successful season, but first they have to figure out their passing game.

For the first half of the game, junior quarterback Caden Pennington was five yards long on his receivers for most pass attempts. In the second half he hit them dead-on, but they dropped the ball both literally and metaphorically.

While the passing unit figures out their game, running backs Payton Scott and Ben Nortey are picking up the slack, combining for 250 yards on the evening. Scott, 5'5" 180-pound senior and wrestling State Champion, accounted for 214 of those yards, marking the third-best performance of his career. He scored two of the Sandites' three touchdowns.

Sand Springs got off to a good start, holding Choctaw to negative yardage on their first possession, then marching 69 yards in twelve plays to score on a six-yard Scott run with 7:37 in the first quarter. J.T. Bristow snapped the ball to Pennington who held it for Jaden Weiser's kick, and the Sandites were up 7-0. 

The Sandites next two possessions came up dry while Choctaw's first four were all fruitless. On their first possession of the second quarter, Choctaw looked to be building some momentum. They picked up two first downs and 33 yards before junior line backer Hayden Cramer got the first Sandite pick of the season, returning it six yards before being brought down. 

It looked like the Sandites might squander their good fortune after a sack and a bad pass put them third and twelve at the 25, but Scott came to the rescue with a fifteen yard run through a hole opened up by Nicolas Hancock for the first down. Two plays later, Pennington connected with Dash Fleischman for a seven-yard touchdown reception, his first of the season. Unfortunately for the Sandites, Weiser's point-after attempt was blocked, and it would come to haunt the home team.

Trailing 13-0, Choctaw pulled it together for a 71-yard march and 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hudson Woods to Zane Coleman, accompanied by a kick from Jacob Dunning to cut the deficit to 13-7 before the half.

Both teams failed to convert on their first possessions of the second half, but on their second try Sand Springs powered their way downfield behind Scott, Norte, and the Ford-tough offensive line where Scott leaped over a dogpile for a one-yard touchdown. This time Weiser's kick rang true and the Sandites were back out front at 20-7.

The Yellowjackets were quick to retaliate as Woods connected with Ethan Crews from 21 yards out just two minutes later. 

In the fourth quarter Choctaw took their first lead of the game, and the only lead that counts. With a 36-yard passing catalyst, the Yellowjackets pushed 90 yards in twelve plays. Dunning's kick gave Choctaw the one-point advantage that should have simply tied things up.

Sand Springs didn't go down without a fight. Scott ran for 33 yards in five plays, setting up the Sandites at the 27 yard line. Scott took the handoff, pitched it back to Pennington, who heaved it at the endzone into the waiting arms of his receiver. The only problem was, it wasn't his receiver. Instead of a friendly Sandite, he found Tae Gibbs who promptly returned the ball all the way to the Sandite 25. A block in the back returned it to the Choctaw 18, but possession remained theirs and the clock was winding down.

After holding Choctaw to seven fruitless possessions, the Sandite defense was finally out of gas. Woods picked up three first downs to drain the clock before finally taking a knee at the fifty yard line to seal the deal. 

The Sandites will return to action next Friday with their first road game of the season at No. 11 Putnam City West (1-1). Choctaw will take on Putnam City North (1-1) who hammered the Patriots 30-7 Friday night. 

---

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Passing: Pennington 6-18-39-1.
Rushing: Scott 40-214, Nortey 6-36, Pennington 2-4.
Receiving: King 3-18, Millican 1-9, Fleischman 1-7, Scott 1-5. 
Punting: Smith 6-219.
Kicking: Weiser 2-71, Smith 1-51.
Tackles: Edwards 11, Fleischman 9, Cramer 7, Fain 4, Bratcher 4, Mackey 4, Lyons 3, Finch 3, Haley 3, Wright 1, Denton 1.
Tackles for loss: Finch 2-7, Fleischman 1-4, Cramer 1-3, Fain 1-2, Edwards 1-1.
Sacks: Finch 1-6. 
Breakups: Lyons 1, Cramer 1, Shipman 1.
Kickoff Returns: Denton 2-43, Bratcher 1-15, Adcock 2-9. 
Interceptions: Cramer 1-6. 

Choctaw Individual Statistics

Passing: Woods 17-27-222-1.
Rushing: Woods 21-65, Curry 10-19, Navarro 1-6, Nealy 1-(-4).
Receiving: Coleman 3-60, Navarro 3-52, Crews 2-36, Curry 3-25, D. Armstrong 2-21, C. Armstrong 3-16, Moore-Johnson 1-9.
Punting: Crews 5-158.
Kicking: Zook 4-184.
Kickoff Returns: C. Armstrong 3-55, Navarro 1-3.

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

No. 1 Bixby Spartans (Last week No. 1) vs Bentonville Tigers

The defending Division II State Champions from Bixby (1-0) started off the season with a bang, hammering 6A-I powerhouse Jenks (0-2) 35-18 with 21 points in the fourth quarter. RB Tucker Pawley rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns while Staton King passed for 191 and two scores. The Spartans will be taking on Bentonville, Arkansas (0-1). The Tigers went 10-3 last season and lost their season opener 35-8 to Rockhurst, Missouri (2-1). 

The pick: Bixby 47 Bentonville 17.

No. 2 Booker T. Washington Hornets (2) vs. West Monroe Rebels

Booker T. (2-0) is off to a great start this year, topping 6A-I powerhouse Edmond Santa Fe (1-1) 35-21 and Midwest City (1-1) 27-24 in overtime. Hornet QB Phillip Wheatley recorded 197 passing yards and a touchdown. This weekend they'll travel to Shreveport, Louisiana for the Battle on the Border Football Showcase in Independence Stadium. The Hornets will take on West Monroe, Louisiana (2-0), last year's 5A State Runners-Up.

Virgil picks: BTW 33 Monroe 28.
Scott picks: Monroe 35, BTW  24.

No. 3 Midwest City Bombers (4) - Bye Week

The Bombers (1-1) lost an overtime heart-breaker to Head Coach Darrell Hall's former school, Booker T. Washington. QB Preston Colbert scored a 40-yard touchdown with a pass to Declaudio Irvin. Elliot Janish sent the game into overtime with a last-second field goal, but the Hornets came out on top 27-24.

No. 4 Sand Springs Sandtes (3) vs. No. 7 Choctaw Yellowjackets (6)

Charles Page High School (0-1) started the season with a 59-21 loss to Pulaski Academy, an Arkansas team with three-straight State Championships who always goes for fourth downs and almost always onside kicks. Caden Pennington was only 3-4-11-1 passing and nearly the entirety of the Sandite offense came from Ben Nortey and Payton Scott on the ground. Sand Springs stymied the Bruins well on the ground, but gave up 433 yards by air. 

Choctaw (1-0) trailed Sapulpa 7-6 at halftime last week but came back in the second half for a 27-21 road win. Hudson Woods was 18-28-227 passing with one touchdown and ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Jaryn Curry racked up 162 yards on 13 carries. 

The pick: CPHS 39 Choctaw 25.

No. 6 Lawton Wolverines (5) vs MacArthur Highlanders

It's rivalry week in Lawton as the 6A-II Wolverines (0-1) look to get in the win column against 5A MacArthur (1-0). The Wolverines lost their season debut 33-32 to the defending 5A State Champions from Carl Albert (1-0) and will have another tough match against the State Semi-finalists who trounced Eisenhower (0-1) 56-29 last weekend. 

Carl Albert held a 14-point lead midway through the fourth before Lawton staged a comeback attempt. Fortunately for the Titans, Lawton's last extra-point attempt failed on a bad snap, preventing a tie game. Miles Davis led the Wolverines on the ground with 297 yards.

MacAthur steamrolled Eisenhower with 531 offensive yards, 138 of which came from sophomore QB Race Felter who scored five running touchdowns. Nick Mahan led the ground game with 212 yards on 37 carries with one touchdown.

Virgil's pick: Lawton 31 MacArthur 28.
Scott's pick: MacArthur 31 Lawton 28.

No. 5 Muskogee Roughers (7) - Bye Week

Muskogee (1-1) had a solid start to the season, despite losing their first game. The Roughers finished last season with their first winning record since 2008 under former Guthrie Head Coach Rafe Watkins, going 9-2 and making the State Semifinals after a brief appearance at the No. 1 ranking. Now they have to prove themselves all over again after graduating nearly their entire starting offense. 

Muskogee lost a close 26-20 season opener to Midwest City (1-1), but ended on a high-note. They fell in a 26-0 deficit before getting on the scoreboard, then shut out McAlester 54-0 leaving them with a streak of 74 unanswered points over the last two games. Against McAlester, QB Jacob Medrano recorded 481 yards, finding Diante Crutchfield for 292 and three touchdowns. Defensively they held the Buffalo to less than 100 yards with five sacks.

No. 8 Bartlesville Bruins (8) vs. Cascia Hall Commandos

Bartlesville (1-1) kicked off the season with a 30-25 victory over 5A McAlester (0-2), but they had a far tougher opponent in the 6A-I Owasso Rams (2-0), who prevailed 56-14 on the Bruins' home turf. Bartlesville didn't get on the board till the second half after trailing 42-0 at intermission. Noah Sunday was 14-30-103-0 passing and the Bruins were held to only 51 yards on the ground. 4A Cascia Hall (0-1) started the year with a 21-7 rivalry loss to 2A Holland Hall (2-0). The Commandos fell in a 13-0 hole before scoring their lone touchdown. Lewis Guillory rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries, accounting for the bulk of Cascia's 199 total yardage. 

Virgil's pick: Bartlesville 41 Cascia 3.
Scott's pick: Cascia 27 Bartlesville 14.

No. 9 Enid Plainsmen (9) - Bye Week

Enid (2-0) is off to a hot start with their best record since 2012, topping Guthrie (0-2) 34-23 and Ponca City (0-2) 61-34. Junior QB Mason Skrimager passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns against the Bluejays, then recorded 290 yards and two strikes against the Wildcats. 271 yards came in the first half alone. Marlo Hughes ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, while Seth Ellis set a single-game record for the Plainsmen with four interceptions, including a 99-yard return. Enid jumped to a 21-0 first quarter lead and was up 34-14 at halftime. 

No. 10 Deer Creek Antlers (10) vs Edmond Santa Fe Wolves

Deer Creek (1-0) started the season with a 21-13 win over Southmoore (0-1), but will likely have a tougher time with Edmond Santa Fe (1-1) who just steamrolled Edmond North (0-1) 43-7 last week. The Antler defense shined in their win with a pair of goal-line stands, while QB Hunter Freese recorded 236 passing yards with two touchdowns. It's a new era at Deer Creek under first-year Head Coach Wade Standley, who previously coached 4A Ada to an 11-10 record in two seasons.

The pick: ESF 39 DC 21.

No. 11 Putnam City Pirates (11) vs El Reno Indians

Putnam City (1-0) will host 5A El Reno (1-0) in week two after topping in-city rivals 6A-I Putnam City North (0-1) 16-10 last week. AJ Newsome was 18-31-235-0 with one touchdown in the affair and also carried ten times for 52 yards. Julian DeLoera scored a field goal and Kevonte Lloyd scored an interception return. El Reno defeated Piedmont (0-1) 27-14 in their debut. 

The pick: PC 26 El Reno 11.

No. 12 Stillwater Pioneers (13) vs Moore Lions

Stillwater (1-0) easily handled Edmond Memorial (1-1) 23-7 in their season opener thanks in part to a 10-17-170 performance from sophomore Gunnar Gundy who scored two touchdowns. Freshman running back Qwontrel Walker carried 28 times for 135 and a touchdown, completing a lethal duo of young talent that will make Stillwater a solid contender for the years to come.

Moore (0-1) had a rough start to the year, taking a 50-18 beating in their rivalry game against Westmoore (1-0). The Lions were only 14-27-151-1 passing and 48-76 rushing with four fumbles and 95 yards in penalties.

The pick: Stillwater 36 Moore 20.

No. 13 Putnam West Patriots (12) vs Putnam North Panthers

Putnam West (1-0) barely edged out Duncan (1-1) 16-15 in week one thanks to the kicking prowess of Dylan Smith. Duncan scored first, then Putnam responded with a touchdown and three field goals ranging from 23 to 30 yards for a 16-7 advantage before a Demon touchdown and two-point pass made it a one-point game. Putnam North (0-1) went down 16-10 to Putnam City (1-0) in their season debut.

The pick: PCW 17 PCN 14.

No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (15) - Bye Week

Sapulpa (0-2) got off to a rough start this year, falling 28-12 to Duncan (1-1) and 27-20 to Choctaw (1-0). The Chieftains were held to a pair of field goals in the second and third quarters against Duncan before Garrett Williams connected with Gerquan Sanders in the fourth from 66 yards out. Sapulpa took a 7-6 lead into halftime against Choctaw but gave up more than 500 yards to the Yellowjackets and were outscored 21-13 in the second half. 

No. 15 Ponca City Wildcats (14) vs Guthrie Bluejays

Ponca (0-2) will travel to Guthrie (0-2) this Friday and at least one of them will notch their first win of the season. The Wildcats lost their first game 28-7 to Edmond Memorial (1-1) and were hammered 61-34 by Enid (2-0) last week. Justin Andrews was 18-30-244-0 passing against Edmond, but the Wildcats were held to a mere 187 total yards against Enid. Guthrie also suffered at the hands of Enid, going down 34-23 in week one, then falling 27-13 to Shawnee. 

The pick: Ponca 21 Guthrie 10.

CPHS Football: Sandites fall 59-21 to defending Arkansas State Champions

Senior running back Payton Scott goes airborne in a run against Pulaski Academy. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

The Charles Page High School varsity football team (0-1) started off the season with a hefty, but unsurprising loss to the defending 5A State Champions from Arkansas. With three gold balls and only three losses in the past five years, Pulaski Academy steamrolled the Sandites with a 31-7 first quarter that was impossible to recover from.

Pulaski 59 CPHS 21.
1Q Pulaski 31-7.
2Q Pulaski 7-0.
3Q Pulaski 14-7.
4Q 7-7 All.

Passing: Pulaski 36-50-433-0, CPHS 3-14-11-1.
Rushing: CPHS 31-186, Pulaski 28-145.
Plays-Offense: Pulaski 78-578, CPHS 45-197.
First Downs: Pulaski 26, CPHS 6.
Penalties: Pulaski 5-35, CPHS 2-11.

Click here to view full photo gallery.

Last year the Sandites traveled to Pulaski’s home field in Little Rock, Arkansas and were dealt a 56-21 loss. They fared little better on their home turf. The teams played a nearly identical game to the previous year. Pulaski never punted, always going for the fourth-down attempt, and utilized onside kicks for most of the game until they had build a substantial lead. 

Pulaski scored on their first possession, driving 88 yards in nine plays to score on an 18-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Layne Hatcher to Brett Lynch. He sent another strike to Hudson Henry for an 8-0 lead. 

Sand Springs survived the first onside kick as Bryson Denton fielded the ball at the Sandite 49, giving the home team great field position for their first drive. Unfortunately, they weren't able to capitalize on it. After star senior running back Payton Scott was hit for a loss of two, junior quarterback Caden Pennington had his first pass of the night picked off by Brooks Walton. 

Just thirty seconds later, the Bruins had marched 48 yards in three plays as Hatcher took the ball to the house on a six-yard run. Lynch ran in the conversion and the visitors were up 16-0 just four minutes into the game.

The Sandites struck back on their next possession, entirely in the hands of Scott who carried seven times for 22 yards after Braden Millican recovered the onside kick at mid-field and returned it to the Bruins' 22. Senior lineman Zac Blake and sophomore Nicolas Hancock opened big holes in the Bruin defense to clear the way to the endzone. 

Pulaski was just as lethal on their next two drives. First they marched 74 yards in ten plays to score on a 36-yard pass to Lynch, capped by a two-point run from Isiah Woods. Then they recovered their own kick at the Sandite 23 and scored four plays later with a ten-yard strike to Tra Johnson. This time Hatcher settled for kicking his own PAT for a 31-7 first-quarter advantage.

Sand Springs finally got a turnover on downs early in the second quarter thanks to a pass break-up by Joel Mackey, but just a minute later they were punting the ball away after netting only three yards in as many plays.

Pulaski ate up five minutes on the clock as they traveled 87 yards thirteen plays. With a first-and-goal situation at the three-yard line, Luke Bratcher came up big with a three-yard sack, but two passes attempts later and Hatcher hit Henry for six yards and six points. Hatcher followed up with the kick for a 38-7 lead.

Both teams got one more try before going into halftime. 

Sand Springs got the ball to start the third quarter and came up shy once again. The Bruins took it 53 yards and sent it to the house on a 21-yard pass to Henry with another Hatcher PAT. By this point in last year's game, Arkansas rules initiated a running clock mercy-rule for the Sandites. In Oklahoma the Sandites wouldn't have that luxury.

Sand Springs picked up two first-downs on their next drive before mustering out at midfield. Pulaski returned the ball 43 yards with an eight-yard pass to John White and another PAT with 1:40 in the third for the 52-7 lead.

Pulaski celebrated their 45-point lead by sending in the second string, and Sand Springs responded with an 81-yard run by Ben Nortey. The Sandite defense was equally potent against the Bruin B-team, sacking Braden Bratcher on back-to-back plays for a turnover at the Bruin 27-yard line. On the first play of the new possession, Scott took it to the house thanks to a big block from Miron Krotzer to cut the score to 52-21.

Not liking the turn of events, Pulaski sent their starters back out and ran another successful drive, capped by an eight-yard run from Jayden Kelley and kick from Clay James for the final score of 59-21.

Both teams took another shot at the endzone, with Sand Springs coming up short at the 29 with a fumble and turnover on downs. Pulaski returned it to the Sand Springs 34 before the clock ran out.

Sophomore soccer standout Jaden Weiser was perfect in his kicking debut, sending all three point-after attempts straight through the uprights. Cameron Smith took up punting duties for the first time, averaging 40 yards on three kicks. 

Pennington completed three of fourteen passes for eleven yards, while Hatcher took to the air like a bird, completing 34 of 48 passes for 420 yards. Scott handled the brunt of the offense, carrying 23 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns, but Norte led overall with six carries for 97 yards and one touchdown. Jerry Lyons was the man of the night on defense with seven tackles, three for loss, and two sacks. 

Sand Springs will return to action with another home game next Friday against Choctaw (1-0), who trumped Sapulpa (0-2) 27-21 this week. Last year the Yellowjackets won a 45-41 shootout on their home turf against the Sandites, but Sand Springs went on to finish the season 7-5 with a playoff semifinals appearance, while Choctaw broke even at 5-5.

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Passing: Pennington 3-14-11-1.
Rushing: Norte 6-97. Scott 23-92. Pennington 2-(-3).
Receiving: Millican 1-6. King 1-3. Bratcher 1-2.
Punting: Smith 3-120.
Kicking: Weiser 4-179.
Tackles: Cramer 8. Lyons 7. Edwards 6. Haley 5. Fleischman 4. Askew 4. Mackey 4. Fain 4. Bratcher 3. Tarver 3. Denton 2. Cartwright 2. Moyer 1. Mock 1. Finch 1. Britton 1. Evans 1. 
Tackles for loss: Lyons 3-13. Edwards 1-13. Fleischman 1-12. Fain 1-3.
Sacks: Lyons 2-12. Edwards 1-13. Fleischman 1-12. Bratcher 1-3.
Breakups: Cramer 2. Bratcher 1. Mackey 1. Haley 1. 
Kickoff Returns: Millican 1-28. Scott 1-20.

Pulaski Individual Statistics

Passing: Hatcher 34-48-420-0. Bratcher 2-2-13-0.
Rushing: Kolb 6-55. Kelley 5-36. Anderson 4-27. Johnson 1-20. L. Jones 1-12. Lynch 1-8. Bratcher 4-5. Wise 1-1. Hatcher 5-(-19). 
Receiving: Lynch 8-126. Johnson 8-88. Henry 6-72. Biagioni 3-53. White 6-53. Cumming 1-12. M. Jones 2-10. Cobb 1-10. Wise 1-9.
Kicking: Hatcher 9-266.
Kickoff Returns: White 3-37.

College Football National Championship trophy makes stop in Sand Springs

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The official 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy made a surprise stop in Sand Springs Saturday, on display at Walmart for a few short hours.

The trophy was in Sand Springs for only two hours before making its way to Skiatook. Walmart announced the visit via Facebook just 24 hours before the showcase.

Pictured is John Mark Griffith, owner of the Mark Griffith Funeral Home, in his game-day Sooner gear. 

The trophy is 25.6 inches tall, weighs 35 pounds, and is made of 24-karat gold, bronze, and stainless steel. The CFP trophy design was unveiled in 2014 to accompany the new playoff system. Ohio State University, the University of Alabama, and Clemson University are the only three teams to win the trophy.

Oklahoma has only three NCAA Division I teams.

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The University of Oklahoma Sooners are currently ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press preseason poll and No. 8 in the American Football Coaches Association poll. The Sooners finished last season with an 11-2 record, ranked No. 3 by the Coaches and No. 5 by the AP. They went undefeated in the Big 12 for their second-straight Conference Championship, ending the season with a ten-straight win streak and a 35-19 Sugar Bowl victory over No. 17 Auburn. The Sooners are the only Oklahoma team to make the playoffs, falling 37-17 to Clemson in 2015. 

The Oklahoma State University Cowboys are ranked No. 10 in the AP and No. 11 in the Coaches poll. They finished last season ranked No. 11 in both polls with a 10-3 record. They went 7-2 in the Big 12 for a Runner-Up finish. After falling 38-20 to OU in their regular season finale they topped No. 11 Colorado 38-8 at the Alamo Bowl.

The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane finished the 2016 season with a 10-3 record for second place in the American Athletic Conference West Division standings. They finished the season with three-straight wins including a 55-10 victory against Central Michigan at the Miami Beach Bowl.

Sandite Football tops Claremore 7-0 in scrimmage; Payton Scott scores lone touchdown

Senior running back Payton Scott scored the lone touchdown of the game. (Photo: Scott Emigh). Click to view the full gallery.

Charles Page High School hosted the Claremore Zebras Thursday evening for a varsity football scrimmage and defeated their guests 7-0 in a two-quarter preview of the season to come.

Sand Springs competes in Class 6A-II and is coming off a 7-5 season, while Claremore went 6-5 last year in Class 5A. 

The scrimmage was a good preview of what to expect for at least the first few games of the season. Strong defense and a whole lot of Payton Scott. 

The Sandites had to replace their starting quarterback, several offensive linemen, and the bulk of their receivers, leaving Scott as the backbone of the offense in terms of experience. With more than 3200 yards and 32 touchdowns over the past three seasons, the 5'5" senior running back is gearing up for a big season as the workhorse for the Sandite offense.

Scott needed only a handful of carries to rack up more than a hundred yards and three of the Sandites' four first-downs. He also scored the lone touchdown of the game on a 34-yard run.

Junior quarterback Caden Pennington is in his first year at the helm after playing backup for two seasons. He saw limited action Thursday, making only three pass attempts. He picked up a big fourteen-yard run in the second quarter, but mostly just handed off the rock to Scott and Ben Nortey.

Cameron Smith and Jaden Weiser take over kicking duties for the new year. Smith, a junior, punted five times for a 32-yard average. Weiser, a sophomore soccer standout, kicked the lone extra point of the evening and sent it clean through the middle. 

The visiting Zebras found most of their movement by air, racking up a hundred yards and completing thirteen of twenty-four pass attempts. Junior Joel Mackey showed off on defensive, picking off one of those passes and returning it nearly forty yards. He nearly picked off another on an identical play later in the game. 

Sand Springs will start off the season with back-to-back home games, beginning with Pulaski Academy on September 1st at 7:00 p.m. The Little Rock team went 13-1 last year in Arkansas's Class 5A, winning their third-straight State Championship. They defeated the Sandites 56-21 in their season opener.

Church That Matters will be holding a tailgate party prior to the game to raise money for the Lady Sandite Volleyball team.

General admission tickets are $7.00, reserve seating is $11.00, and season passes with reserve seating are $50.00.