Sandite Recruiting Report: Tyler Smith Offered by McPherson

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Tyler “Tank” Smith, left, received his second college offer. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Senior offensive lineman Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10” 285 pounds) announced on X Monday that he has received an offer to play college football at McPherson College.

McPherson is an NAIA program competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs went 5-6 this season under fifth-year head coach Jeremiah Fiscus.

Smith, who was named to the All-District team on Monday, also holds an offer from Hendrix College.

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) committed to play at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas on November 10th.

Senior offensive lineman Marcus Sims (6’0”, 265 pounds) has received offers to play at Langston University and Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he also holds a Division I football offer from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) has received offers from UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior linebacker Owen Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds) has earned two offers this season from Hendrix and Oklahoma Wildcats Prep.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Girls Basketball

5’10” senior small forward Kiaryn Taylor holds offers from Cleveland Community College, Western Texas College, Ranger College, and Lincoln Trail College.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

5’7” senior guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris recently announced her commitment to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Boys Basketball

6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson recently announced his first college offer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Golf

Senior Mason Ward announced his commitment to Coffeyville Community College on Monday, November 13th.

Softball

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes holds one offer from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Baseball

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Hailey Jackson and Journey Armstead Lead Hutchinson to 10-0 Start

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Hailey Jackson drives to the hoop during a dominant second quarter as the No. 15-ranked Blue Dragons roll to a 86-46 victory over Colby on Sunday at the Sports Arena. (Andrew Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

Charles Page High School alums Hailey Jackson and Journey Armstead have led No. 14 Hutchinson Community College to a 10-0 start after a 98-47 Jayhawk Conference victory over the Pratt Beavers (6-4, 1-4) on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons are now 4-0 in Jayhawk Conference play.

Jackson led her team with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting with five rebounds against Pratt while Armstead finished with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Dragons started last week with an 86-46 win over Colby Community College (4-5, 0-4) on Sunday. Jackson connected on a pair of 3-pointers and was 6 of 8 from the floor to finish with 16 points and four rebounds. Armstead scored 11 points and finished with a season-high nine assists and six rebounds.

On Wednesday, Hutchinson prevailed 73-48 over the Independence Pirates (6-4, 1-4). Jackson scored 16 points on 4 of 7 shooting from the field and 8 of 9 shooting from the free-thrown line. She just missed a double-double with nine rebounds and had a season-high four steals. Armstead scored 12 points with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Hutchinson will return to action Wednesday at Cloud County Community College (6-4, 2-3).

Lady Sandites Fall 53-45 at Owasso, Wilson & Morris Score 17 Apiece

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For the first time since 2018, the Owasso girls’ basketball team (2-0, 2-0) managed to topple the Lady Sandites (1-1, 1-1) Friday night, winning 53-45 to snap a 12-game losing streak against their former Frontier Valley rivals.

The teams traded leads through the first three quarter and the game was tied 35-35 at the 2:25 mark of the third quarter before the Rams went on a 9-point run and never looked back in the district victory.

Owasso out-rebounded the visiting Sandites 35 to 16, including 15 offensive boards, to make up for an 0-for-9 performance from three-point range.

The Sandites survived as long as they did thanks to a strong 10-for-25 performance outside the arc, including five treys from Taiona “Yonni” Morris.

Morris, a senior Oklahoma A&M commit, had a career night with 17 points to lead the Sandites.

Sakauri Wilson, a Southwestern Oklahoma State commit, also had 17 points to go with 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 assists.

Wilson scored 12 in the first half and the girls led by as much as 22-16 before the Rams went on an 8-point run to take the lead. A three-pointer from Tay’Ja Butler helped the Sandites take a 25-24 advantage into the locker room.

After taking their final lead at 32-28, the Sandites gave up a 16-3 run to end the quarter, broken up only by a three-pointer from Tianna Butler at the 2:25 mark.

Morris’s fifth and final three-pointer cut it to 50-45 with 1:21 to play but those would be the last points for the Sandites.

Missouri Southern State-commit Makenna Yokley led her team with 15 points, followed by Seldon Stover and Alex McGarrah with 13 apiece.

Owasso dominated the boards and the turnover battle while committing only 9 penalties to the Sandites’ 16, getting to the free-throw line 18 times.

The Sandites will get a rematch on January 26th at the Ed Dubie Field House, but next up on the agenda is a district trip to Enid (0-1, 0-1) Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The Rams will host Edmond Memorial (1-1, 1-1) on Tuesday.

Owasso 53 CPHS 45

1Q: Owasso 13-11.
2Q: CPHS 14-11.
3Q: Owasso 20-10.
4Q: CPHS 10-9.
Free Throws: Owasso 17-of-26, CPHS 5-of-6.
Field Goals: Owasso 18-of-45, CPHS 15-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: Owasso 15, CPHS 3.
Defensive Rebounds: Owasso 20, CPHS 13.
Total Rebounds: Owasso 35, CPHS 16.
Steals: Owasso 11, CPHS 6.
Blocks: Owasso 2, CPHS 4.
Fouls: Owasso 9, CPHS 16.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 17, Morris 17, Ta. Butler 6, Ti. Butler 3, Pearce 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Taylor 2, Ta. Butler 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Taylor 4, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Ta. Butler 1, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Taylor 6, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Ta. Butler 2, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Steals: Wilson 3, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Assists: Wilson 5, Morris 1, Taylor 1, Simone 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 4.
Fouls: Ti. Butler 4, Taylor 3, Simone 3, Pearce 2, Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 1, Garrison 1.

Owasso Statistics

Points: Yokley 15, Stover 12, McGarrah 12, Hill 10, Austin 4.
Fouls: Austin 3, McGarrah 2, Hill 1, Yokley 1, Stover 1, Wilson 1.

Sakauri Wilson Scores 26 as Sandites Defeat Edmond Memorial in Season Opener

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A fast start and suffocating defense led the Lady Sandite hoopers to a statement 41-33 win over Edmond Memorial in Tuesday’s season opener at the Ed Dubie Field House.

“It was a hard one to start off with,” said head coach Josh Berry. “I think they just played great. We executed. We’ve got a lot to work, but you like to work on it with a win, so I’m just glad for that.”

Southwestern Oklahoma State-committed senior Sakauri Wilson piled on 26 points in an East vs. West matchup that heralded the new district era of Oklahoma prep hoops.

The OSSAA has shifted to district play for the first time in basketball, throwing conference rivalries out the window. The West side of the state has historically been seen as a more dominant region in basketball, but districts 3 and 4 will put that to the test this season.

The East side got its first big win as the Sandites took down one of last season’s State semifinalists.

Wilson scored 8 unanswered points to end the first quarter with a 15-8 advantage.

Avery Hjelmstad, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, gave her team its only lead at 8-7, but was held to only four points in the first half as the Sandites took a 25-12 lead into the locker room.

Wilson, meanwhile, tallied 19 first-half points, including three treys.

“She’s a special player,” said Berry. “She carried the load offensively, but I thought Yanni (Morris), Tayja (Butler), Tianna (Butler), and Kiaryn (Taylor) did some great jobs defensively.”

“To hold somebody like that to 12 points at halftime, as a team, I think that’s really where we won the game today is defensively.”

Wilson was the only Sandite with a field goal in the first half but Morris and Taylor found the backboard in the third quarter and the Sandites took a 39-22 advantage into the fourth.

Memorial tried to rally, scoring 11 in a row to cut it to 39-33 but Wilson ended the night with a pair of free throws to put the game away.

Sand Springs had the better shooters both in the field and at the charity stripe and won the turnover battle as well with 10 takeaways,

Notably, the Sandites got the win without two of their potential starters. Hope Bump, a junior transfer from Claremore whose dad joined the coaching staff this season, is still waiting for clearance from the OSSAA.

They were also missing Abigaile Martin, who saw substantial playing time last season but is out with a likely season-ending injury.

Janiyah Williams, a heavily recruited five-star prospect, was held to only 11 points to lead the Bulldogs while Hjelmstad only had 8.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a district road game against Owasso (1-0, 1-0) while Edmond Memorial will host Putnam City (1-0, 1-0) on Friday.

CPHS 41 EDM 33

1Q: CPHS 15-8.
2Q: CPHS 10-4.
3Q: CPHS 14-10.
4Q: EDM 11-2.

Field Goals: CPHS 10-of-37, EDM 11-of-50.
Free Throws: CPHS 16-of-22, EDM 11-of-16.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, EDM 15.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 15, EDM 12.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 24, EDM 27.
Steals: CPHS 10, EDM 6.
Blocks: CPHS 2, EDM 1.
Fouls: CPHS 16, EDM 21.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 26, Morris 6, Taylor 6, Pearce 2, Ti. Butler 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 2, Pearce 2, Taylor 1, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 5, Taylor 4, Morris 3, Ti. Butler 2, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 5, Taylor 5, Ti. Butler 4, Morris 3, Pearce 3, Simone 2, Ta. Butler 2.
Steals: Ti. Butler 4, Wilson 2, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Assists: Wilson 2.
Blocks: Taylor 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Fouls: Taylor 3, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Wilson 2, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 2, Pearce 1.

Edmond Memorial Statistics

Points Williams 11, Hjelmstad 8, Johnson 6, Hawkins 4, Aska 2, Morris 2.
Fouls: Hawkins 4, Johnson 4, Williams 4, Hjelmstad 2, Morris 2, Booker 2, Aska 1, Kirk 1, Jordan 1.

Sandite Basketball Tips Off Tuesday at Home Against Edmond Memorial

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The Charles Page High School varsity basketball teams will tip off the season Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House in a district double-header against Edmond Memorial.

The varsity girls will play at 6:30 p.m. while the boys will play at 8:00 p.m.

The girls are in their fifth year under head coach Josh Berry, who holds a 68-30 record at Sand Springs and a 166-143 record overall.

The Lady Sandites went 18-9 overall last season and 9-5 in the final year of Frontier Valley Conference play. They ended their season in the Area consolation finals, one round short of the State tournament.

The girls graduated Fayth Walker and All-State selection Hailey Jackson, but return Sakauri Wilson, Taiona Morris, and Kiaryn Taylor, who are all receiving attention from college recruiters. Abigaile Martin, Calla Fueshko, and Patience Pearce are all impactful returners.

The Sandites also picked up a big-time transfer in Hope Bump, a junior star at Claremore who was an All-Conference second-team selection in the Metro Lakes who averaged 18 points and 9 boards last season.

The boys went 10-14 overall and 3-11 in FVC play under head coach Eric Savage, who holds a 123-121 record after ten seasons at Sand Springs and a 428-214 record overall.

The boys graduated Michael Foster, Jax Marshall, Kade Holland, Sam Hayes, and Luke Hooper, but will still return a talented lineup anchored by Alijah Roper, Kooper Kelly, Blake Johnson, and Khalil Allen.

Junior transfer Deke Thompson will be a high-profile addition from Jenks as an All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. Marcus Mitchell, Zane Fueshko, and Colin Shope all return a wealth of experience from last season.

The OSSAA shifted to district play this season, meaning the Sandites will say goodbye to old rivals like Sapulpa, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Muskogee, Booker T. Washington, and Jenks. Shockingly, the Highway 97 Rivalry is not on the schedule this season.

Edmond Memorial will be the first district opponent for the Sandites in the new era. The Bulldog boys went 12-11 last season while the girls were 22-5.

The Lady Sandites’ last meeting with the Bulldogs was a 50-46 victory in the Area consolation playoffs in 2021. If the boys have ever played Edmond Memorial, it was before Sandite Pride’s records.

Holly Kersgieter Surpasses 1,600 Career Points at University of Kansas

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Charles Page High School 2019 alum Holly Kersgieter is solidifying her place in the history books as super senior at the University of Kansas.

Kersgieter was a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after averaging 13.8 points and 6 rebounds last season with a team-best 66 steals.

The Jayhawks are 2-1 on the season, sandwiching a 91-85 loss to Penn State (5-1) with an 88-46 win over Northwestern State (0-4) and a 70-61 win over Kansas City (2-3).

In the season-opener against Northwestern, Kersgieter was 6-of-9 in the field for a team-high 17 points, moving up to No. 10 on KU’s career scoring list. She made five treys to help her team set a new single-game school record with 16 total three-pointers.

In the loss to Penn State she was 9-of-14 for a team-best 24 points, 4 boards, 6 assists, and a steal to reach 1600 career points.

She was 6-of-12 against Kansas City for 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal.

Kansas will return to action at the Cayman Islands Classic on Friday with a 4:00 p.m. game against No. 9 Virginia Tech (3-1), followed by a game against No. 6 UConn (3-1) on Saturday.

Isabella Regalado, also from the class of 2019, wrapped up a four-year playing career last year at Missouri Valley College and is now a graduate assistant at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, an NCAA Division II program in Durant.

The Bison are 4-2 on the season thus far and will kick off league play with their Great American Conference opener against Southern Nazarene on November 30th.

Hailey Jackson (Class of 2023) and Journey Armstead (2022) have Hutchinson Community College off to a 7-0 start on the season, including a conference win.

The Blue Dragons won their season opener 87-56 against Eastern Oklahoma State College (4-3). Jackson had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists while Armstead was 5-of-5 for 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Jackson had 15 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double in an 82-43 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2-4). Armstead had 8 points and 5 boards.

Trailing 26-23 after the first quarter, the Dragons quickly turned things around in a 107-63 rout of Neosho County CC (5-2). Armstead scored 12 points with 6 assists while Jackson had 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Jackson had 13 points and 3 rebounds in a 106-33 decimation of Labette (0-5) while Armstead had 6 points, 6 boards, and 3 steals.

In an 83-65 win over Redlands (4-2), Jackson scored 12 points with 7 rebounds while Armstead had 12 points with 4 rebounds in a win that elevated the Dragons to No. 22 in the NJCAA rankings.

The Dragons’ first big test came in a 72-20 upset of No. 11 Dodge City (7-1), the reigning KJCCC champions. Hutchinson trailed 10 points in the final 3:20 of the game when Armstead led a rally with 8 points over that period.

Armstead scored a season-high 17 points with a career-high 9 rebounds, along with 4 assists and 2 steals. Jackson had 8 points and 7 rebounds.

In their most recent game, the No. 15 Blue Dragons won 80-54 against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (1-7). Armstead was 6-of-8 for a team-high 14 points and 4 assists. Jackson had her second double-double of the season, going 8-for-8 at the free-throw line for 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Hutchinson will return to action on Saturday with a conference home game against Colby Community College (3-3).