CPHS Volleyball falls 3-1 to No. 7 Union despite strong effort and 25 kills from Mutiri

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Union 3 CPHS 1
Set One: 25-10 CPHS
Set Two: 25-7 Union
Set Three: 25-18 Union
Set Four: 25-17 Union

Kills: CPHS 37, Union 31.
Blocks: Union 7, CPHS 2.
Aces: Union 8, CPHS 5.
Service Errors: CPHS 10, Union 7.

(CPHS Only)
Kills: Mutiri 25, Youngblood 6, Bradshaw 4, Campfield 2.
Assists: Burris 29, Taylor 1, Johnson 1.
Aces: Wise 2, Mutiri 1, Youngblood 1, Taylor 1.
Blocks: Neely 1, Mutiri 1.
Digs: Mutiri 3, Taylor 1, Wise 1.

The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (6-11) hosted the No. 7 Union Redskins (9-4) in a Frontier Valley Conference showcase Tuesday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House. The Redskins had previously defeated Sand Springs twice this season, and despite getting hammered in the first set, the visitors battled back to complete the trifecta. 

Union gave up the first point in set one on a service error, evened it up with a kill from Abby Bryan, gave up a point to Gloria Mutiri, then evened it out once again with a strike from Ashley Barrows. Sand Springs went on a four-point run with kills from Mutiri and Kenzie Bradshaw to take the lead at 6-2. Union battled throughout but were unable to stymie the unstoppable tide of the Sandite offense. Mutiri scored eight points and Bradshaw had three in the 25-10 onslaught that ended with a hard-hit ace from Mutiri.

The second set started rough for Sand Springs, due more to errors than to Union's offense. A service error from Sand Springs and an ace from Union set the tone of the game. Cloe Campfield scored a kill, Union scored three points, Mutiri scored a kill, and Union scored three more. That pattern persisted for most of the set till the Redskins closed out with eleven-straight for the 25-7 win behind heavy defensive indifference.

Set three looked competitive at times and like a potential Redskin blowout at others. Union jumped out to a 6-2 lead, Sand Springs battled back for an 8-7 advantage, then Union ran away with it with eight-straight points including three aces from Grace Touthang. The two teams fought even from there, but Sand Springs was unable to make up the difference, falling 25-18. 

The fourth and final set was about the same as the third. Union took a 3-0 lead, Sand Springs tied it up with a kill from Mutiri and back-to-back aces from Kendall Wise, then Union added three more. The Sandites tied it up again at 8-8 thanks to a series of Redskin errors, but Union jumped back out to 15-11 with kills from Bryan and Barrows. Kylie Taylor notched an ace at 17-14, but Union won four-straight from there and surged ahead for the 25-17 win. 

Mutiri led all scorers with 25 kills, one block, and one ace, while Madison Burris recorded 29 assists. Devree Youngblood added six kills, Bradshaw had four, and Campfield tacked on two more for the Sandites. Barrows was the leading scorer for the Redskins with eleven kills, followed by Gabbie Inman with six, Juliet Roy and Madi Brown with five apiece, Bryan with three, and Nicole Merrill with one. Inman led in assists with 14.

The Lady Sandites will return to action next Tuesday with a home match against No. 17 Owasso (6-5). The Sandites previously defeated Owasso 3-0 at the Broken Arrow Invitational, sweeping the Rams with sets of 25-22, 25-19, and 25-19.

CPHS Boys' Cross Country takes first place at Sapulpa Invitational

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The Sand Springs Public School Cross Country teams traveled to Sapulpa this past weekend for an impressive showing at their Highway 97 rivals' home course. 

Tiqvah Soap led the varsity girls for the second-straight week with an eighth-place performance in the one-mile run. She finished in 5:50, 34 seconds behind Regent Prep's Ellie Gilbreath. The girls placed fifth out of ten teams. Sapulpa won the run with two top-five finishers.

Aden Baughman was the top finisher on the varsity boys' team, coming in second place. He finished the two-mile run in 10:13, eight seconds behind Holland Hall's Clinton Baird. Ian Baustert, Nelson Yazzie, and Landin Green also placed in the top-ten, helping their team to a first-place finish in a field of fifteen teams.

Victoria Baker ran the one-mile in 6:57 for 12th place in junior varsity girls while Danny Murray and Cameron McCrary finished the boys' two-mile in 11:33 and 11:55 respectively for third and fourth place. JV girls took fourth place and JV boys took second.

In elementary action, the girls' team took sixth place in the one-mile run, led by Morgan Rector with a 6:55 performance for 23rd place. Sapulpa won the run with five runners in the top fifteen. The boys' team also placed sixth, led by Michael Johnson in eleventh place with a 6:08 performance. Sapulpa's Aden Jernegan won the run in 5:37, helping his team to first place.

Team Results
Elementary Girls 6th of 7.
Elementary Boys 6th of 9.
JV Girls 4th of 6.
JV Boys 2nd of 6.
Varsity Girls 5th of 10.
Varsity Boys 1st of 15.

Varsity Boys 2 Miles

10:13 Aden Baughman - 2nd
10:21 Ian Baustert - 6th
10:22 Nelson Yazzie - 8th
10:27 Landin Green - 9th
10:39 Jaelyn Jackson - 16th
10:52 Jacob Smith - 20th
10:53 Kaegan Murray - 21st

Varsity Girls 1 Mile
5:50 Tiqvah Soap - 8th
6:08 Sara Abbet - 22nd
6:18 Elizabeth Watts - 29th
6:35 Stephanie Genn - 45th
6:45 Erika Baker - 58th
6:49 Chezney Kelley - 62nd
7:20 Madelyn Adams - 80th

Junior Varsity Boys 2 Miles
11:33 Danny Murray - 3rd
11:35 Cameron McCrary - 4th
12:07 Phillip Elleman - 12th
12:33 Alex Newport - 17th
12:36 Cooper Lynch - 18th
12:48 Nathan Mcknight - 23rd
12:49 Chance Powell - 25th
13:43 Caleb James - 44th
14:01 Jacob Baker - 52nd
14:16 Mason Hamel - 57th
15:11 Colton Sanders - 67th
18:55 Nicholas Sango - 81st

Junior Varsity Girls 1 Mile
6:57 Victoria Baker - 12th
7:08 Mackenzie Burke - 15th
7:12 Wanageeska Williams - 16th
8:01 Natalie Maldonado - 44th
8:59 Ayden Meade - 59th
10:15 Savanna Darland - 64th

Junior High Boys 1 Mile
7:01 Kodah Gregory - 90th
7:32 Zac Davis - 108th

Elementary Boys 1 Mile
6:08 Michael Johnson - 11th
6:23 Griffin Sensintaffa - 19th
7:15 Gavin Corbin - 45th
7:17 Cooper Macdonald - 49th
7:49 Carter Macdonald - 63rd
8:00 Mark Lair - 68th
8:05 Hunter Walker - 72nd
8:10 Noah Higgins - 77th
8:18 Hunter Fields - 81st
8:53 Rowen Redden - 95th
8:56 Liam Hollingshead - 96th
8:57 Kaizen Freese - 97th
9:33 Dallas Duffy - 102nd
9:35 Connor Beals - 105th
9:36 Scout Mushrush - 106th
9:50 Jessen Cox - 110th
9:55 Rafi Huff - 112th
10:00 Waylon Roberts - 113th
10:22 Sutton Corbin - 115th
13:23 Declyn Beals - 124th
15:01 Nash Huff - 125th

Elementary Girls 1 Mile
6:55 Morgan Rector - 23rd
6:57 Brynlee Durborrow - 25th
7:01 Claudia Smith - 27th
8:16 Kenzie Johnson - 46th
8:17 Abby Martin - 48th
8:21 Josie Myers - 52nd
8:37 Ellery Edwards - 63rd
8:49 Hannah Mckelvey - 66th
9:37 Gracie Graham - 81st
9:46 Julia Myers - 84th
9:56 Lily Kubiak - 89th
11:51 Carly Blair - 96th
11:52 Nola Chambers - 97th
15:00 Blythe Huff - 103rd

Sand Springs Soccer Complex renamed in honor of late Roger S. Bush

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With the completion of the Case Community Park remodel, the former Inez Kirk Soccer Complex received a face-lift, a few additions, and a new name to go with them.

While Inez Kirk was a beloved City Manager in Sand Springs, she had no direct ties to the soccer subculture of the town. Her name will now be attached to a more fitting monument in the City Garden Park across the street from the Sand Springs Municipal Building. 

The soccer facilities will be renamed as the Roger S. Bush Soccer Complex in honor of one of the founding members of the Sand Springs Soccer Club. Bush passed away in September of 2016 at the age of 69.

"This request by the Club was granted in memorial honor of one of the Board members that helped bring this club into existence," said SSSC President Jeremy Herrington.

"Roger S. Bush's influence and legacy continues on today through his children: Roger P. Bush, West Side Alliance Director of Coaching and Head Women's Coach at Oral Roberts University; Catherine (Bush) Grona, SSSC/WSA Youth Development Director; Ryan Bush, WSA Assistant Director of Coaching and Head Men's Coach at Oral Roberts University; and Cherlyn (Bush) Cunningham. The Bush family's soccer legacy has now entered its third generation, and we felt it only fitting that this complex be named in his honor; a name that means something special to our Soccer Community and our Sand Springs Community."

The Soccer facilities received new fields and a paved parking lot as part of Case Community Park's $6 million renovation. Brand new state-of-the-art playgrounds have also been installed next to the Soccer Complex concession stand. 

The park has remained open throughout its remodel, but will celebrate the official re-opening with an all-day festival Saturday, September 9th. 

CPHS Football: Sandites fall 59-21 to defending Arkansas State Champions

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Senior running back Payton Scott goes airborne in a run against Pulaski Academy. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

The Charles Page High School varsity football team (0-1) started off the season with a hefty, but unsurprising loss to the defending 5A State Champions from Arkansas. With three gold balls and only three losses in the past five years, Pulaski Academy steamrolled the Sandites with a 31-7 first quarter that was impossible to recover from.

Pulaski 59 CPHS 21.
1Q Pulaski 31-7.
2Q Pulaski 7-0.
3Q Pulaski 14-7.
4Q 7-7 All.

Passing: Pulaski 36-50-433-0, CPHS 3-14-11-1.
Rushing: CPHS 31-186, Pulaski 28-145.
Plays-Offense: Pulaski 78-578, CPHS 45-197.
First Downs: Pulaski 26, CPHS 6.
Penalties: Pulaski 5-35, CPHS 2-11.

Click here to view full photo gallery.

Last year the Sandites traveled to Pulaski’s home field in Little Rock, Arkansas and were dealt a 56-21 loss. They fared little better on their home turf. The teams played a nearly identical game to the previous year. Pulaski never punted, always going for the fourth-down attempt, and utilized onside kicks for most of the game until they had build a substantial lead. 

Pulaski scored on their first possession, driving 88 yards in nine plays to score on an 18-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Layne Hatcher to Brett Lynch. He sent another strike to Hudson Henry for an 8-0 lead. 

Sand Springs survived the first onside kick as Bryson Denton fielded the ball at the Sandite 49, giving the home team great field position for their first drive. Unfortunately, they weren't able to capitalize on it. After star senior running back Payton Scott was hit for a loss of two, junior quarterback Caden Pennington had his first pass of the night picked off by Brooks Walton. 

Just thirty seconds later, the Bruins had marched 48 yards in three plays as Hatcher took the ball to the house on a six-yard run. Lynch ran in the conversion and the visitors were up 16-0 just four minutes into the game.

The Sandites struck back on their next possession, entirely in the hands of Scott who carried seven times for 22 yards after Braden Millican recovered the onside kick at mid-field and returned it to the Bruins' 22. Senior lineman Zac Blake and sophomore Nicolas Hancock opened big holes in the Bruin defense to clear the way to the endzone. 

Pulaski was just as lethal on their next two drives. First they marched 74 yards in ten plays to score on a 36-yard pass to Lynch, capped by a two-point run from Isiah Woods. Then they recovered their own kick at the Sandite 23 and scored four plays later with a ten-yard strike to Tra Johnson. This time Hatcher settled for kicking his own PAT for a 31-7 first-quarter advantage.

Sand Springs finally got a turnover on downs early in the second quarter thanks to a pass break-up by Joel Mackey, but just a minute later they were punting the ball away after netting only three yards in as many plays.

Pulaski ate up five minutes on the clock as they traveled 87 yards thirteen plays. With a first-and-goal situation at the three-yard line, Luke Bratcher came up big with a three-yard sack, but two passes attempts later and Hatcher hit Henry for six yards and six points. Hatcher followed up with the kick for a 38-7 lead.

Both teams got one more try before going into halftime. 

Sand Springs got the ball to start the third quarter and came up shy once again. The Bruins took it 53 yards and sent it to the house on a 21-yard pass to Henry with another Hatcher PAT. By this point in last year's game, Arkansas rules initiated a running clock mercy-rule for the Sandites. In Oklahoma the Sandites wouldn't have that luxury.

Sand Springs picked up two first-downs on their next drive before mustering out at midfield. Pulaski returned the ball 43 yards with an eight-yard pass to John White and another PAT with 1:40 in the third for the 52-7 lead.

Pulaski celebrated their 45-point lead by sending in the second string, and Sand Springs responded with an 81-yard run by Ben Nortey. The Sandite defense was equally potent against the Bruin B-team, sacking Braden Bratcher on back-to-back plays for a turnover at the Bruin 27-yard line. On the first play of the new possession, Scott took it to the house thanks to a big block from Miron Krotzer to cut the score to 52-21.

Not liking the turn of events, Pulaski sent their starters back out and ran another successful drive, capped by an eight-yard run from Jayden Kelley and kick from Clay James for the final score of 59-21.

Both teams took another shot at the endzone, with Sand Springs coming up short at the 29 with a fumble and turnover on downs. Pulaski returned it to the Sand Springs 34 before the clock ran out.

Sophomore soccer standout Jaden Weiser was perfect in his kicking debut, sending all three point-after attempts straight through the uprights. Cameron Smith took up punting duties for the first time, averaging 40 yards on three kicks. 

Pennington completed three of fourteen passes for eleven yards, while Hatcher took to the air like a bird, completing 34 of 48 passes for 420 yards. Scott handled the brunt of the offense, carrying 23 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns, but Norte led overall with six carries for 97 yards and one touchdown. Jerry Lyons was the man of the night on defense with seven tackles, three for loss, and two sacks. 

Sand Springs will return to action with another home game next Friday against Choctaw (1-0), who trumped Sapulpa (0-2) 27-21 this week. Last year the Yellowjackets won a 45-41 shootout on their home turf against the Sandites, but Sand Springs went on to finish the season 7-5 with a playoff semifinals appearance, while Choctaw broke even at 5-5.

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Passing: Pennington 3-14-11-1.
Rushing: Norte 6-97. Scott 23-92. Pennington 2-(-3).
Receiving: Millican 1-6. King 1-3. Bratcher 1-2.
Punting: Smith 3-120.
Kicking: Weiser 4-179.
Tackles: Cramer 8. Lyons 7. Edwards 6. Haley 5. Fleischman 4. Askew 4. Mackey 4. Fain 4. Bratcher 3. Tarver 3. Denton 2. Cartwright 2. Moyer 1. Mock 1. Finch 1. Britton 1. Evans 1. 
Tackles for loss: Lyons 3-13. Edwards 1-13. Fleischman 1-12. Fain 1-3.
Sacks: Lyons 2-12. Edwards 1-13. Fleischman 1-12. Bratcher 1-3.
Breakups: Cramer 2. Bratcher 1. Mackey 1. Haley 1. 
Kickoff Returns: Millican 1-28. Scott 1-20.

Pulaski Individual Statistics

Passing: Hatcher 34-48-420-0. Bratcher 2-2-13-0.
Rushing: Kolb 6-55. Kelley 5-36. Anderson 4-27. Johnson 1-20. L. Jones 1-12. Lynch 1-8. Bratcher 4-5. Wise 1-1. Hatcher 5-(-19). 
Receiving: Lynch 8-126. Johnson 8-88. Henry 6-72. Biagioni 3-53. White 6-53. Cumming 1-12. M. Jones 2-10. Cobb 1-10. Wise 1-9.
Kicking: Hatcher 9-266.
Kickoff Returns: White 3-37.

CPHS Softball: Lady Sandites sweep Highway 97 Rivalry series with 12-4 road win

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The Charles Page High School Fast-Pitch Softball team (9-2) improved to 5-0 in district play Thursday evening with a resounding 12-4 win over Sapulpa (3-10, 2-5) on their arch-rivals' home field. The Sandites are tied with Broken Arrow as the only two undefeated teams in the district, and they are 2-0 against Sapulpa after defeating their foes 12-1 last week. 

Sand Springs didn't quite repeat their run-rule victory from the week before, but the game was never in any doubt after the visiting Sandites drilled four runs in the top of the first.

Three singles saw Elizabeth Luttrell score Kimi Presnell and Sabrina Usher, then Luttrell and Madelyn Blair came in on a single from Jensen Arnold. Luttrell tacked on a fifth run in the top of the third with a solo home run on the second pitch of the inning. 

The fourth inning brought further damage to the home team as Presnell received a walk, stole second and third, then scored on a hit from Makenna Skaggs. Blair also walked, Luttrell singled, and both scored on a single from Felicity Horn for the 8-0 advantage.

Sapulpa finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with one single and a pair of walks to load the bases. Jacie Taber (7-0 season, 20-7 career) struck out one, walked in one run, then sent a groundball to first to strand loaded bases. 

In the fifth inning Arnold hit a double and was relieved by courtesy runner Rachel Jones, who promptly scored on a single from Taber. Kinsey Skaggs relieved Taber and scored on a hit from Sabrina Usher to make it 10-1. Taber batted in another run in the sixth to score Cameron Clemons. 

Sapulpa notched their second run of the game in the bottom of the sixth by hitting three singles, the last of which brought in Ally Zanca. The Sandites got their final run from Makenna Skaggs who reached on one error and scored on another. 

The Chieftains tried to stage a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Azelea Fogleman was hit by pitch and Kali Husman doubled. Both scored, but those would be the last runs of the game as Zanca flied out to left field and Sand Springs secured the win. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action next Thursday with a district road game against Stillwater (4-5, 2-2).

Lady Sandite Volleyball hammers No. 7 Coweta 3-0

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The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (6-10) hosted 5A No. 7 Coweta (13-3) Thursday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House and dealt the Tigers their most devastating loss of the season in a 3-0 sweep.

CPHS 3 Coweta 0
Set One: 25-9 CPHS
Set Two: 25-17 CPHS
Set Three: 25-19 CPHS

Kills: CPHS 36, Coweta 23.
Blocks: CPHS 2, Coweta 0.
Aces: CPHS 6, Coweta 2.
Service Errors: CPHS 10, Coweta 5.

(CPHS Only) 
Kills: Mutiri 21, Cypert 5, Youngblood 5, Burris 4, Johnson 1.
Assists: Burris 25, Mong 2, Mutiri 1, Bradshaw 1.
Aces: Youngblood 3, Campfield 2, Madison Ward 1.
Solo Blocks: Mutiri 1.
Block Assists: Burris 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Taylor 3, Burris 2, Madison Ward 2, Mutiri 2, MaKenzie Ward 1, Campfield 1.
 

The first set was one of the fastest of the season as the Sandites used a massive ten-straight scoring streak to take an 18-2 advantage before letting the visitors back in the game. Were it not for a single service error, the streak would have been fifteen. The Tigers recorded only three kills in the 25-9 defeat, their second-worse loss, and the Sandites' biggest win of the season.

The second set was far more competitive, but still a handy victory for the home team. Sand Springs never ran away with it, scoring their longest streak at only three-straight, but they took the final lead at 5-4 and never looked back. Their biggest lead came with their final point, an ace from Madison Ward for the 25-17 victory.

By game three the Sandites were running the bench and every available player got to see action. The Sandites took the final lead at 4-3 and won four-straight capped by a kill from Makenna Cypert. Cloe Campfield scored an ace at 10-5, Raylynn Mong assisted Gloria Mutiri with a kill on her first rally of the game to make it 19-12, then Coweta staged a come-back attempt. 

The visitors scored five-straight points to cut it to 21-18 before Kailie Johnson scored a kill with an assist from Mong. Coweta Head Coach Tony Ramos demonstrated quality sportsmanship when the line judge ruled Johnson's hit as out of bounds. The visiting coach sacrificed his team's momentum to inform the referee that the hit was in bounds, awarding the point to Sand Springs. The Tigers notched one more kill and the home team closed out with an ace from Devree Youngblood to secure the victory.

Mutiri, who recently de-committed from Ohio State University, led the team per usual with her third-highest output of the season. The senior scored 21 kills and one block. Cypert and Youngblood each scored five kills, followed by Madison Burris with four and Johnson with one. Burris led the team with 25 assists. Youngblood notched three aces, followed by Campfield with two and Madison Ward with one.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday, September 5th with a home match against No. 8 Union (8-4). The Redskins previously defeated Sand Springs 3-1 in the third match of the season, and 3-0 at their home tournament.