Football Preview: Sandites Host No. 10 Booker T. Washington for Senior Night

Kenneth Page and Easton Webb celebrate after Page scores a touchdown against Tahlequah. (Photo: Charity Emigh).

The Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School football team (5-3, 3-2) is set to host No. 10 Booker T. Washington (2-6, 1-4) Friday evening at Memorial Stadium for Senior Night.

Sand Springs is coming off a 20-17 overtime win against No. 6 Bartlesville and looking to clinch third place in the district while the Hornets are coming off a 63-20 loss to No. 1 Muskogee and looking to stop the bleeding on their worst season since 1997.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. The Church That Matters Tailgate Party will start at 6:00 outside of the stadium. Tickets are $6 and include your choice of a hamburger, grilled chicken sandwich, or hot dog with chips and a drink. Proceeds will benefit the Sandite Baseball program.

Tickets are sold out for the Varsity Club, which includes dinner from Nieve’s Mexican Grill and indoor seating to view the game from the CPHS Fine Arts Building in the south end zone. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Senior Night festivities start at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors 65+. General admission is $8. Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and other concessions are available inside the gate with proceeds benefiting the Gold Pride marching band.

The History

Booker T. Washington leads the series 19-7 all-time and has won seven consecutive meetings in the longest-such streak of the rivalry.

The two programs first met in 1986 when the Hornets prevailed 42-21. The Sandites’ three touchdowns were the most anyone scored on Washington all season as the Hornets finished as State Runners-Up.

Sand Springs paid it back the next year 15-12 en route to a rare ten-win season, district title, and State Semifinal appearance.

The Hornets won three in a row from 1988 to 1990 before Brett Pennington’s two-way performance snapped the streak 15-14 in a lightning-delayed upset. Pennington ran for one touchdown, passed for another, ran in a two-point conversion, and sealed the game with a late interception.

Washington won the next three meetings before a strong defensive battle went the Sandites’ way in a 14-10 road upset in 1995.

Washington won 34-7 in 1996 but Kevin King’s two interceptions in 1997 helped the Sandites complete a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 23-15 win on Senior Night.

The two programs wouldn’t meet again till 2006-07 when the Hornets briefly joined 6A and bullied the Sandites 62-28 and 23-7 before dropping down a division.

The series renewed in 2012 when Cody Hale passed for 171 yards and scored two total touchdowns in a 21-7 win to improve to 4-0.

2013 marked the only time the Sandites won back-to-back meetings with the Hornets, prevailing 42-38 in a Homecoming shootout. Hale passed for 387 yards and scored five total touchdowns.

Washington wouldn’t allow a three-peat, however, spoiling Senior Night 42-35 in 2014.

2015 is the only time the two programs have played twice in one year, with the top-ranked Hornets winning 17-14 on a last-second field goal in the regular season before the Sandites prevailed 30-23 in the State Semifinals to punch their ticket to the ‘ship for the first time since 1966.

Since then, the Hornets have won seven in a row, though that streak will be in high jeopardy tonight.

The most lopsided game in series history was a 49-0 Hornet shutout in 2020 while the Sandites’ biggest win was 21-7 in 2012. The highest-scoring game was the 62-28 Hornet win in 2014. The Sandites have been shut out thrice in the series and have never shut out the Hornets.

The Sandites

Sand Springs has established itself as a dominant team in the trenches, averaging 181 rushing yards per game while passing for 116.

The passing game took a big step forward last week against Bartlesville and sophomore quarterback Easton Webb will look to continue building cohesion with his receiving corps as the playoffs loom ever closer.

Webb was 11-of-19 last week, throwing for 127 yards. Caleb Goodman had six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Page led the ground game with 19 carries for 91 yards and a score.

Hunter Wilson, Gatlin Gunn, and Dallas Elifrits led the defense with 9 tackles apiece, closely followed by Owen Floyd with 8. Alex Dudley had 6 tackles, two pass deflections, and forced a fumble. Gunn recovered a fumble and Christian Freitus scored a safety.

Dawson Puckett kicked a 30-yard field goal in overtime for the win.

On the Season:

Webb is 57-of-88 for 724 yards, 5 TDs, and 6 INTs with 1 rushing TD. Caleb Goodman has 34 catches for 456 yards and 4 TDs.

Kenneth Page has 138 carries for 718 yards and 9 TDs plus 2 TD receptions. Ali McCoy has 80 carries for 678 yards and 8 TDs.

Dawson Puckett is 25-of-28 on PATs and 2-of-3 on field goals, connecting twice from 30 yards.

The defense is led by Floyd with 61 tackles, Gunn with 49 tackles, and Dudley with 45 tackles. Dudley and Gunn each have two interceptions.

Sandite Recruiting Report: Kayden Campbell Commits to Cowley County for Baseball

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Kayden Campbell (Right) signed to play baseball at Cowley County College. (Photo: Charity Emigh).

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) announced on X, formerly Twitter, Saturday that he has committed to playing college baseball at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas.

The Tigers went 39-22 last season under sixth-year head coach Darren Burroughs. Cowley went 54-11 and was NJCAA Runner-Up as recently as 2022.

Campbell is one of seven Sandite baseball players committed to playing at the next level.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) recently committed to play college baseball at Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) are committed to play at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kansas.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) is committed to play at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) is committed to McPherson College in Kansas.

Football

Senior offensive lineman Marcus Sims (6’0”, 265 pounds) announced on Saturday that he has received an offer to play football at Langston University, an NAIA program in Oklahoma. The Lions are 5-2 this season under ninth-year head coach Quinton Morgan.

Sims also holds an offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) has received offers to play football at Kansas Wesleyan University, 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.

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

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 offers from Western Texas College, 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/INF Kelsi Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.

Soccer

Aenior Ava Watts recently announced her commitment to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Undefeated Sandite Freshmen Win Frontier Valley Conference, Beat Sapulpa 42-24

For the third time in the past four years, the Sand Springs Class of 2027 football team has laid claim to a conference championship after wrapping up a 9-0 freshman campaign.

The Sandites ended their junior high careers with a 42-24 rout of Sapulpa in a Highway 97 Rivalry game Tuesday night at Memorial Stadium to secure the Frontier Valley Conference National West League Championship for the second straight year.

“What we’re trying to build here at Sand Springs is a winning culture,” said head coach Thomas Parks.

“With these kids winning these conference championships and the team before them winning the conference championship - when they get into high school, all they’re going to be used to is winning, and that’s a good thing for the varsity Sandites.”

This class of Sandites also won the Indian Nations Football Conference AA Division during their sixth grade year.

“Sixth grade we went all the way undefeated,” said kicker Kaidyn Cowan. “That was a sight to see.”

But in seventh grade the Sandites were split into two separate teams and neither was able to make the postseason after dividing their top players.

“Eighth grade we came back, we were still trying to get used to each other again,” said Cowan. “There wasn’t that much teamwork in it, but we got it done.”

The Sandites went 7-1 last year, losing only to Carver Middle School, with whom they split games and shared the conference title.

This time around, however, they finished alone atop the throne after winning 20-0 against Muskogee, 12-6 at Bartlesville, 14-6 against Booker T. Washington, 26-8 at Sapulpa, 30-6 against Union, 44-22 at Muskogee, 28-0 against Bartlesville, 26-14 at Booker T. Washington, and 42-24 against Sapulpa.

“They’re tough and they’re resilient,” said Parks. “There’s been times where things didn’t go our way but we never got too down, we always came back, we always had an answer.”

“We weren’t going to back down from anybody, no matter who we played. We always showed up and played Sandite football. If we play good Sandite football, it’s good enough to beat anybody we come across.”

In the season finale against Sapulpa the Sandites took an 8-0 lead to open the second quarter on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Dom Forbes to Boston Kissee and a two-point run by Kendell Page.

After Kaden Pope recovered an onside kick for the Sandites, Gabe Harris cashed in a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, but Sapulpa would soon respond.

After putting together a six-play, 74-yard scoring drive, the Chieftains forced a quick turnover on downs and were driving downfield again with the potential to tie things up. But Gabe Harris had other plans, intercepting Sapulpa for a 74-yard pick six.

“Gabe’s been a really good player for us,” said Parks. “Early in the year he faced a little adversity but he kept showing up, kept working hard, and became a dynamite running back and a dynamite player in our secondary. I love Gabe Harris and everything about him.”

Page converted a two-point run and the Sandites averted the momentum shift, taking a 22-6 lead into the half.

The Sandites opened the second half with an onside kick recovery and cashed in immediately. From an empty backfield with a five-receiver set, Forbes shocked the Sapulpa defense with a 60-yard touchdown draw on the first play from scrimmage.

Sapulpa responded with a 56-yard scoring run of its own on the very next play, but Dawson Jamison stuffed the quarterback draw to prevent the two-point play.

Joseph Farmer returned the ensuing kick 73 yards to set up a two-yard touchdown dive by Page and once again the momentum stayed with the Sandites.

“This year is (Farmer)’s first year in Sand Springs,” said Parks. “He’s been an absolutely amazing addition to this team. He can play offense, he can play defense, return kicks, cover kicks - he does everything. He’s a coach’s dream as a player.”

Page added another two-point run to make it 36-12.

“Kendell didn’t get as many carries as he would probably like,” said Parks, “but whenever he was in there he did his job, he did it right, he ran the ball hard, and there are definitely more carries coming that kid’s way if he keeps showing up and doing what he’s supposed to do and producing the way he did for us.”

The Sandite defense came up big on the ensuing possession with Nikyllien Crisp and Hunter Fields getting a tackle for loss, followed by a tackle for loss and a sack from Grady Harris to back the Chieftains up to fourth-and-23.

“Grady’s the type of kid that shows up every day, does what’s right, does his job,” said Parks. “He’s not looking for the accolades, he’s not looking to get noticed, he just wants to do right by the team. He’s the ultimate team player.”

The Sandites shifted Kissee to quarterback and brought Christian Headley into the backfield late in the third and the two methodically worked their way downfield for a two-yard touchdown run by Headley for the final Sandite points of the game.

Sapulpa added a 45-yard touchdown pass on their next drive but Charles Palmer sacked the Chieftain quarterback on the two-point attempt. The Chieftains ended the game with a 73-yard hook-and-ladder for a touchdown as time expired.

Forbes ended the game 2-of-5 passing for 62 yards and had five carries for 78 yards and two total touchdowns.

Pope had two receptions for 45 yards, Gabe Harris had four carries for 62 yards, and Kissee had four carries for 62 yards to go with his 56 receiving yards.

“Boston Kissee is another one of those players that’s a coach’s dream,” said Forbes. “He can play offense, he can play defense, he plays on both of our special teams, he comes to every meeting, he shows up and works hard. I never have to worry if Boston Kissee is doing the right thing. When he gets in at quarterback I have complete trust that our offense is not going to take a step back at all.”

Defensively the Sandites were led by Grady Harris with seven tackles while Caiden Ruhland and Crisp had three apiece.

After the game Cowan gave one last postgame speech to his team reminding them of the bond they forged over the past several years.

“We’re closer than brothers, closer than best friends, closer than anything,” said Cowan, who expects big things from his teammates in the coming years.

“I just hope it’s going to be great and we can get some more championships.”

Nate Griffin and Caden Strawn Place Top-15 at Back-to-Back Fishing Tournaments

The Charles Page High School fishing duo of Nate Griffin and Caden Strawn competed at a pair of tournaments over the weekend, posting two top-15 finishes on the Student Angler Federation (SAF) Southern Division trail.

On Saturday the duo placed 15th out of 29 teams at Lake Texoma, fishing out of Catfish Bay. The Sandites caught three bass for a total of 4.17 pounds. Only five teams caught the five-fish limit and six came back without a single catch.

Sunday’s event was held on Lake Murray where the Sandite finished in 7th place out of 32 teams. Strawn and Griffin landed the five-fish limit for a total 6.4 pounds.

The next SAF event will be April 7th on Grand Lake while the Oklahoma Bass Nation (OBN) trail will resume on March 17th at Pine Creek. Griffin and Strawn are currently 12th out of 84 teams in the OBN standings.

Dawson Puckett's Overtime Field Goal Lifts Sandites to 20-17 Win Against Bartlesville

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Fireworks illuminated the eastern skyline from somewhere near downtown Tulsa, but nobody in the stands at Charles Page High School’s Memorial Stadium was watching them.

All eyes were on the turf Thursday night as junior kicker Dawson Puckett split the uprights on a game-winning 30-yard field goal in overtime to knock off Bartlesville 20-17.

For the second year in a row the No. 6 Bruins (3-5, 3-2) took No. 5 Sand Springs (5-3, 3-2) to an extra stanza, and for the second year in a row they were found wanting.

Puckett has proven to be a consistent kicker all year in points after touchdowns, but it was only his third field goal attempt of the season.

“I was so nervous,” said Puckett. “I felt a little cold because I didn’t kick the whole game, but with that adrenaline and everything I felt pretty good I was going to get it.”

He hadn’t even kicked a PAT since the first play of the game.

A 96-yard opening kick return by Alex Dudley set up a two-yard touchdown run from Kenneth Page as the Sandites looked to establish early momentum, but PJ Wallace responded with a 65-yard touchdown run on the next offensive snap to even things up.

A methodical drive was stopped on downs on the next possession as Page was stuffed at the three-yard line, but the Sandite special teams soon put the Sandites back out front when Christian Freitus scored a safety for the second week in a row, tackling Bruin punter Braxton Decker in the end zone.

Decker made up for it with an 18-yard field goal to end the half with a 10-9 lead.

After the first two offensive snaps resulted in touchdowns, it looked like fans might be in store for a shootout, but most of the game was characterized by defensive stands.

Sand Springs came away with the safety and three turnovers on downs, forcing two punts and two missed field goals. The Bruins had two fumble recoveries and three turnovers on downs, forcing three punts.

Decker missed a 35-yard field goal to open the second half, but the Bruins stuffed Easton Webb on fourth-and-one to set up a 40-yard touchdown toss from Nate Neal to Damien Niko.

Sand Springs wouldn’t stay down for long, marching 38 yards on four runs from Page and a fortuitous facemask penalty.

On fourth-and-seven from the 27-yard line, Webb stepped up into a collapsing pocket and connected with a wide-open Caleb Goodman in the end zone.

He followed it up with a right-side rollout, throwing back across his body to Ayden Wadley in the left corner for two points to even it up.

“Easton’s not normal,” said head coach Bobby Klinck. “He’s so talented, he’s so gifted, he’s so mature, you forget that he’s just a sophomore.”

Although the 11-of-19 for 127 yards stat line might not reflect it, Webb played some of his best ball of the season, establishing a strong rhythm with Goodman, who had six catches for 112 yards.

Of his eight incompletions, three were dropped, one was batted, and two were caught by the receivers but ruled out of bounds.

“I love where he’s at,” said Klinck. “I think we’ve just got to keep building through that. Tonight was a big night for him.”

“We knew we had some work to do,” said Webb. “We put in work all week. We studied, we watched film together. We did all this stuff to get ready for this game and for the rest of the season and it showed.”

The teams traded several short possessions throughout the late third and fourth quarters but it looked like Bartlesville was poised for the win when Cooper Wood batted a fourth-down screen attempt with 3:45 to play.

The Bruins marched 45 yards behind Wallace to set up a 28-yard field goal attempt by Decker as time expired, but the junior kicker missed right to send the game to overtime.

An apparent touchdown pass to Wallace was negated for offensive pass interference, setting up a third-and-goal from the 24. Gunn and Dudley broke up the next pass attempt and Ryley Kester sacked Neal on fourth down to give the Sandites possession.

“I knew we had something going,” said Webb. “Once our defense got that stop, I just knew. I just had that feeling we had something going and we were going to get the win.”

Webb had a touchdown pass of his own, to Kayden Campbell, negated due to an ineligible player downfield. Then he found Campbell again in the back corner of the end zone, but it was ruled out of bounds.

Finally, Puckett secured the win.

“We play to win around here,” said Klinck. “I believe in these kids and they pulled it out today.”

“I challenged our kids. I said ‘it’s week eight. The coaches have done all we can - it’s up to you guys to see how far you want this thing to go.’ So I’m very happy with these kids to pull it out.”

The victory pushed the Sandites’ win streak against Bartlesville to four - the longest streak for the Sandites in series history.

More importantly, it improved the Sandites to 3-2 in district action and put them in strong position to finish as high as third in the standings.

“Grit, fight, determination - these kids showed it tonight,” said Klinck. “And that’s a really good Bartlesville football team. They’re tough just like their dang coach. There’s going to be some wars coming up here with those guys.”

Page ended the game with 19 carries for 91 yards while Webb had 8 carries for 38 and Ali McCoy had 6 for 35.

Defensively the Sandites were led by Dallas Elifrits, Hunter Wilson, and Gunn with 9 tackles apiece while Owen Floyd was right behind them with 8. The team totalled six tackles for loss.

Neal was 8-of-18 passing for 141 yards for the Bruins. Niko was his top receiver with five catches for 86 yards. Wallace carried the brunt of the offense with 36 carries for 132 yards.

Next up for the Sandites will be a home game against No. 9 Booker T. Washington (2-6, 1-4).

The Hornets have won seven in a row against the Sandites in a streak dating back to 2015, but that run will be in jeopardy this year as the Hornets battle through their worst season since 1997.

CPHS 20 Bartlesville 17

First Downs: CPHS 13, Bartlesville 14.
C-A-Y-I: CPHS 11-19-127-0, Bartlesville 8-18-141-0.
Rushes-Yards: CPHS 34-167, Bartlesville 40-107.
Plays-Offense: CPHS 51-294, Bartlesville 58-248.
Fumbles/Lost: CPHS 3/2, Bartlesville 3/1.
Penalties-Yards: CPHS 7-62, Bartlesville 6-46.

Scoring Summary

1Q (11:38): Page 2-yard Run, Puckett Kick, CPHS 7-0.
1Q (11:25): Wallace 65-yard Run, Decker Kick, Tied 7-7.
1Q (2:07): Freitus Safety, CPHS 9-7.
2Q (0:01): Decker 18-yard Field Goal, Bartlesville 10-9.
3Q (4:11): Niko 40-yard Pass from Neal, Decker Kick, Bartlesville 17-9.
3Q (2:20): Goodman 27-yard Pass from Webb, Wadley 2-pt Pass from Webb, Tied 17-17.
OT: Puckett 30-yard Field Goal, CPHS 20-17.

Sandite Freshmen Move to 8-0 with 26-14 Win at Booker T. Washington

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Thomas Parks, pictured in a varsity game, is in his first year as head freshman coach after leading back-to-back 8th grade teams to FVC titles. (Photo: Charity Emigh).

The Sandite freshman football team is in the driver’s seat for a second consecutive Frontier Valley Conference Championship after a 26-14 win over Booker T. Washington Tuesday evening.

The Class of 2027 went 7-1 during its eighth grade season and shared the FVC title with Carver Middle School, the feeder program for Washington. This time around the Sandites are 8-0 and looking to finish unbeaten next Tuesday against Sapulpa.

“It was good to come out and execute the way we did early,” said head coach Thomas Parks, who is pursuing his third consecutive conference title. “We got a little sluggish in the second half but we got the job done.”

The visiting Sandites jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead and scored the opening touchdown of the third quarter before letting the Hornets on the board.

“This is a good group (of kids) and playing Booker T. Washington is always a good test,” said Parks. “I’m happy with the way they came out and played.”

Sand Springs set the tone early with a trick play for a touchdown on the first play of the game. Boston Kissee pitched a reverse to quarterback Dom Forbes who aired out a downfield pass to Kaden Pope for the opening score. Ornelas kept for a two-point conversion just 34 seconds into the game.

"Dom Forbes is a really good player for us,” said Parks. “He’s going to be a really good player at the high school. I’m excited to see what he accomplishes here.”

Pope picked off a fourth-down pass attempt on the Hornets’ ensuing possession, cutting inside on a 50/50 ball and wrestling it away from the receiver.

The Sandites took a more methodical approach to their next drive, marching 65 yards before fumbling the ball away in the Hornet red zone.

The defense forced a quick three-and-out, however, and this time the offense went back to its single-play approach, scoring on a 42-yard keeper by Forbes.

“We really just let Dom do his thing,” said Parks. “He’ll throw it, he’ll run it. He can do everything we ask him to do. He’s also a great leader and a great teammate. He’s just the perfect player to have on your team. I love everything about Forbes.”

Kissee broke up a fourth-down deep ball on Washington’s next drive to set up a three-play drive capped by a 42-yard touchdown pass from Forbes to Sutton Cook to go up 20-0.

Kissee also had the last play of the half, forcing out the Hornet quarterback at the 8-yard line to preserve the first-half shutout.

“Sutton Cook’s been a great player for us, Kaden Pope’s always making plays, Boston Kissee’s really good. It’s a total team effort,” said Parks.

Washington got the ball to open the second half and advanced as far as the Sandite 38-yard line before a fumbled handoff resulted in a 52-yard scoop-and-score from Grady Harris for the final Sandite touchdown.

Washington scored on a seven-yard run to end the third quarter and on a four-yard run with 2:08 left in the game, but Cook successfully fielded an onside kick attempt and the Sandites ended the game in victory formation.

Forbes ended the game 7-of-8 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns plus five carries for 60 yards and a score. Pope had two receptions for 83 yards and Cook had four catches for 51 yards.

Defensively the Sandites were led by Nikyllien Crisp and Kasen McAffrey with six tackles apiece. Joseph Farmer, who also had an interception in the varsity game last week, had four tackles and two pass deflections.

“Joseph Farmer - I gave him the task of covering the best player in my opinion on Booker T.’s team,” said Parks. “He showed up, showed out, and did a great job.”

Sand Springs will look to finish the season undefeated when it hosts Sapulpa Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

"The kids know how important it is to win that one,” said Parks. “We’re just going to show up, have a good week of practice and get after it next Tuesday.”