CPHS Football: Sand Springs to host Bishop Kelley Friday

The Class 6A-II No. 13 ranked Charles Page High School football team (1-0) will host 5A No. 3 Bishop Kelley (1-0) in their first home game of the season Friday night at Memorial Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1979, and they are tied 5-5 in the series.

The Comets won the first four games of the series, but the Sandites won the last four. Bishop Kelley has shut out the Sandites three times, including their biggest win at 56-0 in 1970. Sand Springs has shut out the Comets twice, including their biggest win of 19-0 in 1978. Both programs own a single gold ball. The Sandites won State in 1966 and Bishop Kelley won in 1981.

Sand Springs went 2-8 last season but hired a new Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, and several other assistant coaches to turn the program around. It paid off in last week’s season opener as they edged out 5A No. 10 rival Sapulpa 21-17.

Bishop Kelley went 8-5 last season, winning a pair of playoff games before falling to Bishop McGuinness in the semifinals. In their season-opener last week they won 28-7 against 4A No. 3 Poteau. The Comets scored 28 unanswered points against the defending State Champs. Quarterback Gabe Harju was 9-13-74-1 passing and Owen Heinecke was 13-115 on the ground with two TDs.

In the Sandites’ season opener they showed improvements in many aspects, most notably special teams. They didn’t block a single kick last season, but blocked a punt, a field goal, and a PAT last Friday. The defense also made a statement with three fumble recoveries, four pass breakups, two sacks, and five tackles for loss.

Junior quarterback Ty Pennington, in his tenth career start, was 10-17-185-0 passing with one touchdown and was 17-57 rushing for another. Blake Jones was 10-62 on the ground with a touchdown, but went down 10 minutes into the third quarter and never rejoined the game. Jamon Sisco was 6-137 receiving with a touchdown.

Sand Springs has several areas to clean up going forward in the season. They had several fumbles against Sapulpa, but only lost one. Several bad snaps resulted in lost yardage and even a safety. They also had a dozen penalties. The offense had three false starts, a holding call, a delay of game, and an ineligible receiver. The defense had three pass interference calls, an offsides call, and two personal fouls.

The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at 600 North Adams Road. The district will not be limiting attendance, but facemasks will be required. Fans are invited to attend the first ever Sandite Spirit Walk at 5:00 p.m. in front of the CPHS Fine Arts Building, which will be led by the marching band, dance team, and cheer squad. Church That Matters will be hosting a tailgate party and grilling out at 6:00 p.m. as a fundraiser for the dance team.

Series History
1968: Bishop Kelley 20-0 (A).
1969: Bishop Kelley 42-6 (H).
1970: Bishop Kelley 56-0 (A).
1971: Bishop Kelley 35-0 (H).
1974: Sand Springs 19-6 (A).
1975: Bishop Kelley 34-6 (H).
1976: Sand Springs 17-6 (A).
1977: Sand Springs 14-0 (H).
1978: Sand Springs 19-0 (H).
1979: Sand Springs 10-7 (A).

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites lose 3-2 thriller against Bartlesville

The Class 6A No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-10, 1-4) lost a 3-2 Frontier Valley Conference heart-breaker to No. 16 Bartlesville (8-4, 3-1) Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

The Sandites actually won more rallies than the Bruins, at 110-104. Bartlesville was more aggressive on offense with 62 kills to the Sandites’ 49, but the Sandites had more blocks, more aces, and less errors.

Bartlesville led by as much as 15-8 in the first set, but the Sandites battled back to tie it at 20-20 before the visitors pulled ahead for the 25-22 win. Jacelyn Smith scored three kills for the Sandites and Tati Flores had five for the Bruins.

Sand Springs led for most of game two and took its biggest lead at 23-17 thanks to a pair of aces from Madison Blaylock. The Sandites committed seven service errors in the set to help keep the Bruins afloat, but it was a Bartlesville service error that capped the home team’s victory at 25-20. Layla Lenex had three kills for Sand Springs while Mia Otten scored four for Bartlesville.

The Sandites committed only five total errors in a dominant game three. Lenex and Payton Robbins scored four kills apiece in the 25-17 win. Teyha Johnson scored an ace in a five-point run for the 9-8 lead and the Bruins never tied it or led again. Smith served back-to-back aces during a four-point run and added a third during a five-point run to close the game. Robbins scored back-to-back kills for the final points.

The Bruins were the aggressors in game four, but Sand Springs held close till 16-15. Bartlesville scored five in a row from there, but the Sandites battled back again at 24-23 before Kelsey Ward scored the final point on a tip. Bartlesville funneled the bulk of their attacks through Otten, a 6’3” junior All-Conference selection and nationally-recognized recruit, who scored 11 kills in the set.

It looked like Sand Springs would run away with the tie-breaker round, taking a 5-0 lead with two kills from Kasidy Holland, an ace from Olivia Dewitt, and a kill from Lenex. Bartlesville battled back with a five-point streak for the 9-8 lead thanks to a pair of aces from Hannah Lindsly. The game tied seven times from there, and Holland scored the final Sandite point to tie it at 15-15, but a service error and a kill from Otten gave the visitors the win.

Otten led all scorers with 27 kills, two blocks, and an ace, while Lenex led the Sandites with 13 kills and six blocks. Johnson had 39 assists and Blaylock made 23 digs for the Sandites.

Sandite Volleyball will return to action Thursday at 6:00 p.m. with a non-conference home match against No. 14 Enid (10-3). Bartlesville will take a week off before playing at the Bishop Kelley Tournament on the 11th.

BHS 3-2 CPHS (25-22, 20-25, 17-25, 25-23, 17-15)
Kills: BHS 62, CPHS 49.
Blocks: BHS 3, CPHS 9.
Aces: BHS 5, CPHS 9.
Errors: BHS 43, CPHS 34.

(Sand Springs)
Kills: Lenex 13, Robbins 9, Smith 9, Holland 9, Singleton 6, Johnson 2, Dewitt 1.
Assists: Johnson 39, Blaylock 2.
Solo Blocks: Lenex 2.
Assisted Blocks: Lenex 4, Robbins 3, Smith 3, Singleton 2, Johnson 1, Holland 1.
Digs: Blaylock 23, Fahland 8, Johnson 6, Robbins 5, Dewitt 4, Smith 1, Singleton 1.
Aces: Smith 3, Blaylock 2, Johnson 1, Dewitt 1, Fahland 1, Robbins 1.

(Bartlesville)
Kills: Otten 27, Flores 10, Ward 8, Wood 5, Lindsly 3, Collins 3, Walker 3, Jones 1, Johnson 1, Brewster 1.
Solo Blocks: Flores 1.
Assisted Blocks: Otten 2, Flores 1, Ward 1.
Aces: Lindsly 2, Otten 1, Collins 1, Lauritsen 1.

CPHS Softball: Aliyah Taff shuts out Ponca City with 8 strikeouts

The Charles Page High School varsity softball team (13-3, 4-2) rolled to a 9-0 district shut out of Ponca City (4-13, 2-5) Tuesday evening on the road behind a three-hit, eight-strikeout pitching effort from Aliyah Taff (8-3, 25-17). The potent Sandite offense amassed 13 hits, paced by three-hit performances from both Avery Tanner and Jaden Jordan.

Madison Lee led off with a single, then scored on a single from JoLee McNally. Raegan Rector hit an RBI double to make it 2-0 but was left stranded in the top of the first. Rector hit another double in the third inning and scored on a single from Jordan.

Nataley Crawford doubled to score Tanner in the fourth, but the visitors’ biggest effort came in the sixth. Tanner doubled and scored on an error, then Drew Hawkins scored on a sacrifice bunt from Kelsi Hilton. Lee hit an RBI single, Rector walked, and Jordan hit a two-run triple for the final runs of the game.

Libby Clark got the loss for the Wildcats, tossing 13 hits, two strikeouts, and one walk in seven innings.

Ponca City will take a week off before playing at the Bethany Tournament next weekend. Sand Springs will host a district rivalry game Thursday at 5:30 p.m. against Sapulpa (1-5, 0-4).

Volleyball, Softball, Football Rankings, League Standings

OSSAA District 6A-3 Fast Pitch Softball Standings

4-0 Owasso (11-1)
4-0 Shawnee (16-0)
4-1 Jenks (7-4)
3-2 Sand Springs (12-3)
2-4 Ponca City (3-12)
0-4 Sapulpa (1-5)
0-6 Muskogee (1-8)

OSSAA Class 6A Week 2 Volleyball Rankings

1. Edmond Santa Fe (12-1)
2. Jenks (10-1)
3. Edmond Memorial (8-2)
4. Bishop Kelley (6-3)
4. Deer Creek (7-2)
4. Norman North (10-3)
7. Mustang (13-3)
8. Broken Arrow (9-6)
9. Bishop McGuinness (9-0)
10. Owasso (9-5)
11. Edmond North (5-4)
12. Bixby (9-2)
13. Union (4-6)
14. Enid (9-3)
15. Moore (5-4)
16. Bartlesville (7-4)
17. Southmoore (3-6)
18. Sand Springs (10-9)

Frontier Valley Conference Volleyball Standings

3-0 Broken Arrow (9-6)
3-0 Jenks (10-1)
3-1 Owasso (9-5)
2-1 Bartlesville (7-4)
1-1 Bixby (9-2)
1-2 Union (4-6)
1-2 Muskogee (7-5)
1-3 Sand Springs (10-9)
0-2 Booker T. Washington (2-6)
0-3 Sapulpa (8-10)

Class 6A-II Sandite Pride Week 2 Football Rankings

1. Bixby (1-0)
2. Stillwater (0-0)
3. Del City (0-0)
4. Choctaw (0-0)
5. Booker T. Washington (1-0)
6. Muskogee (0-1)
7. Putnam City North (0-0)
8. Midwest City (1-0)
9. Edmond Deer Creek (0-0)
10. Lawton (0-0)
11. Bartlesville (0-0)
12. Ponca City (0-0)
13. Sand Springs (1-0)
14. Putnam City West (0-0)
15. U.S. Grant (0-0)
16. Northwest Classen (0-0)

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites topple undefeated North Rock Creek 3-0

The Class 6A No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-9) got back to a winning record Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 sweep of North Rock Creek High School (6-1), earning their way into their opponent’s history books in the process. The Sandites are the first team to ever defeat the Cougars, who are in their first ever season. 

North Rock Creek is a 3A dependent school district in Shawnee, whose 9-10th grade high school has only existed for a few years. Although their undefeated start to the year came to a close at the Sandites’ hands, the six-straight wins to launch the program was undeniably impressive. 

The Cougars were riding high after a dominant 3-0 sweep of 5A No. 14 McAlester (5-11) in the previous match, but the Sandites caught them off guard and rolled to a 25-6 win in game one. Payton Robbins’s first attack traveled just a hair out of bounds on the opening volley, but she made up for it on the very next play to kick off a nine-point run that saw three aces from Jacelyn Smith. Robbins, Olivia Dewitt, and Charley Fahland also served aces in the set, and the team only committed two errors compared to the Cougars’ 13. 

The visitors settled down in set two, and the Sandites committed 11 errors, six of which came on the serve. Although things were definitely more competitive than game one, the Sandites still pulled off a 25-17 win behind a four-kill performance from Smith and an excellent blocking record from the whole team. 

Hope Hannah scored the opening kill for Rock Creek in set three, but Smith and Robbins tied it with a block and Smith scored an ace for the lead. Hannah tied it at 3-3 with an ace, but the Sandites won six in a row with two aces and a kill from Robbins. Fahland scored two more aces in a seven-point run for the 18-7 lead. Smith had a hot streak with a kill and back-to-back aces as the home team coasted to the 25-11 win.

Robbins scored eight kills, three aces, and three blocks, and Smith had five kills, six aces, and three blocks. Teyha Johnson recorded ten assists, and Madison Blaylock made nine digs. Chloe Kasterke paced the Cougars with five kills, and Abigail Smith scored four kills and a block.

Sandite Volleyball will return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when they host No. 17 Bartlesville (7-4, 2-1) in Frontier Valley Conference action. The Sandites are 1-3 in league play. North Rock Creek will travel to Oklahoma Christian Academy (0-2) Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

CPHS 3-0 NRC (25-6, 25-17, 25-11)
Kills: CPHS 24, NRC 12.
Blocks: CPHS 7, NRC 1.
Aces: CPHS 13, NRC 2.
Errors: CPHS 19, NC 31.

(Sand Springs)
Kills: Robbins 8, Smith 5, Singleton 4, Holland 3, Horton 2, Hughes 1, Lenex 1.
Assists: Johnson 10, Hughes 3, Wright 3, Blaylock 1.
Assisted Blocks: Lenex 4, Singleton 4, Smith 3, Robbins 3.
Digs: Blaylock 9, Fahland 7, Dewitt 6, Johnson 5, Robbins 2, Holland 2, Smith 1, Morrow 1, Hughes 1.
Aces: Smith 6, Fahland 3, Robbins 3, Dewitt 1.

(North Rock Creek)
Kills: Kasterke 5, Abigail Smith 4, Balmes 1, Hanna 1, Molly Smith 1.
Solo Blocks: Abigail Smith 1.
Aces: Terrell 1, Hanna 1.

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites and North Rock Creek both sweep McAlester 3-0

The Class 6A No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (9-9) got back to a .500 record Saturday afternoon at the Ed Dubie Field House, beating 5A No. 14 McAlester (5-11) in straight sets.

The Sandites won sets of 25-9, 25-19, and 25-11 against McAlester, and the second set was only close because of a mess of Sandite mistakes. They dominated the Buffaloes offensively with 29 kills and 19 aces, and only allowed nine kills from their competitors.

McAlester’s Dayana Wright scored a kill and an ace en rout to a 4-3 Buffalo lead in set one, but Layla Lenex kicked off a seven-point run for the Sandites that their visitors never recovered from. Sand Springs’s biggest scoring streak was twelve-straight rallies for the 23-6 advantage, and the home team capped the win with an ace from Charley Fahland.

Sand Springs committed nine errors in the second set, and Wright added three kills and an ace to pace McAlester. Even after taking a 15-6 lead, the Buffaloes were no match for the Sandites once the home team settled down and focused. Sand Springs went on runs of seven and five, and Teyha Johnson gave her team the lead at 17-16 on a tipped ball. Lenex and Sophie Singleton scored kills in a final three-point run for the 25-19 win.

Game three was almost as lopsided as the first set, and the Sandites went on streaks of five, five, and eight, for a 22-6 advantage before letting the Buffaloes even things up. McAlester went on a five point run late in the game with a pair of aces from Brooke Jacobs before the Sandites rallied to the win. Madison Fowler, Blaylock, and Smith scored a trio of kills for the final score of 25-11.

Smith led all scorers with eight kills and six aces, followed by Lenex with six kills, and Kasidy Holland with five. Johnson led the Sandites in assists with 14, and Blaylock had five digs. Wright was McAlester’s top scorer with five kills and two aces, while Jacobs served four aces.

McAlester lost their second match of the day, also in straight sets, to North Rock Creek High School (6-0) out of Shawnee. The Cougars are in their first ever season and remain undefeated after taking sets of 25-16, 25-10, and 25-23. Chloe Kasterke led all scorers with nine kills, a block, and two aces. Wright led the Buffaloes with five kills and two aces.

Sand Springs will play North Rock Creek at 3:00 p.m. Matches are open to the public, but masks are required.

CPHS 3-0 McAlester (25-9, 25-19, 25-11)
Kills: CPHS 29, McAlester 9.
Blocks: CPHS 1, McAlester 1.
Aces: CPHS 19, McAlester 6.
Errors: CPHS 23, McAlester 26.

(Sand Springs)
Kills: Smith 8, Lenex 6, Holland 5, Blaylock 3, Johnson 3, Robbins 2, Singleton 1, Fowler 1.
Assists: Johnson 14, Hughes 4, Smith 1, Blaylock 1, Singleton 1, Robbins 1.
Assisted Blocks: Singleton 1, Lenex 1.
Digs: Blaylock 5, Fahland 3, Robbins 3, Dewitt 3, Fowler 1.
Aces: Smith 6, Blaylock 4, Robbins 4, Dewitt 3, Fahland 2.

(McAlester)
Kills: Wright 5, Monks 2, Moore 1, Lopez 1.
Solo Blocks: Moore 1.
Aces: Jacobs 4, Wright 2.

NRC 3-0 McAlester (25-16, 25-10, 25-23)
Kills: NRC 27, McAlester 13.
Blocks: NRC 1, McAlester 1.
Aces: NRC 11, McAlester 6.
Errors: NRC 29, McAlester 36.

(North Rock Creek)
Kills: Kasterke 9, Hanna 6, Herron 4, Abigail Smith 3, Balmes 2, Molly Smith 2, Terrell 1.
Solo Blocks: Kasterke 1.
Aces: Balmes 3, Kasterke 2, Abigail Smith 2, Hanna 2, Terrell 1, Herron 1.

(McAlester)
Kills: Wright 5, Monks 4, Upton 2, Moore 1, Wilkinson 1.
Solo Blocks: Moore 1.
Aces: Monks 2, Wright 2, Martinez 1, Jacobs 1.