CPHS Football Preview: No. 6 Muskogee hopes to sabotage No. 7 Sandites' Homecoming

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Former Sandite quarterback Hunter Greathouse hands the ball off to Payton Scott in last year's 26-25 victory over No. 1 Muskogee. Scott carried 25 times for 116 yards and a touchdown in that game. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

The No. 7 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (4-2 overall, 2-0 district) will host No. 6 Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) for Homecoming Friday night at Memorial Stadium as they look to secure their fifth-straight victory and first home-victory of the season.

The Sandites dropped their season opener unsurprisingly, 59-21 to nationally ranked No. 21 Pulaski Academy (6-0), then gave up a come-from behind 21-20 loss to No. 9 Choctaw (4-3, 1-3). Since then they've rattled off wins of 28-14 at No. 12 Putnam City West (1-5), 31-16 at No. 15 Sapulpa (0-6, 0-3), 26-21 at 6A-I No. 9 Yukon (3-3) and 41-7 at No. 14 Ponca City (1-5, 1-2).

Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) lost a close 26-20 battle to No. 2 Midwest City (5-1) in the season opener, then scored a 54-0 shutout over 5A McAlester (1-5). They fell 43-35 to Arkansas 7A No. 5 Bentonville West (6-0), but rebounded with a 71-6 drubbing of No. 13 Bartlesville (0-5, 0-2). They lost their last two bouts 38-23 to No. 3 Bixby (3-3, 2-0) and 42-21 to No. 1 Booker T. Washington (6-1, 3-0). 

Historically Muskogee leads the series 20-6, but all six of the Sandites' wins have been in an ongoing streak dating back to 2011. Their most recent win involved a radical two-point conversion that earned them the No. 1 ranking and the ESPN No. 1 Play of the Night. Hunter Greathouse's pass was batted back at him and he tried to take it to the house himself. He pitched a lateral to Josh Taber while being tackled, and Taber broke several tackles to score the winning points with under a minute remaining to upend the undefeated Roughers. 

Dustin Kinard is the only Sand Springs coach to ever win against Muskogee, and has a career record of 59-56 in his eleven years heading the program. He gave the Sandites their first winning season and first playoff appearance in over a decade in 2008, and the Sandites have had winning records and playoff appearances for the past five years, with a 6A-II State Finals appearance in 2015. 

Rafe Watkins is 17-20 in his fourth season at Muskogee, and last year took them to a 9-2 record after three-straight 3-7 seasons. He previously spent thirteen years in Guthrie where he led the Bluejays to four 5A State Championships. His career record stands at 150-44.

Both teams have taken heavy losses since last year. Muskogee graduated their entire O-line, while the Sandites lost their quarterback and entire receiving squad. 

This year's game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. and will be preceded by a tailgate party with the Church That Matters Holy Smokers. The church will be selling hot dogs, burgers, drinks, and other foods prior to the game as a fundraiser for the defending State Champion Sandite Wrestling team. 

Muskogee Avg. Box Score

Points: 37
Rushing: 30-119
Passing: 21-35-332-1
Plays-Yards: 51-451
Penalties 9-84

Allowed: 26
Rushing: 39-159
Passing: 11-22-202-1
Plays-Yards: 61-361
Penalties: 9-66

Sand Springs Avg. Box Score

Points: 28
Rushing: 43-278
Passing: 5-10-66-1
Plays-Yards: 53-344
Penalties: 4-33

Allowed: 23
Rushing: 38-211
Passing: 13-21-142-1
Plays-Yards: 59-353
Penalties: 6-47

Sand Springs vs. Muskogee History

2016: Sand Springs 26-25 (A)
2015: Sand Springs 34-10 (H)
2014: Sand Springs 13-0 (A)
2013: Sand Springs 39-14 (H)
2012: Sand Springs 40-28 (A)
2011: Sand Springs 7-3 (H)
2010: Muskogee 44-14 (A)
2009: Muskogee 37-29 (A)
2008: Muskogee 39-37 (H)
2007: Muskogee 49-21 (A)
2006: Muskogee 57-21 (H)
2005: Muskogee 47-25 (A)
2004: Muskogee 27-6 (H)
2003: Muskogee 37-14 (H)
2002: Muskogee 38-12 (A)

1995: Muskogee 28-6
1994: Muskogee 20-14 (OT)

1961: Muskogee 38-6
1960: Muskogee 14-5
1959: Muskogee 40-14
1958: Muskogee 12-0
1957: Muskogee 34-6
1956: Muskogee 7-0
1955: Muskogee 24-6
1954: Muskogee 40-12
1953: Muskogee 20-0

Week Seven 6A-II rankings and predictions; a look at this weekend's games

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No. 1 Booker T. Washington Hornets (Last week No. 1)* District 2

The Hornets (6-1, 3-0) got a big obstacle out of the way in Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) and will have a bye week to recover before taking on Sand Springs in Week Eight. 

On Friday they handily doubled down on the Roughers 42-21. Thomas Grayson rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns while Philip Wheatley was 10-19-226 passing. They picked off two passes and held the Roughers to 295 yards, forcing seven punts. Still battling the refs, they ended the night with 9 penalties for 98 yards. 

No. 2 Midwest City Bombers (2) vs. No. 12 Putnam City West Patriots (12)* District 1

Midwest City (5-1, 3-0) continued to show off their defensive might with a 27-3 beatdown of Choctaw (4-2, 1-2). Oklahoma-commit Jalen Redmond had four tackles-for-loss as the Bombers held Choctaw to 171 offensive yards. 

Putnam West (1-4, 0-2) suffered a blowout against undefeated Stillwater (5-0, 2-0) falling 49-7. The Patriots attempted only three passes and didn't complete any. They were 44-246 on the ground, but gave up three fumbles and 159 yards in penalties. 

The pick: MWC 49 PCW 7.

No. 3 Bixby Spartans (3) vs. No. 14 Ponca City Wildcats (14)* District 2

The three-time defending State Champions (3-3, 2-0) notched another district win 48-10 in Sapulpa (0-6, 0-3). Staton King passed 11-17-198-0 while Braden Roller and Vic Griffin combined for 198 yards on the ground. Defensively they held the Chieftains to 30-22 rushing yards and only eight first downs. They were up 48-0 to start the fourth quarter before sending in the backups. 

Ponca City (1-5, 1-2) had their homecoming sabotaged 42-7 by Sand Springs (4-2, 2-0). Double-threat sophomore quarterback Justin Andrews was 12-25-102-1 passing and 24-83 rushing to account for 65% of the Wildcat offense. He scored the lone touchdown for his team with three minutes remaining against the Sand Springs reserves. 

The pick: Bixby 55 Ponca 9.

No. 4 Lawton Wolverines (5) vs. No. 11 Enid Plainsmen (10)* District 1

Lawton (4-2, 2-1) is out to prove themselves after falling to Midwest City three weeks ago, knocking undefeated team in back-to-back weeks. After topping Putnam City (5-1, 2-1) 27-21 two weeks ago, they handled the Stillwater Pioneers (5-1, 2-1) 43-29. The Wolverines led 28-3 early in the third quarter before allowing the Pioneers to battle back.

Enid (3-3, 1-2) averaged 45 points per game over the first four weeks before being shut out 37-0 by Choctaw (4-1, 1-2). They fared better last week against Deer Creek (3-3, 1-2) but still fell 38-24 and will need a few upsets to have a shot at the playoffs.

The pick: Lawton 42 Enid 18.

No. 5 Stillwater (6)* vs. No. 9 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9)* District 1

The Pioneers (5-1, 2-1) saw their undefeated season come to an end in a 43-29 drubbing at Lawton (4-2, 2-1). The Pioneers were down 28-3 in the third quarter before staging a comeback attempt. Turnovers plagued the visitors, however, and Gunnar Gundy was 15-31-235 with three interceptions. 

Choctaw (4-4, 1-2) had their worst offensive output of the season. After steamrolling Enid 37-0 the week before, karma repaid them and they fell 27-3 to Midwest City (5-1, 3-0). The Yellowjackets struck first with a field goal but Midwest City scored two touchdowns by air, one by run, and one on an interception return. Choctaw gave up two interceptions and one fumble while failing to secure any turnovers of their own. They were 8-12-69-2 passing and 53-102 rushing.

The pick: Stillwater 42 Choctaw 28.

No. 6 Muskogee Roughers (4) vs. No. 7 Sand Springs Sandites (8)* District 2

Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) is coming off back-to-back losses and will be out for blood when they visit Sand Springs (4-2, 2-0) for the Sandite Homecoming. Jacob Medrano was 18-35-208-2 in a 42-21 loss to Booker T. Friday and the Roughers were held to only 87 rushing yards on 32 carries. The Roughers gave up 80 yards in penalties.

Sand Springs is coming off their biggest win of the season, 42-7 at Ponca City (1-5, 1-1). The Sandites were up 35-0 to start the fourth when they sent in the JV. Braden Foster hit Daren Hawkins for a 45-yard touchdown on his first varsity pass and the coaches cleared the press box and called it a night with eight minutes to go. 

Caden Pennington was 3-3-53-0 passing and 6-46 rushing, while Payton Scott was 25-284 with five touchdowns. Jaden Weiser was six-for-six on extra points, Tre Finch accumulated four tackles-for-loss including two sacks, and Braden Askew had a 20-yard interception return.

Virgil says: Muskogee 31 CPHS 21.
Scott says: CPHS 35 Muskogee 21.

No. 8 Putnam City Pirates (7) vs. No. 10 Deer Creek Antlers (11)* District 1

Putnam City (5-1, 2-1) got back in the win column with a lackluster 21-11 performance against Putnam West (1-5, 0-3). West led by as much as 9-0 before the Pirates got on the board. The favorites trailed 11-7 at halftime before winning the second half 14-0. Deer Creek (3-3, 1-2) notched their first district victory 38-24 against Enid (3-3, 1-2). 

The pick: Putnam 24 DC 16.

No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (13) vs. No. 15 Sapulpa (15)* District 2

It's a battle of defeateds as both Sapulpa (0-6, 0-3) and Bartlesville (0-5, 0-2) are looking for their first wins of the year. At least one of these teams will avoid an 0-10 season. The other will have a far tougher time getting in the win column in the coming weeks.

Bartlesville is coming off a bye week following a 14-10 upset by Ponca City (1-5, 1-2), who will be the Chieftain's best hope for a win if they don't pull it off against the Bruins. The Bruins won their season opener 30-25 against McAlester (1-5) on the field, but later forfeited due to an ineligible player. Sapulpa put up a decent fourth quarter effort against Bixby (3-3, 2-0) finishing with 10 unanswereds to avoid the 48-0 shutout. 

The pick: Bartlesville 26 Sapulpa 17.

Scott Emigh
Editor-in-Chief
Overall: 41-15 (.732)
Last Week: 6-1 (.857)
Last Year: 48-21 (.695)

Virgil Noah
Staff Writer
Overall: 30-14* (.681)
Last Week: 6-1 (.857)
Last Year: 43-26 (.623)

*Virgil missed the first week of picks.

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites fall 3-0 to No. 5 Stillwater in Regional Championship

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SHS 3 CPHS 0
Set One: SHS 25-18
Set Two: SHS 25-22
Set Three: SHS 25-19

Kills: SHS 31, CPHS 22.
Blocks: SHS 4, CPHS 3.
Aces: SHS 7, CPHS 6.
Service Errors: SHS 8, CPHS 4.

Click here to view full photo gallery by Morgan Miller.

In the eleventh game of the season, the Sandites came back from an 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 against the No. 5 team in Class 6A. Unfortunately, that was a once-in-a-season type of comeback. The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (16-17) saw their season come to an end with a valiant last stand at No. 5 Stillwater (26-7) in the Regional Championship finals. Kansas State-commit Gloria Mutiri led her team with 18 kills, Madison Burris had 18 assists, Madison Ward and Kylie Taylor had six digs apiece, and Makenzie Ward had three aces.

SEE RELATED: No. 12 Sandites sweep Ponca 3-0 in Regional Playoffs.

The Sandites kept up with their foes well throughout the beginning of set one, drawing first blood with a kill from Cloe Campfield. Sophomore standout McKenzie Vilade gave her team a 2-1 lead with an ace, Mutiri retaliated with back-to-back kills with assists from Burris, then Lauren Phillips and Neely Holt combined for a block. Mutiri scored a kill, Orianna Clements retaliated, Burris scored on a tip, Clements retaliated, then the Pioneers went on a six point run for an insurmountable 11-6 lead. The Sandites tried to rally with five-straight late in the game to make it 18-15, but the home team outpaced then from there to win 25-18.

The Sandites jumped out to big lead early in game two, winning five straight rallies with a pair of aces from Makenzie Ward to make it 7-2. They held their lead till the Pioneers won six straight to take the lead at 17-15. Mutiri scored a kill and a block for an 18-17 lead, the Pioneers briefly tied it again, then Mutiri scored two straight kills and Makenzie Ward served an ace to make it 21-18. Ward's next serve went OB and Vilade killed to make it 21-20, Mutiri notched another point, then the home team went on a five point run for the win.

Sand Springs got out to a quick lead in game three with a four-point run capped by an ace from Madison Blaylock. The Pioneers responded with a six point streak starring Lauren Phillips, who hit three aces, one kill, and one assist for a 9-7 lead. Sand Springs tied it up at 14-14 with an ace fromTaylor but never managed to take the lead. They cut it to 19-22 before the Pioneers went on a three point run for the win. 

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Kills: Mutiri 18, Campfield 2, Burris 1, Cypert 1.
Assists: Burris 18, Mutiri 1, Blaylock 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 1, Cypert 1, Burris 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Madison Ward 6, Taylor 6, Makenzie Ward 4, Campfield 1, Burris 1, Mutiri 1. 
Aces: Makenzie Ward 3, Taylor 2, Mutiri 1.

Stillwater Individual Statistics

Kills: Kloos 7, Vilade 7, Clements 6, Holt 5, Riley 4, Phillips 2.
Assists: Phillips 12, Vilade 6.
Blocks: Phillips 2, Holt 2, Clements 1, Riley 1, Kloos 1.
Aces: Phillips 3, Vilade 3, Riley 1, Lynch 1.

CPHS Volleyball: No. 12 Sandites sweep Ponca 3-0 in Regional Playoff

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(Photo: Morgan Miller). 

The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (16-16) easily handled Ponca City (13-14) with a 3-0 sweep in the first round of the Regional Championship Tuesday evening in Stillwater. The Sandites won sets of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-18, led by Kansas State-commit Gloria Mutiri with 25 kills and sophomore Madison Burris with 27 assists.

CPHS 3 PC 0
Set One: CPHS 25-13
Set Two: CPHS 25-18
Set Three: CPHS 25-18

Kills: CPHS 34, PC 14.
Blocks: CPHS 6, PC 4.
Aces: PC 8, CPHS 2.
Service Errors: CPHS 9, PC 5.

Ponca started hot with a kill and ace from Sunny Bastchellett, but the Lady Cat's next serve was out and the Sandites went on a ten-point run from there. Mutiri and Kenzie Bradshaw recorded blocks, Mutiri scored a pair of kills, and Kylie Taylor served an ace before Hannah Balzer notched her first kill of the night. Things were a little more back and forth from there and both teams ran up the service errors, but the Sandites maintained their lead. Ponca tried to rally with a kill and ace from Emily Lawrence, a block from Balzer and Hannah Lawson, and a kill from Riley Barrick, but Bradshaw got things back on track with a kill and Mutiri sealed the deal at 25-13.

The second set was far closer as neither team broke out with a definitive lead till late in the game. The Sandites started to pull ahead at 16-12, Ponca battled back with a kill from Barrick and an ace from Balzer, but Balzer's next serve was long and the Lady Cats rattled off three more errors to give Sand Springs a healthy 20-15 lead. Sand Springs committed an error of their own, but Ponca kept beating themselves and the Sandites prevailed with kills from Cloe Campfield and Mutirifor the 25-18 win and 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats scored first in game three with a kill from Bastchellett, but forfeited four straight points on errors before Bastchellett notched another. They tied it up shortly after, but Sand Springs jumped back out to a 9-5 lead with three kills and a block from Mutiri. The game tied again at 12-12 and the Wildcats took a brief lead before netting the Sandites three-straight points. Campfield, Bradshaw, and Makenna Cypert all got in on the scoring action in the final stretch and Cypert sealed the deal with an assist from Burris. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action immediately with a match against No. 5 Stillwater (25-7). The winner will advance to the State Tournament next week.

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Kills: Mutiri 25, Cypert 3, Burris 2, Bradshaw 2, Campfield 2.
Assists: Burris 27, Bradshaw 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 5, Bradshaw 3, Cypert 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Madison Ward 5, Burris 2, Blaylock 1, Mutiri 1, Wise 1.
Aces: Madison Ward 1, Taylor 1.

Sandite of the Week: Madison Burris leads No. 12 Sandites to Regionals at Stillwater

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Charles Page High School sophomore setter Madison Burris was selected as our Sandite of the Week for her outstanding performance, not just over the past week, but for the season as a whole. 

Burris leads her team in assists with over 500 this season, averaging 5.28 per set. She's lethal with a tipped ball, scoring 0.6 kills per set and has an equal number of digs. She is third on the team in total kills, fourth in digs, and fifth in aces. Together with Gloria Mutiri, she is one of only two players on the team to play every single set this season. 

The No. 12 ranked Sandites (15-16) won all three of their matches last week, 3-2 against No. 18 Muskogee and 3-0 against both Sapulpa and Ponca City. Burris tied her career-high performance of 29 assists in only three sets against Ponca City and recorded 20 in a rivalry win against the Chieftains. 

The Sandites received a Tuesday morning police escort to Stillwater for the Regional Tournament, where they will have a rematch with Ponca City (13-13) in the semifinals at 6:00 p.m. If they win against Ponca they will advance to the Championship round against either No. 5 Stillwater (24-7) or No. 19 Enid (14-12) to battle for the ticket to the State Tournament. Stillwater is riding a seven-match win streak, including a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-11, 25-7) of the Sandites at the Stillwater Invitational two weekends ago. The Sandites have won their last four-straight matches.

CPHS Football dominates Ponca City 42-7, Payton Scott scores 5 touchdowns

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Braden Foster (pictured here in a scrimmage against Claremore) threw a touchdown on his first varsity pass attempt Friday night in Ponca City. 

The No. 8 ranked Charles Page High School football team (4-2 overall, 2-0 district) won its fourth-straight game of the season 42-7 against No. 14 Ponca City (1-5, 1-1) Friday night at Sullins Stadium. The Sandites put themselves one step closer to the post-season by winning their sixth-straight meeting with the Wildcats.

CPHS 42 Ponca 7
1Q CPHS 14-0
2Q CPHS 7-0
3Q CPHS 14-0
4Q All 7-7

Passing: CPHS 4-4-98-0, Ponca 12-25-102-1.
Rushing: CPHS 46-376, Ponca 41-183.
Plays-Offense: CPHS 50-474, Ponca 66-285.
First Downs: Ponca 18, CPHS 16.
Penalties: Ponca 6-46, CPHS 4-35.
Fumbles/Lost: CPHS 1/1, Ponca 1/0.

The Sandites were nearly flawless in the opening minutes. Defensively they gave up 27 yards before Braden Askew picked off the second pass of the night and returned it 20 yards to the Sandite 45. From there Payton Scott marched the whole distance in only six carries and scored from three yards out. Jaden Weiser kicked the extra point and the Sandites were up 7-0 right out the gate.

Ponca’s next drive amounted to nine yards and a punt, and the Sandites easily replicated their prior success. Just like last time, it was Scott with the three-yard touchdown run, but this time he had help. Caden Pennington connected with Garrett McCallie from 33 yards out to set up the scoring play.

The home team made it 25 yards to midfield before punting at the beginning of the second quarter. The Sandites saw their first unsuccessful drive end in a fumble at the Ponca 30, recovered by Lane Bristow, but the Wildcats were once again unable to capitalize.

The home team marched as far as the Sandite 29 before Mason Shipman broke up an endzone pass attempt for a turnover on downs. Payton Scott needed just a single snap to take the ball 71 yards to the house. Weiser’s PAT made it 21-0 where it remained till halftime.

Sand Springs picked up right where they left off, marching 65 yards in five plays with a 34-yard touchdown run from Scott on the opening drive of the third quarter.

One of Ponca’s most promising drives fell short as Bryson Denton ended their 58 yard march with an endzone breakup. The offense went right back to work with an 82 yard drive and one-yard Scott touchdown to tie his career-best five scores in a single game.

The fourth quarter was a different game as the Wildcat first team took on the Sandite backups. The Sandites punted on their first possession, but on their next drive sophomore backup quarterback Braden Foster connected with Daren Hawkins for a 45-yard touchdown on the first pass attempt of his varsity career. Weiser finished a perfect six-for-six for a 42-0 lead.

The Wildcats finally averted the shutout with 3:17 left to play, marching 80 yards and scoring on an eight-yard keeper from Justin Andrews. Josh Fairbanks kicked the final point of the game and sophomore running back Seth Jones finished out the night with a series of handoffs.

The Sandites will return to action next Friday for Homecoming after a four-week stretch on the road. They will host the talented No. 4 Muskogee Roughers (2-4, 1-2) who most recently fell 42-21 to No. 1 Booker T. Washington(6-1, 3-0). 

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Passing: Pennington 3-3-53-0, Foster 1-1-45-0, 1TD. 
Receiving: Hawkins 1-45, 1TD, Scott 1-13, McCallie 1-11, Goins 1-7.
Rushing: Scott 25-284, 5TD, Pennington 6-46, Jones 7-15, McCallie 1-12, Edwards 1-11, Nortey 1-10, Fleischman 1-(-2).
PAT: Weiser 6/6.
Punting: Smith 2-30AVG.
Kicking: Cox 7-331AVG.
Tackles: Fain 7, Cramer 7, Finch 6, Fleischman 5, Bratcher 4, Lyons 3, Edwards 3, Askew 2, Cartwright 2, Mock 2, Hunter 2, Evans 2, Jordan 1, Shipman 1, Wright 1, Smith 1, Jones 1, Denton 1, Moyer 1, McCallie 1.
Tackles For Loss: Finch 4-13, Cramer 1-12, Evans 1-10.
Sacks: Finch 2-5, Cramer 1-12, Evans 1-10.
Interceptions: Askew 1-20.
Breakups: Denton 2, Shipman 1.

Ponca City Individual Statistics

Passing: Andrews 12-25-102-1.
Receiving: Tipton 4-27, Fahs 2-26, Vogele 2-25, Tapp 1-14, Defoor 3-10.
Rushing: Andrews 24-83, 1TD, Defoor 15-75, Fahs 3-25.
PAT: Fairbanks 1/1.
Punting: Fairbanks 5-38AVG.
Kicking: Fairbanks 2-38AVG.
Kick Return: Vogele 2-19.
Fumble Recovery: Bristow 1.