Sandites of the Week: Hunter Hilger and Noah Daczewitz place first at Eufala Tournament

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School fishermen Noah Daczewitz and Hunter Hilger were selected as this week's Sandites of the Week for their outstanding performance at two weekend tournaments on the Oklahoma Bass Nation High School trail. 

OBN hosted two tournaments on Lake Eufala this weekend and the Daczewitz/Hilger duo placed first in Saturday's tournament and seventh on Sunday. Their first place performance was the first time a Sandite team has won an OBN event and it was the heaviest catch a Sandite team has ever landed.

Weighing in at 16.15 pounds for an average weight of 4.04 pounds per fish, Daczewitz and Hilger crushed their previous performances of 11.91 pounds (with five fish) and 8.88 pounds (with four fish). On Sunday's tournament they hauled in four fish totaling 11.09 pounds.

More than 100 teams competed both days, and more than 40 failed to land a single catch either day.

Click here to view previous Sandites of the Week.

CPHS Baseball caps tournament with 10-0 shutout of Hilldale

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (13-10) had a trio of tough losses to start the Spartan/Tiger Showdown this weekend before finishing on a high note with a 10-0 shutout of Hilldale High School (11-9) to end the tournament. They lose their first three games 12-4 to Coweta (7-15), 9-8 to Booker T. Washington (6-16), and 4-3 to Broken Arrow (20-4).

CPHS 10 Hilldale 0

The final game of the tournament was a whole different story than the first three, as the Sandites absolutely hammered the Hilldale Hornets. Sand Springs broke .500 at the plate for the third time this season, landing twelve hits while only giving up one.

Sophomore Colt Savage (1-0) made his second career appearance on the mound and pitched his first win, giving up only one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings.

Braden Millican scored the first two RBI of the game with a single to bring in Mack Thompson and Hunter Greathouse in the bottom of the first. 

Next up was Josh Taber with a double to bring in Kameron Adcock. Taber then crossed home on a single from Treyce Tolbert. Savage got it done at the plate as well as the mound, singling to score Thompson and Tolbert. Courtesy runner Garrett McCallie crossed the plate with another single from Millican for a 7-0 advantage going into the third.

Greathouse singled in Taber and Savage singled in Thompson in the third, then Tolbert singled in Riley Rutledge in the fourth to make it 10-0. Savage struck out two in the top of the fifth to seal the run-rule victory.

The Sandites will return to action Monday with a 6:00 p.m. home game against Union (17-6 overall, 5-2 district). The Sandites are currently 3-4 in district play.

BAHS 4 CPHS 3

The Sandites and Tigers were all tied up till the bottom of the third when Brock Youngblood (2-3) got in trouble with loaded bases after walking two and giving up a single. He walked in a run from Drew Lowe, but the next batter grounded out to prevent any substantial damage.

Greathouse tied things up in the top of the fourth with a double and score on a sacrifice from Braden Askew. Taber singled in the fifth to score McCallie for the lead, but Broken Arrow tied it right back up with a sacrifice fly to score Austin Hulet.

Taber scored on yet another single in the top of the sixth, this time sending Ty Steelman home, but  Matt Kaiser scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning and Hulet sacrificed to bring in Tucker Dunlap for the final run of the game.

Steelman (0-0) pitched one strikeout, one walk, and one hit in the final inning.

BTW 9 CPHS 8

The Sandites' loss to Booker T. Washington was a lot closer than their prior game. They held the lead for the first three innings before the Hornets took a 7-5 advantage. A pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh sent the game into an extra inning where the Hornets came out on top.

Taber singled in the bottom of the first, stole second, then scored on a single from Tolbert. The Sandites tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the second.

Steelman reached on error, Kyler Copeland walked, and Taber singled to load the bases. Thompson singled in Steelman and McCallie, then Tolbert doubled to score Taber and Thompson.

Aidan McCullough hit a solo home run in the top of the third, but the Hornets' biggest inning came in the fourth. 

Drew Yamashita singled in Brysen Williams, then scored on an error along with Beau Phillips. Connor O'Malley homered to score McCullough and Ben Curry for 7-5 lead.

Askew (1-2) pitched the first four innings and gave up eight hits and one walk against four strikeouts. Josh Cordell (3-1) took over for the next three and pitched one hit and one walk with five strikeouts. 

The Sandites tied it up in the bottom of the seventh as Tolbert doubled, Greathouse reached on an error, and both came home on a double from Savage. 

Thompson (0-1) took over in the eighth and gave up two runs, four hits, two walks, and one strikeout. O'Malley singled on loaded bases to score Yamashita and McCullugh.

Millican scored on a single from Thompson in the bottom of the eighth, but the Hornets got the win.

Coweta 12 CPHS 4

Coweta hammered the Sandites with nine runs in the first two innings. Greathouse (3-3) got the start on the mound and gave up six runs, four earned runs, four hits, and three walks in the first two innings. 

Rutledge (0-0) took over early in the second inning and pitched through the fifth, giving up five runs, seven hits, and five walks with five strikeouts. 

The Sandites scored all four of their runs in the top of the fourth inning. Thompson, Tolbert, Millican, and Askew scored the runs, while Rutledge recorded an RBI double and Savage and Watkins hit RBI sacrifices. 

Steelman (0-0) pitched relief in the seventh inning and gave up one run, two hits, and three walks.

No. 14 CPHS Softball tops No. 13 Cushing 3-2; Taber and Usher hit homers

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 14 ranked Charles Page High School Slow Pitch Softball team (5-2) won a low-scoring battle with No. 13 Cushing (15-8) Thursday night in Berryhill, coming out on top of a close 3-2 walk off RBI single from Rachel Jones.

It was a relatively slow game for slow pitch as the Lady Sandites recorded only eight hits against the Tigers' seven. The Sandites have averaged nearly thirteen hits per game this season, even against top-five opponents. 

Both of Cushing's runs came in the top of the fourth as Kennedy Holderread scored Kaitlyn Oliver with a home run. 

Jacie Taber hit her fourth home run of the season to score in the bottom of the fourth, then Sabrina Usher hit her third homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game up. Makenna Skaggs reached on an error soon after, advanced to third on a single from Mackenzie Bechtold, then scored on Jones's single for the win.

CPHS Baseball: Sandites shutout Muskogee 12-0 on the road

Ty Steelman scored one run and two RBI in the shutout victory. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Varsity Baseball team (12-7 overall, 3-4 district) traveled to Muskogee High School (2-13, 0-7) for a double-digit district shutout Monday evening. 

Braden Millican (2-0) got the start and the win on the mound, giving up only two hits and four walks over five innings, with three strikeouts. Riley Rutledge (0-0) pitched relief and had his best performance yet with six strikeouts, one walk, and no hits over two innings. 

The Sandites took the lead right out of the gate as Josh Taber singled, stole second and third, then scored on an error. Treyce Tolbert drew a walk, made third on the error, then stole home for a 2-0 first inning lead.

In the top of the third Mack Thompson singled, took second on a passed ball, then scored on an error at short stop. Tolbert reached on the error, Hunter Greathouse singled, and both scored on a passed ball. Cale Savage also drew a walk, stole second, reached third on a passed ball, then scored on a sacrifice from Cal Watkins to make it 6-0. Greathouse walked in the fifth inning and scored on an error at first. 

The Sandites put the game completely out of reach in the top of the seventh as Greathouse hit a leadoff double and scored on a double from Watkins. Braden Askew was hit by pitch and both runners scored on a double from Ty Steelman. Steelman came in on an error in left field and Tolbert singled to score Tyler Ash.

Rutledge gave up a single walk in the bottom of the seventh, but struck out the next three batters to secure the victory. 

The Sandites were scheduled to host the Roughers the following evening but were rained out in the bottom of the second inning while leading 2-0. Josh Cordell (3-1) struck out two, walked three, and gave up no hits. Savage scored the first run on a single from Kyler Copeland, then Garrett McCallie scored the second on a wild pitch.

Because the game has district implications, it will have to be finished at some point this season.

CPHS Softball: Taber and Arnold hit two home runs apiece in double-header at Broken Arrow

Jacie Taber, Jensen Arnold, and Sabrina Usher each hit home runs in a double header at Broken Arrow. 

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 10 ranked Charles Page High School Slow-Pitch Softball team (4-2) saw their undefeated start to the season come to an end at the hands of undefeated No. 3 Broken Arrow High School (10-0) in a double-header last Thursday.

Both losses were close with solid batting performances and five home runs for the Sandites. Broken Arrow won the first game 14-13 and the second game 14-9.

The Lady Sandites took an early lead in game one with a solo home run from Jensen Arnold in the top of the second, followed by back-to-back doubles from Madelyn Blair and Sabrina Usher. Makenna Skaggs brought in Usher with a single for the 3-0 lead.

The home team hit a pair of home runs in the bottom of the inning and recorded four hits for a 5-3 lead. Blair took the lead right back in the top of the third with a double to score Felicity Horn, Kimi Presnell, and Jacie Taber.

The back and forth affair continued with the Lady Sandites working up a 13-11 lead before the home team took the edge in the bottom of the sixth. Arnold and Blair singled in the top of the seventh, but the next three batters were put out and the Tigers secured the win.

In the second game the Lady Sandites were once again the driving force for most of the game before the home team pulled it out in the end.

Horn singled, Presnell doubled, and Taber brought them home with a home run. Brook Mason scored two in the bottom of the inning with a triple to center field.

Taber's next at bat resulted in a single, and this time it was Arnold with her second home run of the evening. Usher had the next dinger and the Sandites led 6-2.

The home team took their first lead in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. Lauren Feeler singled in Brooklyn Reeves and Kailee Reese, McKenzie Carney singled in Makayla Schmidt, and Mary Collins hit a homer to score Feeler and Carney for the 8-6 lead.

Taber knocked another ball out of the park to start the fifth inning, then Usher sacrificed to score CJ Norton. Blair scored the go-ahead run on a fly ball from Skaggs. It would be the last run of the game for the Sandites, however.

Three Lady Tigers walked in the bottom of the sixth to load the bases. Abby Parks singled in Carney, Mason singled in Grace Jarvis, and Reeves hit a grand slam for the final runs of the game.

Arnold (4-2) pitched both games and was credited with the losses. 

CPHS Senior Sydney Pennington named to All-State Basketball team

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School has produced a smattering of All Star and All State honors this school year. A dozen Sandites have received All-Star recognition by their sport's official governing body, and five were named to the All-State teams. 

Oklahoma State University-signed senior Sydney Pennington has made her way into the history books as one of the most talented athletes in school history, having been named to All-State teams in two separate sports.

Pennington was named to the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association (OGBCA) Large East All State team and the OCA Large East All State Team. She was also named to the Oklahoma Fast Pitch Coaches Association Large East All State team.

Pennington averaged 10.77 points per game this season, but could easily have had far more had she not had to share the ball with such an all-around talented team. She averaged 15.66 as a freshman, 17.16 as a sophomore, and 12.61 as a junior. She scored a career-high 32 as a sophomore, and holds 1386 career points. And basketball isn't even her best sport. 

Pennington is signed to play softball for OSU and has been to three State Championship tournaments with the Lady Sandites. They were defeated in the quarterfinals her freshman and seniors years but made it to the finals her junior year and lost by a single run. This past year she finished with an astounding .543 batting average with 45 runs, 57 hits, 38 RBI, and 10 home runs. She also pitched nearly 40 innings and finished with a 1.41 ERA and undefeated 6-0 record with two no-hitters and one shutout. 

To add to her impressive careers in basketball and softball, she was also the quarterback for the Senior Powderpuff Football team that won the school championship the past two years. One could easily compare her to Major League Baseball player Jerry Adair who made All-State in baseball, football, and basketball when he played for Sand Springs. 

Kyle Keener was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association (OCA) Large East 6A All Star team, averaging 16.5 points per game this season. Keener is signed to play for the University of Central Oklahoma next season. Keener and junior Colt Savage were both named to the Coffeyville Interstate Classic All-Tournament team this year.

Savage was named to the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association (OBCA) Region Seven All Star team. Savage averaged 22.48 points per game this year and scored a career-high 34. He was the second-highest scoring player in the entire Frontier Valley Conference and is only a junior.

Kierra McGee was named as an alternate on the OGBCA Large East All State team. She averaged 8.69 points per game this season and was the All-Tournament MVP at the Coffeyville Interstate Classic.

Delvin Jordan, Kasey Bales, and Lincoln Adams were named to the OCA East All Star team. Jordan also made the OCA All State East team. Jordan recorded 69 tackles this season, 15 for a loss of 91 yards, and 8 sacks for a loss of 64 yards. He also forced three fumbles and recovered one for a 32-yard touchdown return. Bales had 68 receptions for 946 yards and 11 touchdowns this season and averaged 42 yards per punt. Offensive linemen don't really have any stats to track, but Adams was one of the most proficient in the state and was a major player in opening up the prolific Sandite run game. Jordan is signed with Pittsburg State University and Adams is signed with Oklahoma Baptist University.

Daton Fix and Jack Karstetter were both named to the OCA Large East All State Wrestling team. Fix is a four-time undefeated State Champion with a 168-0 career record and is signed with Oklahoma State University. Karstetter won his first State Championship this season, was Runner-Up last year, and finished with a 105-16 record.

Cheyenne Walden and Alexis Davis were both named to the Oklahoma Track Coaches Association Cross Country Senior All-Star team. Walden is a four-time State Champion and four-time Gatorade Runner of the Year. She finished her career with personal records of 5:21 on the one-mile, 11:19.5 on the two-mile, and 17:32 in 5K. Davis is a four-time State Qualifier and finished 21st this year. She has PRs of 6:11 in the one-mile, 12:54 in the two-mile, and 19:53 for a 5K. Walden is signed with Oklahoma State University and Davis is signed with Southwestern Oklahoma State University. 

Jessica Collins was named to the All-State Large East Softball team and finished her senior year with a .316 batting average with 39 runs, 36 hits, and 22 RBI.