OSSAA approves postseason playoff scenario for all teams, regardless of record

Thus far on the season, the Charles Page High School football team hasn’t faced any COVID-19-related cancelations or postponements, but that is an anomaly for teams in Class 6A-II. Of the 16 teams in the division, only three have made it thus far without a cancelation. Nearly 20% of the games this season have been canceled.

In District 1, U.S. Grant canceled games against Midwest City and Stillwater. Northwest Classen canceled games against Del City, Lawton, Deer Creek, Stillwater, and Putnam North - the last two of which were actually non-COVID related and will be recorded as forfeits. District 1 teams also suffered a combined four non-district cancelations to start the season.

In District 2, Putnam West canceled on Bixby and Muskogee, then Muskogee canceled on Bixby, Booker T. Washington, and Ponca City, as well as a rescheduled makeup game against Putnam West. There were three non-district cancelations among District 1 teams.

All of these cancelations have made a mess of the typical post-season qualifications. In football, only the top four teams in each eight-team district advance to the playoffs. But you can’t discern the top four if not every team has played each other.

Because of this, the OSSAA has approved a playoff system similar to basketball and volleyball, where everyone is now eligible for the playoffs. Instead of typical district standings, playoff seeding will be decided by a coaches’ ranking system.

The first rankings debuted this week, but were promptly taken down by the OSSAA after a large number of coaches failed to participate. Only three of the eight coaches in District 2 submitted rankings, and the undefeated defending State Champions from Bixby ended up third.

The second round of rankings went up on Wednesday, and the Sandites are No. 4 in their district, and ranked ahead of both teams that remain on their schedule.

A play-in round has been added to the schedule for Week 11, with cross-district matchups where the higher-ranked team hosts. All teams are eligible, but also have the option to opt out of the postseason. Quarterfinal games will be hosted by the higher-ranked teams, semifinals will be played on neutral sites, and the Championship will be played at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Once the playoffs begin, there will be no postponements for COVID until the Championship round. If a team cannot play due to COVID, they will be eliminated from the playoffs. The opponent that team defeated in the previous round will have the option to fill in. If COVID poses an issue in the State Championship round, OSSAA staff will make a decision on how to proceed.

The OSSAA has also allowed for schools who have not played a full ten games to schedule additional non-playoff games through December 5th, though this will likely not affect Sand Springs.

CPHS Softball: Eight Sandites receive All-District accolades

Madison Lee was named co-Offensive Player of the Year for District 6A-3.

The Charles Page High School fast pitch softball team finished 10-2 in District 6A-3 for second place this season, and the team was rewarded with six All-District appointments and two Honorable Mentions. Overall, the girls went 25-7 for their highest win total since 2016.

Senior standout Madison Lee will share the Offensive Player of the Year award with Shawnee’s Oklahoma State University commit Tatum Sparks. Lee batted an incredible .532 this season with 58 hits, 13 doubles, 3 triples, one home run, 46 runs, 19 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. She had a .734 slugging average and .580 on-base percentage.

Senior Aliyah Taff was named All-District Pitcher. Taff finished the season with a 17-6 record and was 34-20 in her career. She maintained a 1.82 ERA and 1.13 WHIP this year with 148 strikeouts. She was also solid at the plate with a .363 batting average and .510 slugging average, scoring 7 runs and 23 RBI on 37 hits, including 7 doubles and 4 triples. She also committed zero errors on the season.

Sophomore Jaden Jordan got the nod at All-District First Base, recording a team-best 16 double plays this season. She also had a .436 batting average, .500 OBP, and team-best .734 slugging average with 44 hits, 13 doubles, 2 triples, a team-best 4 home runs, 1 grand slam, 29 runs, and 40 RBI.

Junior Raegan Rector was named to the All-District Outfield. Rector batted .448 this season with a .714 slugging average and .517 OBP. She scored 35 runs and a team-best 75 RBI on 47 hits, with 20 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs. She also went 1-0 in the pitcher’s circle with a 3.66 ERA, and committed no errors this year.

Junior Avery Tanner was named an All-District Utility Player with a .440 batting average and .549 slugging average, scoring 23 runs and 19 RBI on 40 hits, including 8 doubles and a triple. She also had 10 stolen bases and a team-best 10 sacrifices.

Senior Drew Hawkins also got a Utility Player nod with a .409 batting average and .656 slugging average. She scored 32 runs and 17 RBI on 38 hits, with 9 doubles, 4 triples, and 2 home runs.

Junior Jolee McNally received an Honorable Mention. She batted .414 and was .603 slugging with 24 hits, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 16 runs, and 15 RBI.

Sophomore pitcher Nataley Crawford also received an Honorable Mention. She batted .388 and was .575 slugging with 31 hits, 9 doubles, 3 triples, 13 runs, and 19 RBI. The heir apparent at lead pitcher, she was 7-1 this season with a 3.22 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, tossing 31 strikeouts.

Player of the Year: Lily Shaw (Owasso).
Pitcher of the Year: Anneca Anderson (Shawnee).
Offensive Player of the Year: Madison Lee (Sand Springs) and Tatum Sparks (Shawnee).
Defensive Player of the Year: Jessica Watson (Jenks).
Pitcher: Aliyah Taff (Sand Springs).
Pitcher: Avery Tallman (Owasso).
Pitcher: Emma Lang (Jenks).
Catcher: Emma Vickrey (Jenks).
Catcher: Carly Torbett (Shawnee).
1st Base: Jaden Jordan (Sand Springs).
2nd Base: Faith Russell (Jenks).
3rd Base: Brookley Foster (Owasso).
Shortstop: Sarah Campbell (Owasso).
Outfield: Raegan Rector (Sand Springs).
Outfield: Emily Green (Owasso).
Outfield: Hallie Wilson (Shawnee).
Utility: Avery Tanner (Sand Springs).
Utility: Kayla Adams (Jenks).
Utility: Laynie Rimer (Shawnee).
Utility: Sierra Hughes (Sapulpa).
Utility: Margaret Blackstar (Ponca City).
Utility: Drew Hawkins (Sand Springs).
Coach of the Year: Dan Rolette (Shawnee).

Honorable Mentions
Jenks: Kylie Hill, Sarah Dye, Lauren Allen, Dacia Sexton, Avery Brewer, Natalie Rodman, McKenzi Cothran.
Muskogee: Karsyn York, Jaliyah Simmons.
Ponca City: Libby Clark, Tori Freeman.
Owasso: Lauren St. John, Allie VanAtta, Madi Norton, Hallie Hance.
Shawnee: Stormee Reed, Baylie Enright, Kali Kasterke.
Sapulpa: Lexi Cahwee, Morgan Degraffenreid, Hailey Dye, Daniah Blation, Takyah Jamerson, Kylissa Williams, Makayla Littlebear.
Sand Springs: Jolee McNally, Nataley Crawford.

Sand Springs Final Season Stats

Batting
.532 Lee
.448 R. Rector
.440 Tanner
.436 Jordan
.414 McNally
.409 Hawkins
.388 Crawford
.383 Alexander
.375 Burks
.363 Taff
.273 Harper
.182 Hammock
.174 Hilton

Slugging
.743 Jordan
.734 Lee
.714 R. Rector
.656 Hawkins
.603 McNally
.575 Crawford
.549 Tanner
.510 Taff
.483 Alexander
.375 Burks
.333 Harper
.304 Hilton
.182 Hammock

On Base Percentage
.580 Lee
.517 R. Rector
.500 Jordan
.500 Barnes
.440 Tanner
.432 Crawford
.429 Hawkins
.426 Alexander
.415 McNally
.375 Burks
.375 Hammock
.368 Taff
.270 Harper
.173 Hilton

Runs
46 Lee
35 R. Rector
32 Hawkins
29 Jordan
23 Tanner
16 McNally
13 Crawford
12 Harper
12 Hilton
8 Hammock
7 Taff
6 M. Rector
5 Burks

RBI
75 R. Rector
40 Jordan
23 Taff
19 Lee
19 Tanner
19 Crawford
17 Hawkins
15 McNally
14 Alexander
13 Hilton
5 Harper
2 Burks

Hits
58 Lee
47 R. Rector
44 Jordan
40 Tanner
38 Hawkins
37 Taff
31 Crawford
24 McNally
23 Alexander
9 Harper
8 Hilton
3 Burks
2 Hammock

Singles
41 Lee
31 Tanner
27 Jordan
26 Taff
24 R. Rector
23 Hawkins
19 Crawford
17 Alexander
16 McNally
7 Harper
5 Hilton
3 Burks
2 Hammock

Doubles
20 R. Rector
13 Lee
13 Jordan
9 Hawkins
9 Crawford
8 Tanner
7 Taff
6 Alexander
5 McNally
2 Harper
1 Hilton

Triples
4 Hawkins
4 Taff
3 Lee
3 McNally
2 Jordan
1 R. Rector
1 Tanner
1 Hilton

Home Runs
4 Jordan
2 Hawkins
2 R. Rector
1 Lee
1 Hilton

Grand Slams
1 Jordan

Sacrifice Hits
10 Tanner
9 Hawkins
5 Hilton
4 Lee
4 McNally
3 Harper
2 Taff
2 Alexander
1 Crawford
1 Hammock

Steals
20 Lee
10 Tanner
7 Hawkins
7 Crawford
6 McNally
5 R. Rector
4 Hilton
4 Hammock
3 Jordan
2 Taff
2 Burks
2 M. Rector
1 Harper

Double Plays
16 Jordan
11 Lee
9 Tanner
2 Crawford
2 R. Rector
1 Hawkins
1 McNally
1 Hilton
1 Alexander

ERA
1.82 Taff
3.22 Crawford
3.66 R. Rector

WHIP
1.13 Taff
1.42 Crawford
2.48 R. Rector

Strikeouts
148 Taff
31 Crawford
5 R. Rector

Record
17-6 Taff
7-1 Crawford
1-0 R. Rector

CPHS Football: Choctaw stings Sandites 34-9 with 28 unanswered points

The Class 6A-II No. 7 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (4-4, 2-3) held a 9-6 lead over No. 5 Choctaw (5-3, 4-1) after two quarters at Bill Jensen Field Friday night in Choctaw, but the Yellowjackets adjusted well at halftime and rattled off 28 unanswered points for a convincing 34-9 victory in front of a small crowd of cold, dedicated fans.

The Sandites needed less than two minutes to make their way onto the scoreboard. Landon Hendricks recovered a fumble on the Yellowjackets’ first play from scrimmage, and four plays later Zach Heinen kicked a career-long 36 yard field goal for the lead.

Choctaw’s next drive ended in a punt, and Sand Springs drove all the way to the Yellowjacket 21-yard line before Bolton Hawkins and DeSean Brown combined on a sack for the turnover on downs.

Sand Springs got a three-and-out, and once again drove the field with ease before a fourth-and-one Drake Fain run at the 14 ended in a fumble. This time the home team found pay dirt with a ten-play 89-yard march for the lead. Quarterback Steele Wasel leaped up and over the pile, extending the ball for the one-yard touchdown run. A Choctaw penalty gave Tommy Yousey a 25-yard PAT attempt that was partially deflected to keep the visitors within a field goal.

Fain made up for his fumble by recovering a bad pitch from Wasel, and returned it 38 yards before Aaron McAffrey made the touchdown-saving tackle. Ty Pennington punched in the two-yard score on the next play, but his PAT run was stopped. The teams traded punts and entered the locker room with Sand Springs up 9-6.

The second half was all Choctaw.

Wasel hooked up with La’Trell Ray for a 15-yard score on their first possession, then CJ Smith ran in a 37-yarder to make it 20-9. Smith nearly had a 68-yard score late in the quarter, but it was called back on a penalty.

Choctaw was knocking at the door to end the third quarter, but on the first play of the fourth Dylan Sallas made a goal-line interception for the Sandites. His offense wouldn’t capitalize, however, and Choctaw’s next drive ended in an 18-yard run by Wasel. Ray added a 16-yard scoring run with 5:04 to play for the final points of the game.

Pennington finished the game 4-of-16 passing for 61 yards and had 20 carries for 27 yards and a score. Wasel was 14-of-23 for 140 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, and had 11 carries for 56 yards and two scores. Ray had 12 carries for 142 yards and a score, and Smith had 11 carries for 117 yards and a score.

The Yellowjackets held Sand Springs to only three first downs and 23 yards in the second half, while racking up 304 yards of their own.

Sandite Football will return to action next Friday with their final home game of the year against No. 12 Bartlesville (3-5, 2-3), while Choctaw will travel to No. 16 Putnam City West (0-6, 0-3).

Choctaw 34 CPHS 9
First Downs: Choctaw 14, CPHS 7.
Fumbles/Lost: Choctaw 2/2, CPHS 2/1.
Penalties: Choctaw 12-125, CPHS 8-60.
C-A-Y-I: Choctaw 14-23-140-1, CPHS 4-16-61-0.
Rushing: Choctaw 36-312, CPHS 43-80.
Offense: Choctaw 59-452, CPHS 59-141.

CPHS Football Preview: Sandites travel to No. 5 Choctaw Friday

The Class 6A-II No. 7 ranked Charles Page High School football team (4-3, 2-2) will look to get back to its winning ways Friday night on the road, but they won’t have an easy opponent. No. 5 Choctaw (4-3, 3-1) has proven they can play with the best this season, but they have also let lesser-ranked teams hang far closer than they should have. Sand Springs will look for the upset at 7:00 p.m. at 14300 Northeast 10th Street in Choctaw.

Sand Springs started the season 4-1 but they lost their last two games convincingly. After a shocking 49-0 shut out at No. 6 Booker T. Washington (5-2) they stepped up against No. 1 Bixby (6-0) and only lost 51-20. Granted, it was 51-6 until garbage time, but the Sandites amassed 149 yards in second half action, compared to only 57 in the entire game against the Hornets. The defense also performed admirably, only allowing scores on six of fourteen possessions, forcing three punts and two turnovers on downs with one interception.

The Sandites won 21-17 against 5A No. 7 Sapulpa (5-2) in the season opener, a team that has scored 60+ points in three different games this season. They led 5A No. 1 Bishop Kelley (6-0) till the final minute of game before dropping a 28-24 heartbreaker. They dealt Arkansas 4A No. 1 Shiloh Christian (4-1) their only loss of the season 27-26, then won 35-10 against No. 10 Ponca City (3-3) and 45-14 against Muskogee (0-6).

Junior quarterback Ty Pennington has completed 84 of 165 pass attempts this season for 1407 yards and ten touchdowns with only three interceptions. He also has 100 carries for 316 yards and eight more touchdowns. Blake Jones is the top running back with 59 carries for 300 yards and four touchdowns.

Keaton Campbell is 33-458 receiving with six touchdowns and averages 11 yards per kick return and 7.4 yards per punt return, and he has a forced fumble. Jamon Sisco is 19-455 receiving with three touchdowns and is 23-96 rushing. He also averages 22 yards per kick return with one touchdown, and has three blocked kicks. Jacob Blevins is 16-364 receiving with one TD. Ryan Shoemaker is 12-113 receiving.

Zach Heinen is 16-of-16 kicking PATs and is 1-of-2 on field goals with a long of 28. He also handles punting duty with an average of 32.6 yards. Greg Reed averages 48.4 yards per kick off.

Sango Whitehorn has 63 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two blocked kicks. Drake Fain has 63 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and a 41-yard interception return. Landon Hendricks has 61 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and four fumble recoveries. Brooks Dudley has 53 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and one forced fumble.

Bryson Chase has a blocked kick, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Brycen Peterman has two interceptions, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. Lane Webster has 32 tackles on the season with 14 for loss and two sacks. Daren Hawkins has a fumble recovery and Micah Calico has an interception.

Choctaw has been somewhat inconsistent this season due to injuries and COVID-19. They lost their season opener 46-18 to unranked Springdale (2-5) and only won 28-10 against unranked Van Buren (3-4), but played a close game against Arkansas 6A No. 1 Greenwood (7-0) and only lost 23-12. They got a huge 26-22 win against Booker T. Washington, then only won 20-14 against Ponca City, a team that Sand Springs beat handily. They held Bixby to a season-low scoring output and only lost 24-13, but then only won 26-10 against Muskogee, who the Sandites dominated.

The Yellowjackets are in their fourth year under Head Coach Jake Corbin, who is 22-17 since arriving. He holds a 30-29 record as a head coach with a 6-5 stint at Del City in 2016 and a 2-7 stint at Sapulpa in 2015. He is 1-1 against Sand Springs as a head coach. His Sapulpa team lost 44-10 in 2015, but his Yellowjackets won 21-20 in 2017.

The Sandite offense ranks seventh in the division and Choctaw is ninth. The Sandite defense is eleventh and Choctaw’s is sixth.

The two schools have only met six times, and Choctaw leads the series 4-2. Choctaw won the first meeting 21-14 in 1992, but Sand Springs won 31-18 the next year. Choctaw’s biggest win was 37-0 in 2000, and Sand Springs’s biggest win was 29-6 in 2001. The highest-scoring game in the series was a 45-41 Choctaw win 2016, and the closest game was a 21-20 Choctaw win in 2017. Choctaw has never beaten a Sandite team with a winning record, but they’ve also never lost to Sand Springs at home.

Football, Cross Country, Volleyball rankings, Softball State results

Class 6A-II Sandite Pride Week 8 Football Rankings

1. Bixby (6-0) - Last week 51-20 over Sand Springs.
2. Stillwater (5-0) - Last week 70-17 over Lawton.
3. Putnam City North (6-0) - Last week 10-6 over Del City.
4. Midwest City (5-1) - Last week 53-0 over Deer Creek.
5. Choctaw (4-3) - Last week 26-10 over Muskogee.
6. Booker T. Washington (5-2) - Last week 49-0 over Putnam City West.
7. Sand Springs (4-3)
8. Lawton (3-2)
9. Del City (0-5)
10. Ponca City (3-3) - Last week 10-7 over Bartlesville.
11. Deer Creek (2-4)
12. Bartlesville (2-5)
13. Muskogee (0-6)
14. U.S. Grant (2-3) - Last week 28-12 over Northwest Classen.
15. Northwest Classen (1-1)
16. Putnam City West (0-5)

OSSAA 6A-II Football District Standings

District 1
3-0 Stillwater (5-0)
3-0 Midwest City (5-1)
3-0 Putnam City North (6-0)
1-1 U.S. Grant (2-3)
0-3 Del City (0-5)
0-2 Lawton (3-2)
0-3 Deer Creek (2-4)
0-1 Northwest Classen (1-1)

District 2
3-0 Bixby (6-0)
3-1 Booker T. Washington (5-2)
3-1 Choctaw (4-3)
2-2 Sand Springs (4-3)
2-2 Ponca City (3-3)
1-3 Bartlesville (2-5)
0-2 Putnam City West (0-5)
0-3 Muskogee (0-6)

OSSAA 6A Boys Week 1 Cross Country Rankings

1. Mustang
2. Edmond Memorial
3. Edmond Deer Creek
4. Edmond North
5. Westmoore
6. Broken Arrow
7. Union
8. Owasso
9. Bartlesville
10. Norman
11. Choctaw
12. Edmond Santa Fe
13. Jenks
14. Yukon
15. Southmoore

OSSAA 6A Girls Week 1 Cross Country Rankings

1. Jenks
2. Owasso
3. Broken Arrow
4. Norman North
5. Yukon
6. Edmond Deer Creek
7. Edmond Santa Fe
7. Moore
9. Bartlesville
10. Edmond North
11. Choctaw
12. Edmond Memorial
13. Stillwater
14. Westmoore
15. Mustang
15. Putnam City West

OSSAA Class 6A Week 8 Volleyball Rankings (State Qualifiers Only)

1. Bishop Kelley (28-3)
2. Norman North (27-5)
3. Mustang (30-6)
4. Jenks (25-8)
5. Bishop McGuinness (28-4)
6 Edmond Deer Creek (21-6)
7. Edmond Santa Fe (22-7)
8. Edmond North (18-12)

Frontier Valley Conference FINAL Volleyball Standings

8-0 Jenks (23-8)
8-1 Broken Arrow (20-13)
5-3 Owasso (18-13)
5-4 Bixby (18-12)
4-5 Bartlesville (17-17)
5-3 Union (16-10)
3-5 Booker T. Washington (8-14)
2-7 Sand Springs (19-14)
1-7 Muskogee (9-18)
0-6 Sapulpa (16-14)

OSSAA 6A Fast Pitch Softball State Tournament Results

QF - Edmond Memorial 4-3 Stillwater
QF - Deer Creek 5-4 Mustang
QF - Owasso 12-1 Shawnee
QF - Southmoore 7-6 Jenks
SF - Owasso 4-1 Edmond Memorial
SF - Southmoore 2-1 Deer Creek
F - Southmoore 3-2 Owasso

Sand Springs disc golfers hold River City Send-Off

Tommy Agent (left) and Pete Shipley (right) won their divisions Saturday at the River City Send-Off.

Taylor Dutto (pictured) organized the River City Send-Off with Dwight Griffis (not-pictured). 

For the first time since the Ray Brown era, Sand Springs hosted a disc golf mini tournament Saturday. Local golfers Dwight Griffis and Taylor Dutto organized the event as a send-off for the River City course at Case Community Park, which will soon be removed and replaced with a new layout. 

The existing 18-hole course is the third disc golf course in Sand Springs history. It opened in 2017 as part of a $6 million park renovation and was designed in collaboration with local Tulsa Disc Sports Association (TDSA) members. It will soon be replaced with a new professional design by 2009 World Champion Avery Jenkins. 

Although local players are excited for the upcoming redesign, many are also nostalgic to see the existing layout come to an end. Dozens of players participated in the River City Send-Off on Saturday, which marked the first competitive event in Sand Springs since before the Ray Brown Park nine-hole course was removed in 2012. 

22 players participated in a “flip-dubs” event in the morning, where players of all skill levels are randomly matched in teams of two. Zachary Schumacher and Andrew Rock won that event with a score of 42, twelve strokes under par. 

From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 24 golfers played singles rounds in two divisions. Tommy Agent won the Open division with a score of 43 to lead a field of 13 pro players. Pete Shipley won the amateur division with a score of 48 in a field of eleven players. The event added out-of-bounds penalties to many holes, preventing players from throwing across sidewalks. That, combined with winds gusting as high as 40 m.p.h. made the course much tougher than usual. 

The event organizers plan to make the mini tournaments a weekly occurrence once the new course is installed, though those events likely won’t begin till the Spring due to the limited amount of daylight in wintertime. Both the Pro and Am divisions paid cash to the winners on Saturday, but amateurs will most likely be playing for discs at future events. No aces were thrown on Saturday, and that $230 ace pot will carry over to the next event. If attendance increases at future events, more amateur divisions may be added to separate intermediate and advanced players from novices. The minis will also serve as a fundraiser for future course improvements and maintenance. 

The new course is nearing completion and the Parks Department has been hard at work this week planting new trees to both increase difficulty on some holes, and to help protect sidewalks from errant throws. Benches and trash cans were also added. New concrete tee pads have been poured, and turf will be added to them in the next week. The new course will feature all new baskets and signage, and will play in new areas along the river and under the Highway 97 bridge. The existing course won’t be removed until the new one is fully installed.