Seven Sandites win gold at Catoosa Tournament

Seven Sandites took home top prize at the Catoosa Open tournament recently.

Asher Giddens (6-1) took first place in Division 1 at 46 pounds. He pinned Maddox Masters in 1:27, then defeated Toby Shield 11-4 and Grady Langham 7-2.

Clayton Giddens (6-0) won his second straight tournament in Division 4 at 73 pounds. He pinned Max Matthews in 3:39, Dylan Abbott in 0:36, and Rich Xiong in 0:32.

Kasen McAffrey (4-0) won his second-straight tournament in Division 2 at seventy pounds. He defeated teammate Ethan Starks 11-6 then pinned Kyle Belt in 26 seconds. Starks (2-2) took second place by pinning Belt in 24 seconds.

Jaxon Grigsby (5-0) won his second-straight tournament of the season, competing at 55 pounds in Division 3. He pinned Korbin Rogers in 1:24 and Jacob Fuller in 1:01.

Abraham Flores (4-1) took first place in Division 4 at 110 pounds, pinning Aiven Robbins in 2:42 and majoring Hank Powell 13-2.

Will Meredith (2-0) took first place in Division 3 at 52 pounds, winning a best-of-three series with Peyton Sims. He pinned his foe in 3:58 in the first match and majored the Bristow wrestler 16-3 in round two.

Robert Burke (6-1) took first place in Division 3 at seventy pounds. He defeated Benjamin Smith 9-2, then majored Adam Russell 18-5 and Joaquin Moralez 11-2.

Grady Mittasch (2-1) placed second in Division 4 at eighty pounds. He defeated Samuel Melton 6-2 and pinned Dylan Seawright in 49 seconds, but was pinned by Corban Zugelder in the finals.

Carter Wood (5-2) came in runner-up in Division 2 at 75 pounds. He pinned Eli Montgomery in 1:12 in the opening round, but was defeated 7-0 by Mason OBanion. In the consolation bracket he pinned Robin Starrett in 1:25 and majored Max Harland 8-0.

Rollin Fish (5-1) placed second in Division 1 at 66 pounds. He was pinned by Jaden O’Kelley in the opening round, but rebounded with a fall against Wyatt Bussell in 2:33. He won a 6-2 decision over Davis Tusler then pinned Remington Hays in 57 seconds.

Jaxon Trotter (1-1) came in second in Division 3 at a hundred pounds. He was majored 13-1 by Haydan Yocham, but pinned Lance Arbona in 1:12.

Owen Martin (1-1) placed second in Division 5 at 84 pounds. He was defeated 2-1 by Ethan Peterson in the opening round but pinned Kameron Neighbors in 41 seconds.

Jace Simms (3-3) placed second in Division 3 at 73 pounds. He pinned Easton Olenberger in 2:04 and Cash Mayfield in 4:17, but was pinned in 3:52 by Daxton Sullivan. He also defeated teammate David Ritchey (2-2) by 6-3 decision. Ritchey (2-2) placed third, pinning Mayfield in 2:58 and Olenberger in 32 seconds. He also fell 9-2 to Sullivan.

Bentley Cole (2-1) placed third in Division 1 at 43 pounds. He was pinned by Knox Lopez in the opening match, but defeated Bentlee Starks in the consolations and pinned Gage Tyree in 1:14.

Wyatt Meredith (2-1) placed third in Division 5 at 92 pounds. He was pinned by Josey Jernegan in the opening round, but defeated Lane Parrish 6-0 and pinned Case Carlile in 38 seconds.

Troy Haller (2-2) took fourth in Division 3 at 67 pounds. He majored Cooper Bean 8-0 and defeated Colt Cothran 7-4 but was pinned by Hunter Knox and majored 17-6 by Kyler Auten.

Four Sandites win gold at Cleveland Novice Tournament

Several young Sandites competed at the Cleveland Novice Folkstyle wrestling tournament recently and four took home first-place medals.

Tyler Feigenbaum (3-0) won Division 2 at 67-pounds handily, pinning his first two opponents in 23 and 48 seconds. In the finals he majored Sapulpa’s Mason Denison 16-5.

Skyler Wood (4-0) won his second-straight tournament in Division 3, pinning both of his foes at seventy pounds. He took down Ryder Trepton in 1:18 and Kalon Covey in only 36 seconds.

Lane Cannon (2-0) won Division 2 at 105 pounds, pinning Law Cunningham in 2:48 and 0:50.

Connor Beals (4-1) won Division 3 at 73 pounds for the second-straight week, winning a best-of-three series against Jeremy Stubbs of Ponca City. Beals won the first match 8-7, was defeated 10-2 in the second match, then finished strong with a 10-6 decision.

Andrew Price (2-1) came in runner-up in Division 2 at 55 pounds. He pinned Brody Denison in 3:00 and edged out John Burk 7-6, but fell in 4:30 to Slade Theriot in the finals.

Jareb Boatman (3-1) took third place in the 58-pound Division 2. He pinned Kayden Harris in 1:44 in the opening round before being pinned in turn by Michael Allen. In the consolation bracket he defeated Landyn Smith 7-4 and Camille Jones 7-5 in sudden victory overtime.

Gage Gunn (1-1) came in runner-up in the Division 3 64-pound weight class. He lost his first match by a single point, 5-4 to Landon Dodd, but rebounded with a 6-3 decision over Carver Barnett.

Gatlin Gunn (1-1) came in runner-up in Division 4 at 84 pounds. He won his first match 6-4 against Tanner Hulbert but was pinned by Ryan Cantrell in the finals.

Canaan Rogers (1-3) was runner-up in the Division 2 49-pound weight class. He won his first match 14-12 against Harrison Redleaf, but was pinned in 1:35 by Michael Duncan.

Sand Springs Junior High Cheer takes first place at Tulsa Classic

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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). 

CPHS Football: Sandites end season 47-12 at No. 2 Midwest City

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. 

CPHS Football Preview: No. 2 Midwest City hosts No. 8 Sand Springs

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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

Week Eleven 6A-II rankings and playoff predictions; a look at this weekend's games

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.