Meet the Sandites wrestling dual is smashing success

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For the first time in the Jarrod Patterson era, the doors were open to the public for the Charles Page High School wrestling team’s ranking matches, and it was quite the spectacle.

The Sandites and Keystone Kids wrestling club teamed up Thursday night at Clyde Boyd Middle School to host Meet the Sandites, as Sand Springs wrestlers at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels all settled who was the best in each weight class.

Sand Springs used to open the ranking matches to the public back when Kelly Smith was head coach, but the tradition ended around 2016. Smith retired in 2019, but is now back on the team as an assistant as his son, Mitchell, enters his junior year.

“We’re excited to have him back,” said Patterson. “We were just kind of talking, and he said that was one thing they used to do that kind of got kids excited, so I was kind of excited to bring it back.”

“It seems like it worked out awesome. It seemed like they got a lot of fan support, and it’s good from the youth all the way up to high school.” 

The stands were certainly packed as the action went on simultaneously across three mats. On the varsity mat, the black team defeated the white in an evenly matched dual. 

Many recognizable faces returned to mat duty, including state qualifiers Mitchell Smith and Brooks Dudley, who won their matches by fall. Missing were Blake Jones and Mason Harris, who are recovering from football injuries.

“We’ve got a couple kids that are injured, but once we get through those injuries I think we should be pretty good,” said Patterson. “We’ve got a good group. They’re all hard-working kids from freshmen to seniors, so I think we’ve got some good leadership in there that will help us in the long haul.”

The Sandites graduated only one starter last year and added lots of talented junior high up-and-comers to give the team some extra depth and competitiveness at every weight range.

“We’re pretty solid all the way through, so as long as we can stay healthy and just battle and continue to get better we should be a really solid team,” said Patterson.

“We’ll have three freshmen in there who have a chance at getting in the lineup. Our 106-pounder is David Ritchey, then Colt Hood will be in there some at 113, and Jaxon “Scout” Trotter will be in there at 138.”

They will lean on seniors Shane Wolf, Colton Luker, Ethan Norton, Sammy Naugle, Jones, and Dudley for leadership.

Last year the Sandites finished the season a surprising 4-6, snapping a 14-year streak of winning records, primarily due to COVID-related quarantines, injuries, and canceled duals. They still brought home four first-place tournament medals, however, and qualified four for the State tournament.

Varsity will kick off the season Friday at the Perry Tournament of Champions, and will battle Sapulpa in their first dual on Tuesday the 14th at 7:00 p.m. on the road.

The junior high team hosted its annual tournament Saturday at CBMS and the Gold team took home first prize, followed by the Black team in sixth place and the White team in 19th. The girls placed 12th in their division.

Dawson Briscoe won at 80 pounds with six pins, Kaden Pope won at 106 with six pins, Jace Simms won at 119 with three pins, and Bailey Copeland won 82 pounds for the girls with a pin and a 17-2 technical fall.

Hudson Sheppard, Jaden Allen, Waylon Jeffers, and Ryley Kester placed second. Jaxon Grigsby, Karsen Skaggs, Matthew Moore, Jackson Burdge, and Tanner Copeland placed third. Colt Hood, Caleb Childers, and Preston Reyna placed fourth

The Keystone Kids competed at Sperry and Owasso on Saturday. Weston Roberts, Ty Galloway, and Mylum Ache V won at the Owasso Ram Jam, while Julian Valdez, Hudson Waag, and Bailey Copeland won at the Sperry Smalltown Throwdown.

Sandite Girls Basketball poised for great season

There are only eight days left till the Charles Page High School girls’ basketball program tips off the season, and the Lady Sandites seem poised for what should be a great season.

Sand Springs is entering its third year under head coach Josh Berry, who guided the team to a 12-9 record last year and was 15-8 in his first season. 

The core of last year’s unit is intact after graduating only two seniors. While the Sandites will miss Bayleigh Cheney and Darrian Jordan, they won’t be short on talent.

84% of the team’s scoring power will return, including senior star Journey Armstead, who averaged 16.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last year, and Hailey Jackson, who averaged 9 points and 5 rebounds.

“Armstead is of course going to be big on that (leadership),” says Berry. “She brings playmaking ability. She makes shots when shots need to be made. She's just a playmaker all the way around for us, and of course, in the locker room, she’s a leader in that area too.”

“Then we’ve got Layne Kirkendoll. I think she’s going to be able to step into a bigger role. She’s gotten better every year that we’ve had her and I think she’s one of the smarter players that I’ve coached in a while. She knows where everybody needs to be. So I think those two are going to be really big on the vocal aspect of everything.”

“A big part of us being really good this year is going to be Hailey Jackson scoring. She has to step that role up and be a big scorer, and so does Sakauri Wilson. They have to step up and kind of take the pressure off of Journey to have to score so much.”

Wilson, Armstead’s sophomore sister, averaged 7 points and 2.6 steals per game last year.

The team is filled with upperclassmen, with Avery Tanner, Kirkendoll, and Leyshia Morris all in their senior years.

Girls’ basketball has been one of the most successful Sandite sports in recent years, with three consecutive Regional and Area Championships from 2017 to 2019. Last year the girls made it to the Area playoffs and beat Edmond Memorial before falling 36-33 to Midwest City.

“Our goal every year is to get better every day both individually and as a group,” says Berry. “ If we can do that then I think the rest will take care of itself. We do have a group here that’s pretty special, so if the ball bounces in the right direction, then you know, we’ve got a shot.”

“I think strength wise, defense is what we’re going to be really good at. I think that’s what we’re going to have to lay our hat on, is being there defensively.” Last year the girls averaged 10.5 steals per game.

“I do think we can play with anybody, we can beat anybody in the state. Now I do think we can lose to anybody if we don’t come ready to play. So you know, that’s kind of how I approach the girls all the time. Any given night we can win, any given night we can lose. It just depends on what type of energy we’re going to bring and what type of execution we’re going to bring.”

The girls will tip off the season Tuesday, December 7th with a Frontier Valley Conference home game against Owasso at 6:30 p.m., then will compete at the Tulsa Central tournament that weekend.

They will also compete at the Jenks/Union tournament in January, and will travel to Tampa Bay, Florida for a tournament over Christmas break.

“It’s something new for me, something I haven’t done with a group yet in my 13 years of coaching,” says Berry. “I just thought this was a group that’s been together a while, a special group that I wanted to reward them to be able to go out of town and hopefully go see some competition and hopefully be in another region for scholarship potentials. It’s a pretty good tournament, it’s going to be pretty big. There's going to be some good competition from all over the country.”

Sports Roundup: Final Football Stats, Wrestling "Meet the Sandites" coming up

The Charles Page High School varsity football team wrapped up the 2021 season a touchdown shy of the State finals, falling 20-17 to Edmond Deer Creek in the semifinals to cap off an 8-4 campaign.

The Sandites will be graduating a number of top contributors next spring, including three-year starting quarterback Ty Pennington, who rewrote the school record books in his senior season. 

Pennington set single-season records of 2,831 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns, and career records of 6,455 passing yards, 54 passing TDs, and 77 total TDs. He also rushed for 1,306 yards and 23 TDs in his career. 

Blake Jones wrapped up his senior year with 164 carries for 945 yards and 11 TDs, and had 374 carries for 1,877 yards and 19 TDs in his career. 

Junior Jacob Blevins led the receiving corps with 64 catches for 981 yards and 8 TDs, followed by Keaton Campbell with 55 catches for 774 yards and 9 TDs. Brody Rutledge had 42 catches for 697 yards and 6 TDs, and Ryan Shoemaker had 23 catches for 295 yards and five TDs. 

Campbell concluded his career with 147 catches for 2,048 yards and 18 TDs, and Shoemaker had 44 catches for 521 yards and 5 TDs.

Junior star Drake Fain led the defense with 116 tackles, followed by several seniors. Brooks Dudley had 99 tackles, Conner Light had 74, Gabe Brown had 69, Ryder Barnes had 98, and Landon Hendricks had 66. Dudley had an impressive 338 tackles in his four-year career.

Hendicks had 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and 2 blocked kicks. Brown had 11.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Barnes had 3 interceptions and 13 passes defended. Fain had a team-high 3 fumble recoveries. 

Jabe Schlehuber made his way into the school record books with a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown against Muskogee.

Junior kicker Jonathan Daniels was 13-of-16 on PAT kicks this season and 2-of-3 on field goals with a long of 35, while Logan Wolfe was 29-of-34 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34.  

The team will also have to replace senior linemen Matthew Shelton, Morgan Eubanks, and Owen Higgins, but will return Mason Harris and Marcus Sims.

Wrestling

The Charles Page High School wrestling team will be hosting Meet the Sandites Thursday, December 2nd at Clyde Boyd Middle School at 6:00 p.m. Fans will get to watch the youth, junior high, and varsity ranking matches. 

Sandite Football Season Ends in 20-17 Semifinal Loss to Deer Creek

This story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

It goes without saying that one team’s victory is inevitably another team’s heartbreak, especially when it comes to the playoffs. Sand Springs has taken some losses this season, but none hurt quite like the Sandites’ 20-17 semifinal battle with No. 4 Edmond Deer Creek (10-2)

“It’s alright if it hurts,” Charles Page High School head coach Bobby Klinck told his team after the game. “I’m feeling it too. It’s okay to feel upset, it’s okay to hurt, that means you gave it all you had. There’s a lot of things that’ll hurt a lot more than this, and you’ll look back and think that this was a hell of a ride.”

“You guys gave everything. This team is the foundation of what we’re fixing to do around here. You set the standard for what we’re doing here.”

Just two seasons removed from a 2-8 campaign, this group of Sandites has advanced in the playoffs each of the last two years, and their 8-4 mark this season is the best Sandite record since 2014. 

But it wasn’t enough to advance to the State Finals for the first time since 2015.

The Sandites rallied from a 13-3 halftime deficit and led 17-13 late in the third quarter, but key mistakes caught up with them and Deer Creek survived the momentum swing to score on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brett Pense to Berkley Dalton with 1:54 remaining.

“Our guys, they give relentless effort every play,” said Antlers head coach Wade Standley. “Those guys continue to fight, continue to go. We survived the momentum swing and we found a way to win at the end. I’m so proud of these young men.”

It was quite the momentum swing.

Sandite quarterback Ty Pennington scored on a 1-yard push to open the half, then Gabe Brown strip sacked Pense deep in Sandite territory to set up a nine-play 85-yard drive where Pennington scored again on a two-yard run.

The Sandites forced a punt, then Jacob Blevins picked off a deflected Pense pass to set up a short field march.

Then the wheels came off the wagon.

At third and goal from the four-yard line, a bad snap pushed the Sandites back to the 17, and Jonathan Daniels’ field goal was blocked. 

Deer Creek scored the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing drive, and the Sandites’ last-hope possession was derailed by two more bad snaps and Brittain Brewer sacked Pennington for a turnover on downs to seal the victory.

“It’s disappointing that we couldn’t finish,” said Klinck. “Hats off to Deer Creek man, that’s a heck of a football team. I wish we could have found a way to get it done at the end there.”

Uncharacteristic penalties by the Sandites led to much of the Antlers’ first-half success, as the Sandites gave up five first downs on 75 penalty yards. They also struggled to finish offensively, despite out-gaining the Antlers in yardage.

Daniels’ 20-yard field goal was their only score of the first half. Meanwhile the Antlers scored on a 5-yard run by Pense and field goals of 39 and 35 yards by Grayson Miller. 

The storied career of Pennington ended with a 21-of-36 passing performance with 280 yards, as well as 57 yards on the ground. Pennington re-wrote the record books for the Sandites throughout his three-year career as the starter. 

“He’s an unbelievable football player and he’s going to be sorely missed,” said Klinck. “I’m going to miss just seeing him in the facility, more than all the great plays that he made. And that goes for all these seniors. They’ve done such an unbelievable job. I’m just upset that we couldn’t get it done for them.”

“There’s so many guys that I’m going to remember. The first time I got here, I just asked them to trust me and to buy into what we’re selling, and they’ve done an unbelievable job. They’ve set a foundation here. People didn’t think a lot of this team going into the season, except us. We’re just a score away from making the State finals. So, unbelievable job by those seniors and everybody else.”

Jason Clark and Ethan Oakley lead Sandites to come-from-behind 68-55 win over NOAH

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Ethan Oakley wasn’t planning on playing basketball his senior year, but two weeks prior to the season tip-off he asked his team if they would take him back. The Sandites welcomed his return, and it paid off in the season opener Thursday night at SpiritLife Church. 

Oakley double-doubled with 11 points and 16 rebounds from the bench, while Jason Clark scored 19 points in Charles Page High School’s 68-55 win over Tulsa NOAH (1-2). 

“I put it up to the senior players whether they wanted to allow him back or not,” said ninth-year head coach Eric Savage. “I think they know what he can mean to this team. He demonstrated some of that tonight, so we’re glad to have him back for sure.”

The Sandites had to survive an early upset bid after falling behind 16 points in the first quarter. Clark took four fouls in the first quarter alone and spent half of the game on the bench, while his team of mostly first-year varsity players had to claw their way back into it.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who have been on varsity, but not a lot who have gotten a lot of minutes,” said Savage. “Jason Clark and Ethan Oakley have logged the most minutes the past few years as underclassmen but the rest of the guys haven’t.”

“They’re going to have to learn those roles a little bit. I think they were a little overhyped in the first half, but settled in in the second half, started rebounding better and executed better on the offensive end. We finally got Jason Clark going a little bit, and each of those seniors kind of stepped up and made plays there in the second half when we needed them to.”

Down 22-6, sophomore Alijah Roper hit a three-pointer to close out the first quarter and spark a Sandite resurgence. 

JD Dickson, a senior move-in from Jenks, tied the game up at 27-27 after scoring through a foul from Will Edwards and sinking the free throw, but the Jaguars found their feet again and rolled to a 39-28 halftime lead.

The second half was all Sandites as the visitors outscored their foes 20-10 in the third quarter and 20-8 in the fourth. Clark gave them their first lead with a layup at 44-43, but the Jags still led 57-52 early in the fourth. 

Then fouls caught up to the home team, which lost Sullivan Wagner, Jack Garner, and Connor Hislop. Dickson scored 16 points in his first game as a Sandite before fouling out, but the Sandites had the deeper bench and closed the game on a 19-point run. 

Cale Askew also had a big night for Sand Springs with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

This year's Sandites will look a bit different than the star-studded teams of the past. After graduating four of last year’s starting five, the team will turn to a much younger bench.

“I think it’s going to be a collective effort (this year),” said Savage. “I think this year’s team is a little bit different. We’re not going to just be able to rely on one guy and hope that he can carry us through, so we’re going to have to definitely play together and rely on each other.”

“I think Kooper Kelley, a freshman, is going to get better and better as the year goes. That was a huge three he hit there late in the fourth quarter after struggling. He’s got the ability, just had first game varsity jitters I think. He’ll grow up as the season goes, but we’re definitely expecting big things from him.”

“We’re going to have to develop a little depth off the bench. Kade Holland, we’re looking for him to be able to come in as well as Blake Johnson to come in and provide some significant minutes for us.”

This season will be a unique one for Coach Savage for another reason, in addition to the lack of star power. It’ll also be the first time since 2014 that he hasn’t had one of his sons on the team.

Colt Savage was a four-year starter from 2015 to 2018 and ranks as the number-two all-time leading scorer at Sand Springs. Cale Savage and Cason Savage were also multi-year starters and leading contributors to the school’s deep playoff success the last eight years.

“It’s a different feel for sure,” said Savage. “I definitely miss having them out there. They were kind of the second coach on the floor when I had one of them in the game. They knew what I wanted and knew what I expected, so somebody else is going to have to take on those roles.”

Sand Springs will need a new star or two to rise up if they want to keep alive one of the longest eras of success in school history. The Sandites have made it to the Area playoffs seven of the last eight years, including two Regional Championships from 2019 to 2020. 

“It’s going to be a tough year,” said Savage. “ We’re going to be hopefully competitive in every game, but the conference is really good. I think every team in the conference has at least one college player, if not more, that’s been offered or already committed. We don’t have that type of player this year, so for us to be able to compete with that, we don’t have much room for error. We’re going to have to be very disciplined and rely on each other.”

Sand Springs basketball will return to action Friday, December 3rd in a home rematch against NOAH.

CPHS 68 NOAH 57
1Q: NOAH 22-9.
2Q: CPHS 19-17.
3Q: CPHS 20-10.
4Q: CPHS 20-8.
Free Throws: CPHS 19-of-31, NOAH 8-of-13.
Field Goals: CPHS 21-of-58, NOAH 21-of-59.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 21, NOAH 8.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 25, NOAH 17.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 46, NOAH 25.
Steals: CPHS 10, NOAH 9.
Blocks: CPHS 2, NOAH 2.
Fouls: CPHS 20, NOAH 25.

Scoring: (CPHS) Clark 19, Dickson 16, Oakley 11, Askew 10, Kelly 5, Brockman 4, Roper 3. (NOAH) Bell 14, Wagner 12, I. Hislop 8, Hill 7, Edwards 6, Garner 5, C. Hislop 5.

CPHS Football Preview: Sandites vs. Deer Creek, Friday at Yukon

The Sandites have only played once at Miller Stadium, and defeated Yukon 26-21 in 2017.

The No. 3 ranked Sand Springs football team is back in the Class 6A-II playoff semifinals for the first time since 2016, and this time it’s a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff game against No. 4 Edmond Deer Creek.

The game will utilize the GoFan Electronic Ticket process, with tickets priced at $8.35. Cash admission will be $10 per person. School-aged children and above will need to purchase a ticket but children ages three and younger are admitted free of charge.

The game will be played at 7:00 p.m. at Miller Stadium at 1777 S. Yukon Pkwy, Yukon, OK 73099. Miller Stadium has a capacity of 6,112. Deer Creek will be the home team, and Sand Springs fans will sit on the visitor side. Sand Springs is planning a tailgate beginning at 5:30 p.m.

There is no livestream planned for the game, so fans should watch out for fake scam pages on social media.

The winner of the game will play the winner of No. 1 Bixby (11-0) vs. No. 2 Stillwater (9-2).

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 28-20. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington, 58-14 to Bixby and 41-28 to Choctaw.

The Sandites snapped the losing streak 41-20 at Bartlesville after jumping out to a 41-0 lead before sending in the backups. They then rolled Putnam City West 44-7, once again getting a first-team shutout before allowing the Patriots on the board in the final minutes. In the first round of the playoffs they upset the District One Champions from Del City 21-17 on the road.

“We have unbelievable players, unbelievable coaches,” said Klinck after Friday’s game. “We’ve got great players in Sand Springs. We are not good coaches without great players. It’s all about those dang kids and the effort and the heart they give.”

Sand Springs holds one gold ball, a 2A title in 1966, and last appeared in the state finals in 2015. Their last semifinal appearance was 2016, and they are 2-6 in the semifinals all-time.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 170-265-2544-4 passing with 27 touchdowns, and is 134-467 rushing with ten TDs. He holds the school records in career passing yardage at 5,935, career passing touchdowns at 52, single season passing touchdowns, single season passing yardage, and career total touchdowns at 77.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 149-918 rushing with eleven touchdowns an 7-56 receiving.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 4-11-58-1 passing with two touchdowns and 39-658 receiving with six TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 45-678 receiving with nine touchdowns and averages 18.6 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 56-833 receiving with eight TDs, 9-43 rushing with one TD, and averages 16 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 22-291 receiving with five TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 31.5 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 58 tackles, 19 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and 2 blocked kicks.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 93 tackles, 6 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

Gabe Brown (Sr. LB) has 65 tackles, 11 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light (Sr. LB) has 71 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles.

Drake Fain (Jr. LB) has 105 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack, 3 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, an interception, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes (Sr. CB) has 63 tackles, 0.5 for loss, three interceptions, 9 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Edmond Deer Creek

The Antlers (9-2) are in their fifth season under head coach Wade Standley, who holds a 26-25 record with the Antlers and is 67-51 in his career. He also went 11-10 at Ada and 30-16 at Norman North.

Deer Creek currently holds its first winning record since a 9-4 mark in 2015. They dropped to 2-8 in 2016 and went 4-6, 4-6, 5-5, and 4-6 over Standley’s first four seasons.

This year they won 35-7 at Edmond North, 44-0 against Southmoore, and 35-14 at Yukon before dropping a 35-28 overtime battle against Stillwater to start district play. They then won 38-13 at Putnam North, 70-0 against Northwest Classen, and 23-6 at Midwest City before falling 35-28 to Del City in overtime. They are currently on yet another three-game win streak, 67-20 at Lawton, 65-7 against U.S. Grant, and 36-29 with a road upset against Choctaw.

The upset of No. 2 Choctaw gave the Antlers their first-ever playoff win at the 6A level. Deer Creek last made it to the State semifinals in 2001, and won their only championship in 2000 at the 3A level. The Antlers are 1-2 in the semifinals, all-time.

Players to Watch

Brett Pense (Sr. QB) is 149-250-2061-2 passing with 27 TDs and 57-190 rushing with 6 TDs.

Deontaye Wilson (Jr. RB / CB) is 178-930 rushing with 10 TDs and 12-131 receiving with a TD.

Michael Holley (Sr. WR) is 28-415 receiving with 6 TDs.

Berkley Dalton (Jr. WR) is 27-367 receiving with 5 TDs.

Jevion Jones (Sr. WR / OLB) is 17-299 receiving with 4 TDs.

Gavin Smith (Sr. WR / FS) is 16-284 with 5 TDs and 3-7 rushing with a TD.

Jacob Sexton (Sr. OT) is a four-star Oklahoma commit standing at 6’5”, 285 pounds.

The Series

The two teams have met only once before, and it was in last year’s first-round playoff. The Antlers didn’t qualify for the postseason outright last year, but due to the high number of COVID-related game cancelations, the OSSAA added a play-in round for anyone who wanted to compete.

Sand Springs was short 27 players due to contract tracing, but they still prevailed 34-29 to advance to the quarterfinals at Stillwater.

Sand Springs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and led by as much as 20-3 before the Antlers surged back. Pennington was 14-of-24 passing for 171 yards and a TD, and ran 26 times for 163 yards and two more TDs. Jacob Blevins caught five passes for 104 yards a TD, while Blake Jones was 10-73 rushing with a TD.

Deer Creek quarterback Brett Pense was 18-of-36 for 293 yards and two TDs, but the backfield was held to 29 yards on the ground.