Photo courtesy of Michele Smith.
The Sand Springs Junior High Cheer Team took first place this past week at the American Spirit Championships Tulsa Classic at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center (UMAC).
The No. 8 ranked Charles Page High School football team (5-6) saw their season come to an end Friday night in Midwest City as the No. 2 Bombers (10-1) secured their first semifinal berth since before the Class 6A split. The home team dominated with a 47-12 win that was nearly a shutout.
MWC 47 CPHS 12
1Q MWC 13-0
2Q MWC 21-0
3Q CPHS 12-6
4Q MWC 7-0
Passing: MWC 14-22-228-0, CPHS 3-8-20-2.
Rushing: CPHS 39-151, MWC 39-148.
Plays-Offense: MWC 61-376, CPHS 47-171.
First Downs: MWC 14, CPHS 9.
Penalties: 9-90.
Fumbles-Lost: CPHS 4-0, MWC 3-1.
This was the third quarterfinal meeting in four years between the two teams. The Sandites topped their higher-seeded hosts the first two times, but this time their record of three-straight semifinal appearances came to a close at the hands of the powerful District One Champions. This was also their first losing record since 2011, though it was a break-even regular season. The Sandites are currently on a school-record six-season streak of making the playoffs.
Things started out ugly for the Sandites who committed two false starts before ever running a play. Payton Scott had a nice fifteen yard run, but it wasn’t enough for a first down after the penalties and they punted away the opening possession. The Bombers scored on their first two possessions with a fourteen-yard pass from Preston Colbert to Dajon Sealey and a 42 yard run by Omari Johns. Elliot Janish’s first point-after kick was good, the second was blocked, and the home team held a 13-0 lead after the first quarter.
On the first drive of the second quarter the Bombers scored on a 25-yard pass from Colbert to Juwan Walker. The Sandites were held to a three-and-out, and the Bombers scored on the first play of the corresponding drive with a 44-yard endzone pass to Walker for the 27-0 advantage. Walker hauled in a twelve-yarder on the next drive to make it 34-0.
The Sandites finally got close to the red zone late in the first half thanks to a 31-yard kick return by Scott and an eleven-yard pass from Caden Pennington to Daren Hawkins, but Tramon Jackson beat out a Sandite receiver for an endzone interception on the next play. The Bombers ran the clock and took a knee for the first-half shutout.
The Sandites got their first defensive stand on the opening possession of the second half, forcing a punt from their 36. The offense picked up a pair of first downs from Scott, but a sack, forced fumble, and recovery from Elijah Manuel led to a one-yard touchdown run by Astin Anderson just five plays later. The visitors got a slight moral victory with a blocked point-after kick by Joel Mackey, but the Bombers were still up 40-0 with more than a quarter to play.
The Sandites finally hit paydirt on their next play with a fifty-yard march by Scott, capped by a two-yard run. The two point play fell apart, but at last the visitors were on the board.
Then came the defensive heroics. Senior lineman Gage Fain forced fumbles on back-to-back plays. The Bombers recovered the first and were drilled for a loss of twenty by Jerry Lyons. Kris Edwards recovered the second and two plays later Scott punched in a 26-yard run. The two-point pass play was unsuccessful, but the Sandites were finally threatening.
That would be the end of their good fortune, however. Their next possession was held to a single play as Jackson picked off his second interception of the night and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Janish's kick was the final point of the game. The Sandites fumbled their next possession, the teams exchanged punts, and Midwest City marched to the Sandite redzone before letting the clock run out.
Scott ended the night with 174 yards on 27 carries, bringing his season total to a school-record 341 carries for 2,482 yards and 33 touchdowns. In his career he is 844-5412 rushing with 63 scores, plus 31 receptions for 449 yards and three touchdowns. He also recorded his first pass on a short shovel to Ben Nortey for eight yards.
Midwest City will advance to the semifinals and will take on the three-time defending State Champions from No. 5 Bixby (7-4) who trounced No. 4 Stillwater (8-3) 41-14. No. 1 Booker T. Washington (10-1) defeated No. 6 Putnam City (7-4) 56-21 and will take on No. 3 Lawton (9-2) who defeated No. 7 Muskogee (5-5) 57-36.
Current Pittsburg State freshman defensive end Delvin Jordan pressures Bomber quarterback Preston Colbert in the 2016 quarterfinals. (Photo: Virgil Noah).
For the third time in the past four years, the No. 8 ranked Charles Page High School football team (5-5) will travel to No. 2 Midwest City (9-1) for the first round of the Class 6A-II playoffs. The Sandites won their last two bouts with the Bombers, but this will be their toughest match yet.
In 2014 the Sandites made the playoffs for the third-straight year and notched their first playoff win since 1997 when they topped Midwest City 29-28 in overtime. The No. 4 Bombers (7-3) were the favorite to win, but No. 5 Sand Springs (8-4) sent the game into overtime with a field goal and won with a defensive stand on a two-point conversion attempt. The Sandites were defeated 41-14 by Bixby in the semifinals.
In 2016 the No. 3 Sandites (7-5) topped the No. 4 Bombers (7-4) 23-14 for their fifth-straight playoff appearance and third-straight quarterfinal win. Hunter Greathouse was 13-20-159-2 passing while Payton Scott ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns. The Sandites were defeated 35-21 by Bixby in the semifinals.
With only two meetings in school history, you wouldn't think there'd be much rivalry in the series, but Midwest City will be out to prove themselves after failing to win a playoff game since 2013 before the 6A split.
The Bombers have had a stellar season thus far, with their only loss coming 27-24 in overtime against No. 1 Booker T. Washington (9-1). They defeated No. 3 Lawton 41-35, No. 4 Stillwater 35-21, No. 6 Putnam City 32-14 and No. 7 Muskogee 26-20.
The Sandites have had several impressive outings that fell short in the final stretches. They led No. 9 Choctaw 20-7 before falling 21-20. They led Muskogee 34-30 before falling 40-34. They were tied 21-21 with No. 5 Bixby in the fourth quarter before falling 42-21.
The Sandites have finished three-straight seasons with quarterfinal wins and have had winning records for five-straight years. Both are school records. They'll have to win the State title to end with a winning record, but they can finish at an even 6-6 if they at least win this quarterfinal.
MWC Average Box
Scored: 40
First Downs: 17
Fumbles-Lost: 2-1
Penalties: 12-99
Passing: 14-21-237-0
Rushing: 35-157
Plays-Offense: 56-394
Allowed: 19
First Downs: 15
Fumbles-Lost: 2-1
Penalties: 7-58
Passing: 13-23-141-2
Rushing: 39-119
Plays-Offense: 62-260
CPHS Average Box
Scored: 28
First Downs: 14
Fumbles-Lost: 1-1
Penalties: 3-28
Passing: 5-11-63-1
Rushing: 44-270
Plays-Offense: 55-333
Allowed: 27
First Downs: 17
Fumbles-Lost: 2-1
Penalties: 6-49
Passing: 16-25-187-1
Rushing: 36-192
Plays-Offense: 61-379
Sand Springs vs. Midwest City History
2016: Sand Springs 23-14 (A, Quarterfinals)
2014: Sand Springs 29-28 OT (A, Quarterfinals)
Sand Springs Season Statistic Leaders
Passing
47-104-584-5 Pennington, 5 TD
1-2-45-0 Foster, 1 TD
Receiving
11-148 McCallie, 1 TD
9-144 Scott, 1 TD
11-88 Millican
2-61 Hawkins, 2 TD
2-47 Fleischman, 1 TD
Rushing
314-2308 Scott, 31 TD
28-240 Nortey, 2 TD
68-66 Pennington, 1 TD
10-28 McCallie
13-31 Jones
PAT
33/37 Weiser
Field Goals
1/2 Weiser, Long 25
Punting-Avg
36-31 Smith
1-48 Pennington
Kicking-Avg
27-35 Weiser
22-38 Cox
1-51 Smith
Punt Return
Kick Return
10-182 Denton
7-113 Bratcher
3-91 Scott
4-38 Millican
3-15 McCallie
Tackles
92 Cramer
59 Fleischman
48 Edwards
40 Fain
33 Finch
33 Lyons
For Loss
12-36 Finch
9-26 Fain
7-35 Edwards
6-32 Lyons
6-26 Cramer
Sacks
4-30 Lyons
3-31 Edwards
3-15 Fain
3-11 Finch
1-12 Fleischman
1-12 Cramer
Interceptions
4-31 Askew
2-13 Cramer
1 Cartwright
1 Lyons
Breakups
5 Cramer
4 Bratcher
4 Mackey
3 Denton
3 Edwards
3 Lyons
Fumble Recoveries
3-2 Edwards
2 Askew
1-24 Mackey
1 Bratcher
1 Cramer
Forced Fumbles
1 K. Adcock
1 Cartwright
1 Finch
1 Lyons
1 Mackey
The final eight were already decided going into last week's games, and now we have the final seeds for the fourth installment of the 6A Division Two playoffs.
No. 1 Booker T. Washington Hornets (Last Week No. 1) vs. No. 6 Putnam City Pirates (6)
The District Two Champions from Booker T. Washington (9-1, 6-0) will host Putnam City (7-3, 4-3). The Hornets won a relatively close (by their standards) 42-13 battle in Bartlesville (1-8, 1-5) while the Pirates won a solid 52-14 tuneup game in Enid (3-7, 1-6).
Washington's only loss this season was a 30-21 out-of-state exhibition with West Monroe, Louisiana (10-0). They even topped Midwest City 27-24 in overtime.
Putnam City played the tougher district and fell only 27-21 to Lawton and 39-32 to Stillwater but was dominated 32-14 by Midwest City. In their regular season finale AJ Newsome passed for 246 yards and four touchdowns with 38 yards on the ground for two touchdowns, all in the first half.
The pick: BTW 46 Putnam 21.
No. 2 Midwest City Bombers (2) vs. No. 8 Sand Springs Sandites (8)
The District One Champions from Midwest City (9-1, 7-0) won a solid 35-21 outing with Stillwater (8-2, 5-2) almost entirely on the ground. The Bombers combined for 151 rushing yards while Preston Colbert was 18-22-234-1 by air. They gave up 95 yards in penalties and had one fumble. The Bombers have lost only one game this season, by an overtime field goal to the top-ranked Hornets.
Sand Springs (5-5, 3-3) fell 42-21 to the defending State Champions from Bixby (6-4, 5-1) but it was all knotted up at 21-21 going into the fourth quarter. They tied 7-7 in the first, the Spartans won a second quarter 14-0 shutout, and the Sandites did the same in the third. Caden Pennington was 3-12-19-1 by air while Payton Scott carried 29 times for 148 yards and all three Sandite touchdowns.
The pick: MWC 33 CPHS 19.
No. 3 Lawton Wolverines (3) vs. No. 7 Muskogee Roughers (7)
Last year's State Runners-Up made their way to the finals with a 35-28 semifinal victory over Muskogee. The Roughers (5-4, 4-2) will get a rematch this year, and they'll need to bring their A-game. The Wolverines (8-2, 6-1) are coming off a dominant 56-28 victory in Deer Creek (4-6, 2-5) that started with a 42-7 lead by the second period. Alihas Hopper was 21-26-238 passing with five touchdowns. Miles Davis had 203 yards and two touchdowns on eighteen carries.
Muskogee rediscovered their typically potent offense after a lackluster 27-14 win in Sapulpa (1-9, 1-5), drubbing Ponca City (1-9, 1-5) 51-19 on the road. Jacob Medrano was 16-18-305 with five touchdowns by air and Kristian Hillmon carried 11 times for 93 yards They gave up 115 yards in penalties, but had no turnovers.
The pick: Lawton 48 Muskogee 35.
No. 4 Stillwater Pioneers (4) vs. No. 5 Bixby Spartans (5)
The three-time defending State Champions (6-4, 5-1) pulled out a winning season and home playoff game with their 42-21 fourth-quarter stand against the Sandites (5-5, 3-3) but they'll have their work cut out for them against Stillwater (8-2, 5-2) whose season has looked far cleaner and more consistent.
There have been two Bixbys this season. One Bixby beat Jenks 35-18, Muskogee 38-23, Ponca 68-7, and Sand Springs 21-0. The other Bixby lost three-straight including a 37-35 upset in Putnam City. They only beat Bartlesville 37-21, and they were shutout 21-0 by Booker T. Washington. In their regular season finale they squandered a 21-7 lead and allowed the Sandites to tie it up with a third-quarter shutout before rallying in the fourth. Staton King was 19-29-212-1 passing and Tucker Pawley ran for 229 yards and five touchdowns on 41 carries.
There's only one Stillwater and they can be counted on to show up. The Pioneers started on a five-win streak before falling 43-29 to Lawton, then went on another three-win streak before falling 35-21 to Midwest City. In their regular season finale they went down swinging with a 263-yard running performance and three touchdowns from Tyler Disidore. They also fumbled three times, turning over two of them.
The pick: Bixby 38 Stillwater 32
No. 9 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9)
Choctaw (6-4, 3-4) once again missed the playoffs by a hair with a winning record and solid season. They went 3-0 outside of their district, including an impressive come-from-behind 21-20 win against Sand Springs. They shut out Enid 37-0 and drilled Putnam West (1-9, 0-7) 45-17 in the season finale.
Avg Score: 26-23
No. 10 Deer Creek Antlers (10)
Deer Creek (4-6, 2-5) notched wins against 6A-I Southmoore and Edmond Memorial, as well as a 38-24 district win against Enid and a 34-7 performance against Putnam West. Their season finale was a 56-28 home loss to Lawton.
Avg Score: 25-34
No. 11 Enid Plainsmen (11)
Enid (3-7, 1-6) won their opening two games 34-23 over Guthrie and 61-34 against Ponca City, and made headlines with a 49-42 double-overtime comeback win against Putnam City West who led 42-7 after three quarters. Despite a potent offense, that would be their only district victory and they closed the season with six-straight losses and a 52-14 finale against Putnam City. AJ Newsome passed for 246 yards and four touchdowns with 38 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Avg Score: 30-44
No. 12 Putnam City West Patriots (12)
Putnam West (1-9, 0-7) won their season-opener 16-15 against Duncan, but wouldn't notch another win this year. They had a few solid performances, putting up 42 points against Enid and only falling 21-11 to Putnam City, but ended the year with a 45-17 loss to Choctaw.
Avg Score: 15-38
No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (13)
Bartlesville (1-8, 1-5) found their lone win in game six, 9-2 against Sapulpa. They also defeated McAlester 30-25 in the season debut, but forfeited the game later due to an ineligible player. After the suspension, then resignation of their former head coach, the Bruins were in a holding pattern under interim coach Kyle Ppool.
Avg Score: 16-39
No. 14 Sapulpa Chieftains (14)
Sapulpa (1-9, 1-5) started the season with seven-straight losses before trouncing Ponca City 42-14. They had several solid performances, including a 27-20 game against Choctaw, and a 27-14 loss to Muskogee, but never could cross the finish line. They ended the year with a 54-13 loss to Broken Arrow and managed 132 rushing yards against 6A-I powerhouse team.
Avg Score: 13-34
No. 15 Ponca City Wildcats (15)
Ponca City (1-9, 1-5) edged out Bartlesville 14-12 in week five to avert a winless season and ended the year with a 51-19 battle against Muskogee. Justin Andrews was 20-44-254-1 passing for both Wildcat touchdowns.
Avg Score: 14-44.
Scott Emigh
Editor-in-Chief
Overall: 68-18 (.791)
Last Week: 8-0 (1.00)
Last Year: 48-21 (.695)
Virgil Noah
Staff Writer
Overall: 58-15* (.794)
Last Week: 8-0 (1.00)
Last Year: 43-26 (.623)
*Virgil missed the first week of picks.
Charles Page High School senior softballer Destanie Garrett signed a letter of intent Wednesday morning to play collegiate ball for Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Oklahoma.
The Eagles are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC). They also compete in the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Division One.
The Southwestern softball team went 11-39 in the 2016-2017 season and finished last in the SAC. They are led by seventh-season head coach Kent Williams who has amassed an 80-209 record in his time with the program.
Charles Page High School senior and OSSAA 6A State Runner-Up golf star Carson Griggs signed a letter of intent Wednesday morning to play for the University of Denver (DU).
DU is a four-year private university participating in NCAA Division One athletics. The Pioneers have been members of The Summit League since 2013 and they placed sixth in the conference championship this past season. Their last conference title was in 2014 and their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2011. They are led by Head Coach Erik Billinger in his fourth season.
Griggs is coming off a second-place finish in the OSSAA 6A State Championship last May, finishing just two strokes behind the Champion in a field of 72 competitors. He shot four strokes under par in a three-round tournament at the Golf Club of Edmond. He tied for 20th place as a sophomore and 19th place as a freshman.
Last year Griggs took first place at the 6A State Preview at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, but the Championship location was relocated due to spring flooding at its usual site. He also won the Sand Springs Invitational and the Frontier Valley Conference Championship, and placed second at the Bartlesville Bruin Invitational.
Sandite Pride News, LLC is a locally owned and operated Sand Springs, Oklahoma news source, serving the community since 2014.
What is Sandite Pride News?
Sandite Pride is the only locally owned and operated news source for Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Sandite Pride News was founded in 2014 by Scott Emigh. The site is primarily focused on Sandite sports, Sand Springs city development, events, and community news.
