Jenks Trojans smother Sandite offense, boys fall 3-0

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By: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director
Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School boys soccer team (2-10) hasn't ended up on the winning side of things very often this season, but no one can say they don't put forth effort. The Sandites lost another hard fought match, this time against Jenks High School (3-1-5) on the road by a final score of 3-0. 

The initial 17 minutes of first half action saw mostly possession battle, until a Trojan cross took a ricochet and midfielder Trace Gelso stroked a volley from 35 yards out to the left-upper-90 for a 1-0 lead. Sand Springs would attempt to push the ball for the remainder of the half but would only manage one shot, by Ignacio Garcia that curled just past the right post. Sandite goalkeeper Edgar Soberano made a number of impressive diving saves on shots and kept his team just one goal down headed into the intermission. 

Jenks extended its lead to two goals less than three minutes into the second half. Jack Deer took a touch off of a cross from the right sideline and shot the ball just past Soberano who dove a split second late. 

The Sandites had a pair of dangerous opportunities to score, but shots from Sam Short and Cody Gurley were both saved by the Trojan keeper's diving efforts. Jenks put the game away with 8 minutes remaining on Gelso's second goal of the match.  

The Sand Springs squads return to action with home games Friday evening against Westmoore High School. The girls kick off at 6 pm. and the boys at 8 pm. 

Zicker scores lone goal as Jenks dominates Lady Sandite Soccer 6-1

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By: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director
Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Losing is rare for the Charles Page High School girls soccer team (9-3), and they haven't made a habit of it as they have yet to lose back-to-back games this season. The Jenks High School girls soccer team (6-3) proved to be a very difficult adversary. The three losses for the Lady Trojans were all heart-breakers, each coming by one goal in extra time. 

University of Arkansas-commit Nayeli Perez wasted no time getting Jenks on the board. In the 4th minute, Perez turned on a throw-in and netted a goal past diving Sand Springs keeper Abigail Banks. In the 21' Perez would notch her second goal of the game on a penalty kick, again just past the hands of Banks. The Lady Sandites' usually prolific offense was shut down in the first half, failing to get off a shot on goal.  

Early in the second half the momentum took a brief change in direction though, as Lady Trojan Hannah Roth was presented her second yellow card and Jenks would be forced to play the rest of the match down one player.  

It didn't take long for Sand Springs to capitalize on the advantage. In the 58' Melina Flores passed the ball in to Kyndal Zicker who put the Sandite girls on the board with a left footed goal. Just moments later Megan Deshazo, who scored six goals in her last game, had a chance to equalize the game but her attempt to chip the keeper went wide. 

After Deshazo's miss, momentum swung back in the undermanned Lady Trojans' favor, as Megan Huth and Taylor Pugh scored a pair of goals each and Perez picked up two assists to lock the game up for Jenks. 

The Sand Springs squads return to action with home games Friday evening against Westmoore High School. The girls kick off at 6 pm. and the boys at 8 pm.  

Union Baseball trumps Sandites 6-3

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

For the second night in a row, the Charles Page High School baseball team (19-9) was bested by the Union Redskins (14-9), marking their fourth-straight loss. The Sandites sought to use their home field advantage to find payback against Union for a 5-3 loss Monday night in Tulsa, but after giving up the lead in the third inning, they were unable to find another run for the duration of the game.

Jake Ward (4-2) got the loss on the mound, giving up six hits and four walks against three strikeouts. Daniel Smith got the win for the Redskins, striking out five and allowing only three hits.

The first inning saw more runs than the rest of the game combined, with Union drawing first blood on a single by Ryan Farrell that scored Braden Merrill and Hector Carillo. Sand Springs came out on top, however, as Joey Montgomery singled to score Josh Taber and Rhett Rutledge. Hunter Greathouse sacrificed to score Ty Fain for the 3-2 lead.

The second inning was a no-hitter and Union took the lead in the top of the third. Farrell sacrificed to score Merrill and Zack Doak sacrificed to score Carillo for the lead. Sand Springs failed to get on base in the third.

Union failed to get on base in the fourth while Sand Springs stranded one. The fifth was another no-hitter for the Redskins, who walked two but were able to end the inning on a fielder's choice that put out Taber at third. 

The visitors cushioned their lead in the top of the sixth as Daniel Scheid sacrificed to score Justin Comeau. Treyce Tolbert landed a single for the Sandites, but was stranded as Union came in to bat. Merrill iced the cake on his impressive evening with a home run to make it 6-3. 

Sand Springs tried to rally with singles from Jake Terry and Rutledge, but Taber and Terry were outed in a double play and Ward flied out to strand Rutledge and bring the evening to a close.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday night at Broken Arrow (20-9) who they just gave up a 6-4 loss to in the championship round at the Sand Springs/Broken Arrow Wooden Bat Tournament. 

Sand Springs librarian Richard Why leads double-life as professional golfer

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Local Charles Page librarian Richard Why is not your typical book nerd. When he's not stocking shelves and checking out books, he can be found on disc golf courses across the Midwest, playing professionally for Team Fossa. Richard and his wife, Tara, are both sponsored by Fossa Disc Golf.

Why played competitive ball golf throughout high school, but made the switch to disc golf after graduating.

"I realized how expensive it was. Playing disc golf for free really appealed to my college budget. I bought one disc and met (a friend) at the Riverside disc golf course one day after work and that's where it all started."

The twenty-nine-year-old father of one has been competing in PDGA events since 2010 when he took 8th place in the Advanced division in his first tournament, the Oklahoma Open. Why continued golfing in Advanced through 2011 and won his first tournament on February 4th, 2012.

"The real turning point for me came in 2012 when I beat everyone in my division by 8 strokes and my overall score would have placed me at second in the Pro Open division. Seeing the other guys walk away with a couple hundred dollars in cash looked way better than my stack of discs I had won, so I decided to move up and start playing in the Pro division," says Why.

That tournament was the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm-Up, a B-tier event held in Lewisville, Texas. In his division alone, he bested 39 other golfers.

Two weeks later he made his professional debut at the Dynamic Discs Cedar Hill Chill in Cedar Hill, Texas and tied for last place in a tough competition that included Eric McCabe and Jay "Yeti" Reading. He didn't let that loss weigh him down, however, and finished top-ten in his next five tournaments.

"When I first started out I didn't really follow disc golf too much. I watched Youtube videos on how to play and get better but didn't know of many touring Pros. I do admire Paul McBeth though, he is the current No.1 ranked player in the world and has won the last 4 World Championships in a row. He is taking disc golf more mainstream. He is well spoken and a great ambassador for the sport for younger players."

Why finally won his first pro tournament in July that same year, finishing three strokes ahead of Matthew Wright at the 3rd annual Monkey Trap Open in Springdale, Arkansas. At the same time, he was on his way to a first place finish at the ten-round, ten-week league event, McClure Monday Mayhem, here in Tulsa. 

In 2013 he took first place at the 5th Annual Lucky 13, the Denison Parks and Recreation Open, and the Oklahoma State Flying Disc Championship. He finished top-ten in all but two of his 18 tournaments that year.

In 2014 he placed first at the Battle at Bell Park, the Doer at McClure, and the Kan-U-Wyco in Wyandotte, Kansas. At Wyco he pulled a major upset over 2010 World Champion Eric McCabe by a single stroke. In January of 2015, he came in fourth place at the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm Up, finishing a single stroke behind McCabe.

"Personally, Disc Golf has impacted my life on quite a large scale. I play almost every weekend with my wife and son. It's a great form of exercise and gives me a chance to spend time in many of the beautiful parks around the Tulsa area. It has introduced me to so many great people, it has also given me the opportunity to travel to some places I probably never would have gone if it wasn't for disc golf. I have been to the 4 surrounding states many times, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, but I have also traveled as far away as Georgia and South Carolina to compete."

Tulsa has a rich history of disc golf, being one of the earliest cities to embrace the sport. According to PDGA records, there were only 60 courses on the planet in 1980. Tulsa had five of them. 

Today there are 15 in Tulsa and 24 in the greater Metro area. Sand Springs used to have a 9 hole golf course at Ray Brown Park, next to the High School. Those baskets were relocated to River City Parks in 2012 to be used in a new 18 hole course.

Why hosts an annual summer technique clinic for kids at Charles Page Library. This year it will be on August 3rd at 10:30 AM. When the couple isn't golfing, they often help run tournaments and participate in course cleanup days around Tulsa. 

Sand Springs Librarian Richard Why leads double-life as professional golfer

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
with: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director

Local Charles Page Public Librarian Richard Why is not your typical book nerd. When he's not stocking shelves and checking out books, he can be found on disc golf courses across the Midwest, playing professionally for Team Fossa. Richard and his wife, Tara, are both sponsored by Fossa Disc Golf. Richard is also sponsored by Millennium Golf Discs. 

Why played competitive ball golf throughout high school, but made the switch to disc golf after graduating.

"I realized how expensive it was. Playing disc golf for free really appealed to my college budget. I bought one disc and met (a friend) at the Riverside disc golf course one day after work and that's where it all started."

The twenty-nine-year-old father of one has been competing in PDGA events since 2010 when he took 8th place in the Advanced division in his first tournament, the Oklahoma Open. Why continued golfing in Advanced through 2011 and won his first tournament on February 4th, 2012.

"The real turning point for me came in 2012 when I beat everyone in my division by 8 strokes and my overall score would have placed me at second in the Pro Open division. Seeing the other guys walk away with a couple hundred dollars in cash looked way better than my stack of discs I had won, so I decided to move up and start playing in the Pro division," says Why.

That tournament was the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm-Up, a B-tier event held in Lewisville, Texas. In his division alone, he bested 39 other golfers.

Two weeks later he made his professional debut at the Dynamic Discs Cedar Hill Chill in Cedar Hill, Texas and tied for last place in a tough competition that included Eric McCabe and Jay "Yeti" Reading. He didn't let that loss weigh him down, however, and finished top-ten in his next five tournaments.

"When I first started out I didn't really follow disc golf too much. I watched Youtube videos on how to play and get better but didn't know of many touring Pros. I do admire Paul McBeth though, he is the current No. 1 ranked player in the world and has won the last 4 World Championships in a row. He is taking disc golf more mainstream. He is well spoken and a great ambassador for the sport for younger players."

Why finally won his first pro tournament in July that same year, finishing three strokes ahead of Matthew Wright at the 3rd annual Monkey Trap Open in Springdale, Arkansas. At the same time, he was on his way to a first place finish at the ten-round, ten-week league event, McClure Monday Mayhem, here in Tulsa. 

In 2013 he took first place at the 5th Annual Lucky 13, the Denison Parks and Recreation Open, and the Oklahoma State Flying Disc Championship. He finished top-ten in all but two of his 18 tournaments that year.

In 2014 he placed first at the Battle at Bell Park, the Doer at McClure, and the Kan-U-Wyco in Wyandotte, Kansas. At Wyco he pulled a major upset over 2010 World Champion Eric McCabe by a single stroke. In January of 2015, he came in fourth place at the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm Up, finishing a single stroke behind McCabe.

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"Personally, Disc Golf has impacted my life on quite a large scale. I play almost every weekend with my wife and son. It's a great form of exercise and gives me a chance to spend time in many of the beautiful parks around the Tulsa area. It has introduced me to so many great people, it has also given me the opportunity to travel to some places I probably never would have gone if it wasn't for disc golf. I have been to the 4 surrounding states many times, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, but I have also traveled as far away as Georgia and South Carolina to compete."

Tulsa has a rich history of disc golf, being one of the earliest cities to embrace the sport. According to PDGA records, there were only 60 courses on the planet in 1980. Tulsa had five of them. 

Today there are 15 in Tulsa and 24 in the greater Metro area. Sand Springs used to have a 9 hole golf course at Ray Brown Park, next to the High School. Those baskets were relocated to River City Parks in 2012 to be used in a new 18 hole course. That course is currently unplayable as many of the baskets and tee pads are uprooted due to renovations the park is going through. The construction of the new splash pad and handicapped parking have bisected the course and it's uncertain when it will be playable again.

Why hosts an annual summer technique clinic for kids at Charles Page Library. This year it will be on August 3rd at 10:30 AM. When the couple isn't golfing, they often help run tournaments and participate in course cleanup days around Tulsa. 

Jake Terry's solid pitching undone by errors, Sandites edged out 5-3 by Union

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (19-8) took a third-straight loss Monday night at Union High School as the Redskins (14-9) took advantage of solid pitching from Senior Braden Merrill and the Sandites' third-poorest hitting record this season. 

University of Oklahoma-commit Jake Terry (5-2) got the loss on the mound, despite a statistically solid pitching effort. He gave up five hits and four walks for only two earned runs. Merrill got the win for the Redskins giving up only four hits and one walk. 

The game was a slow starter as neither team landed a base hit till Union's Zach Ponio connected for a single in the bottom of the third. Terry walked two in that inning to load the bases, but a force at home and a line out to Rhett Rutledge saved the inning. Rutledge reached on an error in the top of the fourth to be the first Sandite on base, but Jake Ward, Josh Taber, and Joey Montgomery all flied out to leave him stranded. 

The Redskins finally drew first blood in the bottom of the fourth as Grady Davenport singled and Zack Doak reached on an error. Devin Layton doubled in Davenport and Kyle Simms singled in Doak and Layton for a 3-0 lead. A pair of errors in the top of the fifth allowed the Sandites to put two on base, but neither got the opportunity to score before Union was headed back in to do more damage.

Landen Wood singled, Merrill was hit by pitch, and Davenport reached on an error by Rutledge to score Wood. Ryan Farrell reached on a fielder's choice that outed Davenport at second but allowed Merrill to score for a 5-0 advantage.

Sand Springs finally began to rally in the top of the sixth as Terry and Taber singled and Montgomery doubled to score the both of them. Treyce Tolbert batted in courtesy runner Malachi Walton on a single to make it 5-3, but Tyler McCallie struck out to bring the offense to a close with two left on base.

Terry struck out Layton and Trent Robertson in the bottom of the sixth and Simms grounded out to Trevor Tolbert to give the Sandites one last shot in the top of the seventh. Union sent Robertson to the mound for the save. Trevor Tolbert flied out but Terry reached base on balls and Taber was hit by pitch. Rutledge flied out next but Ward walked to load the bases. Unfortunately for the Sandites, Montgomery struck out swinging to end the rally attempt.

Sand Springs will get their chance for payback Tuesday evening at 6:00 pm at home.