Sandites Sign Three on College Signing Day

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This story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

Three Sand Springs Sandites made their college selections official Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House on National Signing Day. 

Raegan Rector and Avery Tanner signed to play softball at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, a four-year private school in Bartlesville that competes in the NAIA and Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

The two were both All District and All Region selections this year, and Rector was named to the All State team, while Tanner was named an All State alternate. The Sandites went 89-44 during their four-year careers and twice advanced to the State tournament. 

“The big thing for me is, number one, they’re great kids,” said Wesleyan head coach Shawn Woods. “They’re good in the classroom, and they come from great families. Those are the first things that we look at.”

“In terms of Avery - speed, enthusiasm. She’s just a gamer, I like that about her. She really sets the tone. Every time we watched her play, she was the firestarter for the team.”

“With Raegan, she’s a steal. She’s got a big bat in the lineup, she’s really good over at first base. We’re getting a steal with both of them. I’m really excited about them joining our program and looking forward to the future.”

Rector praised the atmosphere at Wesleyan as one of the top things that attracted her to it. “I really liked the people. It just felt welcoming, and it felt like home.”

Tanner and Rector have played softball together since the age of four, so getting to keep playing together is an exciting opportunity for both of them.

“I feel like it’ll be a lot easier going now that I’ll actually know somebody,” said Tanner. “I know a few people that are there, but I like having someone that I’m already so close to there to make it 100 times easier.”

Tanner committed to the Eagles earlier in the year, and her choice also helped guide Rector to hone in on Wesleyan. “She gave me some pointers (in the recruiting process) and that helped a lot,” said Rector.

“We just heard about this camp at Wesleyan, a college I’d never heard of,” said Tanner. “I got a free weekend and thought ‘might as well go.’ I went down there and the girls were super nice and I really liked it, so I went on a visit.”

“It was also really stressful talking to all the colleges at one time. I feel better now finding somewhere I belong. Coach Woods is like the coolest guy ever. I’m so glad to have him as a coach, and the environment at Wesleyan. It’s not like a partying college. I feel like I’ll be really driven there to get my work done, have good grades, and stay on track.”

Tanner plans on studying broadcast journalism with the goal of being a sideline reporter, something she’s already been getting experience at in high school as the unofficial photographer for most of the school’s athletic events. 

Rector is interested in the medical field, but hasn’t settled on a major yet. 

“They lead by example, they do well in school,” said head coach Shelli Brown. “I think they’re just now getting started in their careers. I think they’re going to do great jobs down there.”

Also signing an LOI was John Keim with the Eastern Oklahoma State College baseball team. EOSC is a two-year junior college in Wilburton, competing in the NJCAA.

The Mountaineers went 47-7 this past year, and Keim’s former Sandite teammate John Miller is currently on the team.

“The coaches really are what attracted me to Eastern,” said Keim. “They've really proved themselves the past few years as being great coaches. They’re really just amazing. I started talking to (Coach Matt Parker) at the start of the summer and slowly built that relationship till now.”

“It’s a big stress reliever. It makes it easier to know I don’t have to focus on getting recruited and I can just focus on getting better.”

As for his goals in the spring season, “I’d like to be one of the top guys here and help lead us to a State championship.” 

Keim is interested in studying engineering, but he isn't sure yet.

“He’s really developed over the last couple of years and honestly the sky’s the limit,” said Sandites head baseball coach Matt Brown. “We’re looking for big things from him for us this spring. He’s really going to help us and they’re going to get a really good player and a good kid.”

Sports Roundup: Rector and McNally get All-State, Wrestling kicks off season at Bixby

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A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School softball team picked up All-State accolades for the fourth consecutive year this week, and had more than one All-State player for the 17th time in school history.

Raegan Rector (Corner Infield) and JoLee McNally (Utility Outfield) were named to the All-State softball team, and Avery Tanner was named an alternate at Middle Infielder. The All-State games will be played June 11, 2022 at Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond. 

48 Sandite softball players have been named to the All-State team in school history.

Rector led the team in fielding percentage this season at .995 to go with a .352 batting average and .477 slugging percentage. McNally .919 in the field with a .379 batting average and .495 slugging percentage.

Rector, McNally, Tanner, and Lauren Hammock (Utility Outfield) received All-Region accolades as well. 

Rector and Tanner will both be signing collegiate letters of intent to play for Oklahoma Wesleyan University Wednesday, November 10th.

Volleyball

Charley Fahland, Jacelyn Smith, Kasidy Holland, Payton Robbins, and Olivia Dewitt all received Frontier Valley All-Conference honorable mentions after helping their team to a 14-20 record this season. Tehya Johnson and Layla Lenex were named to the All-Conference Second Team. 

All fifteen members of the varsity volleyball team received Academic All Conference accolades, and the team received an OSSAA Academic Achievement award for a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above.

The volleyball program is currently hiring for two assistant coaching positions, including varsity assistant and middle school coach. Interested applicants can contact derek.jackson@sandites.org for more information.

Wrestling

The wrestling preseason kicked off Saturday at Bixby, where Sand Springs crowned three junior high and one high school champion.

Mitchell Smith, the Sandites’ top performer at last year’s State tournament, got off to a hot start with three pins to win the 152-pound bracket, beating all of his opponents in the first period.

Zander Grigsby placed second at 126, Shane Wolf placed second at 132, James Robey placed second at 152, Carter Goodman placed second at 160, and Adrian Hernandez placed second at 182.

Jesse Moore placed third at 138, Sammy Naugle placed third at 145, Jayden Pait placed fourth at 126, and Brody Ensten placed fourth at 152.

The high school team was missing Blake Jones, Brooks Dudley, and other top competitors who are still focused on football season.

Bailey Copeland, David Richey, and Jaxon Trotter all won titles for the junior high team. Copeland recorded two falls at 73 pounds, Richey had three pins at 112, and Trotter had four pins at 132.

Dawson Briscoe placed second at 80, Brady Moore was second at 119, Kase Skaggs placed third at 98, Ayreson Reiss placed third at 112, Colt Hood was third at 119, Isaac Sensintaffar was third at 126, and Corbin Wooley was fourth at 119.

The Keystone Kids youth wrestling team competed at the Claremore Invitational where Kasen McAffrey, Hudson Waag, Luke Hall, Maddix Spencer, Jase Crain, and Mylum Ache V won first place in their divisions. 

Collecting silver medals for the Keystone Kids were Rixon Hathaway, Rylan Hamby, Karson Waag, Zayden Anderson, Joshua Drury, Samuel Moore, Joshua Compton, Khamdyn Patterson, Jase Morgan, Julian Baker, Caemon Young, Raelie Hamby, and Zailyn Garland. 

Sandites roll Patriots 44-7 on Senior Night, Jones scores 3 TDs

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A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

Senior Night at Memorial Stadium was all about recognizing the 23 football players who have spent four years building a huge legacy in Sand Springs, but head coach Bobby Klinck wasn’t yet ready to talk legacy after the game.

“Some coaches and some players are getting a little bit nostalgic or whatever, but we’ve got a lot left to play for,” said Klinck. “So you know, once the season’s truly over, maybe I’ll look back and see that, but their legacy is not done yet.”

Instead, it’s all eyes on the playoffs. 

Class 6A-II No. 6 Charles Page High School (7-3, 4-3) rolled to an easy 44-7 district win over an outclassed Putnam City West (0-10, 0-7), dealing the Patriots their 34th consecutive loss.

The game marked the final time that many of the players would compete on their home turf and served as a tune-up before the Sandites travel to No. 4 Del City (9-1) next week.

Sand Springs took a 31-0 lead into the half and sent in the backups in the fourth quarter with a 44-0 advantage.

Ty Pennington was 18-of-22 passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns, and added a third score on the ground. 

Jacob Blevins had eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Brody Rutledge caught three passes for 74 yards and the first score of the game.

Blake Jones saw his most productive game since suffering a mild injury four weeks ago, and carried the ball 13 times for 63 yards and three touchdowns. His second score of the night came with a helpful push from lineman Owen Higgins, who powered him through a handful of defenders for the final few yards.

Kenneth Page racked up 100 yards on the ground, mostly in the fourth quarter, to lead the team’s seven rushers.

Jonathan Daniels handled most of the kicking duties, going four-for-four on extra points, and added a 35-yard field goal to end the first half. Logan Wolfe also kicked a PAT for the Sandites.

Defensively the team was led by Conner Light with eight tackles and two sacks. Alex Turner forced a fumble that Jabe Schlehuber recovered, and Drake Fain had an interception.

The Patriots struggled in most aspects of the game, but had an ace up their sleeve in three-star Baylor-commit Corey Gordon, who had eight catches for 223 yards, and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

“Definitely satisfied, glad we’re healthy, glad we were able to make some explosive plays,” said Klinck. “Little disappointed in the personal foul, that was a point of emphasis last week, so we need to do better because next week in Del City those are going to really hurt us. But all in all, happy for the win, happy for the seniors, but we’ve got a lot left to play for.”

This season marks the Sandites’ second winning record and second postseason trip in their two years under Klinck. It’s the team’s first 7-3 regular season finish since 2014 technically, though they would have been 7-2 in 2015 had they not forfeited two wins due to an OSSAA violation.

Next week’s trip to Del City will mark the first ever meeting between the Sandites and Eagles. Del City has won nine consecutive games since a season-opening loss to Booker T. Washington.

“They do a really good job of running the football and then defensively they’re very sound, so we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Klinck. “It’s going to be a physical football game, so we’ve got to bring our lunch pail and come ready to go.”

Sandite Football Preview: Veterans get free admission to final home game

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In honor of Veterans Day, all current and past members of the United States military will receive free admission to the final Sandite home game of the 2021 football season, Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Class 6A-II No. 6 ranked Charles Page High School football team (6-3, 3-3) will play unranked Putnam City West (0-9, 0-6) in a district tune-up game with nothing on the line, having already clinched a postseason berth at No. 4 Del City (8-1) next week.

Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. on the campus of Charles Page High School at 600 North Adams Road. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 26-20. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they have won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington, 58-14 to Bixby and 41-28 to Choctaw.

Last week the Sandites won 41-20 at Bartlesville after jumping out to a 41-0 lead before sending in the backups.

“We certainly expected to win,” said Klinck. “The biggest thing I wanted to see was us get off to a good start. We hadn’t really gotten off to good starts this year. So we definitely emphasized that with our players and I was very proud that we came out and got on them really fast.”

“When you come off of three tough losses, it’s always good to get a win,” said Klinck. “We want to be playing our best football come November. So we need to have a great practice session this week and get after Putnam City West.”

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 139-223-2018-3 passing with 23 touchdowns, and is 114-407 rushing with eight TDs. He holds the school records in career passing yardage at 5,642, career passing touchdowns at 50, and single season passing touchdowns at 23.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 118-795 rushing with eight touchdowns.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 4-7-58-1 passing with two touchdowns and 32-464 receiving with four TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 37-552 receiving with eight touchdowns and averages 18.6 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 46-697 receiving with five TDs and averages 16 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 18-230 receiving with five TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 31.9 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 53 tackles, 17 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 82 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

Gabe Brown (Sr. LB) has 56 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light (Sr. LB) has 51 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain (Jr. LB) has 88 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 pass breakup, three fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes (Sr. CB) has 49 tackles, 0.5 for loss, three interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 28-of-33 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Putnam City West

The Patriots are in their third season under head coach Craig Maynard, who owns an 0-27 record at Putnam West. The Patriots have lost 33 consecutive games and haven’t had a winning season since 2016.

This year the Patriots lost 67-0 to Guthrie, 55-12 to Putnam City, 56-5 to Putnam City North, 42-12 to Muskogee, 81-6 to Bixby, 43-6 to Ponca City, 62-6 to Booker T. Washington, 41-19 to Bartlesville, and 60-27 to Choctaw.

Players to Watch

Corey Gordon (Sr. S/WR) is a three star recruit committed to Baylor.

The Series

Sand Springs is undefeated against the Patriots with a 3-0 record. The Sandites won 29-24 in 2016, 28-14 in 2017, and 51-13 last season.

Sand Springs 8th Grade football team goes undefeated, beats Sapulpa 40-0

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A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

There’s no playoffs for eighth grade football, but if there were, all eyes would be on Sand Springs.

The Clyde Boyd Middle School eighth grade football team wrapped up a perfect 8-0 season Thursday night at Memorial Stadium with a 40-0 shutout of Sapulpa. 

It was the team’s sixth clean sheet of the season, and the Sandites outscored their foes 356 to 18.

“It’s just a great group of kids,” said head coach Thomas Parks. “They’re coachable, they want to learn, they want to get better. They bring it every single day.”

Quarterback Easton Webb was 5-of-6 passing for 58 yards and two touchdowns, while carrying the ball six times for 55 yards and two more scores. 

“The thing about Easton Webb is he shows up every single day,” said Parks. “He wants to get better. He doesn’t often make mistakes and when he does make a mistake he wants to learn from it. He never gets too high, never gets too low. He’s just the ultimate team leader.”

Hudson Sheppard scored the first touchdown of the night on a 67-yard run late in the first quarter, and Isaac Sensintaffar ran in the two-point conversion.

Sheppard ran for 70 yards on four carries, and Sensintaffar had 79 yards on two carries. Cooper Guardado had a 17-yard TD reception in the second quarter, and Brighton Davidson had a three-yard TD reception in the fourth. Jacob Marlow had a big impact at center with several big blocks. 

Sheppard also led the team defensively with five tackles. Ryley Kester had three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Alex Dudley had a fumble recovery and Sensintaffar made an interception, and Ethan Shea had a 19-yard  pick-six. 

The perfect season was a continuation of what this team did in the Indian Nations Football Conference last year, winning the league’s top division as seventh graders. 

“A big reason for this team’s success has been the youth football coaches,” said Parks. “Cody Sensintaffar, Joey Webb, Adam Dudley. When I got them in eighth grade they were well-prepared, they knew what was going on.”

Parks expects his team to make a big impact on varsity over the next four years. “They’re all a good group of kids, they’re not afraid to mix it up and get in there and get after it.”

Eight Grade Schedule

9.2.21 Sand Springs 60-12 Muskogee Green (H).
9.9.21 Sand Springs 58-0 Bartlesville Blue (A).
9.16.21 Sand Springs 44-0 Carver (H).
9.23.21 Sand Springs 42-0 Sapulpa Blue (A).
10.7.21 Sand Springs 36-0 Muskogee Green (A).
10.12.21 Sand Springs 54-6 Bartlesville Blue (H).
10.21.21 Sand Springs 22-0 Carver (A).
10.28.21 Sand Springs 40-0 Sapulpa Blue (H).

Ninth Grade

The Charles Page High School freshman football team also won big over Sapulpa, paying back a loss from earlier in the season to end the year 2-7.

“Nothing feels better than a 20-0 shutout,” said head coach Gage Kaiser. “That’s huge for our kids. Just to finish strong right here, keep them rolling into next year.”

Quarterback Ali McCoy was 5-of-8 passing for 59 yards and two touchdowns, and ran it 15 times for 90 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion.

“Ali, he’s a baller,” said Kaiser. “He’s great in the run game, he got us some good passes, especially in the second half.”

Caleb Goodman had three receptions for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and Jaden Allen led the defense with five tackles. Christian Freltus recovered a fumble and Dameon Leathers had an interception in the shutout.

Sandites roll Bartlesville 41-20, Pennington scores four touchdowns

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A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

After three weeks of brutal competition against the top three teams in the state, the Class 6A-II No. 6 Charles Page High School varsity football team (6-3, 3-3) got a much-needed win Friday night at Bartlesville (2-7, 1-5).

Sand Springs rolled to a 41-0 lead against the unranked Bruins before sending in the backups, and picked up a 41-20 win in district action. 

“We certainly expected to win,” said Sand Springs head coach Bobby Klinck. “The biggest thing I wanted to see was us get off to a good start. We hadn’t really gotten off to good starts this year. So we definitely emphasized that with our players and I was very proud that we came out and got on them really fast.”

After forcing a punt to start the game, the Sandites marched 85 yards and scored on a 27-yard pass from Ty Pennington to Jacob Blevins. 

Blevins added a ten-yard TD run with 2:23 in the first quarter, and Pennington ran in the PAT to make up for a missed kick on the first drive. The quarterback added a 17-yard scamper and Jonathan Daniels’s kick made it 21-0 to end the first quarter.

Things slowed down in the second quarter as the Bruins controlled the clock and forced two three-and-outs. A change in quarterbacks and costly Sandite penalties helped the home team move the chains, but Braylon Flores forced two turnovers on downs with pass deflections, including a goal-line stand. 

“We pride ourselves on not having those stupid penalties,” said Klinck. “I was a little disappointed in that, but all-in-all it was a good win for us.”

Sand Springs restarted its momentum with a 21-yard TD throw from Pennington to Blevins late in the half, then Blake Jones scored on a one-yard run to start the third quarter.

Jones has seen limited action the past three weeks after an injury against Booker T. Washington, but carried the ball nine times for 53 yards against the Bruins.

“It’s just day to day,” said Klinck. “This was the first time that he’s kind of looked good, so we wanted to give him that opportunity. Hopefully with each week he’ll be getting better and better in time for the playoffs.”

Jones remains the team’s leading rusher with 795 yards and eight scores.

Pennington hooked up with Keaton Campbell for the final score early in the third quarter on a 57-yard reception.

From there it was all about getting meaningful reps for the backups and running out the clock.

Pennington finished the game 11-of-19 passing for 187 yards and had three carries for 46 yards. Kenneth Page led on the ground with 69 yards on eight carries, while Blevins led the receiving corps with five catches for 111 yards. 

Defensively, the Sandites tallied seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and three turnovers. Brooks Dudley recorded nine tackles and Drake Fain had eight. Ryder Barnes had a 31-yard interception return, Fain and Trevor Stone recovered fumbles, and Dallas Elifrits forced a fumble.

“When you come off of three tough losses, it’s always good to get a win,” said Klinck. “We want to be playing our best football come November. So we need to have a great practice session this week and get after Putnam City West.”

The Sandites will wrap up the regular season at home against the Patriots (0-9, 0-6), who have lost 33 consecutive games.