CPHS Cross Country Preview: Rebuilding Year in Store for Sandites

The beginning of the high school cross country season is less than a month away, and the Sandites are getting ready for action. 

“We started practicing right after track was over with and we’ve been practicing all summer, four days a week,” says Head Coach Mike Burdge. Both the boys and girls teams will kick off the season Saturday, August 21st at Edmond Deer Creek.

Despite only losing one senior from either team, it still has the makings of a rebuilding year due to a smaller-than-usual incoming freshman class.

“We’ve got to get more kids involved,” says Burdge. “Everybody’s got to work together and share athletes (across multiple sports). What do we do to get more kids involved? I think part of it is the elementary and middle school. I can remember when we didn’t have a high school program worth much, but Coach (Les) Reed was doing middle school and had 120 kids coming out for that. So how do we get back to that? I think Coach Reed’s personality had a lot to do with that success.”

The junior high programs have already seen a slight uptick over the last two seasons, however. “We’re really looking strong in our middle school,” says Burdge. “We’ve had 15 kids coming out all summer long, so we’ll be strong there.”

“I’m excited about our elementary, and the interest in elementary and middle school. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t have 20 kids out for middle school whereas we only had six last year.”

As for this season...“We only lost one senior. Last year we didn’t have very many girls coming out for it so we were short. This year four of our varsity runners will be seniors so next year will be a challenge.”

“Dalton Wilcox will definitely be the number one senior leading not necessarily in time, but he’ll be one of the leaders. Jazmin Lopez is the only senior girl we have this year. Jazmin’s gonna be a leader. She’s a real hard worker, her and her brother Alex. I think we’ll probably be able to field a team of girls, we’ll have five. I asked around as we were going, I was talking to other coaches, and it seemed everybody was shallow on girls last year.”

“We’re really looking at ‘what do we do?’ Cross Country’s been strong for a lot of years and last year was just a tough year. We never had a race with five varsity boys, somebody was quarantined all year long.”

“So putting it all back together is what we have to figure out how to do. I’m going to have to get out and do some things to spur some interest. We haven’t been able to do that the last few years because of COVID. We’ll just see how it goes.”

“It’s gonna be a tough year ahead of us. Cross Country will be kind of a rebuilding year even though it shouldn’t be. Not having that many kids come out for the summer in the high school program, we’re gonna see what we’ve got.”

Last season the boys placed 11th at their home 6A Regional while the girls took 15th. The last time either team won a title was in 2017 when the boys won at Sapulpa, and both teams won the Kiefer Invitational in 2016. 

2021 Sand Springs Cross Country Schedule

8.21 Edmond Deer Creek
8.27 Owasso Relays
9.4 Sapulpa
9.18 Stillwater Jamboree
9.25 University of Kansas
10.9 4th Annual Gold Rush Invitational (Sand Springs)
10.23 Regionals (Owasso)
10.30 State (Edmond Santa Fe)

Case Community Park brings organized disc golf league to Sand Springs

Taylor Dutto hosts the first-ever disc golf mini tournament at Case Community Park.

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

Sand Springs is no stranger to organized sports. The bustling Tulsa suburb is the home of the West Side Alliance, a nationally competitive soccer organization; the Keystone Kids wrestling program, which has crowned national and Pan-American champions in all three styles; the Sand Springs BMX Association; as well as baseball and softball leagues that compete with the best.

One area the town is now breaking into is disc golf. The City of Sand Springs has operated disc golf courses since 2004, but until this summer, there has never been an organized league. In April, the City officially opened the Case DiscGolfPark, replacing the existing 18-hole River City course. 

“That has always felt like the lost end of the park,” says Sand Springs Parks Director Jeff Edwards. “Nobody really knew it existed.” Past the softball complex, there is only disc golf and BMX. Most of the course grounds weren’t utilized by the public till the first course was installed in 2017.

Since the unveiling of the new design, Case Community Park now hosts weekly Monday evening minis organized by Taylor Dutto, a Tulsa resident who has fallen in love with the Sand Springs course. 

At the Monday, July 12th mini, Taylor Sears took home $310 in cash earnings after winning first place in the Open division and throwing a 221-foot ace on the first hole of the White layout. Jimmy Forester also threw a hole-in-one to split the ace pot with Sears and earn $215. 

In addition to the Open division, there are also several amateur divisions that pay out in either cash or merchandise. The latest mini drew nearly 50 competitors.

The new DiscGolfPark marks a notable investment by the City of Sand Springs in their efforts to attract regional tournaments to their flagship park. Designed by 2009 PDGA World Champion Avery Jenkins, the new course features some of the finest course infrastructure in the state. 

Massive turf tee-pads, brand new baskets, and quality signage provide some great perks that many other courses are missing. The park also features two layouts at all times. Each of the 18 tee pads features a long (Blue) and short (White) basket, so players always have the option of either a challenging or recreational round. But that’s only half of what makes Case Community Park such a great location. 

The course offers even better Arkansas River views than Tulsa’s historic Riverside Park. The grounds drain faster than almost any other area course following a rain storm. It’s usually the most frequently mowed disc golf course in the Tulsa metro, as the City makes every effort to provide pristine fairways. It’s also a great place for wildlife, as Bald Eagles can frequently be seen nesting, hunting, and perched in the mature cottonwood trees along the river. 

“What makes (Case DiscGolfPark) unique is while there is some trail activity that goes alongside some of the holes, I think there’s some good opportunity for people to feel secluded there,” says Edwards. “It’s a little bit more peaceful and tranquil to go get a round in without a bunch of noise and activity all around. I definitely think that makes it somewhat unique as opposed to some of the other courses that are squeezed into smaller properties with a lot of other amenities around them.”

The Sand Springs disc golf course is a great place for long-time disc golfers and beginners, men and women, old and young. Regardless of your skill level, there’s a great time waiting for you in Case Community Park. 

To keep up with weekly minis, interested golfers can join the Case DiscGolfPark Facebook group.

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

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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.

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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.