No. 4 Sand Springs steamrolls Jenks 71-35, Kersgieter is force to be reckoned with

Holly Kersgieter scored 19 Tuesday night against the Jenks Lady Trojans. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 71 Jenks 35

1Q Sand Springs 15-6
2Q Sand Springs 15-8
3Q Sand Springs 26-6
4Q All 15-15

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Kersgieter 19, Pennington 15, McGee 11, Johnson 10, Taber 7, Regalado 4, Collins 2, Bunch 2, Boaz 1. (Jenks) Wasson 12, Watson 7, Ruley 7, Meely 4, Gilford 4, Smith 1.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 5, Johnson 3, Taber 2, Pennington 2, McGee 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Pennington 6, Kersgieter 5, Collins 4, McGee 4, Regalado 3, Taber 3, Johnson 2, Bunch 2, Grant 1.
Steals: Pennington 2, Bunch 2, Johnson 2, Regalado 1, Taber 1.
Assists: Pennington 6, Taber 3, Kersgieter 2, McGee 2, Johnson 1, Collins 1.
Blocks: Johnson 2, Kersgieter 1.
Fouls: Regalado 4, Taber 3, Johnson 2, Pennington 1, McGee 1, Kersgieter 1.

The Sandites lost their 6'2" Division One-bound center a week ago after Gloria Mutiri sprained her ankle against Union. Her absence was a major factor in the Ladies' first loss of the season Friday at Owasso. Her absence was less noticeable Tuesday night in Jenks as Sand Springs rolled to a 35-point victory for the fifth time this season.

Despite the 30-14 halftime lead, the game was still a slow-starter for the Sandites considering their competition. The Lady Sandites are ranked fourth in Class 6A with a 15-1 record, while Jenks is unranked with a 5-12 record. Sand Springs is 8-1 in the Frontier Valley Conference while Jenks is 3-6.

Oklahoma State University softball-signed senior Sydney Pennington scored the first five points of the night for Sand Springs before sophomore Holly Kersgieter got in on the action with a layup and foul shot. The Trojans' first points came from the charity stripe, shot by Haley Meely. Sand Springs took an 8-2 lead before Rylie Watson hit back-to-back field goals to cut the deficit down. The Sandites had no intention of a close game, however, and Pennington laid up and shot a plus-one, followed by field goals from Kersgieter and Destiny Johnson.

Pennington added four more points in the second period, Kersgieter had two, Kierra McGee got in on the action with four, Johnson added four more, and Isabella Regalado had the final goal of the half on a free throw to make it 30-14.

Sand Springs found the throttle in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 26-6 with eight from Kersgieter. Sophomore Jacie Taber also got in on the action with a layup and free throw. Starting the fourth quarter 56-20, Kersgieter scored four-straight and Johnson hit a two for the forty-point advantage and Sand Springs pulled their starters.

The second string was more equally matched and the Trojans cut things back down to 63-26 with goals from Tatiana Gilford and Watson. Bailey Boaz, Amari Grant, Jessica Collins, and Ashley Bunch all got in on the action for Sand Springs and finished the evening 71-35.

Kersgieter scored a career-high 19 points for the evening and hauled in ten rebounds for her first ever double-double. She also added two assists and a block. Pennington was next up with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals. McGee scored 11 and Johnson scored 10 to put four Lady Sandites in double-digits. Wasson was the lone Trojan to break double digits, scoring 12.

The Sandites will return to action Friday with a home game against 5A No. 16 Bishop Kelley (6-9), who they already defeated 71-36 in the first game of the season. Jenks will travel to No. 16 Union (10-8) next Tuesday.

6A No. 1 Sand Springs triumphs 75-6 over No. 14 Jenks for Homecoming

No. 1 ranked senior Delvin Jordan pins Corbin Crisp in 50 seconds. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team (16-0) continued their undefeated season with a dominating 75-6 performance against No. 14 Jenks (3-4) Thursday night at homecoming.

Riley Weir (31-6 season, 52-18 career) wasted no time at 106, taking down Garrett Johnson in the first five seconds and added a trio of back points as the first period expired. He started the second period down, quickly reversed, then pinned his foe in 2:50. Tanner Ward (26-9, 102-21) was equally quick in taking control of Lucas Debolt and took a 5-1 lead with nearfall points in the first minute, then got the pin in 1:10.

120 was a potential State Tournament preview as previous State Qualifiers Michael Ritchey (29-8, 58-32) and Chase Slatton went head-to-head. The Sandite got an escape to start the second period 1-0, then nearly gave up a takedown as the Trojan caught him on one leg. The experienced senior didn't panic, however, and fought his way out of it. Ritchey had a vice grip on Slatton in the third and his opponent never came close to an escape. He added back points on two occasions and rode out for a 6-0 decision.

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Blake Sargent (29-8, 81-22) took on Brandon Elrod at 126 and the Trojan put up a valiant effort, only trailing 2-0 after the first. Sargent chose the down position to start the second period and scored an escape thirty seconds in. The two stayed on their feet till the end of the period when Sargent got a takedown and pin at the 3:50 mark.

Oklahoma State-signed senior Daton Fix (36-0, 154-0) worked his usual technical assault on Enrique Chavez and scored five takedowns in the first minute. Fix led 12-5 after the first and was up 17-6 when he finally cradled the Trojan at 2:41.

Jack Karstetter (22-1, 95-16) received a forfeit at 138, then Beau Bratcher (35-6, 126-29) pinned Killian McGrew in 0:51. Colt Freeman was the next Trojan to fall, going down in 1:01 at the hands of junior Payton Scott (30-2, 51-10).

Jenks finally put points on the board with a pin of Noah Almy (17-16) in 1:10 at the hands of Chase Kelvington. Zane Basma (19-2, 81-27) quickly earned those points back, however, with a 1:10 pin of Jaylon Pitts.

Hayden Cramer (8-7) took on Naimul Islam at 182 and scored a takedown midway through the first period. Cramer started the second period down and escaped almost immediately, then took his foe to the mat once again. This time he added a pair of nearfall points before letting Islam escape and entered the third period 7-1. Islam chose the bottom in the final stretch and Cramer sealed the deal at 4:43.

Gage Fain (24-11, 37-33) received a forfeit, then Delvin Jordan (34-2, 65-14) played a game of cat and mouse with Corbin Crisp, working up a 6-1 lead before pinning him in 0:50. The final match of the night was between Caleb Orr and Kris Edwards (4-0), and the Sandite came out with the pin at 1:59 to seal the 75-6 team victory.

Sand Springs will return to action next Tuesday at Bixby (1-6) in their final dual of the regular season. After that they'll be traveling to Shawnee on February 10th for the Dual State Championship at Firelake Arena.

CPHS senior Michael Ritchey takes first place at Joe Zamora Open

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Several members of the Sand Springs wrestling team traveled to Broken Arrow this past weekend for the Joe Zamora/Skyler Holman Open, and seven wrestlers took first place.

Charles Page High School senior Michael Ritchey competed in the high school division at 126 pounds and took first place with a 4-0 record. He won his first match 3-0 over Ernie Chavez of Jenks, then majored Garrett Jarvis of Broken Arrow 8-0. In the semifinals he won another 3-0 decision, this time over Owasso's Tristan Herrera, and wrapped it up with a close 3-2 win over Chase Slatton of Jenks.

Rhett Peak competed in the sixth-seventh grade division at 80 pounds and finished 4-1 for third place. He lost his opening round in a 6-0 decision to Aiden Boyd (Claremore), but finished strong with a 20-10 major decision over Jaden Mathis (Pryor), then pinned his next three opponents in a cumulative 1:27. Kaleb Burns (Sallisaw) went down in 0:12, Denton Degner (Bristow) fell in 0:36, and Bradley Vanblaricom (McAlester) lost in 0:39.

Ryder Barnes competed in the sixth-seventh grade division at 98 pounds and finished 3-0 for first place. He won his opening match with a 10-5 decision over Bradley Saucedo (Broken Arrow), then pinned Rashaud Morgan (Vinita) in 3:26. His final match was a close 2-0 decision over Brock Mattioda (Broken Arrow).

Chase White competed in the sixth-seventh grade division at 113 pounds and finished 2-1 for second place. He won his opening bout with a 1:13 pin over Drake Norfleet (Broken Arrow), then defeated Carson Young (Claremore) by 5-0 decision before falling in 3:56 to Isaac Xiong (Oologah) in the finals. 

Luke Burdette competed in the sixth-seventh grade division at 126 pounds and finished 5-1 for third place. He won his opening match with an 1:21 before falling in 1:53 to Gustabo Ramirez (Bixby). He won out with a 9-3 decision over Jarahmy Blakely (Oologah) and a 2-1 decision over Connor Linam (Oologah), before pinning Jon Lane (Muskogee) in 2:41 and Daltyn Jory (Jay) in 1:21. 

Carter Young competed in the junior high division at 89 pounds and finished 3-0 for first place. He won his opening match 9-3 over Blazik Perez (Broken Arrow) then pinned Grant Edwards (Oologah) in 3:00. The final match was won with a 16-4 major decision over Garett Strickland (Collinsville).

Caden Vaughn competed in the junior high division at 113 pounds and finished 3-1 for third place. He won his opening match with a 1:16 pin of Dayton Hill (Broken Arrow) before giving up a 9-0 major decision to teammate Josh Taylor. He rebounded with a 2-0 decision over Christian Knight (Broken Arrow) and wrapped the tournament up with a 6-1 decision over Kolby Encinas (Pryor).

Josh Taylor competed in the junior high division at 113 pounds and finished 4-0 for first place. He won his opening match with a 2:57 pin of Kaelan Drake (Broken Arrow), then majored Blake Salt (Oologah) 11-1 and Caden Vaughn 9-0 before pinning Pason Dotson (Sallisaw) in 1:38. 

Tyler Rush competed in the junior high division at 126 pounds and finished 4-1 for third place. He was pinned in 2:33 in his opening match by Kohlin Garriott (Jenks), but rebounded with a 1:00 pin over Gunnar Spence (McAlester) and a 1:34 pin of teammate Jared Jenkins. From there he won a close 4-1 decision over Jared Douglas (Cascia Hall) and a 5-2 decision over Christian McIntosh (Pryor).

Caleb Phillips competed in the junior high division at 126 pounds and finished 3-0 for first place. He won his opening match with a 1:02 pin of Eric Wilson, then majored Nate Shaw (Metro Christian Academy) 11-0. In the finals he took down Garrett Weis (Jenks) 8-4.

Christopher Kirby competed in the junior high division at 140 pounds and finished 3-0 for first place. He won his opening match with an 0:31 pin of James Cothran (Bixby), then pinned Devon Vazquez (Broken Arrow) in 0:36. In the finals he majored Caleb Buzzard (Jay) 16-6.

Teagan Campbell competed in the junior high division at 175 pounds and finished 3-1 for third place. He won his opening match with an 0:28 pin of Jonathan Navarro (Broken Arrow), before giving up a 10-3 decision to Bryce Jackson (Oologah). The next two rounds were close, but Campbell prevailed 4-3 over Tyler Bachman (Bixby) and 3-0 over Matt Roach (Bristow).

Kaden Glass competed in the junior high division at 200 pounds and finished 4-0 for first place. He won his opening match in an 0:12 pin of Zach Garrison (Pryor), then won an 8-2 decision over Aaron Lytle (Sapulpa). He finished out with pins of 3:17 over Cameron Johnson (Broken Arrow) and 1:27 over Chad Tinney (Bixby). 

Lady Sandites head to Bixby with eleven straight wins, seven by shutout

Madelyn Blair leads Lady Sandites to victory at Jenks

by: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

The Charles Page High School Lady Sandite Softball Team (14-3, 5-0) extended their winning streak to nine games Thursday against the Jenks High School Lady Trojans (6-9, 4-5). Their streak of six consecutive shutouts would come to an end, but Madelyn Blair (5-2) did a great job holding Jenks in check allowing just two earned runs while striking out six batters in seven innings of work from the mound.

Each team went remotely quietly in the first two innings, each picking up hits, but failing to score. Felicity Horn led off the top of the third inning with a walk, Jessica Collins bunted her way to first base, and Sydney Pennington drew a walk to load the bases. Madelyn Blair picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice that scored Horn but outed Pennington at second, and Collins scored on an illegal pitch by Lady Trojan pitcher Lauren Watkins.

Sand Springs added three more runs in the fourth inning. Kimi Presnell, Cameron Clemons, and Rachel Blair all singled, and Presnell advanced to home on a throw. Horn reached on a fielder's choice that outed Clemons at third, and Horn and Blair both advanced on a wild pitch. Collins singled to score Blair, and Horn scored on a throw. Things looked promising for Jenks in their half of the fourth as Brenlyn McCoy singled to lead off the inning, but the next batter, Ally Ryan, lined a pitch right to Presnell who tagged out McCoy for an unassisted double play, and the visitors would make it out of the inning unscathed with a 5-0 advantage. 

Presnell reached on a fielder's choice in the top of the fifth, stole second and eventually scored after a wild pitch and an error. Chancy Hupp got Jenks on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two RBI double, but an RBI double by Madelyn Blair and two more runs scored on errors would put the game away for the Lady Sandites.

Sandites go undefeated at OSU Festival in extra innings

by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Lady Sandites picked up their tenth and eleventh-straight wins at the OSU Festival Friday afternoon. Sophomore Jacie Taber (6-1) got the win on the mound against Piedmont (6-5) with six strikeouts against four hits. Madelyn Blair led in scoring with four RBI.

The Sandites got on the board early in the game with a sacrifice hit from Blair to score freshman Felicity Horn. In the bottom of the third Blair doubled to score Horn, Jessica Collins, and Sydney Pennington, but was left stranded.

Pennington added another run in the bottom of the fifth after tagging up on a flyout from Taber. 

In the second game of the festival the girls faced Muskogee (3-7) for the second time in a week. The Roughers were no challenge for the Sandites at the Rogers State festival, but this game would be a far cry from last Friday's 11-0 shutout.

With Lexy Watson on the mound, Muskogee gave up only five hits, as opposed to fourteen hits the last time the two teams met. The Sandites had to use two pitchers for the first time this season, starting with Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington (3-0), but trading to Madelyn Blair (5-2) in the bottom of the fifth

Felicity Horn got on base in the top of the first on a walk, but was stranded on third. Neither team reached again till Shania Henry walked in the bottom of the third. Kennedy Glass reached on a fielder's choice and was joined on base by Dymin Purdin who drew a walk. Brookelyn Gilmore singled with a groundball and Glass advanced home while Purdin was put out at third while advancing on the play. 

The Sandites tied things up in the top of the fifth as Elizabeth Luttrell singled to score Kimi Presnell who also singled. 

Muskogee threatened again in the bottom of the fifth as Purdin singled and Henry was hit by pitch. Blair relieved Pennington on the mound and the Sandites picked up an out on a fielder's choice at third. Phynix Coleman reached on an error at second to load the bases, but Purdin flied out to Rachel Blair and Gilmore grounded out to Madelyn Blair to save the inning.

The two teams remained tied up through the bottom of the seventh when the Roughers once again threatened with a pair of runners on base. Blair struck out two, hit one, and gave up a single before Gilmore flied out to strand the runners. 

The game entered an international tie-breaker and Makenna Skaggs was placed on second to speed up game-play. Clemons sacrificed to advance Skaggs to third, and Sabrina Usher hit a line drive single into right field for the go-ahead run. 

Gilmore was placed on second for the Roughers and advanced to third on a passed ball. Kayleigh Phillips walked, but the runners were stranded after three flyouts to net the Sandites the win. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday evening in Bixby when they play a district game against the Lady Spartans (6-9, 5-2). The Sandites and Spartans are second and third, respectively, in district standings. Bixby is coming off a 6-1 win over Putnam City. The game was originally scheduled for Sand Springs, but was moved due to standing water on the field after a soaking Monday night. First pitch is at 5:00 p.m.