CPHS Football Preview: Booker T. Washington and the Sandites' playoff prayer

Lane Lettich ran for 131 yards and a touchdown in a 2015 Semifinal victory over Booker T. Washington. (Photo: Austin Evans).

Class 6A-II No. 10 ranked Charles Page High School (3-6, 2-4) travels to No. 5 Booker T. Washington (6-3, 5-1) to wrap up the regular season, but despite their losing record, their season might not end there.

This will be the Sandites’ first losing season since 2011, but thanks to circular losses, there’s still a slim chance that they could extend their six-year playoff run with a little help from Ponca City. Technically they could also finish with a winning record if they win out for the gold ball. Stranger things have happened.

Bixby, Booker T., and Muskogee have the top three spots on lock, but the bottom berth is still open for discussion. Sapulpa will more than likely win it, but with two key upsets the Sandites could sneak past them.

First, Sand Springs has to beat Booker T. Second, Ponca City has to knock off Sapulpa. Neither is likely, and the latter is far less likely than the former, but neither is impossible.

Sapulpa owns the No. 5 offense and the Wildcats are tenth in defense. Sapulpa has the No. 9 defense against Ponca’s No. 13 offense. Far from an even matchup.

In the long shot chance that Ponca City upsets Sapulpa, it’ll drop the Chieftains to 3-4 in district play. If Sand Springs beats Booker T., they’ll improve to 3-4. Bartlesville and Shawnee will play each other in Week Ten, and the winner will improve to 3-4, creating a three-way tie for the playoff berth.

Sapulpa beat both Bartlesville and Shawnee. Sand Springs beat Sapulpa but lost to Bartlesville and Shawnee. The head-to-head record will be 1-1 for all three teams, leaving the tie-breaker to district points. That’s where Sand Springs has the edge. Bartlesville could only finish with -19 at most. Shawnee could only finish with -33 at most. If Sapulpa loses by only a single point they’ll have -24. If Sand Springs wins by only a single point they’ll have -3 to clench the playoff berth.

The Sandites won’t have any say on what goes down in Sapulpa, but they can do their part by upsetting the defending State Champions at 7:00 p.m. in Tulsa.

SE Williams Stadium
1514 East Zion Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74106

OSSAA 6A-II District 2 Standings
6-0 Bixby (89 district points)
5-1 Booker T. Washington (61)
4-2 Muskogee (32)
3-3 Sapulpa (-23)
2-4 Bartlesville (-34)
2-4 Shawnee (-48)
2-4 Sand Springs (-4)
0-6 Ponca City (-73)

Last Week

Sand Springs put together four quarters of good football for the third time this season thanks to a dominant performance from the offensive line, propelling Caden Pennington to a career-best performance. Pennington was 8-9-123-0 by air for one touchdown and 28-212 on the ground for six scores.

The Sandites amassed 474 yards, 351 on the ground, in their highest-scoring performance of the season. The defense surrendered 303 yards to the No. 5 offense in 6A-II, forcing three punts and one turnover on downs to hold the Chieftains to their season average.

Booker T. Washington had a lackluster performance against a winless Ponca City, suffering a 7-0 first half shutout before rallying with 27 unanswered points in the second half. Defensively they gave up only 91 yards on four receptions and 50 yards on 38 carries.

This Season

The Sandites have had a tough year with three come-from-behind losses. They have no problem scoring and no problem getting stops, but both sides of the ball have a hard time finishing. They led Muskogee to start the fourth quarter, led Bartlesville till the final five seconds, and lost to Shawnee in overtime. Despite the rough start, they have been heavy competitors in the majority of their games and their hard work paid off with a Week Nine Senior Night rivalry upset. They could just as easily be 6-3, 5-1 right now.

The Hornets got off to a rough start and didn’t improve to a winning record till Week Seven, though only one of their losses came at the hands of an Oklahoma team. A major second-half team, they average only two points in the first quarter, ten in the first half, and 22 in the second half. They’ve suffered seven first-quarter shutouts and came back to win four of those. They suffered four first-half shutouts and came back to win one of those.

No. 10 Sand Springs (3-6, 2-4)

28-41 vs. Mansfield Summit (4-4)
45-24 @ Putnam City (0-9)
13-49 @ Greenwood (8-1)
35-14 @ Ponca City (0-9)
20-23, OT @ Shawnee (2-7)
27-45 vs. Muskogee (6-3)
27-29 vs. Bartlesville (3-6)
0-35 vs. Bixby (8-1)
48-34 vs. Sapulpa (6-3)

No. 5 Booker T. Washington (6-3, 5-1)

28-29 @ North Little Rock (9-0)
24-14 vs. Bishop Kelley (7-2)
7-36 vs. Horn Lake (10-0)
27-7 @ Ponca City (0-9)
54-0 vs. Shawnee (2-7)
47-26 vs. Muskogee (6-3)
43-6 vs. Bartlesville (3-6)
7-21 @ Bixby (8-1)
20-3 @ Sapulpa (6-3)

Average Sandite Box Score
Opponent 33 CPHS 27
First Downs: Opp 16, CPHS 16.
Fumbles/Lost: Opp 2/1, CPHS 2/1.
Penalties: Opp 9-85, CPHS 7-63.
Passing: Opp 11-18-145-0, CPHS 9-16-124-1.
Rushing: Opp 39-215, CPHS 42-238.
Offense: Opp 57-361, CPHS 58-363.

The Programs

Sand Springs is coming off a 5-6 season, led by twelfth-year Head Coach Dustin Kinard with a 63-66 record. They are riding an all-time program-best streak of six-straight seasons with playoff berths.. They have been in Class 6A-II since its inception and made it to the finals in 2015. The Sandites hold one gold ball, winning the 2A State title in 1966.

Booker T. Washington went 12-1 last year, ending Bixby’s reign as 6A-II State Champs. Head Coach Brad Calip is in his third-year at the helm with a 32-13 career record. The Hornets are also on a six-year playoff streak. Last year was their first trip to the 6A-II finals. They own nine State titles, coming in 2017, 2010, 2008, 1984, 1973, 1971, 1969, 1968, and 1967.

The Series (Booker T. Washington 14-7)

The Sandite-Hornet rivalry is a short one, dating back to only 1986 overall and 2012 in its current series. The Hornets won 8-4 from 1986-1997, won back-to-back in 2006-2007, and are 4-3 in the current series.

Booker T. holds the record for most points scored in a game with a 62-28 win in 2006, which was also the highest-scoring game overall. Their biggest win came in 1992 at 48-7. Sand Springs’s highest-scoring game was a 42-38 win in 2013. Their biggest victory was 21-7 in 2012.

The Hornets’ longest win-streak is three games (1988-1990 and 1992-1994) and the Sandites have only won back-to-back once from 2012-2013. Washington owns two shutouts, including a 40-0 beat down last season. The Sandites have never shut out the Hornets.

Sand Springs and Booker T. have only met twice in the same season one time in series history and that was in 2015. The Hornets won 17-14 in the regular season, but Sand Springs prevailed 30-23 in the semifinals at Sapulpa’s George F. Collins Stadium.

1986: Booker T. Washington 42-21
1987: Sand Springs 15-12
1988: Booker T. Washington 28-14
1989: Booker T. Washington 35-0
1990: Booker T. Washington 31-16
1991: Sand Springs 15-14
1992: Booker T. Washington 48-7
1993: Booker T. Washington 21-14
1994: Booker T. Washington 28-6
1995: Sand Springs 14-10
1996: Booker T. Washington 34-6
1997: Sand Springs 23-15
2006: Booker T. Washington 62-28
2007: Booker T. Washington 23-7
2012: Sand Springs 21-7
2013: Sand Springs 42-38
2014: Booker T. Washington 42-35
2015: Booker T. Washington 17-14
2015: Sand Springs 30-23 (Semifinals)
2016: Booker T. Washington 17-12
2017: Booker T. Washington 40-0

2018 State Leaders

Passing
78-139-1076-6, 12TD Pennington
1-1-41-0 Foster

Receiving
22-360, 5TD Hawkins
20-224, 3TD Snodgrass
11-166, 1TD Foster
10-157, 2TD Roberts
2-70, 1TD Roe

Rushing
124-882, 7TD Mackey
127-661, 12TD Pennington
95-471, 4TD Wilkerson
15-71 McCallie
7-23 Jones

Kick Returns
13-196 Snodgrass
2-59 Mackey
2-38 McCallie
2-31 King
3-31 Roe

Kick-Avg
45-33 Weiser

Punt-Avg
2-39 Pennington
17-32 Smith
1-16 Weiser

PAT
27/30 Weiser

Field Goals
1-26 Weiser

Tackles
96 Cramer
43 Bratcher
37 Haley
32 Peterman
30 Adcock

For Loss
9-19 Bratcher
8-17 Cramer
6-23 Myers
6-16 Peterman
5-9 Glass

Sacks
4-17 Myers
3-11 Bratcher
1-3 Cramer
1-3 Peterman

Breakups
6 Adcock
5 Haley
4 Bratcher
2 Mackey

Interceptions
1 Dudley
1 Hawkins

Forced Fumbles
1 Bratcher
1 Cramer

Fumble Recoveries
2 Glass
1 Peterman
1 Rutledge

Blocked Kicks
2 Mackey

Lady Sandite Softball wins 3rd Annual Monster Ball 13-12 over Sandite Baseball

Click here for full photo gallery.

The Charles Page High School Softball team won the third annual Monster Ball Thursday night at the Sandite Softball Complex, defeating the Baseball team 13-12 in extra innings. The costumed slow-pitch game raised $1,353 for Sand Springs Special Olympics.

The baseball team played with a heavy handicap, starting with three balls and one strike. They had to bat with their non-dominant hand and couldn’t lead off while base running. Despite all this, they still gave the Lady Sandites a run for their money, and would have won if the game ended in seven innings as originally planned.

Seth Villines, dressed as a unicorn, hit a home run in the top of the first for the baseball lead, but a devilish Rachel Jones took the first softball lead in the bottom of the third with a 2RBI double off the center field wall. An alien Liz Luttrell and a Madison Lee Pooh Bear scored on the hit.

Ethan Sartin, dressed as Head Baseball Coach James Garrison, tied it up with an off-the-wall double in the top of the fourth. Cal Watkins, as a pink poodle, hit an RBI single for the 3-2 lead.

Kyler Copeland came as Sloth from the Goonies, but had to remove his mask to find the ball. Find it he did, drilling an RBI triple to make it 4-2. President Donald Trump scored in the top of the seventh. Ty Davis hit an in-the-park home run and Sophia Regalado scored in the bottom of the inning.

The baseball team had a 5-4 lead when the game was supposed to end, but the night was young and the coaches agreed to extend the show and go nine innings.

Morty Smith scored on a triple from a large chicken in the top of the eighth, but Luttrell hit a 2RBI double to tie it and came in on an error for the lead. Avery Tanner walked and Jones hit a home run to make it 9-6.

By the top of the ninth the Lady Sandites had sneaked more than twenty players on the field, but they couldn’t stop a two-run homer from Villines, or an RBI single from Trump to tie it at 9-9.

The game went to one pitch per plate appearance in the tenth inning. Villines hit an RBI single and Watkins hit a home run for the 12-9 lead. A cotton candy Jenson Arnold hit a 2RBI single, then Tanner and Luttrell were walked in on loaded bases for the win.

The series is now 2-1 in the softball team’s favor.

High School 6A-2 Football Rankings: Week 10

Class 6A-II Football Week 10 - Sandite Pride News Rankings

1. Stillwater (9-0)
   Shut out Putnam City 56-0, travels to Del City Friday.

2. Bixby (8-1)
   Defeated Shawnee 41-7, travels to Muskogee Friday.

3. Midwest City (7-2)
   Defeated Choctaw 41-21, hosts Putnam West Friday.

4. Del City (7-2)
   Defeated Lawton 55-28, hosts Stillwater Friday.

5. Booker T. Washington (6-3)
   Defeated Ponca City 27-7, hosts Sand Springs Friday.

6. Lawton (5-4)
   Lost 28-55 to Del City, travels to Putnam City Thursday.

7. Muskogee (6-3)
   Defeated Bartlesville 39-22, hosts Bixby Friday.

8. Sapulpa (6-3)
   Lost 34-48 to Sand Springs, hosts Ponca City Friday.

9. Choctaw (4-5)
   Lost 21-41 to Midwest City, travels to Deer Creek Friday.

10. Sand Springs (3-6)
    Defeated Sapulpa 48-34, travels to Booker T. Washington Friday.

11. Bartlesville (3-6)
    Lost 22-39 to Muskogee, travels to Shawnee Friday.

12. Shawnee (2-7)
    Lost 7-41 to Bixby, hosts Bartlesville Friday.

13. Deer Creek (3-6)
    Defeated Putnam West 38-14, hosts Choctaw Friday.

14. Putnam West (1-8)
    Lost 14-38 to Deer Creek, travels to Midwest City Friday.

15. Ponca City (0-9)
    Lost 7-27 to Booker T. Washington, travels to Sapulpa Friday.

16. Putnam City (0-9)
    Lost 0-56 to Stillwater, hosts Lawton Thursday.

OSSAA 6A-II District Standings

District I
6-0 Stillwater (78)
5-1 Midwest City (56)
5-1 Del City (47)
3-3 Lawton (11)
2-4 Choctaw (-12)
2-4 Deer Creek (-38)
1-5 Putnam West (-60)
0-6 Putnam City (-82)

District II
6-0 Bixby (89)
5-1 Booker T. Washington (61)
4-2 Muskogee (32)
3-3 Sapulpa (-23)
2-4 Bartlesville (-34)
2-4 Shawnee (-48)
2-4 Sand Springs (-4)
0-6 Ponca City (-73)

Top Offense
(Points Scored per game)
44.8 Stillwater
42.0 Bixby
37.9 Lawton
36.0 Del City
35.8 Sapulpa
32.4 Muskogee
32.0 Midwest City
31.3 Choctaw
28.6 Booker T. Washington

Top Defense
(Points Allowed)
11.2 Bixby
15.2 Stillwater
15.8 Booker T. Washington
18.0 Del City
19.9 Midwest City
26.3 Muskogee
28.6 Deer Creek
29.7 Choctaw
31.8 Sapulpa

Margin of Victory
30.8 Bixby
29.6 Stillwater
18.0 Del City
12.8 Booker T. Washington
12.1 Midwest City
6.1 Muskogee
4.0 Sapulpa
3.9 Lawton
1.7 Choctaw

CPHS Football: Pennington scores 7 TDs in 48-34 upset of Sapulpa, presented by YellowHouse Market & Boutique

Photo: Morgan Miller.

The Class 6A No. 11 ranked Charles Page High School football team (3-6, 2-4) pulled off a huge 48-34 upset of No. 7 Sapulpa (6-3, 3-3) Friday at Memorial Stadium. The game doubled as the Sandites’ biggest rivalry, and their Senior Night. It was the fifth-straight victory for Sand Springs in the Highway 97 Rivalry.

Coverage of the event brought to you by YellowHouse Market & Boutique. YellowHouse brings designer clothing in all sizes to downtown Sand Springs at 122 North Main Street.

The Sandites jumped out to a 20-0 lead with a 13-0 first quarter shutout before letting the  Chieftains back into the game. The bitter foes exchanged punches back-and-forth throughout the game, and the first-quarter was the difference maker in the fourteen-point win.

Senior quarterback Caden Pennington and the stellar Sandite O-Line were the stars of the show as Pennington carried 28 times for 212 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Six rushing touchdowns is the second-most ever scored in a single game by a Sandite, behind only Payton Scott’s seven-score performance in 2017. His 212 yards were a career-best and the second-best performance of the season for any Sandite. He also had a solid 8-9-123-0 passing performance for seven total touchdowns and 335 total yards.

Pennington scored on runs of one yard, three yards, and two yards for the 20-0 lead before Sapulpa got on the board. Jaden Weiser made two point-after kicks but a two-point play failed to convert after a bad hike. Pennington notched a career-best 61-yard run on the third scoring drive.

Cameron Smith recovered a fumbled kick after the second drive, but the Chieftains made their first defensive stop with a pass break-up at the end zone and forced a punt.

Sapulpa’s Marcus Esparza scored on an eighteen-yard run with a kick from Kaivon Mortazavii. The Sandites retaliated with a five-play 72-yard drive, featuring a spectacular 53-yard pass to Daren Hawkins, and three-yard touchdown run from Pennington. Chieftain quarterback Elijah Williams was next in the endzone on a 26-yard run for the final points of the half.

The Sandites kicked off the second half with a twelve-play 71-yard scoring drive and six yard touchdown pass from Pennington to Roberts. Esparza made a seventeen-yard scoring run just four plays later, but Mortazavi missed the extra point to make it 34-20.

The two treams traded three-and-outs, then Pennington scored on a 33-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter. Esparza scored from seven yards out, Pennington scored from one-yard, then Esparza scored again with fourteen seconds to play.

Roberts and Garrett McCallie successfully fielded onside kick attempts on the Chieftains’ last two drives to prevent any comeback attempt.

Daren Hawkins recorded five receptions on the night for 77 yards, Joel Mackey carried fourteen times for 75 yards and Trey Wilkerson had sixteen carries for 67 yards. Aaron King, Jacob Snodgrass, and Justin Roe averaged seventeen-yards per kick return, Cameron Smith averaged 28 yards per punt, and Hayden Cramer led the defense in tackles.

Sand Springs scored seven touchdowns on nine drives with two punts, averaging eight plays and 51 yards per possession. Sapulpa punted three times and gave up one turnover on downs, averaging 38 yards on six plays per possession.

The Sandites will return to action in their season finale Friday at No. 3 Booker T. Washington (6-3, 5-1). Sapulpa will host No. 15 Ponca City (0-9, 0-6). The Hornets defeated the Wildcats 27-7 in Week Nine.

Week 9 6A-II Results
Muskogee 39-22 Bartlesville
Midwest City 41-21 Choctaw
Deer Creek 38-14 Putnam West
Booker T. Washington 27-7 Ponca City
Bixby 41-7 Shawnee
Del City 55-28 Lawton
Stillwater 56-0 Putnam City

OSSAA 6A-II District II Standings
6-0 Bixby (89 District Points)
5-1 Booker T. Washington (61)
4-2 Muskogee (32)
3-3 Sapulpa (-23)
2-4 Bartlesville (-34)
2-4 Shawnee (-48)
2-4 Sand Springs (-4)
0-6 Ponca City (-73)

CPHS Football Halftime Report: Sandites lead Sapulpa 27-14, presented by YellowHouse Market & Boutique

The Sapulpa Student Section shows their support for CPHS Head Coach Dustin Kinard and his battle with pancreatic cancer. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

The Class 6A No. 11 ranked Charles Page High School football team (2-6, 1-4) took a 27-14 first half lead in their rivalry game against the No. 7 Sapulpa Chieftains (6-2, 3-2) Friday on Senior Night at Memorial Stadium.

The Sandites jumped out to a 20-0 lead with a 13-0 first quarter shutout before letting the  Chieftains back into the game with a 14-14 second quarter tie.

The visitors tried to get fancy on their opening drive with a punt fake, but the Sandite defense broke up the pass play for a turnover on downs and a scoring drive. Senior quarterback Caden Pennington hit Luke Bratcher for a 27-yard pass, then ran for eighteen yards on the next play before punching it in from one-yard out. Jaden Weiser kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

The stellar Sandite defense forced a quick three-and-out and the offense put together a thirteen-play 59-yard drive capped by a three-yard Pennington run. This time the point-after fell apart due to a bad snap.

Cameron Smith recovered a fumbled kick on the next play, but the Chieftains made their first defensive stop with a pass break-up at the end zone and forced a punt.

Sapulpa punted it away soon after and Pennington stole the show again, setting up a first-and-goal after a career-long 61-yard run, then scored from two yards out soon after. Weiser capped the 20-0 run with 6:25 in the half.

Then Sapulpa came alive.

Marcus Esparza scored on an eighteen-yard run after a six-play 62-yard drive to get the visitors on the board. The Sandites retaliated with a five-play 72-yard drive, featuring a spectacular 53-yard pass to Daren Hawkins, and three-yard touchdown run from Pennington.

Chieftain quarterback Elijah Williams was next in the endzone on a 26-yard run for the final points of the half.

CPHS Cross Country: Jacob Smith qualifies for State Championship

The Charles Page High School Cross Country team saw their season come to an end Saturday at the Mohawk Sports Complex. Neither the boys nor girls placed high enough to advance to State as teams, but Jacob Smith qualified as an individual.

Broken Arrow freshman Payton Hinkle won the Girls 6A-East Regional Title in 18:48.9 and Edmond North senior Parker Jackson won the boys’ race in 16:24.1. Owasso won the team titles for both boys and girls.

The Lady Sandites placed thirteenth of fifteen schools, led by Erika Baker in 22:50 for fiftieth place. The boys were a solid ninth of sixteen teams, led by Smith in 17:59.4 for 29th place.

The top seven teams from each Regional will advance to State, as well as the top fourteen individual placers from a non-qualifying school. Smith was the No. 10 qualifier, while Nelson Yazzie missed the No. 14 spot by less than a second.

The 6A Boys State Championship will be held Saturday, October 27th at 12:45 p.m., followed by the Awards Assembly at 1:30 p.m. The race will be at Edmond Santa Fe High School at 1901 West 15th Street in Edmond. The top fifteen runners will receive medals.

Varsity Girls 5K
22:50.5 Erika Baker - 50th
23:21.6 Sara Abbet - 60th
24:20.9 Jazmin Lopez - 75th
24:54.4 Chezney Kelley - 80th
25:49.3 Wanageeska Williams - 85th
26:59.7 Teagan Smith - 94th
27:31.1 Elizabeth Watts - 99th

Varsity Boys 5K
17:59.4 Jacob Smith - 29th
18:07.4 Nelson Yazzie - 36th
18:33.6 Aden Baughman - 55th
18:35.0 Jaelyn Jackson - 57th
18:49.1 Danny Murray - 64th
19:22.9 Cameron McCrary - 74th
19:54.9 Alejandro Lopez - 84th

The Sandites traveled to Bartlesville recently for a muddy 5K at the Frontier Valley Conference Championship.

Hinkle won the Varsity Girls race in 18:58 while senior teammate Blake McConkay won the boys’ run in 16:40. A youthful Jenks team won the girls’ trophy with three freshman and three sophomores, showing a glimpse of the Trojans’ years to come. Jenks also won the boys’ race, but will graduate four of their five scorers this year.

Chezney Kelley was the leading Lady Sandite, placing 39th in 23:03, followed by Sara Abbet in 23:17 for 43rd place. The team finished ninth of nine teams. Smith led the boys’ team with a 17:56 finish for 23rd, with Yazzie right behind him in 18:01. The Sandites placed sixth of nine teams, just ten points behind Sapulpa.

Jenks also won the boys’ and girls’ junior varsity 5Ks. The Lady Sandites didn’t field a full team, but the boys placed sixth of eight schools, led by tenth-place finisher Cameron McCrary in 18:58.

Varsity Girls 5K
23:03 Chezney Kelley - 39th
23:17 Sara Abbet - 43rd
24:06 Erike Baker - 48th
24:51 Jazmin Lopez - 56th
25:14 Teagan Smith - 58th
25:41 Wanageeska Williams - 61st
25:42 Victoria Baker - 62nd
26:48 Elizabeth Watts - 66th

Junior Varsity Girls 5K
27:26 Haylee Alford - 51st

Varsity Boys 5K
17:56 Jacob Smith - 23rd
18:01 Nelson Yazzie - 24th
18:13 Aden Baughman - 27th
18:45 Danny Murray - 37th
18:49 Jaelyn Jackson - 38th
19:30 Alejandro Lopez - 49th
20:42 Kaegan Murray - 59th

Junior Varsity Boys 5K
18:58 Cameron McCrary - 10th
20:08 Sam English - 36th
21:25 Matt Wilkerson - 71st
21:53 Caleb James - 83rd
22:25 Dalton Wilcox - 94th
23:00 Titus Wright - 100th
23:28 David Rigsby - 104th
23:53 Dylan Bruton - 106th
24:17 Noah Hanlon - 108th
28:31 Caleb Garzone - 126th