Daton Fix and Carter Young win National Championships in Las Vegas

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Several Sand Springs wrestlers traveled to the U.S. Open National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend and two young Sandites claimed first-place titles in their divisions. Oklahoma State University-signed senior Daton Fix and Clyde Boyd Middle School Eighth-Grader Carter Young both secured the gold, while Several other Sandites also medaled. 

Fix won his third-straight UWW Freestyle National Championship and he did so without giving up a single point. The four-time undefeated State Champion breezed through his competition, winning each match by technical fall. He defeated Cal State freshman Alex Hernandez 10-0, then teched two-time Colorado State Champion Andrew Alirez 11-0. In the semifinals he teched three-time undefeated Indiana State Champion Alex Thomsen 10-0, then did the same to two-time undefeated Washington State Champion Paul Bianchi in the finals.

Junior High All-State Champion Carter Young laid claim to the U.S. Open Cadet National Championship titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman Saturday evening in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Sandite lightweight breezed through the 93 pound division with four technical falls in freestyle, outscoring his opponents 44-4. His first two opponents fell 10-0, then he defeated Nebraska State Champion Paul Garcia 12-2. In the finals he defeated Idaho State Champion Kase Mauger, also 12-2.

In Greco he had one competitor come close in the semifinals, but teched the other three and prevailed for the title. He easily handed his first two competitors 10-0 defeats, then handed Colorado State Runner-Up Angelo Lozado a 9-6 decision before teching Paul Garcia 11-1.

Former long-time Charles Page High School Head Wrestling Coach Alan Karstetter returned to the mat in the Greco Roman Masters division and brought home silver, defeating Brandon Donofrio 10-0, but falling 9-0 to three-time Iron Man World Champion Jason Goldman.

CPHS sophomore State Champion Riley Weir competed at 46 KG in junior freestyle. He defeated Nick Onea 18-13 in the opening round, working his way out of an 8-0 deficit with twelve-straight points. Onea briefly tied it up in the second period, but Weir regained the lead and held on for the win. In the quarterfinals Weir was pitted against defending champion Dack Punke and fell 12-2.

In the consolation bracket Weir defeated University of Maryland freshman Hunter Lucas 20-17, but was defeated 12-1 by two-time Colorado State Champion Brendon Garcia. In the fifth-place match he fell to three-time Wisconsin State Champion Brandon Kaylor.

CPHS senior State Champion Jack Karstetter (2-3 GR) competed at 55KG in junior Greco Roman and was pitted against defending National Champion Randon Miranda, a freshman at Northern Michigan University. Karstetter scored first but Miranda scored eight-straight and never relinquished the lead, winning 14-5. Miranda beat his next two opponents by eight points apiece, then upheld his title with a 2-0 victory.

In the consolation bracket Karstetter easily defeated Minnesota State University freshman Jared Goldsmith 8-0 and defending National Champion Mosha Schwartz 9-0. In the consolation semifinals he fell 10-7 to two-time Minnesota State Champion Patrick Mckee. In the fifth place match he was defeated 20-10 by Luis Hernandez.

Sand Springs Team Big Wrestling Club wins nineteen First place medals at SS tournament

Clyde Boyd Middle School played host to the Sand Springs USA Oklahoma wrestling tournament this past weekend and the Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club earned a plethora of medals in their home tournament. Fourteen members of Team Big won gold.

Team Big meets Monday and Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the Charles Page High School wrestling room, and is open to wrestlers from the surround areas as well as Sandites.

Junior

CPHS sophomore State Champion Riley Weir (6-0 FS) took first place for the third straight week at 120 freestyle. He pinned Braydon Blose in 0:39, then scored an 11-0 tech fall over Zane Plunkett.

CPHS junior State Qualifier Blake Sargent (2-0 FS) took first place in freestyle at 126 pounds. He teched teammate Skylar Galloway 10-0, then pinned Brendan Clarke in 2:18.

CPHS senior State Champion Daton Fix (8-0 FS) took first place in freestyle for the second week in a row at 138 pounds. He teched all four of his opponents without giving up a single point, including Cleveland State Qualifier Tyler West 12-0.

Claremore State Runner-Up Tracy Reeder took first place in freestyle at 152 with two pins and a tech fall.

CPHS senior State Qualifier Michael Ritchey (11-2 FS, 3-0 GR) took second place in freestyle at 138 pounds for the second week in a row. He lost his opening match to teammate Daton Fix, but teched his next three opponents, including a 12-2 victory over Tyler West.

Cleveland State Qualifier Zach Myles took fourth place in freestyle at 145 pounds with two tech falls.

Cadet

Clyde Boyd Middle School’s Carter Young (12-0 FS, 9-0 GR) took first place in both styles at 106 pounds. He teched all three of his opponents in Greco and two in freestyle, then wrapped up his fourth-straight perfect weekend with a 7-2 decision against teammate Zachary Keal.

Texas State Champion Parker Decker took first place in both styles at 113 pounds. He defeated all six of his opponents by tech fall, giving up only one point altogether.

Skiatook freshman Jeran Seabolt took first place in freestyle at 160 pounds with a tech fall and a 16-14 decision over Jacob Rogers.

Zachary Keal took second place in freestyle at 106 pounds. He defeated his first two opponents by tech fall, but was defeated 7-2 by teammate Carter Young.

Skiatook State Qualifier Cale Glover took second place in freestyle at 145 pounds. He pinned his first opponent, then scored a pair of 12-2 tech falls before falling 17-7 to Spencer Schickram, a State-placer from Ponca City.

Kansas State Qualifier Austin Keal took second place in Greco at 113 pounds, but failed to place in freestyle. He teched his first two opponents 11-0 in Greco, but fell 10-0 to teammate Parker Decker in the finals.

Skiatook’s Josh Taylor took second place in freestyle at 126 pounds, but failed to place in Greco. He won an 11-2 decision and a 10-0 tech fall in freestyle before falling in 4:42 to freshman State Qualifier TJ Long.

Preston Decker took fourth place in freestyle and third in Greco at 126 pounds.

Cleveland Junior High’s Bryar Lucas took fourth place in freestyle at 138 pounds, pinning Micah Bynum in 1:09.

Schoolboy

Cole Brooks (6-1 FS, 5-1 GR) took first place in both styles at 91 pounds with four tech falls and two pins.

Kaden Glass (6-0 FS, 3-0 GR) took first place in both styles at 190 pounds with four falls and two tech falls. He pinned three opponents in under a minute apiece with his fastest coming in sixteen seconds against Cameron Timmons.

Christian Forbes (10-0 FS, 1-3 GR) took first place in freestyle at 84 pounds for the third-straight week, teching all four of his opponents.

Bryce Fisher (4-1 FS) took first place in freestyle at 136 pounds. He pinned Gavin Koehler in 2:35, then scored a 7-3 tech fall over Jose Flores.

Rhett Peak (5-3 FS, 1-0 GR) took first place at 84 pounds in Greco, teching his sole opponent 10-0. In freestyle he placed second with two tech falls and a 7-0 decision before falling 14-3 to teammate Christian Forbes.

Clay Gates (5-9 FS, 0-1 GR) took second place in Greco at 84 pounds, losing his sole match 10-0 to Rhett Peak. He placed fourth in freestyle with a pin of Zachariah Jones in 2:24.

Jim Mullin (5-2 FS) took third place in freestyle at 91 pounds. He lost his opening match, but scored two tech falls and topped Hunter Waits 10-7 in the consolations.

Braden Anderson (6-6 FS, 4-4 GR) took third place in freestyle at 112 pounds, but failed to place in Greco. He lost his opening match of freestyle in a close 12-10 decision, but defeated his next opponent 11-6, then scored a 12-2 tech fall.

Intermediate

Dian Fix (2-1 FS) took second place at 65 pounds in freestyle. He lost his first match 10-0, but rebounded with a pair of close decisions. He defeated Caleb Thompson 9-8 and Kale Fruits 9-8.

Nation Johnson (4-3 FS, 6-3 GR) took second place in both styles at 80 pounds. He drew only one opponent in freestyle and was teched twice by Jake Miller, but split wins in Greco with a 16-4 victory over Bodie Adams.

Promised Johnson (10-3 FS, 6-5 GR) competed in both styles at 70 pounds, taking second in freestyle and third in Greco. He was pinned in both styles by Brody Mills, but teched two opponents and pinned Bobby Brockman in 0:46 in freestyle. In Greco he was defeated by Ryder Seago, but teched Isaiah Jones 12-0.

Bantam

Legend Johnson (0-2 FS, 1-1) GR took second place at 55 pounds in both styles. He drew only one competitor in freestyle and was teched twice in a best-of-three series, but went 1-1 in Greco with a pin of Williams Corde in 1:07.

Novice

Clayton Giddens (8-0 FS) took first place in freestyle at 70 pounds. He teched all three of his opponents and didn’t give up a single point for the third-straight week.

Balance Johnson (7-1 FS, 3-1 GR) took first place in both styles at 100 pounds. In freeestyle he won three tech falls and a 12-10 decision over teammate Abraham Flores. In Greco he topped Abraham 11-9, pinned Adrian Flores in 1:04, and teched Ty Vinson.

Robert Burke (5-1 FS, 4-3 GR) took second place at 65 pounds in both styles. He was pinned by Stockton Allen, but teched Ezekiel Smith 10-0 in freestyle. Allen was his only opponent in Greco, and the Spartan won the best-of-three series with a pair of pins.

Abraham Flores (7-1 FS, 5-3 GR) took second place at 100 pounds in both styles. His only losses were to teammate Balance Johnson, both by close decisions. He recorded three tech falls between the two styles.

Jaxon Trotter (1-1 FS, 0-2 GR) took third place at 90 pounds in both styles. He was defeated twice in Greco, but split wins in freestyle with an overtime decision against Gavin Salt.

Adrian Flores (2-5 FS, 1-5 GR) took fourth place at 100 pounds in both styles. He pinned Tyler Hockett in freestyle.

Kagen Foster (0-2 FS, 1-2 GR) failed to place in freestyle, but took fourth in Greco at 75 pounds with a 10-0 tech fall against Tanner Winesburg.

Laira Mullin (0-2 FS) competed in freestyle at 60 pounds and drew only one competitor. She was teched twice by Ava Roe in a best-of-three series.

Zane Basma signs to wrestle for No. 4 University of Central Oklahoma

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School senior Zane Basma recently signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the University of Central Oklahoma. 

The three-time State Qualifier concluded his high school career with a 26-5 senior record and 88-30 career record. He failed to place in the State Tournament his sophomore or senior years, but took third as a junior.

Basma took tenth and eleventh in his first two seasons at the prestigious Kansas City Stampede, but sat out his senior year with an injury.

The Sandite was a two-time Jerry Billings Invitational Runner-Up and won the Sand Springs Bobby Lyons Invitational as a junior. He was also a two-time Perry Tournament of Champions Runner-Up.

As a sophomore Basma took fourth place at the Yukon Jay Hancock Memorial and the 6A-East Regional. Last season he took first place at Yukon, second at Regionals, and third at State.

This year, Basma at one point went on a seventeen-straight win streak, including going undefeated at the Owasso Ram Duals and Dual State Championship. In the District Duals he tied a national record for his weight class, pinning Putnam City West's Chance Strickland in only four seconds.

The UCO Bronchos compete in the Division II level of the NCAA and are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Bronchos are an annual powerhouse, holding seven national championships in NCAA Division II, and eight national championships in the National Association of Interscholastic Athletics. Their most recent title came in 2007.

UCO finished the most recent season ranked fourth in the nation with an undefeated 18-0 dual record. They qualified five athletes for the National Championship and two placed. They came in second at the MIAA Championships, fourth in the West Super Regional, and eighteenth at Nationals.

Basma spent the majority of this past season at 170 pounds, a spot that is currently stacked on the Broncho roster. The 174 pound position is currently occupied by redshirt freshman Miguel Barreras (38-9) who won three tournaments this season, including the MIAA Championship. UCO is a young team, and will only be graduating a single wrestler between 149 and 184, meaning Basma will have plenty of competition for a starting position. 

Lady Sandite Golf places 12th at Union Invitational

The Charles Page High School girls' golf team recently traveled to LaFortune Golf Course for the Union High School Invitational and took 12th place out of 14 teams. They topped two conference foes, including their Highway 97 rivals from Sapulpa.

Ashton Persons and Madison Kinard were within a stroke of each other, shooting 96 and 97, respectively. Persons tied for 37th place in a field of 73, while Kinard tied for 39th.

Joelie Simmons tied for 59th with a score of 109, and Emily Charles tied for 63rd with a score of 113. 

Owasso claimed the tournament title with a team score of 314, while Booker T. Washington's Alesia Gonzalez had the low card at 73.

CPHS Softball season ends in 17-14 loss to No. 3 Westmoore despite grand slams from Arnold and Luttrell

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The 2017 Slow Pitch Softball season came to an end for the No. 17 ranked Charles Page High School Lady Sandites (11-13) Tuesday evening at the Regional Tournament in Moore. The Lady Sandites won their opening game in an 18-16 shootout with No. 18 Chickasha (11-12), but fell 20-10 to the No. 3 Westmoore (24-7) host team. In the consolation bracket they repeated with a 12-1 victory over Chickasha, but fell 17-14 in a rematch with the Jaguars. 

The two teams exchanged two-run homers in the first inning with Kimi Presnell scoring Sabrina Usher to tie it at 2-2. Sydnee Ramsey had the homer for Westmoore. Jacie Taber singled and scored on a hit from Mackenzie Bechtold for the one-run lead.

Next to clear the fence was Elizabeth Luttrell, bringing in Rachel Jones for the 5-2 second-inning advantage.

Westmoore came from behind in the top of the third. Kailey Gamble hit a 2RBI double for the Jags, then Kenzie Monroe emptied the bases with a grand slam for the 8-5 advantage. Gamble batted in two more runs in the fourth inning, then walked in on loaded bases to make it 11-5. 

Jones, Makenna Skaggs, and Felicity Horn all scored on a grand slam from Luttrell in the bottom of the inning, but Alanna Leisy kept her team in the lead with a three-run homer in the fifth. Westmoore loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth, then walked in three-straight runs before the Sandites pulled out of it.

Skaggs scored on an error in the sixth, but the Sandites entered the final stretch down 17-10. 

After holding the home team scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Sandites staged one last comeback attempt and nearly pulled it off.

Presnell singled, Usher reached on a fielder's choice, and Taber reached on an error to load the bases with a single out. Arnold connected on her second grand slam of the season, and just like that the girls were back in contention. Unfortunately, the next two batters flied out and the ten-time State Champions punched their ticket back to State.

Sandite of the Week: Carson Griggs wins third tournament this season

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Two-time junior State Qualifier Carson Griggs was selected as Sandite of the Week for his outstanding performances this season, culminating a Frontier Valley Conference title this past week.

Griggs got a head start on the rest of the conference, competing with the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour ever since the last season ended.

Last year Griggs tied for 20th place at the OSSAA 6A State Tournament and since then he has placed top-five in eight OJGT tournaments and was Runner-Up at the Bailey Ranch Bash in September. 

Last month Griggs competed at the Forest Ridge Spring Challenge and finished the two-round tournament in 157 strokes for fifth place, just six behind first-place finisher Fisher Vollendorf of Arkansas. He then competed at the Muskogee Country Club Spring Break Classic. 

Griggs finished day one in twelfth place, sitting eleven strokes over par and eleven strokes behind Carlos Gomez in first. The second round was a whole different story. He started off with a birdie on hole one, bogeyed three after that, then birdied hole eight to finish the front nine a single stroke over par. On the back nine he shot par for the first six holes before bogeying sixteen. He made up for it immediately after with a bird on seventeen, then shot par on eighteen to finish one large.

Not only was his 72 the best score of the day by a two-stroke margin, it was the second-best score for either day, behind the tournament champion who shot even on round one. He finished with a total score of 154 to tie for fourth place, six strokes behind the champion.

Griggs continued his success into the school year and has been tearing up course after course. He tied for eighth at the both the Jenks Invitational and the Bishop Kelley Invitational, both in a field of over a hundred competitors. Both times he was only six strokes behind the winner. 

His first win of the year came on his home turf, taking first place at the Canyons at Blackjack Ridge, shooting eight strokes under par at 63. In the past month he has also laid claim to victories at the 6A State Preview and the Frontier Valley Conference Championship. He shot two over par at Karsten Creek, where the State Championship will be held next month. He shot four under par at Indian Springs for the FVC title, a five stoke improvement over his prior performance there. 

Griggs will return to action Monday in the Regional Tournament at Bailey Ranch Golf Course in Owasso. The last time he competed at Bailey Ranch he tied for 48th place in an off performance with rounds of 81 and 91, but in the past he has shot as low as 70. With a two-straight win streak, he is in good shape good shape to vie for the Regional title.

Click here to view previous Sandites of the Week.