CPHS Softball: Sandites slam Tahlequah 8-0 in season opener

The Lady Sandite Fast-Pitch Softball team kicked off the season with a bang Thursday afternoon in Tahlequah, shutting out the Tigers 8-0 behind a stellar pitching performance from Jacie Taber.

Taber, an uncommitted Division One prospect, threw four strikeouts, one walk, and one hit in the five-inning outing. She also hit two singles on three at-bats with two runs and two RBI.

Sand Springs was supposed to start their season Tuesday morning at the Claremore Festival, but both games were cancelled due to weather. Tahlequah, meanwhile, had little difficulty in rattling off a pair of double-digit wins at the Pryor Festival.

The Sandites' late start put them to no disadvantage and they needed only a single inning to find their rhythm against the 5A powerhouse. 

In the second inning Taber and Elizabeth Luttrell hit a pair of singles and Felicity Horn walked to load the bases. Makenna Skaggs batted in Luttrell, Cameron Clemons batted in Taber, and Madelyn Blair batted in Horn for a quick 3-0 advantage.

Sabrina Usher kicked off the third inning with a double, Luttrell and Taber both singled again, and Usher and Luttrell both scored on Taber's hit. Taber came in on a double from Skaggs to double the score. 

Drew Hawkins drew a walk in the fourth and came in on a double from Usher, who scored the final run of the game on a ground out from Luttrell. 

Emily Sampson snagged Tahlequah's only hit of the night on a single to left field in the bottom of the fourth, but three quick fly outs left the Tiger stranded. 

The Sandites will return to action Friday afternoon at the Broken Arrow Tournament with a triple header at Arrowhead Park. Sand Springs will play Choctaw (1-0) at 1:30 p.m., Pocola (3-0) at 3:00 p.m., and Fort Gibson (0-0) at 5:00 p.m. All three games will be played on Field 7. Arrowhead Park is located at 300 East Washington Street in Broken Arrow.

Sandite athletes make college decisions

Senior Isabella Regalado announced Tuesday her decision to play basketball for Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The RiverHawks went 10-17 last season under first-year Head Coach Fala Bullock, a four-win improvement over the prior year. NSU competes at the NCAA Division II level in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Regalado averaged 9.27 points per game with a 31% field goal percentage and 69% free throw average. She collected 4.75 rebounds per game, led her team in scoring on three occasions, and scored a career-high 23 points against Jenks.

The Lady Sandites went 18-8 last season, placed third in the Frontier Valley Conference, and made it to the State Tournament Quarterfinals. 

Senior Destiny Johnson has committed play basketball to the University of Tulsa. The Hurricane is coming off a 10-21 season under eighth-year Head Coach Matilda Mossman and competes in the NCAA Division I in the American Athletic Conference. 

Johnson was the number-two scorer on her team with a 16.28 average, 48.06% field goal percentage, and 65.73% free throw percentage. She recorded 5.65 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and two steals per game with three double-doubles. She led her team on ten occasions and scored a career-high 31 points against Ponca City. 

Senior Holly Kersgieter previously committed to the University of Kansas last year. The Jayhawks went 12-18 in the NCAA Division I, competing in the Big 12 Conference under third-year Head Coach Brandon Schneider. 

Kersgieter led her team with 18.12 points, 7.33 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, shooting 49.65% on field goals and 73.1% on free throws. She recorded four double-doubles, led her team on sixteen occasions, and scored a career-high 29 points against Union.

Seniors Tyler Ash and John Miller recently announced their intent to play baseball for Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton. The Mountaineers went 44-17 in the 2017-2018 season, competing in the NJCAA Region II. They are coached by Matt Parker in his first year after moving over from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Sandite Baseball finished the 2018 season with a 24-12 record under first-year Head Coach James Garrison, falling in the Regional Championship finals. 

Ash amassed a 3-2 record on the mound with a 3.77 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 26 innings. He recorded a .266 batting average, .376 slugging average, and .412 OBP with 29 hits, 27 runs, 25 RBI, two home runs, and eighteen stolen bases.

Miller pitched a 5-1 record with a 2.13 ERA and 1.1 WHIP in 26 innings. He batted .385 with a .462 slugging average, and .467 OBP for two runs, five hits, and four RBI.

Senior Cale Savage has committed to play baseball for Northern Oklahoma College in Enid. The 2018 season was the best in Jet history with a 48-16 record and third place finish in the NJCAA Division II World Series. They are coached by program founder Raydon Leaton in his seventeenth season. 

Savage batted .289 with a .434 slugging average and .406 OBP last season. He recorded fourteen runs, 24 hits, 21 RBI, and nine steals. He also pitched a 2.8 ERA and 1.8 WHIP in five innings. 

Senior Cal Watkins committed Monday to Seminole State College in Seminole, Oklahoma. The Trojans went 41-12 last season and will be starting fresh this year under first-year Head Coach Mack Chambers. They compete in the NJCAA Region 2. 

Watkins batted .339 last season with a .393 slugging average and .419 OBP. He recorded 32 runs, 38 hits, fifteen RBI, and seventeen steals.

Senior Jacie Taber recently de-committed from the University of Northern Iowa softball team. 

Taber went 16-3 on the mound last season with a 2.04 ERA and 1.358 WHIP. She batted .368 with a .471 slugging average and .385 OBP for fourteen runs, 32 hits, 32 RBI and one home run.

Senior Kimi Presnell is committed to Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. The Hillcats finished the 2018 season 39-20 under fourth-year Head Coach Andrea Vaughan. They are an NCAA Division II team competing in the Heartland Conference.

Presnell is the leading hitter for the Lady Sandites, batting .522 with a .761 slugging average and .532 OBP. She recorded 32 runs, 48 hits, sixteen RBI, one home run, and twelve stolen bases last season.

Senior Cameron Clemons is committed to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. The Muleriders went 60-11 last season under fourth-year Head Coach Jason Anderson, competing at the NCAA Division II level in the Great American Conference. 

Clemons batted .271 in 2017 with a .386 slugging average and .326 OBP. She posted twenty runs, nineteen hits, thirteen RBI, and one home run. 

Senior Madelyn Blair committed last month to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha. The Drovers compete in the NAIA and Sooner Athletic Conference and are coming off a 57-5 season and NAIA World Series Championship under fifth-year Head Coach Jadyn Wallis. 

Blair amassed a 6-3 record on the mound last season with a 2.96 ERA and 1.5 WHIP in 52 innings. She holds a .365 batting average, .469 slugging average, and .398 OBP with twelve runs, 35 hits, and 22 RBI.

Senior Elizabeth Luttrell has committed to Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas. The Tigers compete in the NJCAA and are coming off a 42-16 season and National Tournament appearance under second-year Head Coach Jenny Hoyt.

Luttrell holds a .357 batting average, .536 slugging average, and .409 OBP with 22 runs, thirty hits, three home runs, and 29 RBI in the 2017 season.

Lady Sandite Softball went 23-8 last fall and has made the State Tournament three consecutive years. 

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites sweep Sapulpa 3-0 in season opener

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (1-0) notched a big win in their season opener Tuesday evening. The Lady Sandites traveled into hostile territory to take on their nemesis and prevailed with a 3-0 sweep of the Sapulpa Chieftains (0-1). 

The Sandites took a 3-0 lead right out of the gate and held their distance till a three-point run from the Chieftains tied it at 9-9. Devree Youngblood scored two blocks, one with an assist from Rachel Hines, and notched a kill to make it 12-9. From there the visitors began to run away from it and worked up to a 22-13 lead thanks to a pair of aces from Cloe Campfield, and Cheyenne Henry put the cap on the 25-17 win with an ace of her own.

Most of the second set rallies didn’t last more than a few seconds. Madison Burris scored the opening point, Audrey Malay retaliated, then Campfield scored a kill and two aces for a 5-1 lead. The teams combined for seven service errors then Youngblood hit back to back aces for a 12-7 advantage. Sand Springs surged ahead 20-13 before their hosts battled back, but ultimately the Sandites prevailed 25-20 thanks to a kill from Campfield. There were nine aces and thirteen service errors in the set.

Set three was a true Highway 97 rivalry match up. Kaitlyn Baxter scored a block for the Chieftains then Sand Springs rattled off five straight wins with a pair of aces from Raylynn Mong. Baxter tied it up with a pair of aces at 7-7 and the two teams traded punches till the Chieftains won six straight for their biggest lead of the night at 16-10.

Henry notched a pair of aces to whittle the deficit to 16-14, Sapulpa notched a kill, then the Sandites went on the longest run of the night for either team. Campfield scored three more aces, Youngblood had a pair of kills and a pair of blocks, and the visitors jumped to 22-17 before Malay broke the streak. Baxter scored one last point for her squad, then Youngblood scored two kills and a block to finish the night.

Sand Springs will hold their first home game of the season Tuesday the 14th at 6:30 p.m. against Bartlesville (1-0). The Bruins won their first match 3-2 over Muskogee (0-1).

CPHS Dance: Sandites need your help to win free airfare to Nationals

The Charles Page High School Varsity Dance Team needs your help to get to Nationals, and you can get them there with the click of a button.

Sandite Dance will be traveling to Orlando, Florida on February 1st for the Dance Team Union National Championship. This year the DTU is holding a Team Spirit Contest on Instagram, with the winning team receiving free airfare.

Fifty teams have made it to the semifinal round of the Instagram competition. Each team has posted a team photo with the hashtag #dtuteamspiritSEMIS, and the ten teams with the most likes will advance to the finals.

At press time, the Sandite post has more than 4,100 likes. Thompson Middle School in Alabaster, Alabama leads the contest with more than 41,000 likes. Westmoore High School from Moore, Oklahoma has over 18,000 for second place in the contest. The Westmoore Sabercats are the defending National Champions in Varsity Jazz and were the Runners-Up in Hip Hop. 

Sand Springs is currently eighth in the standings, and should advance to the next round if nobody leapfrogs them, but every vote is an extra layer of security. The Semifinal round of the competition ends on Wednesday, August 8th at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Click here to find the Sandites on Instagram, and click here to visit their Facebook.

Team Spirit Unofficial Standings
41,000 Thompson Middle School
18,000 Westmoore High School
8,300 Broken Arrow High School
5,700 Dakota High School
5,200 Raymore Peculiar High School
5,000 Holly High School
4,300 Mount Si High School
4,100 Charles Page High School

Sand Springs Summer Wrestling: Fix punches ticket to World Championship in Slovakia

Three Sandites competed at the USA Wrestling Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota this week.

Oklahoma State University freshman and Charles Page High School graduate Daton Fix won a best-of-three series against Arizona State freshman Brandon Courtney, a three-time undefeated high school State Champion.

Fix dealt his foe a pair of technical falls at 11-0 and 10-0 to secure his spot on the Junior World Team. The defending Junior Freestyle World Champion, Fix attempted to dethrone Senior World Silver Medalist Thomas Gilman last month. Gilman won the two matches 6-3 and 2-1.

While Gilman represents the United States in Budapest, Hungary in October, Fix will aim to repeat his Junior Championship in Trnava, Slovakia in September.

CPHS sophomore Carter Young (45-9) got off to a great start at 113 pounds in the Cadet competition, winning his first three matches by technical fall before falling 12-6 to nationally ranked No. 12 Anthony Noto. Christian Forbes (14-2) competed at 94 pounds and went 4-2.

The Cox Business Center in Tulsa recently hosted the Junior National Duals.

The Oklahoma Outlaws placed second in the nation in the Greco-Roman Junior National Duals despite losing two bouts. They placed second in the D Pool, defeating Florida 49-17 and Kansas 40-23 before falling 42-24 to Washington. In the Gold Pool they defeated Ohio 40-27, California 35-30, and Iowa 39-27 before falling 44-21 to Illinois in the finals. Washington fell 44-23 to Illinois in pool play and topped Ohio 35-32 in the 3rd Place Match.

The Outlaws placed fourth in the nation in Junior Freestyle. They started the tournament with five straight wins before falling in the Gold Pool. Oklahoma defeated Georgia 47-16, Pennsylvania 33-31, Nebraska 46-20, Washington 43-22, and North Dakota 44-25. Ohio ended the streak at 38-30 and Illinois won the placement round 50-15. Ohio edged out Minnesota 33-32 for the title. Young went 3-1 in the freestyle competition with two technical falls.

Oklahoma placed sixth at the Cadet Freestyle Nationals in Spokane, Washington, defeating North Carolina Red 78-0, Washington B 64-12, Florida 58-23, and Washington 43-31. They fell 39-35 to Minnesota, 55-20 to Pennsylvania, 44-35 to Illinois, and 40-38 to Kansas. Pennsylvania won the tournament 45-29 over Minnesota.

The Cadet Greco Roman team also placed sixth, defeating Utah 48-33, Colorado 47-28, and Georgia 39-27. They fell 41-38 to Minnesota, 48-27 to Washington, 42-31 to Kansas, and 40-38 to Pennsylvania. Illinois won the tournament 39-36 over Washington.  

Young (35-2 GR) also competed with the Cadet team and finished 4-1 in Freestyle with three tech falls and a pin. His only loss came on criteria. In Greco he went 5-1 with two techs and a pin.

Oklahoma Blue placed fifth at the Schoolboy Freestyle Duals in Indianapolis, Indiana. They defeated South Carolina 82-3, Nebraska 58-22, Minnesota 62-17, Georgia 59-21, and Ohio 42-37. Michigan topped the Okies 41-40, Illinois won 43-33, and Pennsylvania won 45-36. In the placement match the Oklahomans edged out Washington 39-37. Illinois steamrolled Michigan 55-25 for the title.

Team Big wrestler Clayton Giddens-Buttram (17-0) went undefeated with seven technical falls and two pins, outscoring his opponents 83-6. Abraham Flores (17-5) and Ethan White (23-11) won two tech falls apiece.

Oklahoma Red finished sixteenth overall with wins over Tennessee and Maryland. Rhett Peak (19-10) won four of his five matches with two tech falls and a pin. Josey Jernegan (5-6) won three tech falls. Jim Mullin (6-2) won two tech falls.

Oklahoma Red placed ninth in Greco Roman and Oklahoma Blue finished seventeenth. Giddens (9-1) recorded four tech falls and a pin and only lost one decision. Flores (13-8) won one pin and one tech fall, Ethan White (14-4) won three pins, and Peak (13-8) won one tech fall.

The Charles Page High School wrestling facilities are open from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays to all ages. The Sandites have been a top-three team at the OSSAA 6A State Tournament for the past four years, including a State Title in 2017. They will return two State Champions in 2018 under first-year Head Coach Jarrod Patterson.

Wrestling: Daton Fix to take on defending Silver Medalist for ticket to World Championships

Daton Fix concluded his high school career in 2017 as a four-time undefeated State Champion with a 168-0 record. 

Oklahoma State University freshman and Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Daton Fix (15-3) is back in the spotlight as the Final X Senior World Team Trial approaches. On Saturday, June 9 Fix will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on Thomas Gilman in the last rung of the ladder to the World Championships.

In April Fix placed second at the U.S. Open, outscoring his first three opponents 24-0 with two first-period technical falls before falling 2-2 to University North Carolina assistant coach Tony Ramos. The former NCAA National Champion was awarded the win on criteria, but Fix got a rematch in May and made up for the loss.

At the Senior World Team Trials three weeks ago, Fix again made quick work of his pre-finals opponents. He teched former Oklahoma State All-American Eddie Klimara 14-2 in 2:07, topped former Illinois All-American Zane Richards 9-2, then teched former Minnesota All-American Zane 10-0 in 2:00. Fix won a best-of-three finals series against Ramos with 4-3 and 10-3 decisions.

On Saturday Fix will attempt to upset Gilman, who won Silver at the 2017 World Championship in Paris, France. While Gilman was coming in Runner-Up in France, Fix was going the distance for Gold at the Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Fix has an extensive international resume at the Junior level, including Worlds Bronze in 2016, but is still relatively new to the Senior scene. He swept the Under 23 World Team Trials in October but was eliminated in the first round at Poland.

Fix made his debut at No. 15 in the FloWrestling International Freestyle rankings after topping Ramos. Gilman dropped from seventh to thirteenth in those same rankings after falling to Cuba’s Reineri Ortega in the Pan-American Championships.

The first round of the trials will kick off at 6:00 p.m. Central Time in Bob Devaney Sports Center at the University of Nebraska. Fix and Gilman will be the fifth of seven matches on the card. Round two will begin approximately at 7:15 and the final round will be at 8:30.

Also defending their spots on the Mens’ World Team are 70 KG Silver Medalist James Green, 74 KG Champion Jordan Burroughs, and 97 KG Champion Kyle Snyder.

This year’s World Championship will be held in Budapest, Hungary October 20-28.

In Other Wrestling News:

The Sand Springs Team Big wrestling club brought home ten gold medals from the OKUSA State Tournament last month in Cushing, finishing fourth out of seventy-seven teams in total standings.

The Sandites placed third in Schoolboy Freestyle and Cadet Freestyle, and secured a team State title in Schoolboy Greco-Roman.

Threestyle Wrestling, based out of Catoosa and Owasso, won the tournament overall with 667 points. Edmond’s Oklahoma Wrestling Academy came in runner-up with 332, Prodigy Wrestling scored 250, and Sand Springs scored 246.

Grady Mittasch (25-6 FS, 17-7 GR) took first place in both styles, competing in Novice at 78 pounds, with three technical falls.

Christian Forbes (11-0 FS, 8-0 GR) swept both styles for a pair of 94 pound Cadet titles with four tech falls and a pin.

Carter Young (38-6 FS) won both styles for a pair of 113 pound Cadet titles with five techs and a pin.

Ethan White (21-8 FS, 8-2 GR) won the Schoolboy Greco title at 136 pounds with a pin and a tech, and placed second in Freestyle with a pin and a tech.

Abraham Flores (14-3 FS, 10-3 GR) won the Schoolboy Greco title at 114 pounds with a pin and a tech fall, and placed third in Freestyle with a tech.

Clayton Giddens-Buttram (8-0) took first place at the Schoolboy Freestyle tournament at 77 pounds with a 10-0 technical fall and a 4-3 finals decision.

Bryce Fisher (25-2) won the Schoolboy Freestyle title at 149 pounds with a pin and two decisions.

Josey Jernegan (2-1 FS, 2-1 GR) placed second in Schoolboy in both styles at ninety pounds with three technical falls and a fall.

TJ Long (5-2 FS, 6-3 GR) placed second in Junior Freestyle and fourth in Greco with two tech falls.

Cameron White (9-9 FS) placed third in Schoolboy in both styles at 110 pounds with one pin and two tech falls.

Several Team Big wrestlers represented Team Oklahoma at the Southern Plains Regional in Dodge City Kansas this past weekend.

Mittasch won both styles at Novice 78 with three pins and a tech. Balance Johnson (3-1 FS, 4-0 GR) won both styles at Novice 160 with three pins. Long placed second in freestyle and third in Greco at Novice 126.