Sandites Sweep Muskogee 3-0 on Senior Night

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It was a Senior Night sweep for the Sandites Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

The Charles Page High School volleyball team (14-15, 1-7) earned its first conference win of the season, 3-0 against Muskogee (16-13, 0-8) in a dominant performance.

“Our conference is tough,” said head coach Skyler Jackson. “The Frontier Valley is full of teams that are always contending for the State tournament. It’s good to get a win in the conference.”

The visiting Roughers took a 4-0 lead to open the match but Sand Springs soon surged ahead with a 14-point streak led by five aces from Brooklyn Shope and a trio of kills from Averi Tippit.

After losing game one 25-14, Muskogee hung much closer in game two. Muskogee led 9-8 till Adelynn Ray heated up with four aces to put her team out front for the remainder of the set.

The Roughers cut it as close as 15-13 before a kill from Shope kicked off an 8-1 run to put the comeback firmly out of reach. Shope capped the win with another ace at 25-16.

Sand Springs never trailed after 2-1 in the final game, though the Roughers never quite let the Sandites pull away.

It looked like Sand Springs would run away with things after going up 17-8 on kills from Ray, Mikayla Bradford, and Patience Pearce, but the Roughers responded with four in a row to make it 17-12.

Sand Springs finished strong, however, and Evyn Morrow capped off an exciting final rally with a kill at 25-18.

Morrow, a senior, set the tone on defense with 24 digs to accompany her kill and four aces.

“Always exceptional,” said Jackson. “Even her bad days are good days for everybody else. She’s always our spark plug. She just goes hard, loves the game, and loves her team.”

Shope ended the night with six aces while Morrow and Ray had four apiece with a team total of 17.

“We have kind of gone up and down on our serve game, so it was nice to see some consistent, tough serving today,” said Jackson.

Shope led the offense as well with seven kills, followed by Tippit with six. Ray and Hannah McKelvey had nine assists apiece and Jayden Smith had 14 digs.

Before the match, the Sandites celebrated their seven seniors: Hannah and Faith McKelvey, Tippit, Morrow, Bradford, Natalie Szabo, and Pearce.

“It’s exciting, but it’s sad,” said Jackson. “Senior Night means the end of the season is around the corner.”

“Last year’s seniors really left a big hole and these seniors really stepped up and filled the gap. They’ve evenly shouldered the weight and they’ve been real role models and great teammates.”

Sand Springs will look to ride the momentum of its first conference win into a Thursday regular season finale at No. 3 Jenks (27-5, 8-0), who has already clinched the conference title.

The girls also received their postseason assignment this week and will travel to No. 6 Bishop Kelley (18-9) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The winner of that match will play for the Regional Championship at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 11 Mustang (22-7) vs. Union (8-22).

“We’re just going to focus on us and continue to figure out how we can be aggressive and things that we can do to get better through that match and through our practices leading up to Tuesday.”

CPHS 3 Muskogee 0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-18)
Kills: CPHS 24, Muskogee 21.
Blocks: CPHS 2, Muskogee 1.
Aces: CPHS 17, Muskogee 5.
Service Errors: CPHS 8, Muskogee 5.
Errors: CPHS 21, Muskogee 32.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Kills: Tippit 6, Shope 6, Pearce 4, Smith 2, Morrow 1, Bradford 1, Ray 1, Egger 1, Szabo 1.
Assists: H. McKelvey 9, Ray 9, Morrow 2, Tippit 1.
Digs: Morrow 24, Smith 14, Ray 11, F. McKelvey 5, H. McKelvey 2, Pearce 2, Taff 1, Bradford 1, Shope 1.
Blocks: Tippit 1.5, Szabo 0.5.
Aces: Shope 6, Morrow 4, Ray 4, H. McKelvey 2, Tippit 1.

(Muskogee Stats)
Kills: Essex 9, Rodriguez 7, Chyenne 2, Russel 2, Ficklin 1.
Assists: Ficklin 10, Moore 4, Doughty 1, Tremblay 1.
Blocks: Russel 0.5, Lewis 0.5.
Aces: Rodriguez 2, Essex 2, Rainbolt 1.

Drew Turner & Gunner Beasley Lead Sandite Fishing at Grand Lake Tournament

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Drew Turner and Gunner Beasley led the Sandite fishing team at the OBN Grand Lake tournament on October 1st. The duo caught 10.4 pounds for sixth place out of 85 teams.

Nate Griffin and Caden Strawn caught 8.77 pounds for 18th place; Jonathan Isley and Jaxon Trotter caught 7.36 pounds for 26th place; Eli Rogers caught 6.73 pounds for 33rd place; Gabriel Castellano and Ean Williams caught 6.69 pounds for 34th place; Zane Downey and Tyler Barnes caught 5.43 pounds for 42nd place; Hayden Lowrance and Hunter Spencer caught 4.26 pounds for 49th place; Decana Strawn and Abby Tabor caught 3.08 pounds for 54th place; and Jessen Cox and Rylan Matherly caught 2.91 pounds for 55th place.

The one-day tournament was the second of the season on the Oklahoma Bass Nation high school trail. Boaters launched from Wolf Creek Ramp with a five-fish limit.

Next up for the Sandites will be an October 7-8th two-day OBN tournament on Lake Texoma, launching from Catfish Bay near Kingston.

Sandite Recruiting Report: Ava Watts Commits to Texas A&M-Commerce & More

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Charles Page High School senior Ava Watts is headed to Texas next year. The soccer star recently announced her commitment to Texas A&M-Commerce on Instagram.

The NCAA Division I program competes in the Southland Conference and is led by second-year head coach Ashley Gordon. The Lions just transitioned to the Division I level in 2022 and are 14-14-3 since moving up to the big league.

Watts led the Sandites in scoring this past season with 21 goals and five hat-tricks, including a seven-goal performance against Putnam City.

Baseball

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) committed on Wednesday to play college baseball at Arizona State University. Buxton went 4-3 last season as the Sandites claimed their first district title in school history.

ASU is an NCAA Division I program in the Pac-12 conference, though the university will be moving to the Big 12 by the time Buxton enrolls.

The Sun Devils are a perennial power with 21 conference championships and five national championships but are coming off a 26-32 season under now second-year head coach Willie Bloomquist.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) announced his commitment to play at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kansas on Friday.

The Red Devils compete in the NJCAA and went 25-29 last season under now seventh-year head coach Clint Stoy.

Miller will join fellow senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds), who committed to Allen County in August.

Senior infielder Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) announced his commitment on Friday to play at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid.

NOC completes in the NJCAA and is entering its first season under head coach Ryan Bay.

Rutledge will join fellow Sandites Jabe Schlehuber and Dom Ornelas, who are freshmen at NOC.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) announced his commitment to McPherson College on Sunday.

McPherson is an NAIA school competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs went 37-16 last season and are entering their first year under head coach Chris Dawson. McPherson is coming off a KCAC tournament title and three consecutive NAIA tournament appearances.

Football

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) announced that he received an offer to play football at Kansas Wesleyan University.

The Coyotes compete in the NAIA and the KCAC. Then first-year head coach Matt Myers led Wesleyan to an 8-3 record in 2022.

Williams also holds offers from Hendrix College, Lyons College, and Oklahoma Wildcats Prep.

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

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

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

Senior offensive lineman Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10” 285 pounds) holds one college offer from Hendrix.

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

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

Basketball

5’10” senior small forward Kiaryn Taylor recently announced she has received an offer from Western Texas College, an NJCAA program in Snyder.

The Lady Westerners went 5-21 last season but are entering a new era under first-year head coach Rachael Eubank.

Taylor also holds offers from Ranger College and Lincoln Trail College.

5’7” senior guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris has received offers from Eastern Oklahoma State College, Coffeyville Community College, and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Softball

Senior RHP/3B/SS Kelsi Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.

Sandites Throttle Tigers 41-7, Abbi Elder Named Homecoming Queen

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Abbi Elder was named Homecoming Queen and Mason HArris was Kissing Captain. Photo: Charity Emigh.

Tahlequah tried to set the tone early in its Friday night road game at Sand Springs. On fourth-and-one near midfield, the Tigers handed the ball off to Darryn Spahr and the senior back ran into a wall named Owen Floyd.

Two plays later Ali McCoy took the ball 57 yards to the house. Tone set.

McCoy ran for over 200 yards in the first half as the No. 5 Charles Page High School football team (3-2, 1-1) steamrolled to a 41-7 win over No. 6 Tahlequah (1-4, 0-2) on Homecoming.

“It wouldn’t be possible without the five guys up front,” said McCoy, who ended the night with 10 carries for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

“I expected us to do good on the ground, but I didn’t expect that outcome. It feels good sharing this moment with our seniors. We’ve been working really hard.”

One of those seniors was Kenneth Page, who had 12 carries for 132 yards and three scores. Another was wildcat quarterback Jace Arnold who ran the ball six times for 43 yards and another score.

When the clock finally ran dry the Sandites had amassed 392 yards on the ground, averaging a first down with every snap.

“I really like how we came out after a disappointing performance last week,” said head coach Bobby Klinck, referencing a 51-13 loss to No. 1 Muskogee.

“(The offensive line) is the heart and soul of our football team and they’re getting better each week.”

Kenneth Page scored 3 touchdowns against Tahlequah on Homecoming. Photo: Charity Emigh.

As dominant as the offense was, the defense was equally in control, recording two takeaways, seven tackles for loss, and two turnovers on downs. The Sandites forced four punts on the night and only allowed 79 yards in the second half.

“It was really good to see our secondary as a whole just continue to get better,” said Klinck. “Our secondary hadn’t been our strong point defensively, so for them to kind of lead and do some big things, I’m very happy with them.”

That secondary stepped up time and time again with Landyn Barnes breaking up a pass to force a punt on the Tigers’ second possession before intercepting Cash McAlvain on their third possession.

The pick was crucial for keeping momentum on the Sandites’ side as Tahlequah’s Jacob Morrison had just intercepted Easton Webb on the previous drive.

Two plays later, McCoy had another mad dash for a 49-yard touchdown.

Spahr got the visitors on the board with a 14-yard run to open the second quarter, but Page responded with a 19-yard run, the Tigers went three-and-out, and Arnold scored his 10-yard run to make it 27-7 after a failed PAT.

Two Tiger penalties set the Sandites up for a kickoff from deep in Tahlequah territory and they used the opportunity to practice their onside kick.

Dawson Puckett’s first attempt only traveled eight yards before going out of bounds, but that kick was nullified as the Sandites had lined up offsides and got a re-do.

This time it was flawlessly executed and recovered by Cooper Guardado to set up a 33-yard touchdown run by Page.

Tahlequah successfully moved the ball 61 yards on its next drive before Mason Harris sacked McAlvain and forced a fumble that was snatched up by Keagan Gilman with 42 seconds in the half.

The Sandites nearly punched in another but ran out of time after driving 52 yards on five plays to enter the red zone.

The starters got one more drive to open up the second half and Page scored his third touchdown on a one-yard plunge for the final score of 41-7.

From there, both teams played mostly backups and took turns exchanging punts till the clock ran out.

Sand Springs will take to the road next week with a key district match-up at No.4 Stillwater (3-2, 2-0), who prevailed 48-13 over No. 8 Booker T. Washington in their Week 5 game.

The Pioneers have won their past two meetings with Sand Springs and lead the series 32-12 all-time.

CPHS 41 Tahlequah 7
1Q: CPHS 14-0.
2Q: CPHS 20-7.
3Q: CPHS 7-0.
4Q: 0-0.
First Downs: CPHS 14, Tahlequah 15.
Fumbles-Lost: CPHS 1-0, Tahlequah 3-2.
Penalties: CPHS 9-85, Tahlequah 7-80.
Passing: CPHS 7-11-97-1, Tahlequah 16-25-128-1.
Rushing: CPHS 36-392, Tahlequah 32-114.
Offense: CPHS 47-489, Tahlequah 57-242.

Sandite Softball Goes 1-1 at Bixby Festival, Ends Regular Season 18-13

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LAkelyn Harger was 3-for-3 at the plate in the win over Pryor.

The Charles Page High School softball team (18-13) wrapped up yet another winning regular season Friday morning at the Bixby Festival, going 1-1 against a pair of 5A district champions.

Addison Hughes (11-7) pitched a gem against Pryor (14-19), striking out nine while allowing only two hits and two walks in the 2-0 win.

Sand Springs struggled to bring runners home, stranding two in the first and three in the second before a two-run triple from Ashlyn Clark put the Sandites on the board in the third inning.

They stranded two more to close the third and three in the fifth. The game ended on a time limit in the top of the sixth.

Lakelyn Harger was 3-for-3 at the plate with one run and Kenzie King was 1-of-2 with a run.

In the next game the girls fell 5-1 to Piedmont (30-3), the sixteenth consecutive win for the back-to-back defending State Champions.

Bella Wilson was the only Sandite to manage a hit against the Wildcats, going 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring the lone run on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth.

Kelsi Hilton (5-3) was credited with the loss, throwing six hits no walks, and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Kylie King also spent time in the circle, tossing five hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

Sand Springs will return to action at Edmond Memorial for the Regional Championship next week.

Hughes & Hilton Pitch No-Hitter Against Bartlesville

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Addison Hughes could have gone the distance for a solo no-hitter against Bartlesville (10-20), but in the seventh inning she gave up the circle so Kelsi Hilton could close out her final game on the home field.

The senior didn’t drop the ball, tossing two strikeouts to secure the 4-0 victory Tuesday on Teacher Night.

Hughes struck out ten for her tenth win of the season with what was nearly her third perfect game of the year. The only blemish was a fourth-inning hit-by-pitch. That runner was put out on the next at-bat with a 5-2 double-play by Lakelyn Harger.

The Sandites stranded five runners over the first three innings before Kenzie King scored on a passed ball. Hilton padded the lead with a solo homer in the fifth.

Kaylei Rake hit an RBI double in the sixth to bring home Savannah Ramsey, then scored the final run of the game on a single from Hilton.

Hilton and Kenzie King both went 3-of-4 at the plate while Kylie King was 2-of-3.

On Thursday the girls fell 2-1 to Collinsville (11-15) on the road.

Bailey Copeland tagged up to score the lone run on a line out by Harger in the top of the first, but the girls stranded two runners to end the inning.

A two-run homer from Brie Smith gave Collinsville the lead in the third inning and the Sandites were unable to even the score.

Ashlyn Clark and Hilton both went 2-of-3 at the plate as the Sandites tallied seven hits.

Hughes (10-7) took the loss, surrendering five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Hilton closed out the game and struck out six with one hit and no walks.

Sand Springs will wrap up the regular season Friday morning at the Bixby festival with back-to-back games against Pryor (14-18) and Piedmont (28-3) starting at 9:00 a.m.

Sand Springs also received its Regional Tournament assignment Thursday and will be taking to the road for a three-team playoff in Edmond.

The Sandites will play Stillwater (18-13) and Edmond Memorial (22-8) in a double-elimination round-robin tentatively scheduled for October 5-6th.