CPHS Boys' Soccer falls 3-1 to Ponca City, Cody Gurley scores lone goal

CPHS Senior Cody Gurley scored his first goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to Ponca City. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Boys' Soccer team (2-2) took on the Ponca City Wildcats (2-1) in the first round of the Stillwater Cup Friday afternoon at Pioneer Stadium and were defeated 3-1.

SEE RELATED: Lady Sandite Soccer notches first win 3-0 over Enid at Stillwater Cup

Mitchel Wilson scored on the first shot of the game for the Wildcats, just a minute and a half into the match. 

Sand Springs went on a run from there getting off the next five shots over eight minutes. Two were deflected, two were saved by Dereck Jernigan, but the fifth sailed true. Senior forward Cody Gurley connected on the game-tying shot in the ninth minute. 

Ponca didn't take long to retaliate, however, as Zach Martin bounced a corner kick off Wilson's chest and into the goal just two minutes later.

Both teams took a trio of shots apiece over the duration of the half, but the Wildcats held on to the 2-1 lead at halftime.

Gabe Jeffus took a phenomenal 35-yard shot early in the second half that headed perfectly for the top corner, but Jernigan was sharp on his feet and hauled in the save. Instead, it was the Wildcats who found the net, once again off a corner kick for a 3-1 lead.

The Sandite offense never slowed down, taking eleven shots in the final thirty minutes, but only a few were on target. The strong Sandite backfield kept Ponca from getting off more than a single shot in that time period, but the Wildcats held up defensively as well and prevailed 3-1.

Edgar Soberano got the start at goalie and pulled in one save before being relieved at halftime by sophomore Ethan Tippit. Tippit also recorded one save.

The Sandites return to action Saturday at 12:20 against Choctaw (1-3). The Yellowjackets fell 7-0 to Stillwater in their quarterfinal. The game will be held at Oklahoma State University's Colvin Recreational Soccer Fields. The winner of that game will play for fifth place at 5:20 p.m. in Pioneer Stadium, while the loser will play for seventh place at 5:20 p.m. in Colvin Fields.

The Girls' team will be playing in the semifinals at 10:40 a.m. against undefeated Coweta (3-0) who rolled over previously undefeated Ponca City (3-1) 5-1 in their quarterfinal. The winner of that game will play for first place at Pioneer Stadium, while the loser will play for third at Colvin Fields. Both games will be at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Sandite Soccer notches first win 3-0 over Enid at Stillwater Cup

CPHS Senior Kyndal Zicker led her team with two goals in the 3-0 victory. (Photo: Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Girls' Soccer team (1-3) notched their first win of the season in the first round of the Stillwater Cup against the Enid Pacers (0-3). Junior goalie Abigail Banks recorded her first clean-sheet of the season with eight saves over the course of the match.

The Sandites struggled with a heavy 20 mph headwind throughout the first half and were limited to four shots on goal. Two missed outright, one was deflected by the Enid keeper, and one sailed true but was nullified as kicker Kyndal Zicker was ruled offside. Enid took advantage of their strong tailwind and kept the Sandites on their end of the field for the majority of the half, racking up 11 shots. Most were well off target, but Banks did pick up four saves.

The two teams entered the second half scoreless, but the Sandites were no longer at odds with the weather and played a far more aggressive offense. 

Enid still made plenty of plays and got off eight shots, but couldn't press nearly as hard as they did in the first half. Sand Springs finally got on the scoreboard in the 49th minute with a goal from Slovakian foreign exchange student Eliska Dodokova. 

Kyndal Zicker added another goal just three minutes later, then made it a brace in the 62nd minute. The Lady Sandites eased up from there, taking only two more shots over the remainder of the match. Banks picked up four saves in the second half as well and the Sandites secured their first win of the season, 3-0.

Sand Springs will return to action Saturday at 10:40 a.m. against the winner of Ponca City (3-0) vs Coweta (2-0). That match will be played at Oklahoma State University's Colvin Recreation Fields on the southeast field. The winner of that match will play in the finals at 7:00 p.m. in Pioneer Stadium, while the loser will play for third place at 7:00 p.m. at Colvin Fields.

Sandite Baseball wins two-straight at Bruin Wood Bat Classic

CPHS senior Hunter Greathouse pitched ten strikeouts in a shutout win over Parkhill Christian Academy. (Photo: Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Varsity Baseball team (7-6) notched their second and third straight wins in the first day of the Bruin Wood Bat Classic Thursday to get back to a winning record for the season. Braden Askew (1-2) got his first win on the mound in a 4-1 morning victory over Rogers, Arkansas (2-4), while Hunter Greathouse (3-2) pitched a 4-0 victory over Parkhill Christian Academy (3-5) later that night. 

The Sandites jumped out to an early lead against Rogers as Treyce Tolbert and Greathouse both reached on errors and Askew singled to score Tolbert. Greathouse came in on a single from Cale Savage, but the team stranded loaded bases as Ty Steelman struck out swinging.

Rogers got on the board in the bottom of the first with a home run from Grayson Lee, but it would be their only run of the game. 

Sand Springs had another hot inning in the fourth with a double from Cal Watkins and a single from Steelman, but Watkins was outed on a fielder's choice and Steelman was left stranded. They found their feet in the fifth, however, as Mack Thompson doubled and scored on a Greathouse single, then Greathouse scored on a hit from Savage.

Tolbert had the biggest hit among the Sandites with a triple in the seventh, but was caught stealing home. Rogers stranded one in the bottom of the seventh and the Sandites secured the win.

Askew pitched all seven innings for the Sandites, giving up only four hits and two walks against five strikeouts.

Greathouse pitched his first shutout of the season against the Pueblo, Colorado private school, going the distance on the mound with ten strikeouts against three walks and two hits. He also recorded a team-high three hits and one RBI in the win.

Two of Greathouse's walks came in the first inning as he was still getting warmed up, but he also struck out three batters in the inning to strand the two runners. 

Both teams stranded players throughout the first four innings, but the Sandites didn't hit paydirt till the top of the fifth. Steelman reached on an error, stole second and third, then outran a fielder's choice to score on a bunt from Kylar Copeland. 

The Sandites put distance on their foes in the top of the seventh as Tolbert singled to score Josh Taber, Greathouse singled to score Thompson, and Tolbert scored on a passed ball.

Greathouse walked one and struck one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Thompson sent a ground ball to Watkins at second, who then passed to Savage at first for a double play to end the game.

Logan Jeffus leads Sandites to 1-0 victory over Muskogee

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Boys' Soccer team (2-1) picked up their second win of the season in a home thriller against the Muskogee Roughers (1-3) Thursday night at Memorial Stadium. Logan Jeffus kicked the lone goal for the Sandites and it was enough for a 1-0 victory thanks to some salty defense and excellent goalkeeping by Edgar Soberano. 

Jeffus's goal came early in the match in the 11th minute and he got off several other solid shots throughout the game. The Sandites were the aggressors for the majority of the match, spending plenty of time in Muskogee's box, but Phillip Duncan was a superhero for the Roughers, picking up half a dozen impressive saves over the course of the game. 

The game was a homecoming for Muskogee Head Coach Tyler McIntosh, a Charles Page Class of 2012 graduate, and former four-year starting goalie at Mid-America Christian University.

Both teams will return to action Friday at the Stillwater Cup. Sand Springs will take on Ponca City (1-1) at 5:00 p.m. while Muskogee will play Edmond Memorial (0-3) at 3:20. Both games will be played in Pioneer Stadium. 

Lady Sandite Soccer edged out 1-0 by Muskogee

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Girls' Soccer Team (0-3) hosted undefeated Muskogee High School (4-0) in a Thursday night non-district match at Memorial Stadium. The visitors scored midway through the first half and held on for the one-goal shutout.

Muskogee came out hot from the start with shots from Terah Bryson and Goldie King before Alexandra Hughart finally connected for the lone goal of the game in the 20th minute. The Lady Sandites didn't get off any close shots in the first half, hampered by a heavy headwind that pinned them in their own box for most of the half. Goalkeeper Abigail Banks hauled in five saves.

The Sandites owned most of the offense in the second half with Eliska Dodokova striking first in the 45th minute. Muskogee keeper Hailey Miller was sharp throughout the half, however, recording five saves against shots from Dodokova, Kyndal Zicker, Sybil West, and Madison Metcalfe for a clean sheet. Muskogee only got off one shot in the second half, from Kylie McKinney, but Banks hauled in her sixth save of the night.

Miller recorded her second clean sheet of the season, but Banks had the most saves and held the Roughers to a season-low offensively. Muskogee previously averaged four goals per game. 

Both teams will return to action Friday at the Stillwater Cup. Sand Springs will play Enid (0-2) at 12:00 p.m. in Pioneer Stadium, while Muskogee will play Verdigris (2-1) at 3:20 p.m. on Southeast Colvin Field at Oklahoma State University. 

Sandite of the Week: Cale Savage scores 4 RBI at Best of the West tournament

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School sophomore Cale Savage was selected as Sandite of the Week for March 12-18 for his outstanding batting performance over four games at the Best of the West tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Savage went to the plate twice in a 6-2 win over Sunnyslope High School. He singled on the first pitch of the fifth and scored on a single by Mack Thompson. He also drew a walk in the sixth, but was left stranded. 

He made four plate appearances the next day in an 8-5 victory over Liberty High School. His first was a strikeout, but he snapped back with singles in the fifth and sixth innings. He never crossed home in that game, but did bat in Hunter Greathouse on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The Sandites suffered a 17-8 loss to nationally-ranked Sunrise Mountain later that evening, but Savage more than did his part. He was hit by pitch in the first inning and stole second, but was stranded there. He walked on loaded bases in the third inning to score Treyce Tolbert, but was put out at third base, then singled in the fifth but was left stranded on third. 

They got back in the win column the next day with a 10-6 victory over Fossil Ridge. Savage singled in the first inning but was left stranded. He singled in the third inning to score Greathouse, sacrificed in the fifth inning, then singled in the sixth inning to score Braden Askew. He was also in on a double play in that game.

The Sandites are 5-6 on the season and will return to action this Friday at the Collinsville Tournament. 

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