Side 92 FC wins UPSL Central Conference North Premier Division

Courtest of WSA.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

The West Side Alliance has long been a staple in the Sand Springs sports community, and since its founding in 1992, it has grown into one of the largest and most competitive organizations in the state. No longer just a youth soccer club, it is now building its brand as a national-caliber adult league as well.

In the fall of 2020 the WSA launched Side FC 92, a semi-pro extension of the league for high school, collegiate, and young adult players. Among the roster you’ll see Division 1 players from the universities of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tulsa, and more. This deep pool of talent has catapulted both the men’s and women’s teams into the national playoffs.

The men’s team got started in the fall and went undefeated 11-2-0 to win the UPSL Central Conference North Division II title, and was promoted to the Premier League. Now they own a 13-1-2 record in their inaugural season, and have already brought home two more championship trophies, winning both their division and the Central Conference Championship.

The Side has the second-highest-scoring offense in a league of over 300 teams with 79 goals this season, and they are now bound for Kansas City to play Des Moines United FC in the national round of 32. 

Side FC 92 Head Coach and WSA Technical Director Alexander McLaurin credits that success to both the immensely talented players, as well as to the supportive organization that backs them.

“We’ve got a staff that works really hard to make sure all the training sessions are focused, that there’s a clear message and that they’re very well organized. We’ve got top-quality players that are willing to push forward. They’ve all got ambitions. It makes it easy when you’ve got players that are looking to potentially break into the professional game. Everything is on a professional level from the training to the coaching to the way the players go about things. That makes it easy, as well as having the backing of a good organization as well. Having Roger Bush as club director, making sure that the team is supported in any way that we need, that’s really made it pretty easy on us.”

“That was our biggest motivation behind (forming the Side FC 92) is being able to get younger players inside of the club a pathway - something to look up to,” says McLaurin. “We’re never going to be at the level of an MLS club or anything like that, but we can at least bridge the gap and give the kids inside of the club kind of a realistic view to kind of get that next step. We call our program the “Pathway to Pro,” so we’re kind of that bridge in between that. We’re not getting any financial gain from it or trying to get into the MLS, we’re just there to promote our youth and our academy players.”

McLaurin himself is a 2006 graduate of Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, and several of his players are also former Sandites. The men’s team features Gustavo Saldana of Oklahoma Wesleyan, Fernando Saldana (who just graduated CPHS this year), and Luke Jeffus of the University of Tulsa. 

The women’s team, which is 6-3-1 in their inaugural season and headed for the United Women’s Soccer League playoffs, also features two Sandites in Karsen Lynch and Danielle Greminger. Lynch is a soon-to-be senior at Charles Page High School. Greminger competed at Oklahoma Wesleyan and Coffeyville Community College the past two seasons, and will enroll at Casper College this fall.

“Already this year we’ve got 16 and 17 year olds that are featuring in the team and playing in important playoff matches,” says McLaurin.  “It’s giving kids something to connect to and really see a clear pathway to potentially make their way towards that professional goal if that’s what they have.”

High expectations for Sandite Volleyball in new season

View fullsize

Sandite Volleyball Camp, grades 7-9. Courtesy of Lisa Wright.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

After two of the winningest seasons in school history, expectations are high for the Charles Page High School volleyball team as the 2021 fall season approaches. The girls recently wrapped up Catoosa summer league and youth camp, and are poised for success as they return the bulk of their roster from last season.

“I think we have a veteran group this year,” said Head Coach Derek Jackson. “Last year we were a little bit younger, lot of sophomores, quite a few juniors, a couple of seniors. This year it’s going to be a lot more senior and junior-type kids with maybe a couple of sophomores or freshmen tossed in. So I think it may be the most seasoned team I’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Jackson is entering his third season as coach and owns a 37-29 record. The team’s 19 wins last season are the second-most in school history, and marked the first time that the program had back-to-back winning records.

“Obviously these first two years you’re going to have some bumpiness in terms of a new coach, a new system, and learning that culture. And we’ve had success along the route with that, which is good. Now it’s time to see some of that start to pay off. Summer league was pretty beneficial and showed we could compete with a lot of people.”

“They have been with me for a couple of years, they understand what we’re trying to do, the culture we’re trying to build. I think that’s going to be the difference between here and the very first year. I had a group of seniors that first year, but they hadn’t been with me, they were still learning the ins and outs, and this group kind of already has that under their belt.”

A big part of the team’s recent success has been building out the middle school and junior varsity programs. Last season they added a third middle-school team, and the 7th Grade-only team finished with a winning record in their first year. Jackson has also focused on introducing the sport to younger grade levels, offering a camp for grades 3-9.

View fullsize

Volleyball youth camp, grades 3-6. Courtesy of Lisa Wright.

“Last year we didn’t get to do the little kids’ camp (due to COVID-19). We were able to do it this year and it went really well. We had about 50 kids between two age groups. A lot of kids had a ton of fun and got a little bit better. That was our motto for the entire camp, ‘lots of fun, little bit better,’ so it was awesome.”

Jackson will have a big talent pool to draw from next season. “We had a really big freshman class last year, 18 kids. A lot of them played club, a lot of them went to clinics and camps. I think honestly that’s one of the biggest things I’m looking forward to is that JV is going to be so much stronger and can push varsity in practices every day.”

Evyn Morrow, Jayden Smith, Hannah McKelvey, and Averi Tippit are expected to make an impact as rising young players, while the team will be anchored by upperclassmen Tehya Johnson, Kasidy Holland, Jacelyn Smith, Olivia DeWitt, Payton Robbins, Charley Fahland, and Layla Lenex.

“I really think this year we really have an opportunity to be the most successful in school history. We’ve had the second and third-winningest seasons. I think this year if big players play big, younger ones step up, we stay together and stay healthy, we have a chance to upset some people that we maybe haven’t ever beat.”

Sandite Volleyball will start the season with a conference home game against Owasso, August 10th at 6:30 p.m. and will host the third annual Sandite Invitational that weekend. They will also compete at the Holland Hall, Edmond Santa Fe, and Glenpool tournaments this year. 

Jasyln Mock commits to UCO Rowing

A river runs through the middle of Sand Springs, but you never see much recreational activity on it. There is no high school row team at Charles Page High School - not even a club. But despite this, the school has sent three Lady Sandites to row at the collegiate level in recent years.

Kaylee Johnson and Hannah Hammond have both seen success rowing at the University of Oklahoma, and now Jaslynn Mock will continue the tradition at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.

Her rowing experience? Using the ergometer at her crossfit gym. 

“I’m not doing this with any of my friends that I know,” said Mock. “I’m putting myself out there more and trying something new. I’ve done dance since I was two years old and I kind of want to try something new.”

Rowing stuck out to her because of the opportunity to stay active and get exercise, while also having a group of potential friends already there waiting for her. 

UCO competes at the NCAA Division 2 level in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They have won three consecutive National Championships and third-year Head Coach Brian Ebke was named NCAA D2 Coach of the Year. The team trains and competes on the Oklahoma River in downtown Oklahoma City.

The recruiting process is a lot different for rowing than most other sports. Because so few high schools offer it and so few students have a background in it, UCO simply offers an email form on their website to get recruited, and often recruits from within the school’s existing student body. Each of their national-championship winning rosters has consisted of over 50 percent walk-ons with no rowing experience.

During her recruiting process, Mock got to tour the CHK | Central Boathouse and row with the coaches. She will start on the junior varsity roster and will have to earn her way to the varsity roster and any potential scholarship. She plans on studying criminal justice.

Sydney Pennington sets Oklahoma State home-run record

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

Sydney Pennington was already making waves in the softball community long before she donned the orange and black at Oklahoma State University. 

At Charles Page High School she made it to four State Tournaments and saw the finals her junior year. She was an All-State selection in both softball and basketball, and even put on a show as the powderpuff quarterback. She ended her senior season with a .543 batting average, which would be enough to get any college recruiter’s attention. But, recruiting was a nonfactor as she had already committed to the Pokes prior to her sophomore year.

Then-OSU Head Coach Rich Wieligman saw her potential after a .433 freshman year, and her offensive firepower was only part of the equation. Her athletic build and defensive abilities at shortstop and in the pitcher’s circle made it clear she was a future D1 star. When current Head Coach Kenny Gajewski took over in 2015, reaffirming Sydney’s commitment was one of his first big tasks. 

The rest is history, and some of it will be preserved in the history books for a good long time. The former Sandite set the all-time Oklahoma State career home-run record at 36 after hitting a solo shot against Mississippi State in the Regional finals, Sunday, May 23rd. She added a 37th against Texas in the Super Regional series. One of the coolest homers she has hit was a three-run blast as a sophomore that her own father caught over the outfield fence. 

Pennington’s senior season came to a close at 2:18 a.m. Sunday, June 6th after a rain-delayed 4-2 loss to Florida State at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. The Pokes put a stop to Georgia’s 5-0 postseason run in the first round of the tournament before falling 2-1 to James Madison, who also knocked off the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners the day before. Their elimination game didn’t even start till after midnight. 

Pennington ended the season with a .270 batting average, 33 runs, 47 hits, and 36 RBI. She also hit a career-high 13 home runs to help OSU (48-12) post the third-most wins in its history and the best season under Gajewski.

Pennington said after the game on what stood out to her most this season, “I think the biggest thing is just the way that our team grew so much closer toward the end. It’s really tough to see these seniors play their last game because coach tells us all the time that we are not really going to remember the games.

“We’re going to remember these friendships and the memories and the moments that we make, and I think it’s just really important that we remember the really good moments that we had this year and just continue to stay in touch with these people. And once a Cowgirl, you’re a Cowgirl for life. I think it’s just really exciting to be able to look back and see how much we grew together throughout this season.”

Pennington went 1-for-3 in OSU’s finale that started 10 minutes before midnight.

“We were treating it like any other game,” Pennington said. “We weren’t discouraged by the time we were starting. We were probably more amped up. With our fans, we expect them to be there. They are the ones that get the crowds going and chant and get us up if we’re down and they are loyal, so I didn’t expect anything less from the crowd. They were awesome. There was a lot of orange in OKC this week. That was really exciting to see.”

Her already storied career will continue next season, as the Hotel and Restaurant Administration Major returns for one more season to add a minor to her degree and hopefully get the Pokes into their first-ever Series Finals.

Sports Roundup: Layne Kirkendoll places second in State Championship Long Jump

Courtesy of Tommy Dial.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School track and field team ended its season Saturday afternoon in Edmond, and three Sandites made the trip. 

Junior Layne Kirkendoll repeated her freshman performance in the Long Jump by finishing as Runner-Up. Her 18 ft. 1.75 in. jump was her third-best mark of the season. She also placed fifth in the High Jump with a height of 5 ft. 4 in. The top five jumpers all cleared the same height, but Kirkendoll took fifth on criteria. 

Senior Joseph Mattison signed a letter of intent to run for Coffeyville Community College last Tuesday, and at State he competed in two events. His 22.51-second 200-meter dash earned 10th place and his 20 ft. 1.5 in. long jump placed 11th. 

“JoJo (Mattison) is the definition of hard work and determination,” said Head Coach Tim Dial. “He is the type of kid that every coach wishes they had a team full of.”

Greg Reed also competed in the long jump and placed 16th at State with a distance of 14 ft. 11.25 in.

Baseball

Brock Swanson, Brycen Peterman, and Kaden Young all signed letters of intent to play at Oklahoma Wesleyan University next season. 

Basketball

Former Sandite Colt Savage signed to play at Cameron University after spending two seasons at the University of Central Oklahoma. “Colt is an extremely poised guy that brings our team a lot of versatility at the small forward position,” said CU Head Coach Andrew Brown. “He has great touch shooting on the perimeter along with a strong build to take advantage of size matchups. We are excited about how he fits in our system.” 

Marlo Fox signed a letter of intent to play at Rogers State University after decommitting from Seward County Community College.

Savage is the second-highest scoring player in Sand Springs history with 1,697 points, and Fox ranks sixth with 1,065.

Cheer

Claire Smith signed a letter of intent to cheer for the University of Central Arkansas Bears. 

Football

Zach Heinen signed a letter of intent to kick for Concordia University Wisconsin. The future Falcon was a perfect 32-of-32 kicking PATs this past season and 51-of-52 in his career, and he was 3-of-4 on field goals with a career long of 39 yards. 

Daren Hawkins signed to play at Abilene Christian University in Texas. Hawkins played three years at receiver and totaled 546 yards on 37 catches, with nine touchdowns before switching to defense. He totaled 22 tackles and one fumble recovery his senior year. 

Soccer

Xander Quiroga signed a letter of intent to play goalie at Murray State College in Tishomingo. Teagan Smith signed with Southwestern College in Kansas. Smith led her team in scoring this season with five goals.

Sandites blank Glenpool 5-0 on Senior Night, upset Owasso

Hayden Blair hits a home run on Senior Night.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

Sand Springs high school baseball is peaking at the right time, winning four of their last five games, including a 7-5 non-district upset of Owasso Monday, April 26. The Sandites (15-19) rallied from a 4-0 first-inning deficit against the top-ranked team in 6A-3.

Rhen Rutledge went 3-for-3 at the plate, scoring two runs, and Dom Ornelas hit a homer. The Rams gave up three runs on bases-loaded walks, and the Sandites scored on two errors and a wild pitch. Owasso won the Tuesday rematch 1-0.

The Sandites topped Guthrie 2-1 on Thursday after Keaton Campbell tripled in the sixth and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ty Pennington. Keaton also recorded a save on the mound, and Kayden Campbell got the win. 

Senior Night saw a 5-0 shutout of Glenpool as the Sandites also celebrated seven players and three managers. Senior Hayden Blair hit a home run, Dom Ornelas hit a three-run double, and Morgan Powell got the win on the mound. On Saturday they traveled to Westmoore and picked up a 7-4 victory behind a two-hit, two-strikeout pitching performance from Jabe Schlehuber.

In college baseball news, Sandite grads Cal Watkins and Cale Savage both announced they will be continuing their careers at Washburn University. Watkins will be transferring from Seminole State, while Savage has spent the last two seasons at Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Basketball

Marlo Fox recently announced his decommitment from Seward County Community College. He will instead enroll at Rogers State University. Fox averaged 18.6 points per game this season to lead the Sandites.

Softball

Lady Sandite Softball ended the slow pitch season 8-18, going 1-3 in their final week of the year. On Monday, April 26, they fell 21-6 to No. 9 Union, despite a grand slam from Taylor Skipper. At Regionals they won 8-4 against Putnam City before falling 16-0 and 16-7 to No. 3 Moore. Jaden Jordan and Lauren Hammock hit home runs in the final game of the season.

Oklahoma State University senior Sydney Pennington now sits second all-time in the school home-run record book after hitting her 32nd dinger against Texas on Saturday. The school record is 35. 

Soccer

The boys soccer team fell 4-2 to Union on Monday and 2-1 to Moore on Thursday. Fernando Saldana scored both goals against the Redskins, while freshman Nick Roberts scored his first career goal at Moore. The girls fell 7-0 to Union.

Karsen Lynch committed to play at Rogers State University next season, where she will join fellow teammate Ali Day. 

Track and Field

Sand Springs took a reduced roster to the Sapulpa Track Meet on Friday. They rested several athletes before the upcoming Regional Championship, which will be Saturday at Sapulpa. The boys team placed 11th and the girls took 7th.

Alejandro Lopez placed fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.3, and Jestin Rawlins placed seventh in discus throw with a distance of 130 ft. 4 in. Cayla Magee placed fourth in discus with a distance of 95 ft. 8 in., and Kreedence Behnke placed fifth in the long jump with a distance of 14 ft. 1 in.