Sand Springs Football: Blake Jones scores 4 TDs in 53-26 rout of Sapulpa

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*A version of this story was originally published in the Tulsa World.

For the first time in the 99-year history of the Highway 97 Rivalry, the Sandites can boast of hanging half a hundred on their archrivals. 

After trailing 14-0 early in the first quarter, Class 6A-II No. 8 ranked Charles Page High School rattled off 30 straight points to close the first half of their season opener against 5A No. 9 Sapulpa, then coasted to a 53-26 final score.

“Sapulpa’s a very well-coached football team,” said second-year Sandite Head Coach Bobby Klinck about the Chieftains’ early lead. “I’ve coached with Tim Holt before. I knew they were going to come out here with a great game plan against us and I’m not surprised by it.”

The Sandites have won the series back-to-back under Klinck, and they’ve won it seven of the past eight seasons, evening the all-time record to 45-45-5. Sapulpa had held the overall series lead since 1945.

It didn’t start pretty, though.

D’Angelo Mitchell set up the Chieftains’ opening drive with a 47-yard kick return, and Sapulpa marched the remaining 50 yards in only five plays, scoring on a 12-yard pass from Zac Mason to Xander Konell.

The Chieftains got another short field on a mishandled punt attempt at the Sandite 49-yard line. Mason soon found Mitchell on a 47-yard pass and Ethan Peterson’s kick gave the visitors a 14-0 lead.

There were other mistakes throughout the game, too. Sand Springs committed 12 penalties for 125 yards, including a few unsportsmanlike calls. 

“We’ve got to be smarter in terms of the after-whistle penalties,” said Klinck. “We talk about emotional stability all the time with our team and we didn’t have that today. So we’ve definitely got to figure some things out in terms of making the other team earn everything they get.”

The Sandites did a pretty good job of stopping Sapulpa outside of those first two drives. The defense forced five punts and two turnovers on downs. Drake Fain sacked Mason for a safety in the first quarter, and Chase White picked him off on a fourth-down pass attempt in the endzone. 

The offense also showed up, anchored by lots of returning star power in the skill positions, while a brand new offensive line showed that they could hang with the best of them. 

“(Offensive Line) Coach (Jason) Medrano’s just done an unbelievable job,” said Klinck. “I’m so happy we were able to get him on board. Just the physicality and the mentality he brings to that front - it was evident. I was telling the offense ‘let’s run the ball, let’s run the ball. They haven’t stopped it yet.’ That’s a great weapon to have.”

Running the ball proved very successful, as Blake Jones amassed 181 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. Jones was in and out last season with injuries, but he made his presence known Friday night with a new career-best performance.

Also putting up big numbers was third-year veteran quarterback Ty Pennington, who was 16-of-25 passing for 245 yards and three scores. He had help from two triple-digit receivers.

In the first half, his primary target was backup quarterback Brody Rutledge, who finished the night with five receptions for 112 yards and two scores. His first two catches were touchdowns of 49 yards and 44 yards, the second of which gave Sand Springs the lead once and for all.

“I think it goes past the football field, just that personal relationship we have,” said Pennington of his receiver. “I trust him, he trusts me, it just showed on the field tonight. He had a big night.”

Jacob Blevins also had a big night, with nine receptions for 118 yards and a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

First-year Sandite kicker Logan Wolfe connected on all six of his PATs, as well as a 27-yard field goal. 

“I was proud of The Wolfe,” said Klinck. “For a guy who’s been a soccer guy, probably hasn’t played in front of this many people before, I thought he did an absolutely great job, especially on kickoffs. He’s going to become a weapon for us.”

Overall, the Sandites outgained the Chieftains 421 yards to 297. Mason finished the game 11-of-22 passing for 126 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Tyreese Jones also gave the Sandites fits at times, rushing for 138 yards with another 15 by air. He scored one touchdown on a 61-yard breakaway run in the third quarter.

Sandite Football will return to action next Friday at 7:00 p.m. with a road game against 5A No. 6 Bishop Kelley (0-1). Sapulpa will host unranked Edison Prep Academy (0-0), which is now led by former Chieftain Head Coach Robert Borgstadt, who resigned from Sapulpa in January.

Sandite Football stuns Collinsville 17-0 in preseason scrimmage

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

Anytime a team graduates 27 players, including a top receiver, a top running back, several top defenders, and almost the entire offensive line, they might be sweating their ability to reload the next year.

But not Sand Springs. After watching their Friday-night scrimmage against Collinsville, a person might reasonably conclude that this was a veteran group.

In two quarters of action, the Sandites blanked 5A Collinsville 17-0. Despite being a lower classification, the Cardinals are a no-joke program that was unanimously voted by the coaches in its district to repeat as district champs. They went 11-1 last season, only falling in the playoff semifinals to eventual champion Carl Albert.

The Sandites forced two punts, Alex Turner returned a pick 45 yards, and the Cardinals’ two other drives ended with the clock. Meanwhile the home team scored on three of their four possessions and only punted once. 

Senior quarterback Ty Pennington was 7-of-11 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns behind a fairly young offensive line. Keaton Campbell stole the show at receiver, scoring both touchdowns on three catches and racking up 154 yards overall, and backup QB Brody Rutledge had three catches for 30 yards. 

The offensive line is a younger unit as well after the team graduated five linemen with starting experience. Mason Harris, Matthew Shelton, Morgan Eubanks, Owen Higgins, and Marcus Sims will anchor the offensive front this time around.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” said Head Coach Bobby Klinck after the game. “Coach Medrano has come in here and just done an unbelievable job. That goes for the rest of this coaching staff. This is the least amount of work I’ve ever done getting ready for a season. I told them, this camp, practice, and everything in this scrimmage - man we’ve been on point. I’m very proud of this coaching staff, and we’ve got some good football players on this team. 

Jason Medrano is leading the Sandites’ offensive line this season after a two-year stint as Catoosa’s Head Coach. Lee Kizzar is taking over as offensive coordinator after Stephen Hogan returned to his hometown of Greenwood, Arkansas for the same position there. Kizzar previously coached tight ends for the Sandites. 

Not much has changed on the defensive side of the ball, and defensive coordinator Shane Ingram’s unit looks ready to go, based on their performance Friday night. 

Brooks Dudley, Drake Fain, Landon Hendricks, Turner, Conner Light, Gabe Brown, and Dom Ornelas are among the names to look for on the defense this season.

It won’t be an easy road. Bixby is the odds-on favorite to repeat, having won three-straight titles and six of the last seven. Choctaw, last year’s State Runner-Up, and Booker T. are also in the same district as the Sandites. The Washington Hornets are the only other team besides Bixby to win a Class 6A-II title.

The Sandites remain loaded at the skill positions. Top running back Blake Jones returns after amassing 484 yards and seven TDs in an injury-riddled campaign. Campbell and Jacob Blevins will give Pennington options at receiver as both posted over 600 yards apiece and combined for ten TDs last year. Ryan Shoemaker also showed skill at tight end, collecting 226 yards. 

Pennington is already ranking among the top QBs in Sandite history with over 3600 yards passing and 27 TDs, as well as 744 yards rushing and 14 TDs in the past two seasons.

“Keaton Campbell’s a two-sport star,” said Klinck. “Our quarterback’s a two-sport star. These are guys that are going to make big plays all year, and college recruiters need to start waking up a bit.”

Despite their success, the team wasn’t flawless. They gave up a handful of penalties, had a three-and-out, and stalled in the red zone on their first drive.

“We’ve got a lot of things to get better at in terms of penalties,” said Klinck. “We scored points on big plays, we have that capability. I’d like to see more sustained drives. I’d have liked for us to have finished that first drive instead of kicking a field goal.”

The Sandites are coming off a 7-5 mark in their first season under Klinck. Last year they won their rivalry game at Sapulpa, dealt Shiloh Christian their only loss of the season, finished fourth in the district, and won a playoff game against Deer Creek before falling to powerhouse Stillwater on the road.

Prior to that, they went 10-21 over the previous three seasons, but were perennial playoff contenders from 2012 to 2017, including a State Runner-Up performance in 2015. 

The Sandites will start their season Friday at 7:00 p.m. with the 95th installment of Highway 97 Rivalry when they host Sapulpa. Sapulpa leads the series with a 45-44-5 record, and the two teams have met annually since 1930. 

Ty Pennington is one of Oklahoma's top under-recruited football players

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A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

“Pennington” and “Quarterback” have become synonymous in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. 

Brett Pennington led the Charles Page High School Sandites from 1989 to 1991. His daughter, Sydney, played quarterback on the powder-puff team from 2016 to 2017. His oldest son, Caden, led the varsity squad from 2017 to 2018, and now it’s Ty Pennington’s time to shine.

“It’s been great,” says Ty about his family tradition. “My dad gives me all the confidence in the world. He tells me he’s proud of me every day. Him just being a great leader for this town gives me a lot of confidence.”

He also has a strong bond with his brother. 

“He just enlisted in the Army, he’s going to be an Army Ranger. He’s really been my hero and even though we’ve butted heads our whole lives, I love that dude to death. He’s always been my hero.”

The Penningtons are a family that oozes excellence. Both Brett and Caden took their teams to the playoffs, as did Ty last season. Ty’s mom, Amy, was an All-State and collegiate basketball player. Brett was a wrestling State Champion and collegiate baseball player. Caden played collegiate football at Northeastern State University before enlisting in the Army, and Sydney is a starter on the Oklahoma State softball team.

Ty hopes to continue that tradition at the next level too.

“I hope to play in college. I’ve been to several camps this year just trying to get my name out there. I just hope to have a big year and get on the radar of some guys.

Ty is also a starter on the varsity baseball team, and he hasn’t ruled out a future in that sport either. “It’s not set in stone right now. I love them both so we’ll just see from here.”

Some D2 and D3 colleges have been recruiting him for football, but he’s hoping to get some bigger looks once the season starts. “I’ve just got to stick to it and keep grinding each week and they’ll come eventually. I think I have what it takes to go D1. My talent’s there and I know I work hard.”

After winning the starting spot in week two of 2019, Ty is now a senior veteran with a lot to prove. He has seen his team go 2-8, suffering their worst loss in 75 years, and he’s led his team two rounds deep in the playoffs. Now his eyes are on nothing short of a gold ball.

I don’t really have a lot of individual goals - just chasing that state championship,” says Ty. “That’s all I really want. We’re all in.” 

It wasn’t long ago that the Sandites were only two scores away from a state title, falling 38-28 to perennial powerhouse Bixby in the 2015 Class 6A-II State Finals. Ty’s old enough to remember that year, but it’s the 2-8 season he led his team through that motivates him the most.

“I feel like a lot of people just gave up hope on us. Last season we came out pretty good and had a pretty successful season. We’re just trying to build on that and keep it rolling.”

When asked if Sand Springs could hang with teams like Bixby and Booker T. Washington, Pennington wasn’t fazed. “The confidence is through the roof with this group,” he said. “We think we can do big things this year. Everyone’s bonded and excited for it, for sure.”

Pennington will need a lot of help if he wants to overthrow the blue blood programs like Bixby and Booker T. Washington. Fortunately he’s got most of his receiving corps back, and his young offensive line seems promising.

“They’re really looking good through this fall camp,” he says of his O-line. “I’m excited for them. They’re the most important part of the team. Whatever our success is depends on how good they do. This is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of. We all just have a super close friendship and brotherhood we’ve created. The O-Line, they’re my guys. I love them to death.”

If the O-line is as good as last year’s, then Pennington should be poised to put up some big numbers this season. He already ranks fifth in school history in passing yards, sixth in passing TDs, third in rushing yards by a QB, and third in rushing TDs by a QB. 

In his past two seasons as a starter, Pennington is 257 of 489 passing for 3624 yards and 27 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He also has 230 carries for 744 yards and 14 TDs. After finishing his sophomore season with only 80 yards on the ground, he emerged as one of the state’s top double-threats last year and led the team rushing.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have room for improvement, however. 

“I’ve really been trying to work on my speed this year, my strength of course. Just throwing the ball, making sure all my receivers are on the same page. I could definitely improve on my speed, that’s what I’ve worked on a lot this year. Throwing on the run, stuff like that. I always have room to improve.”

But his ceiling is very, very high. As a pocket passer, he can go deep and accurate with ease, and his ability to read the defense is one of his best features. 

“Our quarterback’s a two-sport star,” says Head Coach Bobby Klinck. “College recruiters need to start waking up a little bit. My quarterback, he’s the best dang quarterback in the state. But he plays baseball so he doesn’t get to do all the camps and everything so nobody notices him. All that guy does is win and throw dimes every single day. That guy’s an unbelievable football player.”

If the rest of the season goes the way of the Sandites’ Friday-night scrimmage against Collinsville, Pennington should get the recruiters’ attention quickly. In only two quarters of action, the young stud went 7-of-11 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

The quarterback couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to showcase his talents than what he’ll have Friday night, as the Sandites’ season-opening game against Sapulpa will be broadcast statewide on Yurview.

CPHS Sports Roundup: Season Tickets on Sale for Fall Season

The fall sports season is quickly approaching for Charles Page High School and the Athletics Department is selling All Sports Season Passes Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Ed Dubie Field House. Adult passes are $60, Senior Citizens (65+) are $40, Students (high school and below) are $25, and SSPS employees are $20. 

Reserved seats from last season can be renewed during those time slots as well, and remaining reserved seats will be opened to the public beginning Monday, August 16th. Reserved seats are $50 for the season. 

Both reserved seats and season passes will be available at Meet the Sandites, and season passes will be available at the first few home softball and volleyball games as well. 

Meet the Sandites will be held Thursday, August 19th at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Fans will be introduced to the high school and youth football, cheer, dance, cross country, volleyball, and softball teams to kick off the fall season.

Cheer

The Sandite Cheer program recently hosted the 2021 Youth Clinic and several up-and-coming stars were recognized. Lillie Holmes was named “Rockin Rookie,” Ray Bivin received the Showstopper award, Brighton Cole received the CPHS Coaches award, and Marley Dixon was named the Star Jumper. The 2nd Grade team received the Team Spirit Award, and the 3rd Grade team received the Team Stunt Award. 

Sandite Varsity Cheer is in its second year under Head Coach Krystal Chase. The team will be hosting their fifth annual Cheers & Gears Auto Show Saturday, August 21st at Charles Page High School. For more information, email CPHSvarsitycheer@gmail.com or visit cheersandgearsautoshow.org 

Dance

Addison “Addy” Lambert will be taking over as Varsity Head Coach of the Sandite Dance program this year, replacing Michelle Spears. Lambert is a CPHS alum and second-year Pre-K teacher at the Sand Springs Early Childhood Education Center. 

Fast-Pitch Softball

The Sandite fast-pitch softball team will host Sperry Thursday, August 12th at 5:30 p.m. at the Sandite Sports Complex at 408 West 55th Street. They will also compete at the Broken Arrow tournament this weekend with games against Tahlequah (Friday 10:00 a.m.), Broken Arrow (Friday 11:45 a.m.), Tahlequah Sequoyah (Friday 5:15 p.m.) and Union (Saturday 10:00 a.m.).

Fishing

The Sandite fishing team of Cruz Norris and Gunnar Casey competed at the 2021 Bassmaster High School National Championship in Dayton, Tennessee. The duo placed 99th out of 288 teams with five fish weighing 13 lbs 8 oz. 

Football

Sandite Football is entering its second season under Head Coach Bobby Klinck and the team hopes to repeat their prior year’s postseason appearance. The annual Black & Gold Scrimmage will be held Saturday, August 14th at 9:00 a.m. and the first game of the season will be August 27th at home against Sapulpa. 

Volleyball

Sandite Varsity Volleyball will travel to Collinsville Thursday at 4:00 p.m. before hosting their third annual Sandite Invitational Friday and Saturday. On Friday they will play Lawton at 9:00 a.m., Choctaw at 11:00 a.m., Enid at 2:00 p.m., and Bixby at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday they will play Southwest Covenant at 9:00 a.m., Lincoln Christian at 11:00 a.m., and Southeast at 2:00 p.m.

Sports Roundup: Layne Kirkendoll places second in State Championship Long Jump

Courtesy of Tommy Dial.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School track and field team ended its season Saturday afternoon in Edmond, and three Sandites made the trip. 

Junior Layne Kirkendoll repeated her freshman performance in the Long Jump by finishing as Runner-Up. Her 18 ft. 1.75 in. jump was her third-best mark of the season. She also placed fifth in the High Jump with a height of 5 ft. 4 in. The top five jumpers all cleared the same height, but Kirkendoll took fifth on criteria. 

Senior Joseph Mattison signed a letter of intent to run for Coffeyville Community College last Tuesday, and at State he competed in two events. His 22.51-second 200-meter dash earned 10th place and his 20 ft. 1.5 in. long jump placed 11th. 

“JoJo (Mattison) is the definition of hard work and determination,” said Head Coach Tim Dial. “He is the type of kid that every coach wishes they had a team full of.”

Greg Reed also competed in the long jump and placed 16th at State with a distance of 14 ft. 11.25 in.

Baseball

Brock Swanson, Brycen Peterman, and Kaden Young all signed letters of intent to play at Oklahoma Wesleyan University next season. 

Basketball

Former Sandite Colt Savage signed to play at Cameron University after spending two seasons at the University of Central Oklahoma. “Colt is an extremely poised guy that brings our team a lot of versatility at the small forward position,” said CU Head Coach Andrew Brown. “He has great touch shooting on the perimeter along with a strong build to take advantage of size matchups. We are excited about how he fits in our system.” 

Marlo Fox signed a letter of intent to play at Rogers State University after decommitting from Seward County Community College.

Savage is the second-highest scoring player in Sand Springs history with 1,697 points, and Fox ranks sixth with 1,065.

Cheer

Claire Smith signed a letter of intent to cheer for the University of Central Arkansas Bears. 

Football

Zach Heinen signed a letter of intent to kick for Concordia University Wisconsin. The future Falcon was a perfect 32-of-32 kicking PATs this past season and 51-of-52 in his career, and he was 3-of-4 on field goals with a career long of 39 yards. 

Daren Hawkins signed to play at Abilene Christian University in Texas. Hawkins played three years at receiver and totaled 546 yards on 37 catches, with nine touchdowns before switching to defense. He totaled 22 tackles and one fumble recovery his senior year. 

Soccer

Xander Quiroga signed a letter of intent to play goalie at Murray State College in Tishomingo. Teagan Smith signed with Southwestern College in Kansas. Smith led her team in scoring this season with five goals.

CPHS Football: Sandites finish best season since 2016 with loss at Stillwater

The Class 6A-II No. 7 ranked Charles Page High School football team (7-5) wrapped up its season Friday night with a 49-17 quarterfinal playoff loss to No. 2 Stillwater (9-0) on the road. The Pioneers haven’t lost anything but State Championship games in the past three seasons, and they’re one step closer to yet another finals appearance. Meanwhile, Sand Springs finished the year with its best record since 2016.

Sand Springs only trailed 14-7 after the first quarter, but the home team hit the gas for a 42-7 halftime lead. All-time school-leading rusher Qwontrel Walker put up three touchdowns and 177 yards on ten carries in the first half and didn’t play in the second, while first-year quarterback Caleb Allen had as many touchdowns as he did incompletions, going 13-16-229-0 with three more scores in the first half. The Pioneers scored on all six first-half possessions.

Walker had a 27-yard run on the opening drive to set up his 19-yard score. The next Pioneer score was a fluke as Allen threw the ball straight into Daren Hawkins’s hands, but the Sandite defender deflected it up and over to Steven Brown, who waltzed untouched into the end zone from 20 yards out for the 61-yard score. Sand Springs ran a methodical 13-play 65-yard march to get on the board with a one-yard Ty Pennington sneak.

Tevin Williams made an impressive 37-yard touchdown catch over the top of Hawkins on the opening drive of the second quarter. Walker ran in a 66-yarder for a touchdown, then had a 47-yard run to set up an 18-yard scoring pass from Allen to Donnell Wagner. Walker scored the last points of the half on a one-yard run.

Sand Springs made a methodical 67-yard march to the Pioneer red zone before turning it over on downs, but it wasn’t all for nothing. Three plays later Allen threw a 17-yard pick-six to Ryder Barnes for the Sandites’ first defensive touchdown in 16 games.

The home team added one last score on a one-yard run from Noah Roberts late in the third. Sand Springs had the final score as Zach Heinen capped off his career with a personal best 39-yard field goal.

Pennington finished the game 15-of-22 for 181 yards passing and had 20 carries for another 40 yards. Atkison led the team on the ground with 12 runs for 62 yards. Jacob Blevins was the top receiver with two catches for 83 yards.

Allen finished the game 17-22-282-1 passing with three scores, and had three carries for 26 yards. Brown had a game-best four catches for 97 yards. Holden Thompson led the Pioneers in the second half with nine carries for 37 yards.

The Pioneers will return to action Friday at 7:00 p.m. against No. 4 Choctaw (8-3), who defeated No. 6 Putnam North 20-7 in their quarterfinal. The game will be played on a neutral site, to be determined.