Undefeated Sandites win third straight with 6-2 victory at OneOK Field

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Jake Ward pitched 9 strikeouts in a win over Booker T Washington Monday night.

Story by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Jake Ward had one heck of a night on the mound. The Charles Page High School pitcher won his second game of the season with nine strikeouts and only allowed two walks and four hits while throwing 49% strikes. 

The Sandites started their season last week and have racked up wins against Tulsa NOAH, Sapulpa, and Booker T Washington thus far to remain one of only 14 undefeated 6A teams. Monday night the Sandites took on the Hornets at OneOK Stadium in downtown Tulsa, the home of the Drillers, and easily handled their opponent.

The team batted just under .400 and Treyce Tolbert lead the team with two runs (coming from walks) along with cousin Trevor Tolbert who batted in two runners in two at-bats. 

Ward started on fire, striking out the first four batters before Cole Mendenhall finally got off a single in the top of the second. With one out on the board, Hunter Greathouse was the first Sandite to get on base with a left field single in the bottom of the second. Treyce Tolbert was walked and Jake Terry hit a sacrifice fly to advance the runners on base. Trevor Tolbert brought Greathouse home with a line drive single into right field, then Ty Fain brought home Treyce with a bunt and a fielding error. Trevor was put out at third and the Sandites went to field with a 2-0 lead.

The Hornets failed to get off a hit in the third and the Sandites scored another run as Rhett Rutledge was hit by a pitch and walked, then stole second and advanced to home on a single by Joey Montgomery. 

Booker T finally got on the board in the fourth inning as Davin Gummere was walked, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice hit by DJ Hall, and stole home on a catcher's error with Mendenhall at bat. 

Sand Springs wouldn't take that lying down, however, and scored three more that inning. Treyce Tolbert was walked once more and stole second, then came home on a triple by Trevor. The elder cousin would come home soon after on a groundball single from Josh Taber. Taber then took second on a left field fly from Rutledge and stole third, then home on a catcher's error. Rutledge stole second and third in pursuit of Taber, but was left stranded along with Ward (walked) after Montgomery was put out at first. 

The fifth inning was devoid of hits from either team. Booker T put one runner on base in the sixth after a catcher's error, but he would be left stranded. Mack Thompson hit a double for the Sandites in his first and only at-bat, but was put out at third after a groundball by Taber. Taber, who plays wide-receiver for the State Runner-Up football team, continued to show off his quick feet as he stole second and third, but was left stranded along with Phillips who was walked.

The Hornets finally scored again in the seventh as Mendenhall was hit by a pitch and found his way home on a single by Ben Curry. Curry would be left stranded however as Ben Curry was put out at second on a single by Connor O'Malley. Their rally attempt fell short and the Sandites retained their standing as one of the teams to beat and brought home a memorable experience from a minor league field. 

Baring a weather delay, the Sandites will next take on Enid (1-1) Tuesday night at 5:30 at the Sandite Athletic Complex. 

Carter Young wins Jr. High State Championship, 3 other Sandites place in top 4

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs sent four wrestlers to the 2016 Junior High All State Tournament in Oklahoma City last month and all four placed. 

Carter Young pinned his way through his first three opponents in the 6th & 7th Grade 80 pound bracket, taking down Brady Benham (Collinsville) in 0:28, Aiden Godbehere (Blackwell) in 1:00, and Cooper Evans (Bristow) in 2:34. In the semifinals he was pitted against Cotton Bowl National Champion Jordan Cullors of Collinsville and prevailed by way of 14-3 major decision. The championship match would be a lot closer and Young went into a sudden victory round with Blazik Perez of Broken Arrow, tied 6-6. The Sandite came out with the takedown, however, and claimed his second consecutive Junior High State Championship title.

Blake Jones competed at 92 pounds in the 6th & 7th Grade division and pinned Noah Ballard (Blackwell) in 2:43. He defeated his next opponent, Nathan Dekker, by 8-2 decision, but went down in the quarterfinals 10-2 to Bryce Dauphin of Tuttle. In the consolation bracket he pinned Grant Bunten (Owasso) in 3:45, then repeated his victory over Dekker by a narrow 2-0 decision. In the semifinal he edged out Shaun Muse 8-7, but lost in the finals to Jacob Wright of Southmoore by 2-0 ultimate tie-breaker and took 4th place. 

Seth Jones pinned his first two opponents in a combined 49 seconds. Competing at 101 pounds in the Junior High division, he took down Jacob Burdette (Bixby) in 0:24 and Alex Oquinn (Wagoner) in 0:25, then scored a 9-3 decision over David Boucher (Bartlesville) and a 4-0 decision over Ryder Ramsey (Tuttle). In the semifinals he was edged out 2-1 by Branden Elrod (Jenks) but he recovered in the consolation bracket with a 6-4 decision over Cade Waltman and a 5-2 decision over Luke Surber (Tuttle) for a third place finish. 

Irwin Portillo, who also saw action on the varsity mat this season, competed at 118 in the Junior High division. He pinned Gye Roedel (Kingfisher) in 1:13, then majored David Mendoza (Catoosa) 13-1. The next few matches were a lot closer as he edged out Timothy Trigg (Deer Creek) 3-2, then took down Josh Parks (Blanchard) 3-1 in a sudden victory round. His streak came to an end in the semifinals when he was pinned in 4:39 by freshman 6A State-Qualifier Spencer Schickram (Ponca City) who would go on to win the tournament. Portillo rebounded quickly with a 16-1 tech fall over Zack Mayes (Comanche), then defeated Roarke Simpson (Southmoore) by 7-4 decision for a third place finish.

Undefeated Sandite baseball easily handles Highway 97 rival Sapulpa, 7-2

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By: Scott Emigh and Deena Tolbert

The Charles Page High School baseball team won their second game of the season Saturday afternoon at Sapulpa (0-2), easily handling their Highway 97 rivals.

Gunnar Phillips and Jake Ward each drew walks to start the game and made their way around the bases for an early lead. Hunter Greathouse hit a line drive down the third baseline and was batted in by Treyce Tolbert who nailed the left field fence. The Chieftains came in to bat soon after, trailing 3-0.

Jake Terry (1-0) got the start on the mound for the Sandites and struck out two batters in the first inning, only giving up a single. 

Rhett Rutledge drew a walk in the top of the second but was caught in a pickle with Phillips at bat for the third out after Terry was outed on a pop fly to right field and Ty Fain was put out with a hit to right field. Sapulpa got off a single but stranded the runner with a strikeout on the fourth batter.

The third inning was more of the same for the Sandites as Jake Ward got the lone hit and Phillips, who was walked, was put out at second. Ward was picked off at first and Joey Montgomery hit the ball to second and was put out. Sapulpa got off a single and the runner stole second on a throwing error by Terry. The next two batters were struck out, however, and Rutledge threw out the final batter at first.

The fourth inning saw Hunter Greathouse hit a double to centerfield and stole third off an errant pitch. Trevor Tolbert was walked and the Chieftains switched pitchers. Treyce Tolbert was walked and Sapulpa switched pitchers again. Terry hit a pop fly to center for a single by catching error and Greathouse made it home for a 4-0 lead with the bases still loaded. Fain struck out but Rutledge was walked and Trevor Tolbert came home. Phillips bunted and was put out along with Treyce Tolbert in a double play and Ward was outed on a pop fly to right field.

Sapulpa put two on base with a walk and a single but both were left stranded and the Sandites took a 5-0 lead into the fifth. 

Montgomery hit a single off a fielding error and made it to second on a sacrifice bunt by Trevor Tolbert but was put out after Treyce Tolbert hit a line drive to third. Sapulpa got off another single but Trevor Tolbert put the runner out in a double play off the next batter's hit.

Terry doubled to start the sixth and was replaced on base by courtesy runner Mack Thompson who advanced to third on a sacrifice fly hit by Rutledge. Phillips batted him in on a line drive over second, then Ward smacked a double into the centerfield wall. Montgomery hit a line down third to score Phillips, but Ward was caught in a pickle and the Sandites improved to a 7-0 lead.

Josh Cordell relieved Terry on the mound and Sapulpa finally managed to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. The seventh saw Treyce Tolbert and Josh Cordell walked and stranded. Sapulpa got off a double but was unable to score. Cordell pitched his first strikeout of the season and the Sandites pulled in a 7-2 victory to remain undefeated.

The Sandites will next take on Booker T Washington Monday evening at OneOK Field in downtown Tulsa at 5:30. The Hornets are 0-2 for the season after giving up an 8-0 shutout to Broken Arrow today and being edged out 10-9 by Muskogee earlier this week. 

Winningest Lady Sandite Basketball season in years comes to end with Area loss to Owasso

/ Catoosa High School/

Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.11 Lady Sandites (17-9) fell in an early hole to No. 9 Owasso (19-8) after Leiloni Culley hit a two to draw first blood. Freshman Holly Kersgieter was not far behind her, tying it up, but then Terryn Milton hit back to back baskets for a 7-2 lead that the Rams would hold for the duration of the first.

Freshman Isabella Regalado hit a two to for the Sandites to start the second period down 11-10, but the Rams began pushing their lead as Mya Bhinhar and Rachel Skalnik hit baskets to make it 16-10. Junior Oklahoma State softball-commit Sydney Pennington hit a two to get the Sandites back into the game, but then it was Milton and Bhinhar with back-to-back baskets.

Pennington, freshman Destiny Johnson, and senior Cierra Scott ran up four from the charity stripe over the course of the second period, but that was all the Sandites would manage as Owasso increased their lead to 29-16 by half time.

Despite being in a heavy hole, the Sandites had already proven once this season their ability to rally against the Rams in their first meeting of the season when the girls exploded for a 16-5 second-quarter and ultimately won that game.

Sand Springs came into the half firing on all pistons as Gloria Mutiri hit a two and sank her “and-one” free throw, followed by a three-point basket by Cierra Scott to put the game back within single digits.

Milton sank the first Ram basket of the half, then Pennington hit a free throw and Cierra Scott forced a turnover on the corresponding possession getting in some great defensive coverage for a jump ball call. Unfortunately Sand Springs also gave up a turnover and Jordan Kunka and retook a 10-point lead.

Bhinhar added a free throw, but missed the second and Pennington rebounded it and returned it for a layup. Bhinhar retaliated with a two-pointer, but Mutiri hit one of her own then Kersgieter sank a three to make it 37-30.

Bhinhar hit the basket again, Scott added a pair from the charity stripe, then Kunka and Skalnik hit three freebies of their own before Kersgetier hit a two to finish off the period within single digits at 43-34.

Milton scored first to start the fourth, going 1-1 from the free throw line off a foul by Pennington. Kersgetier had a three-pointer fall short, but Bhinhar was right on line to retake a significant 46-34 advantage.

Sand Springs went on a run as Pennington and Scott each hit layups and Scott got the “and-one” to make it 47-39. It was Owasso’s game from there however as Pennington sent Milton to line for a 1-1 and the Lady Ram sank both. Bhinhar hit a two, Milton hit another free throw, then Culley added a basket for their biggest lead of the game at 54-39.

Kunka sent Mutiri to line for a 1-1 and the Lady Sandite sank both. The clock was too low for a realistic return by that point, however, and ultimately the Rams prevailed to State with a 58-42 victory.

Lady Sandite Basketball advances in playoffs with 46-43 win over Booker T Washington

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Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.11 ranked Charles Page High School girls' basketball team (17-8) is still alive in their playoff run after a close 46-43 win over No. 13 Booker T Washington (16-10) Thursday night in Catoosa. 

The girls won their first Regional game against Union last week, guaranteeing their advancement to Area, but lost in the Regional Championship to No.4 Sapulpa (22-3), 48-40, meaning they have to take the long way to State by winning two straight at Area. Their win over Booker T puts them halfway there, now they just need to defeat No. 9 Owasso (19-7) Saturday at 1:30 PM.

Junior Sydney Pennington led the scoring effort for the Sandites with 14 points, followed by sophomore Gloria Mutiri who had a double-double with ten points and twelve rebounds. 

The Lady Sandites took an early 11-3 lead before trailing off defensively toward the end of the first quarter, at one point allowing the Hornets to snag six straight offensive rebounds, and their opponent took a 17-13 lead early in the second. 

Pennington tied things back up with a pair of layups and it was a back and forth affair from there. Rhys Anderson hit a two to take the lead back for Booker T. Sandite freshman Destiny Johnson missed a two but Mutiri rebounded and tied things up at 19-19. Anderson sank another shot, followed by Mutiri, then freshman Holly Kersgieter snatched a half court steal and hit the layup with five seconds left in the half to take the lead back for the Sandites.

Kambri Davis hit a three, followed by Taylor Sells with a two and it was the Hornets with a 26-23 lead to start the second half. Pennington, Kersgieter, and Mutiri went on a 6 point run for Sand Springs to take back the lead for a while, but the Hornets found 5 points of their own to carry a 33-31 advantage into the final stanza.

The lead exchanged hands five times in the fourth period, but Sand Springs emerged to a definitive lead off a run from Johnson who sank a field goal and three free throws to give her team a 44-39 advantage. Sells hit a two and added a free throw and it continued to come down to the wire as both teams were in the double bonus with 1:16 to play. 

Aiya El-Hassan had a chance to tie things up from the charity stripe, but missed her second shot and senior Cierra Scott was fouled on the rebound and sent to the line to score the final points of the night.

If the girls can overcome Owasso on Saturday, they'll advance to the State Championship tournament for the first time in half a decade. It won't be easy. The girls defeated the Lady Rams 51-48 earlier this season, but the last time the two teams met it was Owasso with a 53-48 victory.

Come out and support your girls Saturday afternoon at 1:30 at Catoosa High School, right up the road from the Hard Rock Casino! It's been an incredible year of State Championship appearances from Sand Springs, let's rally around our incredible athletes and send another team to the top!

Lady Sandite Soccer starts season hot with 10-0 mercy rule shutout

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By: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director

Tuesday night’s game was over practically as soon as it began. The Charles Page High School Lady Sandite soccer team (1-0) got off to a racing start against East Central (0-1) as Missouri University of Science signee Kayla Foster scored a pair of goals before a minute had even run off of the clock. Eight more Sandite shots would find the back of the net and the game was stopped less than 23 minutes in due to a 10 goal mercy rule.

The girls also won the Stillwater scrimmage tournament in the preseason, beating Ponca City 2-1, Stillwater 3-0, and Mannford 3-0.

Leading the way in scoring for the Sandites were Foster and junior Megan DeShazo each picking up hat tricks at three goals apiece. Oral Roberts University signee Brooklyn Eardley and Kyndal Zicker each scored two goals to round out the scoring. Passing played a big part in the win, with 7-out-of-10 goals coming off of assists. Zicker, DeShazo, and Eardley assisted on 2 goals each and Gracen Taylor came up with the final assist.

Defensively the Lady Sandites painted a picture of perfection by holding the Lady Cardinals not only without a shot attempt, but without a trip inside the box for the entirety of the 23 minutes played.

The Sandite boys (0-1) faced a much tougher task and came up a bit short, falling 3-1 to the Cardinals (1-0). The first half saw little action for the initial 25 minutes, but East Central started to turn up the heat with 4 narrow misses on the Sand Springs goal. It was the Sandites however that struck first blood. With just 51 seconds remaining in the first half a shot deflected off the Cardinal keeper and slowly bounced in for a 1-0 halftime advantage. East Central would ultimately get on track scoring 3 second half goals in a matter of 3 and a half minutes to secure the victory.

Next up for Sand Springs is a road trip to Muskogee, Varsity Girls will begin at 6 pm and Varsity Boys at 8.