CPHS Softball: Stillwater tops Sandites 10-7 at Regional Championship

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A Cinderella story unfolded Thursday evening at the Sandite Softball Complex, but unfortunately for Sand Springs, Stillwater was the protagonist. The Lady Pioneers came into the tournament with a .500 record and a 12-2 loss to Sand Springs earlier in the season, but after falling 2-0 to the Sandites on Wednesday they battled back through the loser’s bracket and beat them 7-5 and 10-7 to put an end to the home team’s five-year streak of Regional titles.

Sand Springs came out strong and loaded the bases in the top of the first, but only scored one run. Aliyah Taff hit an RBI single to bring in JoLee McNally, prompting a Pioneer pitching change. Kendyl Prichard took over and threw a strikeout, then Lyric Perry caught a line drive at second to strand the side. Taff recorded another RBI in the third, scoring Raegan Rector on a ground out for the 2-0 lead.

Sidney McLaughlin tied things up for the Pioneers with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third and Addyson Brown scored on an error for the lead. McLaughlin had another big hit in the fourth, scoring Kaylee Linsenmeyer and Alex Griffin on a double to make it 5-2.

Olivia Alexander and McNally hit RBI singles in the top of the sixth and Lauren Hammock tagged up on a line out from Rector to tie it. Jaden Jordan singled to bring in McNally for the lead, then scored on an error to make it 7-5. Unfortunately for Sand Springs, Stillwater would have an equally successful inning.

The Pioneers loaded the bases, McLaughlin hit an RBI single, Griffin walked in, Camryn Westbrook scored on an error, and Perry hit an RBI double for the final run of the game. Madison Lee managed a single in the top of the seventh, but was left stranded as Stillwater secured the upset.

Nataley Crawford (7-1, 10-3) received the loss for Sand Springs, throwing one hit, two strikeouts, and two walks in 1.2 innings, and Taff (17-6, 34-20) threw 10 hits, two strikeouts, and two walks in 4.1 innings. Prichard got the win for the Pioneers with nine hits, two strikeouts, and two walks in 5.1 innings. Makenzi Swick got the start for Stillwater and threw four hits, two strikeouts, and one walk in 1.2 innings.

The Sandites’ five-year streak of State Tournament appearances came to an end, and with it the high school careers of Makenzie Burks, Drew Hawkins, Lee, and Taff. Despite failing to make the State Tournament, this team did pull off the Sandites’ best win percentage since 2012 with a 25-7 record.

Stillwater (19-16) will return to action Thursday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

CPHS Softball: Stillwater upset forces game 4 at Regionals

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The Charles Page High School fast pitch softball team (25-6) suffered a setback in their pursuit of a sixth-straight Regional Championship Thursday afternoon, dropping a 7-5 home upset to Stillwater (17-16) despite leading 5-1 after five innings. Stillwater scored five runs in the sixth to pay back Wednesday’s 2-0 loss and the teams will play a tie-breaker round at 5:15 p.m. to decide who goes to State.

Stillwater had a fortuitous first inning with a lead off double from Alex Griffin, who scored soon after on an error. The Sandites buckled down and Aliyah Taff threw three strikeouts in the inning to strand one runner. Madison Lee drew a walk to start things off for the Sandites, took third on an error, and tied it up on a ground out from JoLee McNally. 

Sand Springs put two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second, but Makenzi Swick stranded both with a strikeout. Taff repaid the favor in the top of the third, stranding two singles with her sixth strikeout of the game. Stillwater threatened again with a pair of singles in the top of the fourth but Lyric Perry tried to steal home and Avery Tanner made the throw to Olivia Alexander for the tag out. Taff struck out Kendyl Prichard to strand one runner. 

The Sandites hit their stride in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits for the 5-1 lead. Alexander drew a walk and scored on a triple from McNally. Raegan Rector hit an RBI double, Taff singled, and Tanner hit a two-run double to score Rector and courtesy runner Kelsi Hilton. 

Stillwater wouldn’t go down without a fight and scored five runs to reclaim the lead in the sixth on an error, four hits, and two walks. Prichard, Griffin, and Addyson Brown hit RBI singles in the inning. Swick hit a double in the seventh and courtesy runner Camryn Westbrook scored on a ground out to pad the lead. 

Swick threw six hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts for the win, while Taff (17-6, 34-20) tossed ten hits, four walks, and nine strikeouts in the loss. 

CPHS Softball: Sandites beat Enid 16-0, Stillwater 2-0 at Regionals, Rector hits two home runs

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The Charles Page High School and Stillwater softball teams combined for 42 hits in their first games of the Regional Tournament. Sand Springs beat Enid 16-0 and Stillwater beat Muskogee 16-4, but when it came time to play each other they combined for only ten hits and went scoreless into extra innings before Sand Springs got the 2-0 walk-off with a home run from Raegan Rector.

Sand Springs (25-5) picked up its sixth shutout of the year and second-biggest win in the first round of the Regional Tournament against Enid (8-22). They scored 13 runs in the first inning against the Pacers and secured the run-rule win after five innings.

Jaden Jordan was a perfect four-for-four at the plate and hit her fourth home run of the season, tallying a team-best five RBI and four runs. The girls combined for six doubles, and Rector was three-of-four at the plate with her first home run of the season. Nataley Crawford (7-0, 10-2) continued her undefeated season in the pitcher’s circle, throwing two hits, two strikeouts, and two walks.

Sand Springs earned a 12-2 run-rule win over Stillwater (15-16) earlier this season, but the Pioneers proved to be far tougher the second time around. Stillwater sent Sand Springs to the Regional loser’s bracket in 2016, and Sand Springs repaid the favor Wednesday night.

The Sandites stranded seven runners over the first seven innings, and Stillwater stranded three. Rector was two-of-four at the plate and hit her second homer of the day in the bottom of the eighth, scoring JoLee McNally, who was walked. Aliyah Taff (17-5, 34-19) threw eight strikeouts, one walk, and only three hits for the win.

Stillwater will return to action Thursday at 12:00 p.m. against Enid, who won their loser’s bracket game 8-6 against Muskogee (5-23). They previously beat Enid 13-0 and 10-0 in district action. The winner of Enid vs. Stillwater will play a rematch with Sand Springs at 2:00 p.m. If the loser’s bracket winner should upset Sand Springs in that game, a tie-breaker round will be played at 4:00 p.m.

CPHS Volleyball: Holland scores 13 kills in 3-1 loss to Union

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The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team hasn’t been able to catch a break in recent weeks, and once again they found themselves short-handed in a winnable match. The Class 6A No. 18 ranked Sandites (18-14, 2-7) won a set against No. 13 Union (15-10, 4-3) Tuesday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House, but with two of their top hitters unavailable they couldn’t keep up with the deep Redskin bench.

The Sandites have been without top-scorer Payton Robbins for eight matches now, and they lost third-highest scorer Layla Lenex to a mild injury on Saturday. Both are expected to return to the lineup in time for Thursday’s match.

Junior Kasidy Holland stepped up big for the Sandites against Union, scoring a game-high 13 kills, followed by Jacelyn Smith and Sophie Singleton with seven each. Freshman Averi Tippit also had a big game with five kills, three blocks, and two aces. Singleton had five blocks, and Smith had three aces with two blocks. Teyha Johnson had 31 assists, and Charley Fahland made ten digs.

At times it looked like Union would run away with the first set, but each time the Sandites clawed their way back in it. Holland tied it at 9-9 before the Redskins went on a seven-point streak. Charley Fahland scored two aces in a four-point home streak, but Union scored six more in a row for a 19-10 lead. Sand Springs wouldn’t go down without a fight and won five of the final seven rallies before Mia Martin secured the 25-22 win with a kill.

Sand Springs opened set two on a 3-0 run with an ace from Tippit and a kill from Singleton. They held the lead till 18-15, then Union scored five in a row to take their first lead of the game. Holland tied it back up at 21-21, Union won the next two rallies, then the Sandites scored four in a row for the 25-23 win.

Union scored seven in a row for a 17-9 lead in set three. Holland scored two kills, and Olivia Dewitt scored a kill and two aces in a five-point run to cut it to 18-16, but the Redskins won six in a row for the 25-17 win.

Game four was another streaky affair. The visitors opened on a 4-0 run, Smith scored two aces in a five-point run for the lead, then Union scored nine in a row and the Sandites never recovered. The closest they got was 19-13 before Union won six of the final seven rallies.

Tierney Jackson was the top-scoring Redskin with 12 kills and two aces. Emily Ludwig had 11 kills, and Aly Blackwell had a game-best six aces. Union had 50 kills to the Sandites’ 35, and scored more aces.

Sandite Volleyball will wrap up the regular season Thursday at home with a 6:30 p.m. non-conference match against 5A No. 12 Collinsville (13-18). Union will host No. 17 Booker T. Washington (8-13, 3-4) Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to wrap up their conference season.

Union 3-1 CPHS (25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 25-14)
Kills: Union 50, CPHS 35.
Blocks: CPHS 6, Union 5.
Aces: Union 14, CPHS 10.
Errors: Union 27, CPHS 29.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Kills: Holland 13, Smith 7, Singleton 7, Tippit 5, Fowler 2, Dewitt 1.
Assists: Johnson 31, Blaylock 1.
Solo Blocks: Singleton 1.
Assisted Blocks: Singleton 4, Tippit 3, Fowler 2, Smith 2.
Digs: Fahland 10, Blaylock 7, Hughes 7, Dewitt 6, Singleton 3, Tippit 2, Johnson 2, Fowler 1.
Aces: Fahland 3, Smith 3, Tippit 2, Dewitt 2.

(Union partial stats)
Kills: Jackson 12, Ludwig 11, Smith 8, Robledo 6, Norwood 4, Blackwell 4, Martin 4, Stanley 1.
Solo Blocks: Stanley 1, Jackson 1.
Assisted Blocks: Smith 2, Ludwig 1, Martin 1, Robledo 1, Stanley 1.
Aces: Blackwell 6, Willis 4, Jackson 2, Ludwig 1, Fanelli 1.

CPHS Cross Country: Sandites set several personal records at Owasso

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The Charles Page High School Cross Country Team has struggled to put together a full Varsity Girls team this year, but they managed to Saturday at Mohawk Park, and placed 29th out of 31 teams at the Owasso Invitational. The Varsity Boys placed 28th. The junior high teams also participated, but didn’t have a full lineup.

Jazmin Lopez led the girls with a 5K time of 21:30.6 for 73rd place out of 254 runners. She knocked nearly 45 seconds off her previous personal best. Madison Chambers took 1:40 off her personal record, finishing in 25:35.66 for 209th. Kirsten Neal improved by three minutes with a PR of 26:55.33 and Laila Mirza had a PR of 29:10.42.

Noah Hanlon led the boys with a time of 18:21.85, a 37-second improvement on his PR, for 120th place out of 279 competitors. Sam English ran a PR of 18:33.72, David Rigsby improved on his best by 32 seconds with a time of 21:30.17, and Zach Davis knocked 33 seconds off his PR with a time of 21:31.02.

Brynlee Durborow ran the 1.5-mile junior high race in 9:37.69 for sixth place out of 245 girls and Rafael Huff ran it in 10:26.42 for 93rd place out of 265 boys.

Sandite Cross Country is scheduled to compete at the Edison Eagle Classic Saturday morning at Chandler Park. Varsity girls will run a 5K at 8:30 a.m. followed by boys at 9:00 a.m. Middle school girls will run a 1.5-mile loop at 10:40 a.m. with boys at 11:00 a.m.

Varsity Girls 5K
21:30.60 - Jazmin Lopez - 73rd
25:35.66 - Madison Chambers - 209th
26:55.33 - Kirsten Neal - 222nd
29:04.26 - Bella Ensten - 245th
29:10.42 - Laila Mirza - 247th
29:21.18 - Emily Patton - 248th

Junior High Girls 1.5-Mile
9:37.69 - Brynlee Durborow - 6th
11:46.24 - Alicia Kemp - 107th
12:08.29 - Malayna Garcia - 135th
12:36.31 - Catherine Sarasua - 162nd

Varsity Boys 5K
18:21.85 - Noah Hanlon - 120th
18:33.72 - Sam English - 132nd
19:50.17 - Caleb James - 211th
21:30.17 - David Rigsby - 256th
21:31..02 - Zach Davis - 258th
23:08.83 - Alejandro Lopez - 274th
24:52.88 - Dalton Wilcox - 279th

Junior High Boys 1.5-Mile
10:26.42 - Rafael Huff - 93rd
10:47.75 - Landon Buttram - 128th
11:04.22 - Colt Cothran - 149th
12:46.50 - Koby Hadley - 222nd

CPHS Football Preview: Sandites travel to No. 7 Booker T. Washington Friday

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The Class 6A No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School football team (4-1, 2-0) will ride a three-game win streak into Friday’s match-up with No. 7 Booker T. Washington (3-2, 1-1). The district road game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at S.E. Williams Stadium.

As has become typical in the COVID-19 era, admittance to Friday’s game will be limited. The Sandite Athletic Department has been given 500 total tickets to disperse between visiting Sand Springs fans. 300 tickets are reserved for adults and 200 are for students/senior citizens (age 60+). Adult tickets are $7.00 and student/senior citizen tickets are $4.00.

Tickets will be sold for cash only and will be available at the Ed Dubie Field House beginning Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday’s ticket sales will be reserved for students and parents of senior football, cheer, dance, and band members, with a limit of two adult tickets and two student/senior citizen tickets per family. CPHS students will be able to purchase one ticket apiece. All remaining tickets will be available to the general public Wednesday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Both teams are in their first seasons under new Head Coaches. Sand Springs recruited Owasso Defensive Coordinator Bobby Klinck, while Washington promoted their Defensive Coordinator, Jonathan Brown. Brown helped coach the Hornets to a 6A-II State Title in 2017, while Klinck helped coach the Rams to 6A-I State Titles in 2017 and 2019. Sand Springs went 2-8 last season while Washington was 6-5.

Sand Springs started the season with a 21-17 win over 5A No. 9 Sapulpa (3-2). They narrowly lost 28-24 to 5A No. 1 Bishop Kelley (4-0) after leading till the final minute of the game, then bounced back with a huge 27-26 upset of Arkansas 4A No. 1 Shiloh Christian (4-1). In district play they won 35-10 against No. 13 Ponca City (1-3) and 45-14 against No. 11 Muskogee (0-4).

Washington won 28-10 against 6A-I No. 13 Southmoore (1-4) and 15-13 against No. 9 Del City (0-3) but lost 28-17 to 5A No. 3 Bishop McGuinness (4-1) and 26-22 to No. 6 Choctaw (3-2) before bouncing back 34-7 against No. 12 Bartlesville (1-4).

Sand Springs has the No. 7 ranked offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in Class 6A-II, while Washington has the No. 10 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory. Washington is also No. 3 in defensive scoring. If Sand Springs wins they’ll be 5-1 for the first time since 2014 while Washington will be 3-3 for the third straight year.

Sand Springs

Junior quarterback Ty Pennington is 77-136-1267-1 passing this season with eight touchdowns, and is 77-265 on the ground with another eight scores. He has scored 30 career touchdowns and amassed nearly 3,000 career offensive yards in under two seasons.

The Sandites struggled on the ground after Blake Jones was injured in the season opener, but he returned for the last two games and ran for a career-best 7.8 yards per carry against Muskogee. He is 36-234 on the season with three touchdowns.

The team has multiple capable kickers. Jonathan Daniels is 4-of-5 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 26. Zach Heinen is 14-of-14 on PATs and 1-of-2 on field goals with a long of 28. Greg Reed has averaged 51.3 yards on kickoff and Heinen averages 31.2 yards per punt.

Keaton Campbell is 31-435 receiving with five touchdowns, Jamon Sisco is 16-371 with two scores, Jacob Blevins is 15-333 with one score, and Ryan Shoemaker is 11-111. Sisco also averages a team-best 31 yards per kick return with a 93-yard touchdown.

Drake Fain has 47 tackles, Sango Whitehorn has 46 tackles and three sacks, Landon Hendricks has 40 tackles and 3.5 sacks, and Brooks Dudley has 31 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

The team has excelled in turnovers this season. Brycen Peterman has two interceptions. Micah Calico and Dudley have one interception each. Campbell, Dudley, Fain, Peterman, and Bryson Chase have forced fumbles. Hendricks and Peterman have four fumble recoveries each. Chase, Daren Hawkins, and Dominic Ornelas have recovered one fumble apiece. Sisco has three blocked kicks, Whitehorn has two, and Chase has blocked one.

Booker T. Washington

The Hornets are great on defense. Ethan Grogan scored a pick six against Southmoore and Jahkobie Smith scored a safety against Del City. Jordan Drew made a pick against Choctaw, and returned a fumble 80 yards for a score against Bartlesville.

The team has been known to commit key errors on both offense and special teams. They allowed Del City and Bartlesville to return fumbles for touchdowns. Choctaw blocked two punts and returned one for a touchdown. Lathan Boone threw four interceptions to Bishop McGuinness and one was returned for a score. They also struggle with penalties.

Boone, receivers Micah Tease and Jalen Teague, and running back Jaiden Carroll are the guys to watch on offense. Arkansas-committed cornerback Keuan Parker leads the Hornet defense. They took a big loss in the season opener when five-star corner Gentry Williams tore his ACL.

The Series

The teams first met in 1986 and the Hornets doubled Sand Springs 42-21 on their way to a State Title, but the Sandites paid it back 15-12 the next year. The Hornets lead the series 16-7 overall and have won the past four meetings. The last time Sand Springs won was in 2015 when the Hornets won 17-14 in the regular season, but Sand Springs got revenge 30-23 in the State Semifinals.

The four-game streak for the Hornets is the longest in the series. Sand Springs has only won back-to-back games once against Washington, from 2012 to 2013. Washington’s biggest win was 48-7 in 1992, and Sand Springs’s biggest win was 21-7 in 2012.