Lady Sandites sweep Tampa Bay Invitational, Armstead named MVP

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This story was originally written by Scott Emigh for the Sand Springs Leader. Photos courtesy of Becky Tanner.

It’s beginning to look like a special season for the Charles Page High School girls’ basketball team.

A 53-32 tournament finals win over Eustis, Florida (5-7) Saturday night at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational elevated the Sandites to 7-0 for the first time since 2017.

The Class 6A No. 9 ranked Sandites earned their second tournament title of the Josh Berry era, and first since 2019, after steamrolling three Florida foes in the Anna Maria Island division.

101 girls basketball teams competed at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational over the holiday break in 14 separate tournament brackets, including Tulsa’s Union High School who placed third in their bracket.

“We got to see some pretty good competition,” said Berry. “We got to see some speed. The first two games they had some guards who were really really fast, so that was good.”

The Sandites rolled to a 52-17 win over Florida 6A No. 5 Bloomingdale (11-3) Wednesday, December 29th. Sand Springs only led 15-9 after the first quarter, but shut down the Lady Bulls’ offense from there and outscored them 20-2 in the second period.

Journey Armstead led all scorers with 13 points, followed by Hailey Jackson with 12, and both girls did all of their damage in the first half. 

The Sandites picked up a 54-27 win on New Year’s Eve against 4A No. 13 Cocoa (10-3), holding the Tigers to only 13 points entering the fourth quarter.

Armstead once again led all scorers with 16 points over three periods, followed by Jackson with 13.

“I think we played better the first two days than we did that last day,” said Berry. “We got in foul trouble within the first few minutes of the game.”

“We couldn’t make any shots, and then defensively we just played horrible the first half. We couldn’t guard, we couldn’t find our man – we just didn’t play our regular basketball the first half.”

Despite the rough start, the Sandites surged ahead with a 34-18 second-half performance against the Panthers to remain undefeated on the season.

Jackson led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, all in the second half, while Armstead contributed 16.

Armstead was named tournament MVP and both she and Layne Kirkendoll received college offers from scouts attending the tournament.

“I think (Sakauri) Wilson’s defensive pressure in the first two games really gave their best players some fits. Taiona (Morris) had some good moments as well, and we had some great productivity from the bench, whether it was getting steals, diving on the floor, making some shots to open it up. Layne really had a pretty good day of rebounding and blocking shots and controlling the paint area.”

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday with a Frontier Valley Conference road game at No. 14 Booker T. Washington (3-2, 1-1). The Sandites are 2-0 in conference play this season but are still looking for their first win against the Hornets under Josh Berry.

CPHS 52 Bloomingdale 17
1Q: CPHS 15-9.
2Q: CPHS 20-2.
3Q: CPHS 13-4.
4Q: CPHS 4-2.
Scoring: Armstead 13, Jackson 12, T. Morris 8, L. Morris 6, Walker 5, Kirkendoll 4, Tanner 3, Martin 1. (Bloomingdale) Alevin 5, Mengel 3, Dialle 3, Kendrick 2, Kanuer 2, Womack 2.

CPHS 55 Cocoa 27
1Q: CPHS 13-5.
2Q: CPHS 10-3.
3Q: CPHS 19-5.
4Q: Cocoa 14-13.
Scoring: (CPHS) Armstead 16, Jackson 13, Kirkendoll 7, Wilson 6, T. Morris 6, Walker 4, L. Morris 3. (Cocoa) Green 11, Zidor 6, Barrene 4, Stanley 3, Pratt 2, Ammons 1.

CPHS 53 Eustis 32
1Q: CPHS 9-4.
2Q: CPHS 10-10.
3Q: CPHS 16-10.
4Q: CPHS 18-8.
Scoring: (CPHS) Jackson 21, Armstead 16, Kirkendoll 8, T. Morris 5, Wilson 3. (Eustis) Brown 14, Rolle 8, McKinley 5, Seward 2, Brooks 2, Douglas 1.

Sandite Wrestling

The Keystone Kids wrestling club can claim yet another national champion. 

Hudson Waag took home first place in the 46th annual United States Junior Open Championship Saturday night at the Oklahoma City fairgrounds.

Waag recorded decisions of 18-16 and 10-4, and pinned three opponents, including a 19-second fall in the finals to win the 37-pound bracket in the Six and Under age division.

Kason Wolfe placed fourth in the Eight and Under division at 55 pounds, and Bailey Copeland placed fifth in Girls’ 12 and Under division at 73 pounds.

Sandite Volleyball coach Derek Jackson moving on to Claremore

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This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The winningest volleyball coach in Sand Springs history, percentage-wise, is moving on to greener pastures.

After a three-year stint as Charles Page High School’s head coach, Derek Jackson is moving to Claremore to take over one of the top programs in Class 5A. 

While Jackson has nothing but good things to say about his time in Sand Springs, the Claremore opportunity was too good to resist.

“The biggest thing was just the teaching opportunity that I got,” said Jackson, who has been teaching eighth-grade science at Clyde Boyd Middle School. 

“I went to college for fitness and physical education, and that’s kind of what I’m going to be able to get to teach at Claremore. So I’m excited to get to teach what I actually went to college for, what I think I can do a better job at.”

On top of that, Jackson and his wife Skylar, a Broken Arrow assistant coach, are expecting their first child.

“I think it’s going to be a little less stressful, especially with a kid on the way.”

The two currently live in Broken Arrow, so the commute to Claremore won’t be any worse than his previous drive to Sand Springs. 

The Red Zebras are coming off a 24-17 season and State Tournament appearance under Kimberly Mabbott, who went 30-41 in her two year tenure as head coach.

Jackson came to Sand Springs by way of Clinton, where he was head coach for two years. A Kellyville native, the Sand Springs job brought him closer to home while giving him the opportunity to coach in Oklahoma’s largest classification.

Jackson went 51-49 overall during his three years in Sand Springs. His 19-15 run in 2020 and 18-14 first season rank as the second and third-best seasons in school history.

“I think early on it was just trying to change their identity and how they saw themselves,” said Jackson. 

“They had a couple of years where it was pretty rough there. I don’t think they were excited to take on big challenges like big teams like Broken Arrow and Bixby. So just getting them to the point where they thought they were winners, I think that was our first step.”

This year the Sandites finished 14-20, winning their home tournament for the second time in the past three years. Those are the team’s only two titles since 2010. 

Jackson is the only Sand Springs coach to leave the school with a winning record. Sydney Bond went 7-18 in 2018, Janna Green went 65-78 from 2014 to 2017, and Caleb Horton went 37-93 from 2010 to 2013. Records from before 2009 are hard to come by.

Whoever is next up to the plate will have a solid foundation to work from. 

“I think Rod (Sitton), hat’s off to him,” Jackson said of the Sand Springs Athletic Director. “He really trusted me from the get-go of really everything. I mean fundraising to scheduling to player management.”

“He really trusted me to do just about everything and kind of backed me rather well. So I really appreciate that, and I think it allowed me to be me and helped get those kids and the program where we wanted it.”

“I think I’ve set a lot of groundwork for the next person to come in because of not just focusing on varsity, but you know, really doing a lot of little kids camps and pushing to start that seventh grade program. Just kind of trying to set up long-term success. I think they’ve got a good base under themselves.”

The program has been trending upwards over the past decade, despite the occasional downward swings due to large graduating classes or brutal schedules. 

Claremore, meanwhile, will be getting its new coach sooner rather than later. After closing out the semester at Sand Springs, Jackson will be taking over at Claremore following Christmas Break. 

“He did a great job for us,” said Sitton. “We hate to see him go, but nobody’s going to fault somebody for bettering themselves and going to better opportunities.”

Sandite Wrestling places second at Cabot tournament, beat Sapulpa in dual

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This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School wrestling team (1-0) is off to a hot start on the season, topping 5A No. 4 Sapulpa 37-23 in a Highway 97 Rivalry dual. 

The Sandites won eight out of the fourteen matches, collecting four pins in their fifth consecutive win against the Chieftains. 

Sapulpa, fresh off a tournament win at Bristow, took an early lead before Sammy Naugle pinned Parker Lecoq at 138 to put the Sandites up 13-12. Lecoq had scored two takedowns and a set of nearfall points against Naugle before the Sandite made a second-period comeback.

Mitchell Smith followed it up with a pin of Blake Hurt, and Ethan Norton pinned Hugh Primeau to turn the tide in the Sandites’ favor. 

The two teams traded blows till 195 when Brooks Dudley clinched the dual with a pin of Jackson Deerman to make it 34-20. 

Zander Grigsby recorded a major decision for the Sandites, and Jayden Pait, Ethan White, and Marcus Sims all won decisions. 

The junior high team pitched a shutout against the Chieftains with a 75-0 victory.

The Sandites traveled to Cabot, Arkansas over the weekend and placed second at the Bring the Hammer tournament with two champions in Grigsby and Smith.

Grigsby won the 120-pound bracket with three pins, a technical fall, and two major decisions to remain undefeated on the season.

Smith won at 145 pounds with seven pins and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. 

Pait, Norton, David Ritchey, Cash Lucas, and Carter Goodman placed third. Jaxon “Scout” Trotter placed fourth, James Robey placed seventh, Colt Hood and Jesse Moore placed ninth. Dylan Quinton and Drake Fain placed tenth, Ethan White placed eleventh, and Slaytor Ferrell placed twelfth. 

The Sandites were only 17 points behind Keller Timber Creek, despite being short handed without Blake Jones, Brooks Dudley, and Mason Harris. Dudley and Harris are expected to return after Christmas Break, but Jones may miss the season due to a football injury. 

Sand Springs will return to action January 4th with a dual at Jenks (0-2).

Sandite Basketball takes a beating at Jenks

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This story was originally written by Scott Emigh for the Tulsa World.

If the No. 3 Jenks boys’ basketball team (4-0 overall, 2-0 conference) was looking for a statement win, it found it Tuesday against No. 16 Sand Springs (2-2, 0-2). The Trojans dealt Eric Savage the biggest defeat of his Sand Springs career, 84-35, in a game that saw little drop off in second or third-string action.

“Eric is the best in our business at managing games,” said Jenks head coach Clay Martin. “We were trying to create a tempo as early as we could, because he’s so good at slowing the game down for his team.”

The Sandites have a reputation for playing gritty, low-scoring games against higher ranked opponents. In the last meeting between the two teams, the unranked Sandites beat the No. 8 Trojans 43-40 in last year’s Regional playoffs.

“We have a lot of respect for him and that program,” said Martin. “We were just lucky to get a tempo going and create some run-outs early, which got the momentum going.”

The Trojans were fresh off a tournament title from Tahlequah, where they beat Tahlequah Sequoyah 90-19, then edged out Muskogee 59-52 and Moore 60-58 in overtime. 

“All the credit in the world to our guys,” said Martin. “Coming off a big tournament win, you come back and we were wondering how we were going to respond. I think with the experience we have and the leadership we have on the floor, we were ready to go.”

Chase Martin led all scorers with 15 points, followed by Benjamin Averitt with 13, and Deke Thompson with 11. 

Thompson scored all of his points from the bench, in the fourth quarter, and the backups accounted for 33 in the lopsided affair.

“Obviously when you’ve got a little lead, the rim gets bigger,” said Martin. “I was really proud to see a lot of our guys who don’t always get a lot of minutes get in there and have some opportunity.”

The Trojans will try to ride that momentum into the Tournament of Champions on December 27th with a first-round game against 2A No. 2 Cashion (1-0).

Sand Springs will take three weeks off before traveling to No. 12 Booker T. Washington (2-0, 2-0) after the new year.

Jenks 84 CPHS 35
1Q: Jenks 17-7.
2Q: Jenks 22-9.
3Q: Jenks 23-12.
4Q: Jenks 22-7.
Free Throws: Jenks 7-of-10, CPHS 4-of-13.
Field Goals: Jenks 33-of-62, CPHS 13-of-47.
Offensive Rebounds: Jenks 11, CPHS 12.
Defensive Rebounds: Jenks 22, CPHS 18.
Total Rebounds: Jenks 33, CPHS 30.
Steals: Jenks 7, CPHS 2.
Blocks: Jenks 2, CPHS 1.
Fouls: Jenks 11, CPHS 13.

Scoring: (Jenks) Martin 15, Averitt 13, Thompson 11, Tata 9, Golightly 8, Smith 8, Simmons 7, Wilkins 6, Bacon 4, Coffey 3. (CPHS) Dickson 6, Oakley 6, Shope 6, Clark 5, Askew 5, Kelly 5, Johnson 1, Hendricks 1.

Sand Springs Girls' Basketball throttles Jenks 64-30 on the road

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This story was originally written by Scott Emigh for the Sand Springs Leader.

Jenks hung tough for a half, but the Sand Springs girls’ basketball team opened the floodgates after intermission.

Class 6A No. 11 Charles Page High School (4-0 overall, 2-0 conference) outscored the home team 42 to 18 in the second half and cruised to a 64-30 win against No. 19 Jenks (2-3, 1-1) Tuesday night at the Frank Herald Field House.

Three Lady Sandites scored in double digits as the visitors secured their 16th consecutive win against Jenks. Journey Armstead led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Hailey Jackson with 13 and Sakauri Wilson with 10.

Taiona Morris scored 8 points, Layne Kirkendoll added seven points and ten rebounds from the bench, and Avery Tanner scored 6.

“I think this year we’ve been able to get a lot more help and a lot of players are stepping up and getting a lot more confidence,” said Sandites head coach Josh Berry.

The Sandites held their opponents to single digits in all four quarters and came away with 14 steals and three blocks in a dominant defensive effort.

“I think that’s what we’ve got to do is just hang our hat on the defense,” said Berry. “As long as we keep playing defense and they keep sharing the ball, and other players keep getting aggressive, we’ve got a good chance of being pretty good.”

Jill Twiehaus scored 14 points to lead the Trojans, who will take three weeks off before traveling to 5A No. 2 Sapulpa (3-2, 1-1). 

Sand Springs will travel to the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational on December 29th with a first-round game against Fort Myers, Florida. 

“Of course we’re going down there to compete,” said Berry. “First we want to go down there and take care of business, but we want to have some fun. It’s about family, and it’s about being together. It’s a chance for us to go down there and relax and have some fun over the holidays and enjoy each other.”

In junior varsity action the Trojans won 44-40. Abigaile Martin scored 15 points to lead the Sandites.

CPHS 64 Jenks 30
1Q: CPHS 11-6.
2Q: CPHS 11-6.
3Q: CPHS 25-9.
4Q: CPHS 17-9.
Free Throws: CPHS 13-of-16, Jenks 11-of-13.
Field Goals: CPHS 23-of-58, Jenks 9-of-46.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 19, Jenks 12.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 22, Jenks 13.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 41, Jenks 25.
Steals: CPHS 14, Jenks 5.
Blocks: CPHS 3, Jenks 5.
Fouls: CPHS 16, Jenks 13.

Scoring: (CPHS) Armstead 20, Jackson 13, Wilson 10, T. Morris 8, Kirkendoll 7, Tanner 6. (Jenks) Twiehaus 14, Forgione 7, Brown 4, Luciano 2, Simpson 2, Aeschleman 1.

Sandite Wrestling places 10th at Perry, Keystone Kids crown 9 champs at Coweta

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The Charles Page High School wrestling team took tenth place Saturday at the prestigious Perry Tournament of Champions, placing higher than five ranked teams, despite being unranked themselves.

Mitchell Smith placed fourth at 145, David Ritchey placed fifth at 106, Carter Goodman was fifth at 160, and Ethan White took sixth at 182. 

The Sandites are still without returning State qualifiers Blake Jones and Mason Harris due to football injuries, and Brooks Dudley also had to injury default after a close loss in the quarterfinals.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday, December 14th with a conference road dual at 5A No. 11 Sapulpa (2-0).

The Highway 97 Rivalry dual was canceled last year due to COVID-19, but the Chieftains haven’t beaten Sand Springs since 2013. 

The Keystone Kids Wrestling Club competed at Coweta Saturday and brought back nine gold medals.

Maddox Pope, Samuel Moore, Kasen McAffrey, Legend Dentis, Kayden Worthington, Jase Crain, Collin Randall, Mylum Ache V, and Ryder Black all won their divisions.

Rylan Hamby, Tanner Copeland, Wes Wilson, Carter Luce, Ozzie Ache, JJ Baker, Seth Brown, Weston Roberts, Jet Epperley, Claude Treat, and Kydon Harness placed second.

Kason Wolfe, Hunter Haught, Khamdyn Patterson, Karson Waag, Joshua Drury, Hudson Waag, Maddix Spencer, and Boston Parsons placed third.

Rixon Hathaway placed fourth, Blaze Ingram, Zayden Anderson, Hunter Fields, Bennett Thayer, and Carter Randall placed fourth.