Meet the Sandites: Zach Sims & Lane Lettich

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There's 12 days left till the Charles Page varsity wrestling team kicks off the season with a big win over Owasso. This season Sand Springs took runner-up in the Fast Pitch softball State Championship, and is soon to beat the snot out of Bixby for a State Championship in football. Once the hubbub surrounding the gridiron quiets down, it'll be all eyes on the mat as Sand Springs returns one of the greatest squads in school history. Our Minutemen are currently ranked #25 in the nation by flowrestling. 

For the next 12 days, we'll be counting down to the first dual and taking a look at our crowded roster of major talent. 

Zach Sims

• Senior
• Weight: 220
• 2013 Joe Zamora Junior High Champion

With only 1 other wrestler listed at 220 on the current roster, Sims doesn't have a whole lot of competition for the 220 spot, but when that one other wrestler is Delvin Jordan, he'll have to leave it all on the mat every week. 

Lane Lettich

• Senior
• Weight: 160
• 2011 Southern Plains Schoolboy Freestyle Regional Runner-Up
• 2011 Ark City Invitational 14&Under Runner-Up
• 2011 Tom Faust Memorial 14&Under Runner-Up
• 2012 Midwest City Showdown 14&Under Champion
• 2012 Thunderbird Wrestling Club 14&Under Champion
• 2012 Southern Plains Cadet Freestyle Regional Runner-Up
• 2013 USAOK Junior High Folkstyle Champion
• 2013 Southern Plains Cadet Greco Regional Runner-Up
• 2013 Southern Plains Cadet Freestyle Regional Runner-Up
• 2013 Southern Plains Cadet Folkstyle Regional Champion
• 2013 Titan Games Wrestling High School Folkstyle Champion
• 2014 Perry Tournament Champion

Lettich is not only our best running back with over 1000 yards this season, he's also one of our best wrestlers. Last year he went 29-13 and qualified for state with a 3rd place finish at Regionals. Last season he bounced back and forth between 160 and 170, though he could go up this season. 

Meet the Sandites: Beau Bratcher & Devon Wright

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There's 12 days left till the Charles Page varsity wrestling team kicks off the season with a big win over Owasso. This season Sand Springs took runner-up in the Fast Pitch softball State Championship, and is soon to beat the snot out of Bixby for a State Championship in football. Once the hubbub surrounding the gridiron quiets down, it'll be all eyes on the mat as Sand Springs returns one of the greatest squads in school history. Our Minutemen are currently ranked #25 in the nation by flowrestling. 

For the next 12 days, we'll be counting down to the first dual and taking a look at our crowded roster of major talent. 

Beau Bratcher

• Junior
• Weight: 145
• 2013 Southern Plains Schoolboy Greco Regional Champion
• 2013 Southern Plains Schoolboy Freestyle Regional Champion
• 2014 Oklahoma State Cadet Freestyle Runner-Up
• 2014 Southern Plains Cadet Greco Regional Champion
• 2015 Jerry Billings Runner-Up
• 2015 OSSAA 6A East Regional Champion

Bratcher was one of 11 Sandites to qualify for state last year, and though he failed to place, he's still a major contender this year. He finished 34-9 his sophomore year and placed top-6 in every tournament but state, including the prestigious Kansas City Stampede and the Perry Tournament of Champions. Though he doesn't appear to have done any extra-curricular wrestling this summer, he has a long history of national-level competition. In 2013 he took third at the USAW Cliff Keen Schoolboy Folkstyle Nationals and was a member of the Oklahoma Red dual team that took 3rd at the Schoolboy National Freestyle Duals. He also took 3rd at ASICS Schoolboy Nationals in Freestyle and 4th in Greco. The Junior is guaranteed to make waves this season and will likely be a state placer if not Champion.

Devin Wright

• Senior
• Weight: 285

Wright split most of last season with Dakota Skaggs for the heavyweight spot on the Sand Springs team, and ended the season with a winning record of 10-7. His fastest pin of the season came in 20 seconds against Randy VanDolah of Owasso.

Meet the Sandites: Blake Sargent & Jack Karstetter

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There's 15 days left till the Charles Page varsity wrestling team kicks off the season with a big win over Owasso. This season Sand Springs took runner-up in the Fast Pitch softball State Championship, and is soon to beat the snot out of Bixby for a State Championship in football. Once the hubbub surrounding the gridiron quiets down, it'll be all eyes on the mat as Sand Springs returns one of the greatest squads in school history. 

For the next 15 days, we'll be counting down to the first dual and taking a look at our crowded roster of major talent. 

Blake Sargent

• Sophomore
• Weight: 126
• 2014 Oklahoma Open Champion
• 2015 Brute Junior High All-State Runner-Up
• 2015 Sand Springs Cadet Freestyle Champion

Sargent made a solid freshman debut with 3rd place finishes in both the Perry Tournament of Champions and the Jay Hancock Memorial Invitational and participated in several duals as well. Since the high school season ended, Sargent is 18-5, and he will likely continue that dominating record well into the school year.

Jack Karstetter

• Junior
• Weight: 132
• 2012 Southern Plains Regional Schoolboy Greco Runner-Up
• 2012 Southern Plains Regional Schoolboy Freestyle Champion
• 2014 Park-City Wichita Classic High School Runner-Up
• 2015 Jerry Billings Tournament Champion
• 2015 Jay Hancock Memorial Invitational Runner-Up
• 2015 OSSAA 6A East Regional Champion
• 2015 OK USA National Team Cadet Freestyle Qualifier
• 2015 Sand Springs Cadet Freestyle Champion
• 2015 OK USA Cadet Freestyle State Champion
• 2015 Southern Plains Regional Cadet Freestyle Champion
• 2015 Southern Plains Regional Cadet Greco Champion
• 2015 Cadet Greco National Duals Runner-Up (Team Oklahoma)

Jack Karstetter is no joke. Then again, none of the Karstetter clan is anything to mess around with. Jack gets better every year, and in 2015 he's sitting at 63-9 with 11 pins and 28 tech falls. He went 34-7 last school season and earned a ticket to the State Championships, though he didn't place. Those losses at the the Championship spurred him into a 20-win streak and earned him a spot on Team Oklahoma at the Cadet National Duals where they took 2nd place in Greco-Roman. He also took 8th place in Greco Nationals this summer and is pretty much guaranteed to rank for every dual this season. No doubt he's headed back to state this season and will likely place if not win it all.

Meet the Sandites: Payton Scott, Kenny Daniel & Zane Basma

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There's 15 days left till the Charles Page varsity wrestling team kicks off the season with a big win over Owasso. This season Sand Springs took runner-up in the Fast Pitch softball State Championship, and is soon to beat the snot out of Bixby for a State Championship in football. Once the hubbub surrounding the gridiron quiets down, it'll be all eyes on the mat as Sand Springs returns one of the greatest squads in school history. 

For the next 15 days, we'll be counting down to the first dual and taking a look at our crowded roster of major talent. 

Kenny Daniel

• Junior
• Weight: 120

Kenny hasn't done much wrestling this past year, but he's a stud and is expected to be a big contender for the 106 spot left vacant by State placer Cody Randall who is now at NEO. 

Payton Scott

• Sophomore
• Weight: 160
• 2011 Southern Plains Greco-Roman Novice Regional Runner-Up
• 2013 USAOK Middle School Folkstyle Champion
• 2013 Joe Zamora Junior High Champion
• 2014 Oklahoma State Cadet Freestyle Champion
• 2015 OK USAW Cadet Freestyle Champion
• 2015 Cadet Greco-Roman National Dual Runner-Up (Team Oklahoma)

Scott is as good on the mat as he is on the gridiron, if not better. He didn't get to wrestle much last high school season, but in 2013 went a perfect 25-0 with 14 pins. He's also the 2nd leading running back on the football team with over 800 yards and is an extraordinary all-around athlete. He currently sits at 19-3 in 2015.

Zane Basma

• Weight: 170
• Junior
• 2015 Jerry Billings Tournament Runner-Up
• 2015 6A State Qualifier

Basma sits a crowded weight where he'll have tough competition to make the varsity dual team each week. However, he's a solid wrestler and won't need to worry too much. He proved himself last season going 27-13 as a sophomore, taking 10th place in the prestigious Kansas City Stampede, and 4th at the 6A East Regional. He's currently sitting at 12-7 for 2015 and will likely finish the year with a solid win record.

Cody Karstetter takes 2nd in Wolfpack Open

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page 2015 graduate Cody Karstetter never failed to make waves while he was at Sand Springs, and he has taken that outstanding talent and sportsmanship to North Carolina where he's wrestling for the #16 Tar Heels.

While the 2015 Oklahoma State Runner-Up and Junior National Freestyle Dual Champion has yet to compete in a collegiate dual, he has participated in two tournaments thus far and has placed in each. 

At the Virginia Tech Open, Karstetter won his first collegiate match with a 12-2 major decision over #23 West Virginia's Jonathan Ragsdale. His next match, however, was a 6-4 loss to Thayer Atkins of Duke. 

He rebounded with a 16-0 tech fall of #21 Old Dominion's Steven Simpson, then took down another West Virginian in a 7-6 decision over Devin Brown. His run finally came to an end in the battle for 5th and 6th place as Dominion's Alex Madrigal brought him down 13-6. 

His next tournament went even better, bringing in second place in 125 pounds at the Wolfpack Open. He defeated teammate Cody Karns 6-1, then battled it out 11-5 with Gardner-Webb's Cortez Starkes. To add style to his streak, Karstetter got payback on Thayer Atkins 4-3 to make it to the final round. 

The Championship match-up was against the #10 wrestler in the country at 125, David Terao of American University. Terao took an early lead with a two-point takedown 12 seconds into the first period. Karstetter managed an escape, but went into the second period 4-1 after Terao pulled him down once against with 58 seconds left.

Karstetter had the offensive starting position in period 2 and Terao scored a two-point reversal three seconds in. Karstetter escaped 17 seconds later, but once again it was Terao with the sole takedown of the period. 

Karstetter scored first in the third period with an escape, but was taken down twice more for a resounding 13-4 major decision.

Less than a month into his Freshman season, Karstetter sits at an impressive 6-3 for the season thus far and is 35-12 since his high school career came to an end. Needless to say, Karstetter is more than just carrying on a long family tradition--he's establishing himself as an outstanding sportsman all his own.

Sandite of the Week: Hunter Greathouse

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Morgan Miller, Videographer

Hunter Greathouse is only a first-year starting quarterback, but he keeps his cool like he's been in the spot for years, and demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship and leadership both on and off the field. The junior went 7-14-0-171 in Friday's 30-23 semi-final playoff win over Booker T Washington and helped lead his team to their first Championship appearance in 49 years with 1 passing touchdown and 2 rushing. 

For the season, Greathouse is 88-164-6-1603 with 16 touchdowns by air and 5 on the ground.