Sandite Volleyball Falls 3-0 to Bishop Kelley, Ends Season at Regionals

The Charles Page High School volleyball team wrapped up a 14-17 season Tuesday evening with a 3-0 loss to No. 6 Bishop Kelley (21-12).

“We prepared much better than we played,” said head coach Skylar Jackson. “We know they run two different defenses…we worked on blocking well, we worked on attacking both defenses. We looked really sharp yesterday and we just didn’t play our best tonight.”

Sand Springs fell 25-13, 25-15, and 25-13 to the Comets, who went on to win a 3-0 sweep of No. 11 Mustang (22-8) for their 38th consecutive Regional Championship. The Sandites, meanwhile, have never won a Regional title, and haven’t survived the first round since 2017.

“We’re taking the right steps,” said Jackson. “We’ve just got to figure out our identity as Sand Springs Volleyball.”

The first game against the Comets was only as close as 7-6 before the home team went on an 8-1 run to put establish the tone of the sweep to come.

Sand Springs struggled to adjust to Kate Schneeberg, who doubled as middle blocker and setter, recording four blocks, 31 assists, and six kills, including tips and attacks.

Also posing a challenge was Indiana State-commit Curry Kendall, who amassed a game-high 17 kills as the most powerfully accurate hitter the Sandites have faced this season.

In game two the Sandites actually jumped out to an 8-4 lead with a seven-point run early in the game. Adelynn Ray scored three kills, Jayden Smith and Averi Tippit combined on a block, and Hannah McKelvey scored with a tipped ball during the exciting streak.

The Comets came surging back, however, with an 8-1 run, tying it up on an ace from Kate Strandmark before taking the lead on a pair of errors.

Sand Springs never led again, only getting as close as 13-12 before Schneeberg used a tipped ball to kick off a six point run. The Comets ended game two on a five point run to keep the momentum into set three.

The visitors got as close as 7-6 on a kill from Ray before a service error sparked a nine-point streak that put the game firmly in the Comets’ arena.

Alia DeBerry and Brooklyn Shope scored two kills apiece to make it 18-11 but it was too much of a deficit to overcome and Elle Miller put an end to the Sandites’ season.

Ray led the Sandites’ offense with 9 kills while Evyn Morrow led the defense with 13 digs. Hannah McKelvey had a team-high 10 assists.

The Sandites will be losing seven seniors next year, including four who saw significant playing time. Hannah and Faith McKelvey, Tippit, Morrow, Mikayla Bradford, Natalie Szabo, and Patience Pearce will all graduate in the spring.

“They’re strong at their positions for sure,” said Jackson. “They’re some of our stat leaders. Evyn’s definitely one of our energy leaders on the court. They’re going to leave a big gap next year for sure and our underclassmen are going to have to learn how to fill their shoes just like our current senior class did this year.”

BK 3 CPHS 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-13)
Kills: BK 42, CPHS 21.
Blocks: BK 4, CPHS 2.
Aces: BK 7, CPHS 1.
Service Errors: BK 5, CPHS 5.
Total Errors: BK 17, CPHS 22.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Kills: Ray 9, Shope 4, DeBerry 3, Smith 3, Morrow 1, H. McKelvey 1.
Assists: H. McKelvey 10, Ray 7, Morrow 2, DeBerry 1, Shope 1.
Digs: Morrow 13, Shope 7, H. McKelvey 7, Ray 5, Smith 2, DeBerry 1, F. McKelvey 1.
Blocks: Tippit 1, DeBerry 0.5, Smith 0.5.
Aces: H. McKelvey 1.

(Bishop Kelley Stats)
Kills: Kendall 17, Gentry 6, Schneeberg 6, Laubach, 5, Williams 3, Liechtl 2, Toon 1, Jackson 1.
Assists: Schneeberg 31.
Blocks: Gentry 3, Schneeberg 2.5, Toon 0.5.
Aces: Williams 2, Strandmark 2, Jackson 2, Johnson 1.

Eli Rogers Wins OBN Tournament at Lake Texoma

For the first time since 2021, Sand Springs brought home the gold from an Oklahoma Bass Nation fishing tournament.

Eli Rogers, fishing solo, hauled in 20.6 pounds during the two-day event on Lake Texoma, October 7-8th, 2.6 pounds more than the runner-up duo. His largest bass was 5.12 pounds, the third-largest of the event.

The win marks a first on the OBN trail for Sand Springs since March of 2021 when Cruz Norris and Gunnar Casey won on Grand Lake. It was Rogers’s second top-five finish of the year.

Drew Turner and Gunner Beasley turned in their second top-ten performance of the season, catching 13.6 pounds for 10th place out of 63 teams.

Decana Strawn and Abby Tabor placed a season-best 15th with 11.01 pounds.

Nate Griffin and Caden Strawn placed a season-best 17th with 10.32 pounds for their second top-20 finish of the year.

Zane Downey and Tyler Barnes placed 38th with 5.37 pounds; Gabriel Castellano and Ean Williams placed 49th with 2.42 pounds; and Jessen Cox and Rylan Matherly placed 50th with 1.95 pounds.

Turner and Beasley are now second overall in the Athletes of the Year standings, followed by Rogers in third out of 84 teams.

Griffin and Caden Strawn are 12th; Castellano and Williams are 30th; Cox and Matherly are 33rd; Decana Strawn and Tabor are 41st; Downey and Barnes are 43rd; Jonathan Isley and Jaxon Trotter are 58th; Hayden Lowrance and Hunter Spencer are 69th; and Christian Orcutt and Diego Voight are 83rd.

The Lake Texoma event was the last of 2023 for Bass Nation. The OBN Trail will resume on March 17th at Pine Creek Lake in McCurtain County. Some of the Sand Springs teams may also return to Texoma for the Student Angler Federation event on October 21st.

Sophie Grona, Cole Higgins, and Junior High Boys Win Cleveland XC Meet

Sand Springs had an exceptional performance at all age levels in the Cleveland Tigers Cross Country Meet on Thursday, earning two individual gold medals and one team title.

Cole Higgins won his second meet of the season, leading the junior high boys to their second team title of the year. His 1.5 mile time of 7:06 was two seconds better than the runner-up and enough to lead the field of 48.

Corbin Wesson placed third in 7:29, Daniel Stuckey was fifth in 7:38, and Wyatt Shaw was sixth in 7:46,

Sophie Grona took first place out of 85 runners with a 6:38 mile to lead the elementary girls to a sixth place team finish.

Chloe and Josie Grona led the junior high girls to a second place finish in the 1.5-mile run. Ghloe took second place in 8:08 and Josie took third in 8:12. Mya Wagers finished ninth in 8:49.

The varsity boys placed second, led by Rafi Huff in third place. Huff ran the 5K in 18:09, followed by Dallas Potter with an 18:30 mark for sixth.

Conner Williamson placed 18th out of 95 runners in the elementary boys race. His 7:05 mile led the Sandites to a fourth place finish.

The varsity girls didn’t have enough runners to earn a team place in the two-mile race. Laila Mirza placed 28th out of 59 runners in 16:19.

The Sand Springs high school and junior high teams will return to action at the Frontier Valley Conference Championship on Tuesday in Muskogee.

Sand Springs Results

Elementary Girls 1 Mile
1st - Sophie Grona - 6:38
34th - Melanie Kinser - 8:47
38th - Anna Voight - 8:55
49th - Starr Corbin - 9:24
50th - Kyall Mcaffrey - 9:27
54th - Nola Chamber - 9:36
55th - Julia Myers - 9:41
78th - Brinley Mckinney - 11:55

Junior High Girls 1.5 Mile
2nd - Chloe Grona - 8:08
3rd - Josie Grona - 8:12
9th - Mya Wagers - 8:49
15th - Lexi Boone - 9:08
24th - Rowen Hull - 9:40
62nd - Vivian Burr - 11:50

Varsity Girls 2 Mile
28th - Laila Mirza - 16:19
33rd - Blakelee Meeker - 17:03

Elementary Boys 1 Mile
18th - Conner Williamson - 7:05
31st - Stu Grona - 7:24
32nd - Sutton Corbin - 7:25
41st - Hudson Waag - 7:42
65th - Mark Garner - 8:59
82nd - Liam Kinman - 10:38
85th - Kai Chambers - 11:27
88th - Fisher Abbott - 11:59

Junior High Boys 1.5 Mile
1st - Cole Higgins - 7:06
3rd - Corbin Wesson - 7:29
5th - Daniel Stuckey - 7:38
6th - Wyatt Shaw - 7:46
14th - Canyon Carnahan - 8:13
17th - Presley Gunnery - 8:22
42nd - Dean Earnest - 10:50

Varsity Boys 5K
3rd - Rafi Huff - 18:09
6th - Dallas Potter - 18:30
17th - Kordel Hartmann - 19:58
20th - Jessen Cox - 20:15
27th - Jaxon Perry - 21:15
30th - Gavin Corbin - 21:36
40th - Malachi Waldrup - 23:03
50th - Rhys Foster - 24:00
57th - Dax Wilcox - 25:03

Anderson Elementary took fifth place in the girls race, led by Catherine Mundy in 7:55, and fifth in the boys race, led by Elliott Gibson in 7:08.

Anderson Results

Elementary Girls 1 Mile
15th - Catherine Mundy - 7:56
23rd - Beighley Ray - 8:19
29th - Joaline Reeve - 8:38
30th - Sophia Reyna - 8:39
32nd - Saylor Harmon - 8:44
67th - Lilly Reinhardt - 11:01
73rd - Kinley Fulton - 11:30
74th - Hallie Graham - 11:38
82nd - Presley Graham - 12:48
83rd - Nova West - 13:32

Elementary Boys 1 Mile
21st - Elliott Gibson - 7:08
39th - Cooper Lisicki - 7:39
44th - Grayson Shoopman - 7:55
51st - Kiptyn Reeve - 8:20
52nd - Jaxon Couffer - 8:22
54th - Ace Jewell - 8:23
57th - Zander Hefele - 8:40
63rd - Lincoln Bozone - 8:56
66th - Waylon Lightle - 9:11
67th - Joseph Parsell - 9:13
71st - Kota Fulton - 9:42
76th - Elijah Ray - 10:22
78th - Vandon Flynn - 10:33
86th - Praxton Flynn - 11:36
89th - Royce Hefele - 12:19
93rd - Colton Bartell - 13:21

Sandites End Season in Regional Finals, Fall 5-2 to Edmond Memorial

Kylie King drove in both Sandite runs with a double in the 5-2 loss.

Sand Springs matched up well against Edmond Memorial at the plate but third inning mistakes were the difference maker as the defending State Champions prevailed 5-2 to end the Sandites’ season Friday afternoon in the Regional tournament finals.

Memorial (26-9) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a home run from Beth Damon, but the Bulldogs did most of their damage in the third when two walks and two errors put the home team up 4-0.

Chenna Davidson scored her team’s fifth and final run on a sacrifice hit after reaching base on a hit-by-pitch.

Sand Springs averted the shutout in the sixth with a pair of singles from Lakelyn Harger and Ashlyn Clark and a two-run double from Kylie King.

Kelsi Hilton ended her high school career stranded at first base on a seventh-inning single.

King (2-3) got the loss in the circle, surrendering four hits, one earned run, and two walks in four innings. Addison Hughes (12-7) got the start and allowed three hits and two walks with one strikeout in two innings.

Lilly Stephens got the start for the Bulldogs, throwing three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings but Keegan Baker got the win with four hits, no walks, and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

Charles Page High School wrapped up the season with a 19-15 mark. The girls will graduate four players this season: Morgan Rector, Hilton, Gracey Massey, and Natalia Delgado. The senior class of 2024 went 87-53 during its career.

Rector and Hilton will have compelling resumes for potential All-State accolades and Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University next season.

Edmond Memorial will join Southmoore (21-11), Moore (31-3), Broken Arrow (30-3), Owasso (33-1), Edmond Deer Creek (25-6), Mustang (23-6), and Choctaw (22-10) at the 6A State Tournament on October 12th in Oklahoma City’s USA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex.

Sandites Go 1-1 at Regional Tournament, Will Rematch Edmond Memorial on Friday

Late-game heroics boosted the Charles Page High School softball team (19-14) to a 6-2 win over Stillwater (18-14) in the first round of the Regional Championship Thursday afternoon in Edmond.

After trailing 2-0 through four innings, the Sandites got hot and scored runs in each of the remaining innings to extend their season.

Calle Cox hit an RBI single in the third inning to put the Pioneers on the board and Jaelynn Wilhelm padded the lead with a double in the fourth, but those would be the only runs the Sandites surrendered.

Kenzie King walked in the top of the fifth and scored on a sacrifice hit from Kaylei Rake, then Bella Wilson brought in Ashlyn Clark with a two-out single to tie it up.

Kelsi Hilton led off the sixth with a double, took third on a sacrifice fly from Lakelyn Harger, and gave her team the lead on a single from Morgan Rector.

Wilson hit a one-out single in the seventh, took third on a double from Bailey Copeland, and scored on a single from Hilton. Harger added another RBI single to score Copeland and Hilton scored the final run of the game on a sacrifice hit from Rector.

Wilhelm drew a lead-off walk to give the Pioneers hope but was left stranded at third on Addison Hughes’s sixth strikeout of the night.

Hughes (12-7) went the distance in the circle, surrendering eight hits and two walks to go with her six strikeouts.

In the second game, however, the girls fell 11-3 to host Edmond Memorial (25-9), the defending State Champions.

Sand Springs led 2-0 through two innings after Rector’s two-run double in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs took the lead once and for all in the top of the third with four singles, a walk, and a double.

The Sandites loaded the bases with three singles and a walk in the bottom of the inning but only Hilton found her way home, on a single from Kenzie King.

Memorial exploded in the top of the fourth, scoring seven runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer by Keegan Baker.

Hilton (5-4) got the start and the loss in the circle, surrendering 14 hits and one walk. Kylie King closed out the game and allowed only two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Baker, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, allowed only five hits and four walks to the Sandites while striking out eight.

Sand Springs and Edmond Memorial will play again Friday at 11:00 a.m. If Sand Springs wins it’ll force an if-necessary game for the Regional title.

Sandites Fall 35-18 at No. 4 Stillwater

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Stillwater tried its hardest to lose its Thursday night game to Sand Springs, but even with 190 yards in penalties the Pioneers managed to pull out a 35-18 district win on Homecoming.

The No. 4 ranked defending State Champions improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in district action with their fourth consecutive win.

No. 5 Charles Page High School (3-3, 1-2) only trailed 14-10 at halftime but struggled with its own penalties while failing to sustain any momentum on offense.

Despite the loss, head coach Bobby Klinck saw reasons to be optimistic.

“We’ve gotten boat raced the last two times we played these guys,” said Klinck.

“We lost by 50 points I think the last time and then in the playoffs it was like 42 to 6 or something like that. So we’re getting closer and we’re moving forward. I think we’re going to be a good football team towards the end of the year.”

The Sandites did indeed fall 58-7 to Stillwater last season at home, and lost 49-17 in a road playoff game during Klinck’s first season in 2020.

“I was very pleased with how we were able to keep up with their physicality. They’ve hung their hat on physicality for a long time and we’re trying to get to that point. I think that was a big step forward for our football program.”

Sand Springs had an opportunity to set the tone early, forcing a punt and getting a red zone turnover on downs in the first quarter before responding with a seven-minute march downfield.

On their second drive of the game the Sandites converted on three fourth-downs, including a punt fake, before things stalled out when a three-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Page was nullified for holding.

After watching second-and-goal from the three turn into third-and-goal from the 21, the Sandites ultimately settled for a 30-yard field goal from Dawson Puckett to open the second quarter.

Then Pioneer quarterback Chance Acord got hot, throwing for 219 yards and a touchdown while running for 23 yards and another to make it 14-3.

The senior’s two scores sandwiched a three-play drive that ended with Easton Webb’s second interception and momentum was firmly on Stillwater’s side.

The Pioneers forced a quick three-and-out and were working their way downfield again when Gatlin Gunn forced a fumble at midfield that Landyn Barnes recovered to give the Sandites new life.

Sand Springs turned the ball over on downs inside the Pioneer red zone, but forced a punt and got one last opportunity with two minutes remaining in the half.

On a second-and-eight from his own 32-yard line, Webb scrambled right from a collapsing pocket and lobbed a 20-yard pass down the sideline to Wyatt Rutledge who won a 68-yard foot race Talon Kendrick for the touchdown.

The chunk play left enough time on the clock for Stillwater to respond with a seven-play, 51-yard march, but Brodey Long’s 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Alex Dudley to end the half.

The two teams took turns trading three-and-outs to open the second half but the Pioneers managed to pad their lead with a 41-yard scamper by Holden Thompson.

Thompson added another score on a seven-yard run with 8:30 left to play to make it 28-10.

Sand Springs didn’t give up and put together a four-minute march downfield, scoring on a four-yard fourth-and-goal keeper by Webb. Page punched in a two-point run for the Sandites’ final points of the game.

Stillwater successfully covered an onside kick attempt but the Sandites quickly forced a three-and-out to keep the momentum.

Then the magic ran out. Sand Springs went for it on fourth-and-six and an errant snap traveled over Webb’s head and resulted in a turnover on downs deep in Sandite territory.

Four plays later and Thompson punched in his third touchdown from 25 yards out.

Sand Springs returned to the red zone once again with 13 seconds left but Webb was picked off for a third time by Kendrick to seal the victory for the home team.

Webb finished the night 15-of-33 for 168 yards and three interceptions as the Sandites once again failed to establish much of a downfield passing game. Sand Springs has only surpassed 200 passing yards once this season, with backup QB Jace Arnold at the helm in Week 3.

“The wind picked up a little bit and I think that kind of made some of his balls sail,” said Klinck. “But the kid showed toughness. He’s just a sophomore - he’s only going to get better.”

“I think it’s just the timing. It’s an all-new receiving corps. So I think as it gets going, we’re going to figure it out. I think we’re going to be a good football team moving forward.”

Rutledge led the Sandite receiving corps with three catches for 96 yards on the night while Ali McCoy led the ground attack with 12 carries for 86 yards.

Owen Floyd led the defense with 11 tackles and one fumble recovery; Dudley had 10 tackles and a blocked kick; Gunn had nine tackles and a forced fumble; Hunter Wilson had nine tackles; and Barnes had seven tackles, a fumble recovery, and three pass deflections.

For Stillwater, Acord was 27-of-38 passing for 325 yards. Trey Tuck had eight catches for 91 yards and Holden Thompson had 22 carries for 148 yards.

“The program is moving in the right direction,” said Klinck.“It’s just how soon are we going to get there? Are they willing to sacrifice and work to get there sooner?”

“We’re going to be a good football team towards the end of the year. I know it in my heart. I’m excited to get back to work.”

Sand Springs will return to action with another Thursday night road game at No. 10 Putnam City West (3-2, 0-2). Stillwater will travel to No. 6 Bartlesville (2-3, 2-0) next Thursday.

Box Score

Stillwater 35 CPHS 18
1Q: 0-0.
2Q: Stillwater 14-10.
3Q: Stillwater 7-0.
4Q: Stillwater 14-8.
First Downs Stillwater 19, CPHS 12.
Passing: Stillwater 27-38-325-0, CPHS 16-36-171-3.
Rushing: Stillwater 33-178, CPHS 38-126.
Offense: Stillwater 71-503, CPHS 74-297.
Fumbles-Lost: Stillwater 3-2, CPHS 1-0.
Penalties: Stillwater 17-190, CPHS 8-75.

Scoring Summary

2Q (11:56) - Puckett 30-yard Field Goal, CPHS 3-0.
2Q (9:28) - Jones 17-yard Pass from Acord, Long Kick, Stillwater 7-3.
2Q (7:21) - Acord 2-yard Run, Long Kick, Stillwater 14-3.
2Q (1:46) - Rutledge 68-yard Pass from Webb, Puckett Kick, Stillwater 14-10.
3Q (8:26) - Thompson 41-yard Run, Long Kick, Stillwater 21-10.
4Q (8:30) - Thompson 7-yard Run, Long Kick, Stillwater 28-10.
4Q (4:19) - Webb 4-yard Run, Page Run, Stillwater 28-18.
4Q (1:18) - Thompson 25-yard Run, Long Kick, Stillwater 35-18.