Sandite Highlight: Cody Randall

Cody Randall

Cody Randall graduated this last May and left Charles Page with an impressive high school resume. Randall didn't start wrestling until the 7th grade and is a true testament to the outstanding multi-generational wrestling program in Sand Springs. Randall placed twice at the prestigious Kansas City Stampede, once at 13th and once at 15th. He claimed 1st place medals at the 2014 Oklahoma Open, the 2015 Jay Hancock Memorial Invitational at Yukon, and the 2015 Sand Springs Freestyle Tournament.

In 2014, he took 4th place at the 6A East Regionals, barely missing a slot at the State Tournament. In 2015 he improved to 3rd Place and lost only one match at State, also taking 3rd there. Two months after state was the Sand Springs Freestyle/Greco tournament, where he wrestled as part of Team BIG, a club started by CPHS assistant coach Derek Fix. Competing in Freestyle at 126 pounds, Randall tech felled Cody Wynn of Wildcat Wrestling 12-2 and fellow Sandite Michael Ritchey 11-0 to claim the gold. 

This summer, Randall was awarded All-State honors and named to the Oklahoma Big East team. Fellow Sandite Cody Karstetter was also named to the team but was unable to wrestle due to an injury he recently sustained. Competing in Sapulpa at 113 pounds, Randall scored the first five points of the evening with an 18-2 tech fall against Raul Garcia, though the dual itself was a 25-14 loss to the West. 

 Randall will be moving on to college level wrestling at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College this fall. 

Sandite Highlight: Jack Karstetter

Sand Springs is no stranger to the national forum when it comes to wrestling. The sport is undeniably the Sandites' best subject in recent memory, and not only are we considered to be part of the "Top Three" in Oklahoma, but our wrestlers are making headlines nation-wide as part of Team Oklahoma. With the scholastic season on hold, many of our wrestlers are competing in Freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments across the country as part of "Team BIG," a wrestling club started by Sandite assistant coach Derek Fix. Here's what our boys have been up to since placing third in state last school year.

Jack Karstetter

Jack Karstetter took no time off whatsoever when scholastic wrestling came to a close, quickly adding to his resume and gaining some serious experience. Ending his school season as a state qualifier and regional champion at 113, Jack already had quite a bit of steam behind him as he headed into the summer.

At the OK USA National Team Qualifier, Jack wrestled heavy at 132 in Cadet Freestyle, landing four straight techs and five straight wins to take 1st place over 20 other wrestlers. He defeated 3A state qualifier Dalton Harvey 16-4, Carson Berryhill of Tiger Wrestling 11-0, Ponca  City's Jacob Swenson 12-2, Jake Smith of Threestyle Wrestling 11-0, then wrapped things up with a narrow 9-7 decision over Lawton's Hunter Jump to seal the title.

A week later, Jack competed at the Sand Springs Freestyle/Greco Tournament in the Cadet Freestyle 132 division. He kicked the tournament off with a 12-2 tech fall against Threestyle Wrestling's Ky Allen, followed by a 13-2 tech on Ponca City Wildcat Noah Burdick, and finished the tournament with an 18-8 tech over Hunter Perigo of Threestyle Wrestling, taking 1st place of 6 competitors.

In mid-May Jack traveled to Cushing for the OK USA FS/GR State Tournament and competed in the Cadet Freestyle division at 132lbs. Once again Jack defeated Carson Berryhill by an 11-0 tech fall, then took on Owasso's Seth Osborne, whom he pinned in 2:01. Wildcat Dylan Schickram also proved to be no match, losing in a 13-3 tech, then Jack put the icing on the cake with an 11-0 tech fall over Guthrie's 5A state qualifier, Kurgan Cornwell, and took 1st place of 13 wrestlers.

The end of the month heralded the 2015 Southern Plains Regional Freestyle and Greco tournaments, where Jack competed at 126lbs. In Greco, Jack defeated Minnesota's Alex Kern by 15-4 tech fall, then teched two-time Missouri state qualifier Colin Valdiviez 14-2. Colorado state champion Wyatt Pfau also proved no match for Jack, getting teched 10-0. Finally, Jack defeated Texan David Reyes in a 6-2 decision to secure the 1st place medal over 13 other wrestlers. 

Moving to the Freestyle competition, Jack started things off with a pin against two-time Missouri state placer Nikolas Chavez in 3:59, then teched fellow Okie Broc Bailey 10-0, and Colorado's Jerzie Estrada 10-0 as well. Once again the final matchup was against David Reyes, and once again Jack came out on top, this time in a 9-3 decision, securing Jack's fifth consecutive 1st place medal, this time over 16 other wrestlers. 

As mid-June arrived, Jack returned to the big leagues, representing Team Oklahoma for the third time, moving up from Schoolboy Nationals to Cadet Nationals. In the Greco Duals, Oklahoma started out in the C Pool. Match #1 saw a 60-15 victory over California, despite Jack starting with a 14-4 tech fall to Ruben Gonzalez. It would, however, be Jack's only defeat of the tournament. Oklahoma suffered a narrow 37-36 defeat to Ohio1 in the semifinals, with Jack teching Austin Murphy 10-0. Jack sat out in Oklahoma's round three 68-14 slaughter of Delaware, but aided in their 44-29 victory over Indiana for 3rd place with a 34 second pin over state-qualifier Jonathan Moran. In the 2nd place match against Kansas1, Oklahoma was defeated 46-30, as Jack again sat out at 126, sharing the mat with Lawton's Hunter Jump.
Moving to the Bronze/Copper Pool, Oklahoma handily defeated Michigan1 54-21 with a 10-0 tech fall by Jack over Michigan state champion and 2014 Flo National Runner-Up Cameron Amine. Hunter Jump stepped in for a round 2 defeat of Ohio2 44-32, then Jack returned to hand an 11-0 tech fall to New Jersey's Ray Wetzel as Oklahoma narrowly defeated them 39-36. Oklahoma once again confronted Indiana, but this time the Hoosiers had the upper hand and won the first place spot 39-37, despite Jack's 10-0 tech fall against Jonathan Moran. Oklahoma settled for 2nd in Bronze/Copper, 10th overall.

Oklahoma fared slightly better in the Freestyle competition, with Jack once again losing only one match. OK slaughtered Delaware 70-7 as Jack kicked things off with a 10-0 tech over state-placer Niko Chilson. Ohio1 defeated Oklahoma 51-21 in the semifinal, with Jack narrowly defeating Drew Fairbanks 17-12. Hunter Jump came in for a round to help Oklahoma defeat Kansas2 48-27, then Jack returned for the 3rd place match to register his fastest pin of the tournament in 22 seconds against Jared Clark as Oklahoma narrowly defeated Indiana 41-38. OK advanced to the 2nd place match where they came out on top of a 39-37 contest against Missouri1, and Jack gave a 10-0 tech to state and national placer Taylor Brown to finish things off in the C Pool.
This time Oklahoma advanced to the Gold/Silver pool, where they only managed to win one match. Jack accepted a forfeit in a round one 40-36 defeat by New Jersey1, then let Hunter Jump wrestle in round two's 67-9 slaughter by Illinois. In round three, Jack suffered his first loss of  the tournament in a 15-4 tech by 2014 ASICS National Champion Mason Phillips, as Oklahoma  was defeated 46-33 by Washington. Finally, Oklahoma managed a 45-29 win over Kansas1 in the 7th place match, and Jack finished things off with a 10-0 tech against Joey Hancock.

Jack took a month long break after his travels with team Oklahoma, and then entered in the 2015 USAW Cadet Nationals a little over a week ago. Competing at 120 in Greco, Jack started off with a pin in 1:35 over Pennsylvania's Mark Sallot, then suffered his first loss in an 18-12 decision to Kansas State Runner-Up Conner Ward. Moving to the consolation bracket, Jack registered five straight wins, teching Colorado state-placer Kyle Cisneros 15-4, pinning Minnesota's Jackson Stauffacher in 2:26, and teching Florida state-placer Luis Hernandez 10-0. His next matches were closer, scoring a 9-3 decision over Mel Ortiz of Connecticut, then narrowly beating Missouri state-placer Cameron Valdiviez 20-19, whom he's previously beaten 3 times and has lost 4 matches to, thus tying their series. His streak finally came to an end with a 12-2 tech loss to Alex Thomsen, Iowa State Champion and National Runner-Up. Jack was eliminated from contention in the next round with a 6-4 loss to Pennsylvania's Jack Davis and claimed 8th place out of 83 contenders.

The Cadet Freestyle Nationals began soon after and Jack moved up to 126lbs. He teched New Yorker Richard Gomez 14-3 in round one, then lost 14-7 in round two to 2012 ASICS Folkstyle National Runner-Up Markus Hartman of Illinois. In the consolation bracket, Jack scored a narrow 9-7 decision over Illinois' Kenneth Kerstein, then teched two-time Arizona State-Qualifier Stone Crooks, before finally being eliminated by Illinois State-Qualifier Abdullah Assaf in a 14-2 tech. While he failed to place, he advanced five rounds in a crowded bracket of 103 of the nation's best wrestlers, which is, in itself, something to be proud of.  

So far, Jack has a non-scholastic record of 39-7 for 2015. He's claimed the titles of Sand Springs Freestyle Champion, and Southern Plains Freestyle and Greco Champion, as well as won two other tournaments and competed in National Championships both individually and as part of Team Oklahoma. He's registered 6 pins and 26 tech falls, and will be a Junior at Charles Page this upcoming school year. 

Sandite Highlight: Payton Scott

Sand Springs is no stranger to the national forum when it comes to wrestling. The sport is undeniably the Sandites' best subject in recent memory, and not only are we considered to be part of the "Top Three" in Oklahoma, but our wrestlers are making headlines nation-wide as part of Team Oklahoma. With the scholastic season on hold, many of our wrestlers are competing in Freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments across the country as part of "Team BIG," a wrestling club started by Sandite assistant coach Derek Fix. Here's what our boys have been up to since placing third in state last school year.

Payton Scott

Payton kicked off his nonscholastic season in mid-April at the 2015 OK USA National Team Qualifier at Union High School. He made quick work of his opponents, pinning Stillwater's Jace Nicholas in 1:35, then had back to back techs on Broken Arrow's Jarred Due and Lawton's 2015 Southern Plains Champion, Nick Mahan. With only 9 competitors at weight class 160, this secured Payton's position on the Oklahoma Cadet Team.

A month later, Payton traveled to Cushing for the OK USA FS/GR State Tournament, where he again competed in the Cadet FS 160 field against a small group of only 6 other wrestlers. He easily teched Broken Arrow's Zeke Rozell, then pulled a narrow 9-5 decision over 2015 state placer Jaryn Curry of Choctaw, before teching Lawton MacArthur's Christian Maldonado for a first place medal.

In June it was finally time for the Cadet National Duals, where Payton would compete on both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. In Greco, Oklahoma started in the C Pool and went 3-2 against their opponents. Payton proved to be an invaluable member of the team, losing only one match in the whole tournament while wrestling at 152lbs. First Oklahoma defeated California 60-15, aided by Payton's 12-0 Tech of Michael Zaragoza. Then, despite a fantastic 13-0 tech of Joey Baughman, Oklahoma fell 37-36 to Ohio1. In the consolation semifinal Oklahoma made easy work of Delaware, defeating them 68-14, where Payton landed his quickest pin of the tournament in 26 seconds against Jullian Johnson. In the 3rd Place Match, Payton teched state-qualifier Gleason Mappes 10-0 to help aid Oklahoma in a 44-29 rout of Indiana. In the 2nd place match, Payton's streak finally came to an end, suffering a 1:32 pin by state-placer Sammy Cokeley, as Oklahoma was defeated 46-30 by Kansas1.

Moving to the Bronze/Copper pool, Payton only wrestled in two of Oklahoma's four matches. In Round One he teched state-placer Kam Bush 11-0 to help Oklahoma defeat Michigan1 54-21. With Payton sitting out for the next two rounds, Oklahoma went on to defeat Ohio2 44-32 and NewJersey1 39-36. In the 1st place match, Payton returned to the mat and teched Gleason Mappes again, but this time Indiana rallied for an upset to narrowly defeat Oklahoma 39-37. Team Oklahoma had to settle for 2nd place in Bronze/Copper, 10th Place overall.

The Freestyle tournament went slightly better for Team Oklahoma. In the first match they decimated Delaware 70-7 as Payton teched Avery Mayan 12-1. Then they lost to Ohio1 51-21 with Payton moving up temporarily to 160 and losing in a narrow 5-3 decision to David Crawford. In the consolation bracket, Oklahoma defeated Kansas2 48-27 aided by Payton's 11-0 tech of Hayden Koepke. In the 3rd Place Match for Pool C, Oklahoma defeated Indiana 41-38 and Payton teched Gleason Mappes for the third time. Oklahoma won second place over a narrow 39-37 defeated of Missouri1, and Payton teched Scott Parrack 12-1.

This time Oklahoma made it into the Gold/Silver Pool, but suffered three straight defeats to settle for 7th Place. Payton teched Michael O'Malley in a 40-36 defeat by New Jersey. Then he was teched himself by National Champion Trevell Timmons in Oklahoma's devastating 67-9 loss to Illinois. In Round 3, Washington defeated Oklahoma 46-33, but Payton won 11-0 against Malachi Lawrence. To wrap thing up, Oklahoma finally got a win on the board against Kansas1, 45-29, and Payton pulled off his 16th tech of the season against Sammy Cokeley.

Pulling off a 7th Place National Freestyle Dual medal and a 10th Place National Greco Dual medal, so far, Payton has a non-scholastic record for 2015 of 19-3. Payton will be a Sophomore this upcoming year at Charles Page, and in addition to being an outstanding wrestler, he was also a varsity wide-receiver on last year's 6A-II state semi-finalist team.

Sandite Highlight: Michael Ritchey

Sand Springs is no stranger to the national forum when it comes to wrestling. The sport is undeniably the Sandites' best subject in recent memory, and not only are we considered to be part of the "Top Three" in Oklahoma, but our wrestlers are making headlines nation-wide as part of Team Oklahoma. With the scholastic season on hold, many of our wrestlers are competing in Freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments across the country as part of "Team BIG," a wrestling club started by Sandite assistant coach Derek Fix. Here's what our boys have been up to since placing third in state last school year.

Michael Ritchey

Ritchey took 2nd place of 3 in Junior Freestyle division 126 at the Sand Springs Freestyle/Greco Tournament back in April, beating Cody Wynn of Wildcat Wrestling by a 10-0 Tech fall, before losing to fellow teammate and state placer Cody Randall in an 11-0 tech fall.

A week later he placed 3rd of 5 in Junior Freestyle division 126 at the Owasso Freestyle and Greco Tournament. He lost to state-placer Mason Naifeh of Team NEO in a 10-0 Tech, then pinned Jeremy Hanger of McAlester Wrestling in 4:10, and handed a 12-2 tech to Hunter Smith of Owasso Threestyle,

At the USAOK Broken Arrow Freestyle/Greco Regional he placed 2nd of 4 in Junior FS 120, defeating Cordney Chairs of Team NEO in a narrow 9-8 decision, before losing again to Mason Naifeh, this time by only 19-18.

At the OK USA FS/GR State Tournament at Cushing, he took 4th place of 7 in Junior Freestyle 120. First he defeated state-placer Paxten Rosen of Owasso in a 14-11 decision before falling to 4A state-runner-up Noah McQuigg from Tiger Wrestling Club in a 12-2 tech fall. Rebounding with a 13-2 tech over Javier Willets of Chickasha, he again had to confront Paxton Rosen, this time getting teched 10-0 and finishing with a 2-2 record.

At the 2015 USAW Junior Men's Freestyle Nationals, Ritchey competed in the 120 weight class, but failed to place. He lost his first match in a 10-0 tech fall to two-time state-placer Aslan Kilic of Georgia. He defeated Jordan Baker of Hawaii 10-0 and accepted a forfeit-due-to-injury from Iowan Jack Wagner, but was eliminated from contention by Georgia State-Champion Todd Small in a 12-5 decision.

For 2015, Ritchey has a non-scholastic record of 17-10.

Not mentioned in this article are his 2nd place of 28 run at the USJOC/US JR Open Championships in January, and his 3rd place of 19 title at the OKWA 37th State Championships in February.

Sandite Summer Wrestling: July updates

     Sorry I've been so quiet the last month! Our wrestlers have been plenty busy in the national forum lately, adding to their already impressive records. Here's a general update with more to come over the next few days.

     Michael Ritchey was just eliminated from the 2015 USAW Junior Men's Freestyle Nationals with a 3-2 record in the 120 pound weight class. He received a bye in the first round, then lost by a 10-0 tech fall to Aslan Kilic of Georgia. Not bad considering Aslan is the god of Narnia and literally a lion. In the consolation bracket, he defeated Jordan Baker of Hawaii in a 10-0 Tech, then received an injury default win over Jack Wagner of Iowa before being defeated in a 12-5 decision by Todd Small of Georgia.

    Jack Karstetter took 8th place at the 2015 USAW Cadet Greco Nationals in class 120. He received a bye in his first round, then pinned Pennsylvanian Mark Sallot in 1:35 before falling to Kansas's Conner Ward in an 18-12 decision. Moving to the consolation bracket, Jack landed 5 straight wins. First he teched Kyle Cisneros of Colorado 15-4, then pinned Jackson Stauffacher of Minnesota in 2:26, and teched Luis Hernandez of Florida 10-0. From there he finally found some competition in Mel Ortiz of Colorado who he defeated 9-3, then barely managed a win against Cameron Valdiviez of Missouri, 20-19. In round 9 he was teched 12-2 by Alex Thomsen of Iowa, and in the 7th place match he was defeated 6-4 by Jack Davis of Pennsylvania. Finishing in 8th place with a 7-3 record against the top wrestlers in the country is never a bad day.

     Jack wasn't done yet, though. As soon as Greco nationals were over, he jumped head first into the 2015 USAW Cadet Men's Freestyle Nationals. Passing the first round with a bye, he then teched Richard Gomez of New York 14-3, before being sent to the losers' bracket by Markus Hartman of Illinois in a 14-7 decision. From there he managed a 9-7 win against Illinois's Kenneth Kerstein , then teched Stone Crooks of Arizona 16-4 before being eliminated by Abdullah Assaf of Illinois in a 14-2 tech fall, finishing with a 4-2 record but failing to place. 

     Daton Fix is currently competing in the 2015 USAW Junior Men's Freestyle Nationals, and is, as usual, undefeated in weight class 120. Fix received a bye in the first round, then teched David Salazar (AZ) 11-0, Brock Hudkins (IN) 12-2, and Zachary Sherman (NJ) 11-0. Next he'll take on Jacob Schwarm of Iowa.

     Cody Karstetter, Jack's older brother, Daton's cousin, and recent graduate, is getting prepared for his first season with North Carolina by kicking butt in the 2015 USAW Junior Men's Nationals as well. In last week's Greco tournament he took 6th place in 126. He tech felled Raphie Rodriguez of Idaho 10-0 and Alfredo Calzadillas of Arizona 10-0 in the first two rounds. I can't imagine wrestling with an Italian pasta sauce, it sounds messy, but he pulled it off. In round three he defeated Missouri's Dakota Miller 10-5, before being teched by North Carolina's Wilson Smith 10-0 in the quarterfinal. Moving to the consolation bracket, he beat Chris Poland (MI) 8-4 and Zachary Van Alst (AL) 14-4 before losing 4-0 in the semi finals to Dalton Young of Washington. In the 5th place match he again had to take on Wilson Smith, this time losing by only 6-0, ending the tournament with a 5-3 record and a 6th place medal. 

    Now Cody is undefeated in the Junior Men's Freestlye Nationals with a 4-0 record in class 126.  He received a bye in round one, then teched Brayden Curry (IA) 10-0, and pinned Dalton Young (WA) in 2:12. Last round he teched Cameron Hunsaker (UT) 10-0 and will next take on Nolan Hellickson of Iowa. 

     Kyler Childers also competed in the 2015 USAW Junior Men's Greco Nationals at 220 and defeated Wyatt Silvis (ID) 5-0, Kegan Watters (OR) 10-0, and Anthony Riopelle (MI) 11-2 before losing back to back to Angelo Hancock (CO) 10-0 and Dallas Goodpaster (WA) 7-2. Kyler did well in the wrestling, but was no match for Dallas in the arts and crafts competition when it came to pasting. 

     In the Freestyle portion of the competition, Kyler teched Henry Gregory of Maryland 10-0, then lost to Jacob Briggs of Minnesota 12-1 and was bumped to the loser's bracket where he teched Max Burris of Indiana 10-0 and won an 11-5 decision over Alex Jacobs of Illinois before being eliminated by Christian Coluccia of New Jersey in a 10-0 tech fall.

     So there you have it! Let me know in the comments if I missed anything, and next time you see one of our boys running down the side of the round in sweats in July, let them know you support them! I'll try and get an end-of-month post up next weekend to keep you up-to-date.

BTW Tops Sandites 57-51 To End Season

The Sandites made Area for the second consecutive season for the first time in over a decade after defeating Edmond North in the first round of Regionals last week and were matched up against the Booker T Washington Hornets for the first round of Area in the consolation bracket. The game was hosted at Tulsa Memorial tonight and it was packed with enthusiastic fans here to watch one of the best Sandite teams in recent memory.

The Sandites started freshman Colt Savage, freshman Brooks Haddock, sophomore Mack Thompson, sophomore Kyle Keener, and Senior Evan Perry. The Hornets won the jump ball and scored in only twenty seconds with a two point field goal. The Sandites’ first two drives were unsuccessful, but they showed exceptional defense and Savage and Haddock each got rebounds on the next two drives from the hornets. Savage tried to run in for a layup but was fouled. He threw it in to Haddock who missed a three and the Hornets got the rebound, returning it for a 4-0 lead. The Sandites finally got on the board less than thirty seconds later with a two point layup from Keener.

A Hornet free throw and a three pointer from Colt Savage later and the game was tied up 5-5 halfway through the first quarter. The Sandites briefly took the lead with a two point field goal from Jacob Taber but it was the first, last, and only time the Sandites would lead. By the end of the first period, the Sandites trailed 13-7.

Brooks Haddock kicked off the second period with a field goal, then the Hornets dropped a pair of free throws thanks to a personal foul from Savage, but he quickly paid them back with a three point field goal off the backboard. The Hornets sank a three on the next drive, then Haddock got a three bringing it up to 20-14. The Hornets missed the bucket on their next drive and Bryce Dunlap snagged the rebound and got it to Savage who passed it to Haddock who barely missed a three that spun around the rim before launching into the hands of a waiting Hornet.

Next it was a game of free throws as the Hornets shot two for two on a personal foul from Dunlap, then Savage shot one for two, followed by two for four by the Hornets thanks to a couple of personal fouls by Savage and Nichols. Then the Sandites found their feet with a three pointer from Haddock and a two pointer from Nichols. The Hornets scored next but Haddock was right behind them like a stud with a two point jump shot under pressure. A pair of Hornet free throws extend the lead to 28-22 going into the half.

The Hornets started off the third quarter with a two pointer, then Keener returned fire with a two before the Hornets sank a three and continued to distance themselves. The Hornets missed two free throws and Keener got the rebound and ran it all the way up court but missed the layup and the Hornets pushed into a double digit lead shortly thereafter, scoring eight points in a row and taking a 45-24 lead. Things looked bleak for the Sandites, but our boys found another gear and scored nine unanswered points to close the third period 45-33.

The Sandites continued to steamroll the Hornets, scoring a two point field goal only 18 seconds into the fourth period, then showed insane defense, holding off the hornets for over a minute and a half before they managed to get a shot off, that missed and was rebounded by Keener and brought back to Hornet territory where Haddock was fouled shooting for two and sank both of his free throws. On the next Hornet drive, Perry grabbed a rebound and Savage ended up with a three pointer. The Sandites continued to demonstrate some of the best defense they’ve shown all season, with Perry and Thompson both deflecting Hornet passes that caused mad scrambles for Booker T to regain control, then Keener smacked a two point attempt down like a boss. The Sandite streak came to an end with sixteen consecutive points before the Hornets finally got back in it with a pair of free throws due to a personal foul by Haddock.

Perry brought the ball all the way up court and tried for a layup but missed, then rebounded his own shot, and got off a pass to Haddock for a three that was unfortunately redacted due to a traveling call on Perry right before the pass. The Hornets missed their next field goal attempt Haddock snagged the rebound and was quickly fouled and got to shoot one and one, making the first but missing the second. The Hornets got the rebound and the Sandites continued to dominate defensively as the crowd cheered them on in awe at their astounding coverage. The Hornets finally managed to get a two off, then picked up a free throw off of Haddock.

With three and a half minutes left, the Sandites trailed by nine, but had been playing the better game for the last ten minutes. Keener got fouled and dropped two free throws like it was nothing, and the Hornets took a timeout. Whatever play they were planning didn’t come to fruition, as the ball handler made a pass to nobody and the ball traveled out and was turned over to the Sandites. Taber threw it in to Savage who brought it in for a layup attempt, but missed. However, a Booker T player hit the ball on its way down and sent it out so the Sandites got another shot at a basket. Savage threw it in to Haddock who missed a three point jump shot, but Keener was right there for the rebound and despite missing on his first shot, rebounded it again and sank it, narrowing the game to a five point difference with 2:15 to play.

The Hornets grabbed a pair of free throws, then Taber nailed a two. I can’t say enough about our stellar defense tonight. My notes are riddled with “GREAT D! GREAT D! GREAT D!” all over the place. The Hornets burned a timeout with 1:30 left. A technical foul on Taber had the Hornets shooting one and one, but they missed and Haddock grabbed a rebound but missed a three point jump shot that we needed desperately. Hope was rekindled when the Hornets knocked it out and we got it back but now it was Savage missing a three point jump shot.

It seemed like the Sandites were going to rally from a 21 point deficit to a major upset victory but in the last moments the Sandite steam finally ran out. Perry committed a personal foul and the Hornets sank a free throw. Savage dropped a couple of freebies next and the gap was down to four points with under a minute to play. Then Savage committed a personal foul and the Hornets dropped two more down the drain. Then it was Savage again with two, but Perry handed them another free throw and the gap held at five. Mack Thompson took a shot at a three but over threw it, then Haddock handed them a free throw and missed a two as the last vapors of Sandite magic ran out and the season came to a close.

Despite not getting the win, the Sandites showed up to that court. They didn’t play like a team that was majorly outranked. They didn’t play like a team that just came off of a 19 point loss. They played like a team that was out to prove themselves and show the world that the Sandites weren’t to be taken lightly. Last year was the Sandites’ winningest season since 2008, and this year was their winningest season since 2000. Second year Head Coach Eric Savage has turned the program around majorly, and the addition of some amazing young athletes has seen the Sandites make back to back Area appearances for the first time in many years. With a winning record in the regular season and an overall record of 12-12, the Sandites are climbing up the ladder towards being a legitimate state contender in the next few years. With four of its top five players being sophomores or freshmen, the Sandites still have a lot of untapped potential for Coach Savage to bring to light. Savage took his last team, Tulsa Memorial, to four state titles in 10 years including 2013, his last year there before moving to Sand Springs. The future is bright for the Sandites.

Brooks Haddock scored a game high 21 points, shooting 6/7 from the free throw line.

Colt Savage was right behind him with 15 points and shot 2/4 on free throws.

Kyle Keener scored 9 points and was 3/4 on freebies.

Jacob Taber scored 4 points.

Arvionte Nichols scored 2 points.