The Class 6A-II No. 11 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (1-1) will host the defending back-to-back Arkansas 6A State Champions from Greenwood (2-0) Friday at 7:00 p.m. Prior to kickoff the Sandites will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sand Springs Football with an alumni event.
Former Sand Springs football players and managers, cheerleaders, dancers, color guard, and band members are invited for refreshments from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the Sandite Room of the Fine Arts Building, located near the south end zone of Memorial Stadium.
Alumni will be allowed to tour the locker rooms and the sideline beginning at 6:15 p.m. Four minutes prior to halftime alumni are invited to gather at the northeast corner of the stadium where they will be sorted by decade, then will be introduced to the crowd and will get to walk across the field.
Also prior to the game, the Church That Matters Tailgate Crew will be selling hot dogs, burgers, and chicken sandwiches with chips and a drink for only $6.00. The event will benefit Sandite Cheer. Last week they raised $1851 for the Quarterback Club.
Tickets for Sandite Football games are $5.00 for students and $7.00 for adults.
The Programs
Sand Springs is coming off a 3-7 season but prior to that was riding a program-best six straight years of playoff appearances. They are 64-68 under thirteenth-year Head Coach Dustin Kinard. The Sandites own one gold ball, from 1966, and made their last State Finals appearance in 2015.
Greenwood went 12-1 last year, losing their season opener before winning out for a 6A State Title. The Bulldogs own nine Championships (2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2018). They also played for titles in 2015 and 2016. Greenwood has lost only three games in the past four seasons and haven’t lost two in a year since 2014. Rick Jones is 177-24 in his sixteenth season.
Coach Jones recently commented on the Sandites to Richard White with Greenwooddogpound.com
“‘I’ve been there a couple times,’ he said. ‘I know quite a bit about them. I coached in Tulsa for 12 years and I’m familiar with them. We played them when I was at Tulsa Union and Broken Arrow. They are tough kids. They have a great wrestling program. They are always physical and tough. They’re not afraid of anybody.’”
Last year was the first-ever meeting between Sand Springs and Greenwood, with the Bulldogs prevailing 49-13. Greenwood held the Sandites to 45 passing yards, Sand Springs held the Dogs to 60 rushing yards. The visitors ran for 234 yards and the home team passed for 244 yards.
Greenwood scored on the first play from scrimmage then forced a punt and scored on the return and never slowed down, taking a 42-0 lead before letting the visitors on the board. Sand Springs had two red zone turnovers on downs before averting the shutout a minute before the fourth quarter.
This Season
The Sandites were hammered 41-7 in their season opener at Mansfield Summit (3-0). They didn’t have too much difficulty moving the ball, but threw two picks and gave up three turnovers in the red zone.
After a bye week the boys rolled to their first shutout in four years, 35-0 against Putnam City (0-2). They did all of their damage by air with 259 yards and five touchdowns, but were held to a 31-75 rushing performance. Defensively they held the Pirates to 80 total yards.
Average Sandite Box Score
Points: CPHS 21 Opponent 21
First Downs: CPHS 14, OPP 16.
Fumbles/Lost: CPHS 1/0, OPP 4/1.
Penalties: CPHS 9-90, OPP 14-143.
C-A-Y-I: CPHS 16-29-175-1, OPP 9-16-147-1.
Rushing: CPHS 31-94, OPP 36-124.
Offense: CPHS 60-269, OPP 51-271.
Greenwood pitched a second half shutout in a 38-10 win over Fort Smith Northside (2-1), holding the Grizzlies to only 30 yards passing. The team scored four touchdowns by air, one on the ground, and had one field goal. In week two they won 44-14 against Fort Smith Southside (0-2) with three passing scores, three rushing scores and a field goal.
Players to Watch