Sandite Cross Country impresses at Sapulpa, boys and girls both place second

High School Boys' 2-Mile

11:18 Landin Green 8th Place (PR-0:05)
11:33 Jacob Garbey 12th Place
11:38 Aden Baughman 16th Place
11:49 Pierson Balsters JV 2nd Place
12:06 Ian Baustert 30th Place
12:08 Nelson Yazzie 33rd Place
12:20 Kaegan Murray 42nd Place
12:21 Jaedyn Jackson JV 3rd Place
12:32 Cooper Lynch JV 8th Place (PR-0:11)
12:33 Phillip Elleman JV 9th Place
12:49 Danny Murray JV 12th Place
12:51 Austin McCaskey JV 14th Place
12:57 Jaden Weiser 68th Place
13:00 Nathan McKnight JV 20th Place (PR-0:01)
13:08 Jacob Smith JV 22nd Place
13:58 Charlie Everett JV 37th Place
14:02 Alex Newport JV 38th Place (PR-0:41)
14:30 Russell McCaskey JV 56th Place (PR-0:30)
17:04 Josh Ivy JV 84th Place

High School Girls' 1-Mile

5:21 Cheyenne Walden 1st Place (PR-0:02)
6:11 Alexis Davis 8th Place (PR-0:13)
6:14 Tiqvah Soap 9th Place (PR-same)
6:44 Elizabeth Watts 21st Place (PR-0:10)
6:45 Julia Lewis 23rd Place (PR-0:20)
6:49 Sara Abbet 29th Place (PR-0:18)
6:53 Stephanie Genn 33rd Place (PR-0:19)
6:58 Nia Byrd JV 4th Place
7:07 Kaitlyn Walden JV 6th Place (PR-0:10)
7:12 Erika Baker JV 9th Place
7:19 Madison Englestead JV 13th Place (PR-0:19)
7:20 Chezney Kelley JV 15th Place (PR-0:20)
7:37 Madelynn Adams JV 24th Place (PR-0:17)
7:52 Kaileeann Worthington JV 29th Place
7:58 Lily Reed JV 33rd Place (PR-0:43)
8:17 Erindira Cuevas JV 36th Place
9:22 McKenzie Cypert JV 49th Place
9:36 Ayden Meade JV 51st Place (PR-0:42)
10:41 Hope Pollard JV 54th Place (PR-0:20)
13:17 Hanna Nelson JV 55th Place
13:18 Lauren Barkdull JV 56th Place

Junior High Boys' 1-Mile

6:53 Blain Baldridge 49th Place
7:07 Caleb James 56th Place
7:30 Carter Young 69th Place

Junior High Girls' 1-Mile

6:00 Kalea Fleming 3rd Place (PR-0:11)
7:24 Kenzie Burkes 31st Place
8:10 Jolie Currie 49th Place
9:15 Sidney Cross 61st Place
9:41 Kaitlyn Converse 65th Place

Co-Ed Elementary 1-Mile

6:35 Ava Watts 3rd Place
6:53 Kelton Tarr 11th Place
6:56 Jacob Lewis 12th Place
7:21 Morgan Rector 28th Place
7:24 Brynlee Durborow 32nd Place
7:37 Dawson Briscoe 44th Place
7:42 Kodah Gregory 50th Place
7:45 Chloe Grona 59th Place
7:53 Korben McCaskey 66th Place
7:53 Braden Gregory 67th Place
8:09 Gavin Corbin 80th Place
8:18 Rogelio Ayala 83rd Place
8:19 Josie Myers 84th Place
8:20 Koby Hadley 87th Place
8:51 Sawyer Briscoe 103rd Place
9:11 Corbin Sutton 110th Place
9:23 Brody Carter 119th Place
9:32 Scout Mushrush 117th Place
9:35 Carter McDonald 119th Place
9:46 Cooper McDonald 122nd Place
9:53 Jackson Roley 125th Place

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sixty-nine Sand Springs students traveled to the Sapulpa Cross Country meet Saturday and performed excellently in all divisions. Senior State Champion Cheyenne Walden won her fifth-straight race with a 0:15 lead on her closest competitor. Thirteen total Sandites placed in the top ten in their respective divisions. The JV boys team took first place, and the JV girls and both varsity teams placed second.

Just last week the Charles Page High School teams made their season debut at Kiefer and both varsity squads won their races for the first time in school history. It was the first time the boys had ever won a meet, and they nearly did so again at Sapulpa.

Walden finished her one mile run in 5:21, a two-second improvement over her previous personal record that she had just set last week at Kiefer. Second for the Lady Sandites was Alexis Davis who finished in eighth place with a PR of 6:11, improving 0:13 over last week. Tiqvah Soap tied her last week’s record of 6:14 for a ninth place finish.

The varsity girls finished with 54 points and an average time of 6:15. The varsity boys scored 96 points and averaged 11:45. Lincoln Christian swept both races with five runners in the top-ten girls and only 26 points, while their boys team placed four runners in the top-ten and scored 36 points. 

The Lady Sandites held a thirteen point lead on third place Sapulpa, and the boys got the edge on Holland Hall by nine points.

Landin Green led the pack for the Sandite boys team, placing eighth overall with a time of 11:18, a five-second improvement over his previous PR. Jacob Garbey wasn’t far behind, finishing in twelfth place with a PR of 11:33. The boys ran a two-mile course.

The JV girls trailed Lincoln by only ten points and placed three runners in the top ten. Nia Byrd trailed varsity by a mere five seconds and finished in fourth place with a PR of 6:58. Freshman Kaitlyn Walden wasn't far behind in sixth place with a time of 7:17, knocking ten seconds off her PR. Erika Baker took ninth place with a time of 7:12.

Freshman Pierson Balsters performed incredibly in JV boys, coming in runner-up to Sapulpa's Caleb Walsh by a mere two seconds. Balsters had the fourth best time of the Sandite boys, beating four varsity runners. His time would have put him in twenty-third place in varsity. Jaelyn Jackson, Cooper Lynch, and Phillip Elleman all finished in the top ten and Jackson trailed varsity by just two seconds. Lynch also bested his last week's PR by 0:11. The great performance gave the boys a huge lead for first place over Sapulpa.

The Lady Sandite Junior High team only had five runners and placed seventh, missing sixth by only eight points. Kalea Fleming led the team with a PR of 6:00 for third place. The great time would have landed her in seventh place in varsity. The eighth grader will be a huge help in filling the void that will be left when Walden and Davis graduate. Only three junior high boys competed, so the team was unable to place. 

The elementary team also turned out in great numbers to compete, and the co-ed Sandites placed second behind Sapulpa. Ava Watts came in third with a time of 6:35, followed by Kelton Tarr and Jacob Lewis and eleventh and twelfth, respectively. 

CPHS senior Daton Fix wins Bronze at World Championship in France

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School Senior and sixteen-time National Champion Daton Fix secured his second consecutive World Championship Bronze medal Sunday morning. The eighteen-year-old Pan-American Champion and undefeated High School wrestler left for Macon, France last Tuesday after spending time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado.

The Junior Freestyle World Championship began Saturday and Fix lost his opening match in a 9-6 decision to 2014 Junior World Champion Khasankhusein Badrudinov of Russia. The match was tied 1-1 when Badrudinov got Fix in a headlock and rolled him three times. Fix retaliated with a takedown and a turn, but was unable to get the win.

Badrudinov won his next match 6-2 over Canada's Darthe Capellan and pulled Fix through in repechage. Fix dominated Capellan with a 10-0 tech fall and followed it up with another tech fall shutout of Mikyay Salim Naim of Bulgaria.

At 11:00 a.m. Central time Fix won his second Bronze medal with a 10-3 decision over Senior European Championship Runner-Up Andriy Yatsenko of Ukraine. Yatsenko won his first two matches by tech fall, including a 10-0 victory over Mukhambet Kuatbek of Kazakhstan, before falling 8-7 to Badrudinov. Kuatbek defeated Fix in the Junior Olympic finals in 2012 and again this summer at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Fix may not have beaten Kuatbek yet, but in a way he got the win Saturday by beating the man who beat him. Yatsenko is a two time Cadet World Champion, so the win marks quite the achievement for Fix. 

We haven't gotten word yet on what's next for Daton, but the young man still has his senior year of high school ahead of him where he looks to be the first four-time State Champion in Sand Springs history. The Sandites placed third in State and second in Dual State last season and have some impressive returning wrestlers for this year and some exciting young additions to the team, setting them up well for the season. 

Daton Fix competes for Bronze at World Championship in France

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School Senior and sixteen-time National Champion Daton Fix is wrestling for his second World Championship Bronze medal. The eighteen-year-old Pan-American Champion and undefeated High School wrestler left for Macon, France last Tuesday after spending time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado. 

The Junior Freestyle World Championship began Saturday and Fix lost his opening match in a 9-6 decision to 2014 Junior World Champion Khasankhusein Badrudinov of Russia. The match was tied 1-1 when Badrudinov got Fix in a headlock and rolled him three times. Fix retaliated with a takedown and a turn, but was unable to get the win. 

Badrudinov won his next match 6-2 over Canada's Darthe Capellan and pulled Fix through in repechage. Fix dominated Capellan with a 10-0 tech fall and followed it up with another tech fall shutout of Mikyay Salim Naim of Bulgaria. 

Fix will compete at 11:00 a.m. Central time for his second Bronze medal against Senior European Championship Runner-Up Andriy Yatsenko of Ukraine. Yatsenko won his first two matches by tech fall, including a 10-0 victory over Mukhambet Kuatbek of Kazakhstan, before falling 827 to Badrudinov. Kuatbek defeated Fix in the Junior Olympic finals in 2012 and again this summer at the Spanish Grand Prix. 

The match will be streamed live at https://unitedworldwrestling.org/event/World-championship-8

Sandite Football drops season opener to Pulaski Academy

Photo by: Morgan Miller

SCORING SUMMARY

1Q 11:08 Hatcher 88 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt conversion failed. 6-0 Pulaski.
1Q 9:25 Greathouse 29 yard pass to Bales. Bales PAT. 7-6 Sandites.
1Q 8:59 Hatcher 23 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt conversion failed. 12-7 Pulaski.
1Q 2:14 Hatcher 80 yard pass to Johnson. 2pt run by Adams. 20-7 Pulaski.
1Q 0:15 Edwards 55 yard interception return. Bales PAT. 20-14. Pulaski
2Q 8:28 Hatcher 14 yard pass to Watkins. 2pt run by Hatcher. 28-14 Pulaski.
2Q 4:37 Hatcher 44 yard pass to McMillan. 2pt pass from Hatcher to Johnson. 36-14 Pulaski.
2Q 1:34 Anderson 33 yard run. Hatcher PAT. 43-14 Pulaski.
3Q 5:48 Hatcher 3 yard pass to Johnson. Hatcher PAT. 50-14 Pulaski.
4Q 9:46 Scott 7 yard run. Bales PAT. 50-21 Pulaski.
4Q 4:14 Titus 11 yard run. PAT failed. 56-21 Pulaski.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (0-1) bit off more than they could chew when they traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas Friday night. The 6A-II State Runners-Up played well against No.1 Pulaski Academy (1-0), but the Bruins rode a 27-game winning streak and back-to-back 5A State Championships. Their offense was machine-like, never punting, always going for fourth down, and racked up 614 offensive yards while holding the Sandites to 222.

Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse was consistent with his performance last year, completing 12 of 25 passes for 110 yards and 1 interception. Junior running back Payton Scott led the Sandite ground game with 101 yards on 14 carries. Each scored a touchdown. Delvin Jordan led the defense with 11 tackles and a 7-yard sack. Josh Taber performed well in the secondary with 3 tackles and 3 pass break-ups, and sophomore Hayden Cramer impressed with 7 tackles.

The Sandites won the toss and elected to kick. The Bruins received the ball at their 27 and it looked like the Sandites would have little problem getting a turnover early-on. Gage Fain tackled Jaren Watkins for a loss of three, the Bruins had two passes fall incomplete, and a sideline interference call pushed Pulaski back to their 12. On fourth and 28 at their own 12 yard line, any normal team would have punted.

The Bruins aren’t any normal team.

Junior quarterback Layne Hatcher sent a screen pass to Tra Johnson and the receiver got the edge on the Sandite secondary for an 88 yard touchdown reception. Hatcher completed a pass to Johnson for a conversion attempt, but the receiver was laid out by Cramer.

Less than a minute into the game and the Sandites trailed 6-0.

The Bruins let off one of their notorious onside kicks, but Cody Motes downed it at the Sandite 49. Greathouse connected on his first pass attempt of the season to Kasey Bales for a gain of 4 and Scott picked up the first down with a 14-yard run. Scott only managed 1 yard on the next pitch, but on second down Greathouse let loose a 29-yard pass to Bales for a touchdown. Bales sent in the PAT to make it 7-6 in the Sandites’ favor and it looked like the game would be a shootout.

The Bruins scored on their next drive after picking up two first downs, each on a single play. Watkins ran for 30, Brett Lynch hauled in a pass for 16, and Johnson caught a 23-yard touchdown reception to regain the lead barely three minutes into the game. Once again the two-point conversion failed, but the home team led 12-7.

This time the Bruins’ onside kick was successful and they regained possession at the Sandite 48. Their drive fell flat, however, after Delvin Jordan picked up a 7-yard sack and three pass attempts fell incomplete.

Sand Springs picked up a pair of first downs, one on a fourth-and-short, before running out of steam. Isiah Woods tackled Scott for a loss of 4 and Blake Titus sacked Greathouse for a loss of 12. Bales punted and the Bruins took possession at their 20 after a touchback.

Hatcher’s first pass attempt was incomplete, but the second found its mark in Johnson for yet another massive touchdown. After receiving the screen, Johnson broke three tackles before clearing the Sandite secondary and running it 80 yards to score. This time the two-point conversion was good in the hands of Trey Adams and the Bruins took the 20-7 advantage with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter.

The Sandites succeeded in downing the ensuing onside kick, but failed to convert a first down and gave up the ball at the Bruin 46.

Taber pulled down receiver Jacory McMillan who picked up 8 yards, and Tre Finch tripped up Watkins to hold the Bruins at third and 1. A pass attempt fell flat on third down, and a fourth down pass attempt found the open arms of Kris Edwards.

Edwards is a junior transfer from Okmulgee who had to sit out last season due to OSSAA eligibility rules. Edwards picked off the pass and returned it the full 55 for a touchdown with 15 seconds on the clock.

The Sandites began to plug the holes in their offense that allowed the long runs, but they couldn’t stop the Bruins from moving the ball all together. The next drive saw four first-downs for the Bruins before Hatcher connect on a 14-yard touchdown screen to Watkins. Hatcher punched in the two-point run and the Bruins doubled down on the Sandites, 28-14.

The Sandites’ next drive ended in a punt and once more the home team made quick work in driving 42 yards before connecting on a 44-yard pass to McMillan to score. Hatcher sent a two-point pass to Johnson for the 36-14 advantage.

Sand Springs punted once more on their next drive and the Bruins scored in six plays. RJ Anderson took a handoff and ran it 33 yards to score. Hatcher kicked the first point-after of the game for the Bruins and Sand Springs was down 43-14.

Sand Springs picked up 13 yards on a pass to Caleb Wash, then added another first down on a 12 yard reception by Mack Thompson. With 0:04 left Greathouse lobbed a deep ball downfield intended for Wash, but it was picked off by Hayden Henry and ran out of bounds to end the half.

The Sandites received the ball to start the second half and quickly picked up a pair of first downs before Henry broke up a pass attempt to Bales to force a turnover.

Pulaski went to work on a 91-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 3 yard pass to Johnson. Hatcher’s kick was good and the lead furthered to 50-14.

The Arkansas High School Activities Association utilizes a mercy rule adopting a “running clock” anytime a team reaches a 35-point lead after the first half. The Sandites were quickly running out of time.

Sand Springs quickly went to work on a 71-yard drive and Scott broke three tackles on a run before being piled into the endzone for a 7-yard touchdown. Bales sent in the PAT, but the Sandites still trailed 50-21 with less than ten minutes remaining.

The Bruins fielded an onside kick attempt at their 33 and made quick work with another march downfield. Titus took a direct snap 11 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point attempt was a miss.

The remaining few minutes quickly passed and the Bruins had secured their 29th-straight victory.

The Sandites will return to action on Friday, September 9th, when they travel to Choctaw. The Yellowjackets won their first game Friday night in a 52-42 shootout with Sapulpa.

Sand Springs Football heads to Little Rock for season-opener against Pulaski Academy

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in- Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity football team is headed to Little Rock, Arkansas for their season opener against the Pulaski Academy Bruins.  

Both teams are 2015 State Finalists, but not much else is similar between the two teams.  

While the Sandites were the sleeper team in last year's playoffs, the Bruins were the top dog from the very beginning of the season. Pulaski has won back-to-back State Titles. 

The Sandites started last season hot, crushing Tulsa Hale 61-8 and breezing through Enid 33-7. Despite the dominating performances, they found themselves down 0-2 after forfeiting the games due to playing an ineligible transfer student. A third game, against Guthrie, was cancelled due to lightning with the Sandites leading 18-7 shortly before the half. 

From there they took on a highly touted Bartlesville team and lost 24-7. The boys didn't officially get in the win column till week four when they trounced Claremore 27-7 on homecoming. They then beat Highway 97 rival Sapulpa 44-10 and Ponca City 44-27. 

After picking up their fourth straight win 34-10 against Muskogee, they lost in a close 17-14 to the top-ranked Booker T Washington Hornets in a knock-down drag-out downpour. The game was a loss, but it showed that the Sandites could hold pace with anyone in the State. The next week they dominated the defending State Champions from Bixby in a 20-0 shutout.  

The first round of the playoffs went more like the game against Hale than anything, and nearly every eligible player got to see action in the 49-14 quarterfinal win. The semifinals saw a rematch with BTW and this time it was Sand Springs who got the 30-23 edge and prevailed to their first State Finals game since they won it all in 1966. A rematch with Bixby saw a much different opponent. While the Spartans' energy had pilfered out earlier in the season, they reignited their flame in the playoffs and massacred Lawton 36-6 and Bartlesville 67-21. Sand Springs had some big plays that at times made them look like they could win it, but ultimately the defending Champs reclaimed their title 38-28. 

Since Oklahoma split their top class into two sixteen-team divisions in 2014, the newly formed 6A-II has been in a power struggle with each school looking to establish itself as a regular contender. With the powerhouse programs of Jenks, Broken Arrow, Union, and Owasso removed from their schedules, the smaller 6A schools are still trying to find their place in the new hierarchy. 

Pulaski Academy is a whole different beast from anything the Sandites encountered last year, and is most comparable to the Guthrie team that Sand Springs faced in 2014. The Bruins are on a 27-game winning streak and haven't lost since their season opener in 2014. Pulaski isn't in the top bracket of Arkansas schools. They play a weaker 5A division in a state that goes all the way to 7A. The small private school has an enrollment of 1380 from preschool through high school and is dwarfed by Sand Springs which enrolled 1700 high school students this year. 

But what they lack in depth, they make up for in talent. The Bruins aren't just ranked top of their class, they come in at sixth in the whole state. MaxPreps, a computer-generated ranking site lists the Sandites at 701 in the nation against the Bruins' 326. Both the Tulsa World and the Oklahoman rank Sand Springs at fourth in 6A-II. 

Both teams boast impressive stats. The Sandites are known for having the best defense in the State, but Pulaski is described as machine-like in their offense. 

Both teams have impressive quarterbacks. Sand Springs senior Hunter Greathouse played his first season in the position last year and was 99 of 185 for 1767 yards and 18 touchdowns on a team that favored the run game. Meanwhile the Bruins are devastating from the air behind the arm of junior Layne Hatcher who finished last season with 4,667 and 55 touchdowns.

The Sandites took a big loss at running back in Southwestern College freshman Lane Lettich who led in almost every game for the last two years. Lettich was a powerhouse who would bulldoze through the lines and drag defenders four or five yards every time. Junior Payton Scott will take the starting position now, already well seasoned after seeing significant playing time since making varsity as a freshman. Scott finished with 900 yards and 9 touchdowns on 117 carries last season. The 5'6" 165 pound wrestler is like a mouse when it comes to finding holes in the defense, scurrying through any opening and exploding for first downs. Averaging eight yards per carry, he doesn't have an okay run. He either gets shut down immediately or goes the distance. Almost every game last season saw a 30-yard carry from Scott as the juggernaut will often break multiple tackles from defenders twice his size once he's allowed to build momentum.

Pulaski isn't hurting in the run department either in the elusive Jaren Watkins. Watkins and Scott are very similar physically and the senior finished last year with 2,067 yards and 24 touchdowns on 166 carries. 

Both teams are reloading at wide-receiver. Both of their starting backs are capable of catching, but neither did much of it last year. The Sandites lost Trace Fleischman to Northeastern Oklahoma and are looking to all-purpose Kasey Bales and Josh Taber. The Bruins will look to junior Tra Johnson who only received 23 passes last year. 

Senior defensive back Hayden Henry leads the Bruin defense and is the brother of San Diego Charger Hunter Henry. Henry led in tackles with 89 last season. Sand Springs lost a lot of talent, graduating seven of their top eleven tacklers. The Sandites will rebuild around senior linebacker Delvin Jordan who registered 87 tackles last season, including 15 for losses totaling 64 yards. He also recovered four fumbles and scored the first safety in years for the Sandites. Gage Fain, Nathan Simonton, Danny Ropp, and Kris Edwards will anchor the defensive line. DB Treyce Tolbert also brings some experience to the game with a pair of fumble recoveries and interceptions last season. 

The offensive line is a particularly strong point for the Sandites. The O-line committed less than two fouls per game last season and despite losing a few good players, also returns a lot of talent. Lincoln Adams spent most of the summer traveling to football camps across the country and was named to the Vype-Tulsa All-Metro First Team. Ropp will play both sides of the ball and is joined on the line by Michael Carper, Cameron Lierly, Kobe Chen, Michael Karper, Myron Krotzer, and Caleb Mallory.

Dustin Kinard enters his tenth year as the Sandites' head coach and has successfully taken the program from ten-straight years without a winning record to four-straight years of playoff berths and the program's first playoff wins since 1997. With a 48-49 record since assuming the position, Kinard looks to gain a winning record this season. 

Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. and the Sandites will begin their effort to achieve the dream that they so nearly reached in 2015. This is the fiftieth season since the Sandites won the Class 2A State Championship over Ada in 1966, and the perfect time to remind everybody that they wish they were a Sandite.

Lady Sandite Volleyball knocks off No. 10 Union in beautiful upset

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 10 ranked Union Redskins (5-5) probably expected little competition from the No. 17 Sand Springs Lady Sandites (13-9). Union’s only losses before their journey to Sand Springs were to top-ten teams. Unfortunately for them, the Sandites’ ranking is misleading.

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team had recently gone 2-4 at the Broken Arrow Invitational, but that record doesn’t show that they were one of only two teams there to win even a single set against No. 2 Norman North (12-2). It also doesn’t show that six of the ten games they lost were by five points or less.   

The Redskins got off to a fast start on the Sandites in the first set before giving up three points on errors. Madison Burris and Gloria Mutiri combined on a block to tie things up at 4-4 and Mutiri scored a kill for the lead.

Union went on a five-point run from there, but the Sandites won eight-straight rallies to reclaim the advantage. Mutiri and Holly Kersgieter each scored several kills off Burris and Lee Leslie, and Madison Ward scored the first ace of the game.

The Sandites were up 16-11 when Union went on another streak. Kendall Cotter scored a pair of aces, Gabbie Inman and Paris Hornor both registered kills, and the Redskins took the 19-16 lead before freshman Devree Youngblood broke the streak with a spike off Burris. Union continued to outscore Sand Springs till a 24-19 score looked like they had it all wrapped up.

The Sandites had other plans.

Mutiri scored off Kenzie Bradshaw, Kylie Taylor served an ace, Ashley Barrows gave up a point on an error, and MaKenzie Ward set up Mutiri to narrow the score to 24-23. Barrows scored a kill to win the set for Union, but the Sandites had shown they were here to play.

The second set was far closer and neither team allowed the other to go on a run this time. The longest scoring-streak either team managed was four rallies. The game was tied up six different times, but the Sandites led six different times and only allowed the Redskins to lead once.

Union tied things up at 15-15 with a kill from Chloe Click, then took the lead on a pair of errors. They held the advantage for only five rallies before giving it up on an error at 18-18 and never recovered. Mutiri took the lead at 20-19 off a set from MaKenzie Ward, Kersgieter served an ace, then scored again after a Union time out. The final minutes were back-and-forth on scoring, but Sand Springs never relinquished the lead and ultimately won 25-23 on a kill from Mutiri.

The third game belonged explosively to the Sandites. After giving up the first three rallies to Union on errors, the Sandites tied things up at 4-4 and took the lead with back-to-back aces from Burris. Union never tied it and never even got close to leading again.

The Sandites scored seven aces in the third game: two from Burris, two from Kersgieter, two from Kendall Wise, and one from Mutiri. The host team had doubled down on their visitors 22-10 midway through the game. The Redskins tried to rally, but they were too far in the deficit and Sand Springs won 25-17.

The visitors found their feet in the fourth game and led for most of it. Sand Springs battled heavy in the last minutes and got within a few points, but Union prevailed 25-22 to force a fifth set.

The final game started off a tad rocky for the Sandites with some communication errors and campfires, but after tying it up at 5-5 with a kill from Mutiri, the Sandites took the lead and never looked back. Kersgieter scored the go-ahead point, Mutiri and Leslie combined on a block, Hornor committed an error, Mutiri added another kill, and Mutiri and Leslie combined on yet another block for the 10-5 lead.

The next five points were decided by errors and the Redskins closed the gap to 12-9 with a tipped ball from Inman. Kersgieter almost saved a shanked dig that went OB, but the ball caught the antenna for the point. Morgan Livingston hit an ace, and the Redskins threatened at 12-11.

Union got into the net on the next rally and Wise served an ace to make it 14-11. A four-touch call gave Union a point, but MaKenzie Ward set up Youngblood for the game-winner.

Mutiri led the Sandites in scoring with twenty-nine kills, five blocks, and two aces, followed by Kersgieter with a season-best fourteen kills, two assists, and four aces. Youngblood was next in on the action with a season-best ten kills, and Wise also scored a season-best with five kills and four aces. Burris had her best night of the season with nineteen assists, followed by MaKenzie Ward with eighteen.

The Lady Sandites will get a full week off after playing twenty matches in twenty-one days. They’ll return to action next Tuesday in an away match at Owasso. Owasso is ranked fifth in 6A with a 4-0 record. Freshmen begin play at 4:00 p.m., Junior Varsity is at 5:00 p.m. and Varsity is at 6:00 p.m.