Greathouse scores three touchdowns in 30-14 defeat of Yukon

Hunter Greathouse looks to find Payton Scott on a screen pass. Photo: Erik Sedwick

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

Just seventeen seconds into Friday night's showdown between the Charles Page High School football team (3-2, 1-0) and  Yukon High School (0-5, 0-1) the Millers had the lead.

Tyrese Antwine fielded the game's opening kickoff at around the 10 yard line and took it to the house, virtually untouched. Ryan Lucas added the extra point and just like that, before either offense had set foot on the field the Sandites trailed 7-0. Once the Sandite offense did make it onto the field, the game turned around quickly. Senior quarterback Hunter Greathouse drove the offense straight down the field, and ended the drive with a 25 yard touchdown strike to Kasey Bales. Greathouse and Bales were on the same page the whole night, hooking up eight times for 123 yards and a pair of scores. 

The Yukon offense then got their turn to touch the football, and looked good doing so picking up four first downs and moving the ball to the Sand Springs 28 yard line. The Sandite defense got things going though when Cody Motes intercepted Senior quarterback Trevor Smith to get the ball back. Sand Springs drove the ball 88 yards in 12 plays, capped of by a 26 yard field goal from Alejandro Hernandez.

The Sandite defense forced another turnover on the ensuing Miller drive, when sophomore Hayden Cramer hit the ball carrier on a rush and the ball squirted loose. Gage Fain jumped on the fumble, and the offense capitalized with Greathouse and Bales connecting on their second score of the evening. 

The defense continued their stout play by forcing a quick three-and-out, and Greathouse continued the onslaught of scoring with a sensational 14 yard keeper, breaking a tackle and spinning his way into the end zone for a 24-7 lead to head into the half. 

The second half saw far less offense for the Sandites, but the defensive unit kept the pressure on. Payton Scott finished the scoring for the Sandites with a 12 yard touchdown run early in the third stanza. 

Yukon executed a long drive capped off with a 2 yard run by Ethan Scott, but those would be the only points the Millers saw for the rest of the game. Sand Springs racked up two sacks, six tackles for loss, and three forced turnovers on the game. Delvin Jordan led the Sandite defense with five tackles. Treyce Tolbert, Hayden Cramer, and Nathan Simonton each had four tackles. Tolbert also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

The Charles Page offensive line led by senior Lincoln Adams played great all evening, giving up no sacks and paving the way for 233 yards rushing. Payton Scott led the way with 147 yards and the team averaged over 6 yards-per-carry. Greathouse went 12-23-0-192 for two touchdowns and went 8-58 and a touchdown on the ground. 

The Sandites will resume district play next Thursday, when they play Ponca City High School (1-3, 0-2) for homecoming. Yukon will face Norman High School (0-5, 0-2).

Lady Sandite Volleyball sweeps No. 6 Coweta 3-0

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (23-13) secured a solid win against 5A No. 6 Coweta (24-16) Thursday night on the road. The Sandites have now beaten the Tigers three times this season, and lost once, but this was their first 3-0 sweep. 

The Sandites got off to a great start in the first set, taking a 7-1 lead before letting the Lady Tigers catch back up. The home team started off with a service error and freshman Devree Youngblood hit an ace. Senior MaKenzie Ward set up back-to-back kills for Ohio State commit Gloria Mutiri and Lee Leslie to give the Sandites a 4-0 lead. 

Sand Springs: 52 kills, 27 errors
Coweta: 33 kills, 23 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 18, Youngblood 9, Kersgieter 7, Leslie 2, Taylor 2, Bradshaw 2, Ward 2.
CW Kills: Russell 7, Thomas 7, Simpler 6, Casteel 6, Dill 2, Hodges 1, Stiles 1.

SS Assists: Ward 14, Burris 12.
CW Assists: Stiles 16, Thomas 2.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 5, Kersgieter 2, Youngblood 2.
CW Blocks: Russell 2, Thomas 1, Dill 1.

SS Aces: Mutiri 4, Taylor 2, Youngblood 2, Ward 2, Kersgieter 2, Leslie 1.
CW Aces: Casteel 5, Simpler 3.

SS Digs: Kersgieter 14, Mutiri 3, Taylor 2, Leslie 1, Bradshaw 1, Mudd 1, Ward 1.

Coweta freshman Reese Simpler got her team on the board with a tipped ball into a campfire, but the Tigers followed it up with a pair of errors and Mutiri smacked another kill to make it 7-1. 

From there the Home team got back in the game with six-straight kills: three from senior Makenna Russell and a pair of aces from Hannah Casteel to tie it up. Casteel hit a service error for the Sandite side-out, Mutiri scored on a block, and Leslie hit an ace. It was neck and neck from there with the Tigers tying it up with a pair of kills from freshman Linzy Dill and a combined block from Russell and Kaila Thomas. 

Sand Springs finally began to pull away once and for all, winning eight-straight rallies to make it 24-14. Thomas scored her third point of the game to end the streak, but Simpler faulted on the serve to give the game to the Sandites. 

Sand Springs committed only two errors, making it one of their best sets of the season. Coweta committed eleven errors and scored thirteen kills, while the Sandites only needed fourteen kills for the dominating win. The home team never once lead and only tied it three times.

The next two sets would be a lot closer, though the Sandites still lead 73% of the time and the home team only lead for seven rallies between the two games. 

Like the first game, the Sandites got off to a great lead at 8-3 before giving up five straight on two errors, a block by Russell, and a pair of aces by Casteel to tie it at 8-8. It was back and forth from there and this time the Tigers took the lead at 13-12 with a kill from Thomas. Sand Springs reclaimed the lead with a combined block from Youngblood and Holly Kersgieter and held it till Simpler added back-to-back aces to take the lead 20-19. Mutiri scored two-straight for the Sandite lead, then Russell scored two-straight for the Tiger lead. 

After falling behind 23-21, the Sandites used a timeout and came back onto the court pumped up after a "SwiftStrong" chant and scored four straight for the victory. Mutiri scored a kill, then a block to tie it. Kylie Taylor served an ace and Mutiri netted the win on a block.

Sand Springs scored a match-high twenty-one kills in the second set as the Tigers held themselves to a mere four errors against the Sandites' eleven.

The third game was equally competitive with the score tied ten times, though the Tigers only lead twice. Sand Springs pulled to a 6-3 lead with an ace from Mutiri before committing three-straight errors and giving up the lead on a kill from Thomas.

It was the Sandites' turn to go on a run from there with a kill from Youngblood, a pair of errors, and a pair of aces from Ward to make it 11-7. Coweta buckled down with kills from Claire Hodges and Dill and a pair of errors tied it at 11-11. Neither team managed to win two-straight rallies till Heather Stiles faulted on the serve and Mutiri served back-to-back aces to make it 18-16. 

Thomas and Kersgieter exchanged kills then Kersgieter added her second ace of the evening to make it 22-18. Sand Springs nearly had it wrapped up at 24-19 before giving up a pair of errors and an ace to Simpler before finally putting away 25-22 on a Madison Burris set and Mutiri kill. 

Sand Springs committed fourteen errors against seventeen kills in the third set while Coweta committed eight errors and scored eight kills. 

Mutiri lead both teams in scoring with eighteen kills, five blocks, and four aces, followed by Youngblood with nine kills, two blocks, and two aces. Ward and Burris split setting duties with fourteen and twelve assists, respectively. 

Coweta spread out their scoring with seven kills and a block from both Russell and Thomas. Simpler and Casteel each had six kills and Casteel lead both teams with five aces. Stiles handled almost all of the setting with sixteen assists. 

The Sandites have won six-straight sets for two-straight matches and will play their final match of the regular season next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at No. 18 Bartlesville (12-17).

 

Sandite of the Week: Payton Scott rushes for 3 touchdowns and 197 yards against Sapulpa

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

Charles Page High School junior tailback Payton Scott was selected as this week's Sandite of the Week for his outstanding performance in the Highway 97 Rivalry football game last Friday.

Scott has been the Sandite workhorse this season, carrying 183 times for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns and has been in on nearly 60% of offensive plays this season. 

The Sandites hosted Sapulpa Friday and dominated their foes 35-7. Scott carried 39 times for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns and accounted for just under 50% of the entire Sandite offense. He was aided by the powerful Sandite O-line which constantly opened up holes for him and in a few cases even pushed him forward for extra yardage.

Scott picked up a first down on the first offensive play of the game with a 17 yard rush to midfield. He went on to pick up a total 40 yards on a 72 yard drive before capping it off with a 2 yard touchdown run for the 7-0 lead. 

On the second Sandite drive he totaled 40 yards once again, this time on even fewer carries thanks to a 27 yard run into the Chieftain redzone. Once again he had the scoring run from the one yard line to make it 14-0.

He didn't get long to rest as the salty Sand Springs defense forced a turnover less than two minutes later. He picked up a first down on the first snap with a ten yard run. On the next play he took a handoff from QB Hunter Greathouse, then reversed it back to Greathouse who threw a deep 46-yard pass to Kasey Bales at the three yard line. Greathouse scored on a keeper on that drive.

The Sandites got the ball to start the second half and needed less than two minutes to score thanks to yet another 40 yard drive by Scott, which included a thirty yard run and a five yard run to score and make it 35-0.

He saw a little more action throughout the game before Sand Springs started bringing in the backups, but he finished with his third-highest rushing game of his career and second best this season. 


Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. The award is not given to anyone in consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of the Sandite Pride Editorial Board.

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.

Varsity Boys Cross Country give best performance at OSU 5K since 2012

Photo: Virgil Noah

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Cross Country teams traveled to Stillwater this weekend for the OSU Cowboy Jamboree and competed against runners from more than forty schools. 

Varsity Girls 5K

18:34.9 Cheyenne Walden 1st Place
21:40.2 Alexis Davis 44th Place
24:44.9 Sara Abbet 144th Place
25:11.4 Elizabeth Watts 157th Place
26:52.4 Stephanie Genn 196th Place

Varsity Boys 5K

18:03.5 Aden Baughman 56th Place
18:57.7 Kaegan Murray 111th Place (PR-0:27)
19:32.1 Jacob Garbey 156th Place
19:45.4 Nelson Yazzie 178th Place
19:48.8 Jaden Weiser 183rd Place
20:09.7 Ian Baustert 206th Place

JV Girls 5K

25:54.6 Chezney Kelley 57th Place (PR-0:11.1)
28:01.8 Kaitlyn Walden 107th Place
28:10.6 Madison Englestead 111th Place (PR-0:45.3)
29:18.9 Madelynn Adams 136th Place
29:32.0 Lauren Barkdull 138th Place
30:14.7 Lily Reed 150th Place
36:26.3 Hope Pollard 191st Place

JV Boys 5K

20:48.0 Danny Murray 73rd Place (PR-0:46.6)
20:50.4 Phillip Elleman 78th Place
20:52.2 Josh Ivy 81st Place
20:56.4 Jaelyn Jackson 88th Place
21:10.5 Austin McCaskey 102nd Place
21:43.9 Nathan McKnight 140th Place
24:09.2 Russell McCaskey 290th Place (PR-0:06.6)
25:05.6 Alex Newport 334th Place

Junior High Girls 3200

12:12.5 Kalea Fleming 2nd Place

 

Three-time State Champion Cheyenne Walden secured her seventh-straight first place finish with a time of 18:34.9, a full 29 seconds ahead of her closest competitor and 1:14 over the third place finisher. Walden and Shay Staton, of Bartlesville, were the only two runners from Oklahoma to finish in the top-ten. The Lady Sandites competed in a joint 5A/6A 5K race, but Walden's time also would have given her first place in the 2A/3A/4A race with a 35 second lead on the top finisher in that division. Overall the girls placed 18th out of 33 schools with an average time of 23:24.8.

Freshman Chezney Kelley led the JV girls with a personal-record 25:54.6 finish for 57th place. Her time would have earned her 174th in varsity. The JV girls finished in 13th place out of 16 teams with an average time of 28:11.6.

The varsity boys were led by Aden Baughman with a time of 18:03.5 for 56th Place. The boys placed 24th of 38 teams with an average time of 19:13.5, their best showing at the Jamboree since 2012 when they had State Qualifier Andrew Coleman. The Sandites have improved by 1:14.3 since 2014 and have their first State Qualifier since Coleman in Baughman, who placed 69th at State last year as a freshman.

Danny Murray set a PR of 20:48 to lead the JV boys in 73rd Place. The JV boys took 17th of 36 teams. 

The Sandites will return to action this Saturday at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Last year Walden rode an eight-straight winning streak before coming in runner-up at Fayetteville, twelve seconds behind Jackson, Missouri's Chelsea Drum. Drum's 17:46.23 performance that year was her personal-best to-date. She is now a freshman at Ole Miss. Walden's personal best is 17:35.02 and she has won her last seven-straight events, but will face tough competitors from as many as seventy schools from several states. 

 

Lady Sandite Volleyball dominates Highway 97 Rivalry 3-0

Photo: Scott Emigh

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs: 51 kills, 27 errors.
Sapulpa: 17 kills, 24 errors. 

SS Kills: Mutiri 18, Youngblood 9, Burris 4, Kersgieter 3, Cypert 2, Ward 2.
SP Kills: Holland 6, Tyler 4, Hamilton 4, Hoey 2, Blevins 1.

SS Assists: Ward 11, Burris 9, Youngblood 1.
SP Assists: Blevins 10, #16 1.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 4, Cypert 2, Youngblood 1, Burris 1. 
SP Blocks: None.

SS Aces: Burris 4, Youngblood 3, Mutiri 3, Ward 2, Kersgieter 1.
SP Aces: Holland 1.

SS Digs: Kersgieter 5, Mutiri 4, Ward 4, Mudd 3, Youngblood 3, Leslie 3, Burris 1, Taylor 1.

The Sapulpa Lady Chieftain volleyball team (3-12) hosted the No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School (22-13) and the Lady Sandites defeated their Highway 97 rivals in straight sets for the first time since 2013. The last two years also went to the Sandites, but those matches were close 3-2 losses for the Chieftains. Sapulpa hasn't won a varsity volleyball match against Sand Springs since 2012.

Sand Springs came into the match off of a pair of back-to-back losses to No. 7 Broken Arrow (21-10) and 5A No. 5 Collinsville (23-9) and was looking to build some momentum to ride into Regionals. The girls just have two matches left before the Regional Tournament, and will take on 5A No. 6 Coweta (24-15) Thursday. 

Sapulpa won their last match 3-0 with a series of very close sets against Will Rogers and hoped to celebrate Senior Night with a rivalry win, but the Sandites weren't having it.

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter served an ace on the opening rally to set the tone for the game and junior Ohio State commit Gloria Mutiri followed it up with a kill off MaKenzie Ward's set. The Sandites gave up three straight points on errors and a kill by Macaila Holland and briefly gave Sapulpa the lead before going on a ten-point streak for the 12-4 advantage. 

Sapulpa picked up a point on a service error from freshman Devree Youngblood, senior Kyndall Hoey scored a hard spike past Mutiri, and Holland served an ace to cut it to 12-7, but Mutiri got the Sandites back on track with a kill off Ward. Madison Burris served an ace and set up kills for Mutiri Kersgieter to make it 19-8 before Grace Hamilton hit an ace to end a five-point streak.

Mutiri and Makenna Cypert scored on a block, Mutiri got a kill off Burris, and Ward hit back-to-back aces to make it 23-10. The Chieftains got competitive and Amy Blevins set up kills for Hamilton and Holland, but they were too deep in the hole and gave up the 25-12 loss on an error.

In the second set the Sandites took an early 5-0 lead off four errors and a kill from Mutiri before the Chieftains got on the board with a kill from Holland. Burris scored a solo block, Mutiri followed it with a kill, and Burris added her second ace of the evening before a consecutive contact call made it 8-3. 

Mutiri scored three straight on a kill and two aces to make it 13-6. Burris scored another ace before the game was over and set up a pair of kills for Mutiri to end the game 25-11.

The Sandites struggled with errors in the third set and were basically competing against themselves for most of it. Sapulpa scored only five points in the game, but the Sandites gave up sixteen points on errors.

After Youngblood scored the opening point on a set from Ward, the Sandites gave up six-straight errors, followed by a kill from Hamilton and another error to make it 8-1 in the home team's favor. 

The girls rallied from there and scored seven-straight with a pair of aces and a kill from Youngblood, as well as a pair of blocks and a kill from Mutiri to tie it 8-8. An error gave Sapulpa the lead once again, but Mutiri tied it at 9-9 with a kill, then combined on a block with Cypert to take the lead once and for all. The rest of the game was still neck-and-neck due to continued Sandite errors, but aces from Mutiri and Burris and kills from Youngblood helped push the Sandites to a 25-21 victory for the sweep.

Mutiri led in scoring with eighteen kills, four blocks, and three aces, followed by Youngblood with nine kills, one assist, one block, and three aces. Madison Burris scored five points on four aces and a block, plus nine assists. Ward did the bulk of the setting with eleven assists and added two aces. 

Holland scored six kills and an ace for the Chieftains, followed by Hamilton and Holly Tyler with four kills each. Amy Blevins registered ten assists and one kill. 

The Chieftains celebrated Senior Night before the game and will be graduating eleven players this year. They not only presented their seniors with flowers, but also showed quality sportsmanship in giving flowers to the Sand Springs seniors as well. 

Sapulpa has one more match before Regionals at 5A #6 Coweta (24-15) next Monday at 6:30 p.m. 

Week Five 6A-II rankings and predictions; a look at this weekend's games

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

No. 1 Bixby Spartans (Last week No. 1) vs No. 3 Muskogee Roughers (3)

It's the marquee match-up for week six of High School football as two of the top teams in the State ride dominating performances into a district game of playoff-level intensity. 

The Spartans (2-2, 0-0) have yet to begin district play and just wrapped up the toughest pre-conference schedule of Class 6A-II. In week two they gave 6A-I No. 1 Jenks (5-0) their closest game of the year, losing 38-34. The next week they lost 44-34 to Arkansas 7A State Runners-Up Bentonville (3-1) and finally got in the win column with a dominating 56-20 performance over Putnam City (3-1, 1-0). This week they really proved just how powerful they are as they steamrolled 6A-I No. 4 Westmoore (3-1) 70-28 in an incredible performance that featured two 90+ yard kickoff returns for touchdown. Tanner Griffin's passing was off for the evening, completing only 9 of 22 for 96 yards and 1 touchdown against 2 interceptions. But the run game was dominant as Tucker Pawley carried 19 times for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns. Griffin had two touchdown runs and 46 yards on 5 carries, while Braden Roller added another touchdown and 66 yards on 5 carries.

The Roughers (4-0, 1-0) have had a fairly weak schedule thus far, with the exception of a close 16-12 win over Midwest City (2-2, 1-0), but when they go up against lesser competition, it's a blow-out. They've won their last three games by an average score of 59-11, and they notched their first district win Friday with a 63-6 shutdown of Bartlesville (1-3, 0-1). Running back Molijah Gilbert finished with 16 carries for 184 yards and two touchdowns. QB Jacob Medrano completed 11 of 20 passes for 197 yards and no interceptions.

The pick: Bixby 38 Muskogee 28

No. 2 Booker T Washington Hornets (2) vs No. 15 Sapulpa Chieftains (14)

The Hornets (3-2, 1-0) had an easy start to district play with the Ponca City Wildcats (1-3, 0-1) and rolled to a dominating 47-0 shutout victory. In the past two seasons, the Hornet offense regularly routed their opponents by massive margins, but this year it still remains to be seen just how powerful they'll be against quality opponents. They barely got the 21-14 edge on Midwest City (2-2, 1-0) and lost 26-23 to Edmond Santa Fe (4-1, 1-0). After going down 49-7 to the Nationally ranked No. 2 IMG Academy (5-0) they've since been unstoppable with a 43-6 win over Shawnee and the victory against Ponca. They won't get their first real test till they take on Muskogee next week, but first they have to get past Sapulpa. Rylan McQuarters led the run game against Ponca with 8 carries for 82 yards, followed by Tyler Holmes with 15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Two other running backs scored touchdowns in the rout, and double-threat QB Phillip Wheatley was 15 of 22 in the air for 214 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.

Sapulpa (0-4, 0-1) still looks to get in the win column this season after dropping their rivalry game to Sand Springs 35-7. The Chieftains failed to make headway through the air as QB Cameron Elder was only 8 of 13 for 53 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, but the ground game was alive and well. Elder carried 12 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Dayton Vann also had 59 yards from 11 carries, and Marcus Henderson carried 8 times for 67 yards. 

The pick: Booker T 56 Sapulpa 3

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (4) vs No. 9 Deer Creek Antlers (12)

The Midwest City Bombers (2-2, 1-0) have won or lost every game this season by a touchdown or less and notched their first district win of the season 20-17 over Lawton (1-3, 0-1) Friday night at home. QB Preston Colbert was 8 of 12 for 139 yards and a touchdown. Astin Anderson was the workhorse for the Bombers and carried 38 times for 133 yards. Earlier this season they fell 16-12 to Muskogee (4-0) and 21-14 to Booker T Washington (3-2), two of the top three teams in the division. They got in the win column two weeks ago with a 28-21 victory over 5A Del City (2-2).

The Antlers (1-3, 1-0) got their first win of the season with a 21-14 upset over Stillwater (2-2, 0-1) Friday night at a game in which they were the 18-point underdogs. QB Hunter Freese passed for 190 yards and the bulk of the Antler offense. The run game only accounted for 87 yards. Deer Creek may only have one win, but their losses were to quality 6A-I programs. 52-13 to Southmoore (3-1), 47-31 to Edmond Santa Fe (4-1), and 48-31 to Edmond Memorial (3-2).

The pick: Midwest City 23 Deer Creek 14

No. 6 Putnam City Pirates (7) vs No. 7 Lawton Wolverines (5)

While Bixby at Muskogee is the biggest game of District 2, Lawton vs. Putnam City is equally huge for District 1. The Wolverines (1-3, 0-1) and Pirates (3-1, 1-0) both have a lot to prove going into week two of districts. While Lawton was edged out 20-17 by Midwest City (2-2, 1-0), the Pirates got the 36-32 edge on Choctaw (2-2, 0-1). Putnam's only loss this season was 56-20 to Bixby (2-2), while Lawton's only win this season was 62-37 over in-town rival Lawton Eisenhower (1-3).

Lawton demonstrated a powerful aerial assault against Midwest City as QB Zach Hannah completed 11 of 18 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The running game was almost nonexistent, however, as Tre Curry carried 19 times for a mere 60 yards and one touchdown. Curry has proven his abilities in the past with a 201 yard performance against Eisenhower and a 311 yard performance in a 56-41 loss to 5A Carl Albert (4-0). The Wolverines are clearly a double threat team, meaning the Putnam defense will need to be sharp on their toes to keep the scoring in check. Lawton's offense averages 415 yards and 5 touchdowns per game this season. Putnam's defense is stout, however, and averages 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions per game this season. 

The Putnam offense has ran up the yards this season, led by QB AJ Newsome in the air and RB Damon Jemison on the ground. Newsome is only 32 of 82 this season with 6 interceptions, exacerbated by a 6 of 24 performance against the killer Bixby defense which picked off four passes. But he holds 871 yards and 9 touchdowns to pad his resume. Jemison has rushed 78 times this year for only 259 yards. The Lawton defense isn't as tight on the run game as Putnam, but if the Pirates rely on the pass as they have for most of the season, they might find trouble in a team that averages 2 interceptions per game. 

The pick: Putnam City 28 Lawton 26

No. 5 Sand Springs Sandites (6) vs Yukon Millers

The Sandites (2-2, 1-0) won their first district game with a 35-7 rout of Highway 97 rival Sapulpa (0-4, 0-1), and will play their final non-district game this weekend against 6A-I Yukon (0-4). Sand Springs started off with a big 56-21 loss to Arkansas powerhouse Pulaski Academy (3-1) and were upset in week two 45-41 by Choctaw (2-2, 0-1), but got in the win column with a close 29-24 victory against Putnam West (3-1, 1-0). RB Payton Scott accounts for the majority of the Sandite offense with 183 carries for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns, while QB Hunter Greathouse is 42 of 90 for 601 yards and 4 touchdowns by air and 4 touchdowns on the ground. 

Yukon has yet to even come close to a win this season, falling 42-20 to Mustang (3-1), 55-7 to Norman North (4-0), 38-7 to Southmoore (38-7), and 33-9 to Broken Arrow (2-2). The Millers held a tough schedule with nothing but ranked 6A-I powerhouses and that experience could give them an edge on the Sandites who have played only one powerhouse team this year. 

The pick: Sand Springs 38 Yukon 13.

No. 8 Putnam City West Patriots (8) vs No. 11 Stillwater Pioneers (10)

The Patriots (3-1, 1-0) haven't had a winning season since 2000 and they're looking to change that in 2016. After beating Duncan (2-2) 43-14 and Putnam North (1-3) 16-5, the Patriots experienced their first loss of the season 29-24 at the Sandites' (2-2) home-opener. They didn't let that hiccup slow them down, and rebounded with a dominating 35-10 district victory over Enid (1-3, 0-1). 

Stillwater (2-2, 0-1) started with one seriously tough pre-district schedule and secured a pair of high quality wins against ranked 6A-I opponents, before giving up a big upset this week. They won their season opener against Edmond Memorial (3-2) 24-7, then lost 16-7 to Moore (2-2) before netting another big win over Mustang (3-1) at 36-24. The Pioneers clearly have what it takes to win big games against big opponents, but after falling 21-14 to Deer Creek at home, they're going to need to buckle down and secure some district wins if they want a shot at their first State Championship since 1967. The Pioneers are led on the ground by Josiah Castleberry who has already ran over 600 yards thus far this season. 

The pick: Putnam West 33 Stillwater 29

No. 10 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9) vs No. 12 Enid Plainsmen (13)

Choctaw (2-2, 0-1) is still struggling to find its place in the rankings, starting strong with 52-42 and 45-41 wins over Sapulpa (0-4) and Sand Springs (2-2), respectively, but falling 17-14 to Putnam City North (1-3) and 36-32 to Putnam City (3-1, 1-0). The Yellowjackets are true to their name when it comes to offense, hammering their opponents from the air, but just can't seem to get their defense rolling. QB Dylan Weaver is 64 of 107 for 864 yards this season.

Enid (1-3, 0-1) was edged out 22-19 in the season opener by Guthrie (2-2) and got in the win column in week two with a 42-31 victory over Ponca City (1-3, 0-1), but hasn't come close since. They were dominated in week three 44-14 by Bishop McGuinness (3-1) and shut down 25-10 last week by Putnam West (3-1, 1-0). 

The pick: Choctaw 40 Enid 10

No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (11) vs No. 14 Ponca City Wildcats (15)

Bartlesville (1-3, 0-1) and Ponca (1-3, 0-1) are both in precarious spots this season with a single win apiece and one of the two destined to be 0-2 in district play after this Friday's meet. The Bruins' lone win was a close 27-24 over McAlester (2-2) while Ponca blanked Guthrie (2-2) 9-0. 

The Bruins were utterly dominated 63-6 at the hands of Muskogee (4-0) last week, while the Wildcats were shut out 47-0 by Booker T Washington (3-2). Bartlesville has shuffled through three quarterbacks this year after starter Garrett Meidl was out with a knee injury and Will Walton and AJ Archambo both tried out the position. Meidl returned to action against Muskogee but was held to a mere 10 completions on 24 attempts for 59 yards. Ponca QB Brice McDougal has a solid record this season with 58 completions on 104 passes for 729 yards and only 3 interceptions. 

The pick: Bartlesville 21 Ponca 14

6A-II District One Standings

Putnam City West (1-0)
Deer Creek (1-0)
Putnam City (1-0)
Midwest City (1-0)

Lawton (0-1)
Choctaw (0-1)
Stillwater (0-1)
Enid (0-1)

6A-II District Two Standings

Muskogee (1-0)
Booker T (1-0)
Sand Springs (1-0)
Bixby (0-0)

Bartlesville (0-1)
Ponca City (0-1)
Sapulpa (0-1)