CPHS Softball: Sandites go 1-5 at tough Broken Arrow tournament

After a dominant 4-0 start to the season, the Charles Page High School fast pitch softball team (4-5) hit its first slump in a 1-5 performance at the Broken Arrow Tournament this weekend. The Lady Sandites averaged ten runs and twelve hits over their first four games, but after a 5-0 shutout of Tahlequah in the first round of the tournament, things began to fall apart. 

SEE RELATED: Freshman Nataley Crawford pitches no-hitter 5-0 shutout of Tahlequah.

Sand Springs notched five hits against the defending State Champions from Westmoore (6-1), briefly led after a fourth inning home run from Makenna Skaggs, and went into overtime before losing in a walkoff. They benefited from two walks and an error but stranded seven base runners and committed four errors of their own. 

The Jaguars got the tie in the bottom of the fourth without a single hit thanks to errors at second, third, and short. Mattie Lee reached on an error in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a double from Aynslee Linduff for the victory. 

Aliyah Taff (2-3, 6-9) took the loss on the mound, throwing seven hits and two strikeouts with no walks. Hannah Harrison secured the win for Westmoore with five hits, three strikeouts, and three walks. 

Next up for the Sandites were the defending 3A State Champions from Tahlequah Sequoyah (9-0) who continued their seventeen-game win streak with their fourth shutout of the season, holding the Sandites scoreless for the first time in three years. 

The Indians outhit Sand Springs ten to five en route to an 11-0 win. Sabrina Usher went two-for-two at the plate and Felicity Horn hit a double, but the Sandites only really threatened once, in the bottom of the fourth. Trailing 7-0, Usher, Jaden Jordan, and Skaggs hit singles with no outs to load the bases. Sequoyah quickly recovered with a strikeout and pair of force outs at third to save the inning. 

Mackenzie Bechtold (1-1, 5-1) suffered her first career loss, throwing ten hits, two walks, and no strikeouts. Sequoyah went undefeated in the tournament, outscoring their foes 45-9. 

Next to top the Sandites was a tough State Semifinalist team from Yukon (7-1), by a much closer score of 5-2. The Millerettes did all of their damage in the second inning, and errors were a contributing factor. 

Both teams stranded runners in the first inning but Sand Springs left two dry in the second and Yukon brought five home. Two infield errors put the Millers in scoring position and Hannah Hurtz brought both in with a double. AJ Rayburn doubled in Hurtz, then McKenna Johnson hit a 2RBI homer before the inning came to a close. 

Jolee McNally drove in Horn on a single in the third but the Sandites stranded loaded bases and their best shot at a comeback. Madison Lee scored the final run on an error in the fifth. 

Taff got the loss for Sand Springs with six hits, one strikeout, and no walks. Kaylee Bradley got the win with five hits, two strikeouts, and three walks. 

The host team from Broken Arrow (7-0) topped the Sandites 8-3 on their way to an undefeated tournament performance, outhitting Sand Springs 11 to 6. Nataley Crawford (1-1) took the loss with two walks and one strikeout. Kailee Reese got the win with one strikeout and one walk. 

Lee scored the first run for Sand Springs on an RBI single from McNally in the top of the first then the Tigers scored on a passed ball in the second to tie it. Lee hit a sacrifice fly in the third to bring in Crawford for the lead and Usher hit a home run, but that was the end of the Sandites’ offense.

Three hits and two errors in the bottom of the third gave Broken Arrow the advantage and they added to it with five hits and two errors in the fourth. The Tigers scored two more on three hits in the fifth before time expired. 

Finally, the Sandites fell 5-1 to Southmoore (4-2) in the final game of the weekend. The Sandite bats were unusually quiet, as only Usher and Rachel Jones were able to connect. 

The Jaguars scored three runs on two hits and two errors in the top of the second. Skaggs was hit by pitch in the bottom of the inning and scored on Jones’s single, but Southmoore responded immediately with two more runs in the third and the rest of the game was uneventful for both sides. 

Taff got the loss with six hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Abi Jones got the win with three walks and three strikeouts. 

Sand Springs will look to get back to a .500 record when they play Sapulpa (2-2, 1-1) Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in district action.

Pool A

Broken Arrow (5-0)
Broken Arrow 3-0 Yukon
Broken Arrow 9-1 Shawnee
Broken Arrow 10-0 Skiatook
Broken Arrow 11-1 Tahlequah
Broken Arrow 8-3 Sand Springs
Tahlequah Sequoyah (5-0)
Sequoyah 8-4 Westmoore
Sequoyah 7-0 Tahlequah
Sequoyah 11-0 Sand Springs
Sequoyah 6-2 Skiatook
Sequoyah 5-2 Deer Creek
Yukon (4-1)
Yukon 11-4 Skiatook
Yukon 13-0 Tahlequah
Yukon 5-2 Sand Springs
Yukon 6-5 Shawnee
Westmoore (4-1)
Westmoore 2-1 Sand Springs
Westmoore 14-7 Shawnee
Westmoore 10-2 Tahlequah
Westmoore 18-1 Skiatook
Sand Springs (1-4)
Sand Springs 5-0 Tahlequah
Skiatook (1-4)
Skiatook 4-1 Shawnee
Shawnee (0-5)
Tahlequah (0-5)

Pool B

Owasso (4-1)
Owasso 3-0 Southmoore
Owasso 5-1 Coweta
Owasso 9-1 Mannford
Owasso 3-0 Deer Creek
Deer Creek (4-1)
Deer Creek 9-1 Mannford
Deer Creek 10-3 Collinsville
Deer Creek 5-0 Southmoore
Deer Creek 8-0 Broken Arrow JV
Ft. Gibson (3-2)
Ft. Gibson 2-1 Owasso
Ft. Gibson 2-1 Collinsville
Ft. Gibson 7-6 Broken Arrow JV
Collinsville (3-2)
Collinsville 6-3 Broken Arrow JV
Collinsville 13-0 Coweta
Collinsville 5-4 Mannford
Southmoore (3-2)
Southmoore 5-1 Ft. Gibson
Southmoore 6-2 Mannford
Southmoore 5-0 Coweta
Coweta (2-3)
Coweta 3-2 Broken Arrow JV
Coweta 8-0 Ft. Gibson
Mannford (0-3-1)
Mannford 2-2 Broken Arrow JV
Broken Arrow JV (0-3-1)
Broken Arrow JV 2-2 Mannford

Placement Rounds

Pool A/B
Broken Arrow 6-5 Owasso
Sequoyah 5-2 Deer Creek
Yukon 5-1 Ft. Gibson
Westmoore 8-2 Collinsville
Southmoore 5-1 Sand Springs
Skiatook 8-1 Coweta
Shawnee 11-7 Broken Arrow JV
Tahlequah 9-3 Mannford

Pool C/D
Hilldale 6-2 Edmond North
Moore 8-0 Claremore
Mustang 6-3 Jenks
Union 10-1 Sapulpa
Durant 5-4 Bixby
Pryor 4-2 Muldrow
Pocola 4-0 Midwest City
Liberty 9-7 Berryhill

Pool C

Edmond North (4-1)
Edmond 4-1 Pocola
Edmond 9-1 Liberty
Edmond 11-0 Bixby
Edmond 8-0 Union
Jenks (4-1)
Jenks 4-2 Union
Jenks 8-4 Edmond North
Jenks 9-1 Pryor
Jenks 5-4 Pocola
Moore (4-1)
Moore 3-0 Pryor
Moore 8-1 Bixby
Moore 3-2 Jenks
Moore 12-2 Liberty
Union (3-2)
Union 7-6 Pocola
Union 6-2 Moore
Union 9-3 Pryor
Bixby (3-2)
Bixby 4-3 Liberty
Bixby 4-2 Pryor
Bixby 11-1 Pocola
Pryor (1-4)
Pryor 9-2 Liberty
Pocola (1-4)
Pocola 10-2 Liberty
Liberty (0-5)

Pool D

Hilldale (5-0)
Hilldale 3-2 Mustang
Hilldale 6-3 Durant
Hilldale 14-1 Muldrow
Hilldale 11-2 Berryhill
Hilldale 12-0 Midwest City
Mustang (4-1)
Mustang 13-2 Muldrow
Mustang 8-6 Durant
Mustang 7-1 Midwest City
Mustang 8-0 Berryhill
Sapulpa (3-2)
Sapulpa 6-5 Midwest City
Sapulpa 7-2 Berryhill
Sapulpa 5-2 Muldrow
Claremore (3-2)
Claremore 5-4 Midwest City
Claremore 7-1 Sapulpa
Claremore 11-2 Berryhill
Muldrow (2-3)
Muldrow 9-5 Claremore
Muldrow 9-0 Durant
Durant (2-3)
Durant 7-4 Sapulpa
Durant 5-1 Claremore
Midwest City (1-4)
Midwest City 11-3 Berryhill
Berryhill (0-5)

Sand Springs hosts All-State wrestling, West wins both duals

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Charles Page High School in Sand Springs hosted the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Duals Wednesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House, and the Western squads defeated the East in both Large and Small classifications.

Sand Springs had one senior wrestler receive an All State commendation, but he was unable to compete due to a shoulder injury. Baker University-commit Scott Patton won thirty straight matches his senior year, finishing with a 31-2 record and 2nd Place medal at the State Tournament. Broken Arrow’s Diego Maturino filled in for Patton in the 160 pounds spot.

Overall, western athletes won fifteen matches, the east won nine, and two matches resulted in ties. The Large West squad coached by Duncan’s Bobby Cook won its dual 36-21 over the Eastern unit coached by Durant’s Jim Taylor.

The dual started with a 2-2 tie after a scoreless overtime period between David Boucher and Dominic Derr. Cameron Picklo got a payback win at 138 pounds with a 4-2 decision over State Champion Spencer Schickram, who he was pinned by at the State Tournament. Two-time State Champion Kobi Gomez won a 4-2 overtime decision against three-time State Finalist Gage Hight to tie the dual at 12-12.

The West won seven straight matches and Carson Savage clinched the dual with a fall at 195. The East evened things up a little bit with a decision at 220 and an upset at heavyweight. 6A State Runner-Up Caleb Orr pinned two-time 5A State Champion Josh Heindselman to wrap the night up.

The Small West company coached by Anadarko’s Craig Pruitt rolled to a 30-9 advantage before the East began to battle back. Wagoner coach Micco Charboneau rallied his boys to win their final four matches for a close 30-27 defeat.

The Small West won their first two matches and never trailed in the dual. Thaddeus Long and Logan Farrell battled to a 4-4 tie in a rematch of 4A State Finals. Wesley Scott picked up a fall for the East, then viewers were treated to yet another Finals rematch. Kobe Kizarr repeated his State Championship win with a 3-0 decision against Price Perrier to kick off a five-match win streak.

Alec McDoulett won 11-4 in a battle of State Runners-Up against Abel Perez and 3A State Runner-Up Tyler Lavey knocked off State Champion Luke Ahrberg 6-4. Nathan Ulmer kicked off the Eastern rally attempt by pinning Denver Dahlenburg. Teaguen Wilson had the chance to tie the dual with a pin in the final match, but had to settle for a 4-1 decision.

Prior to the dual, awards were presented to the coaches and wrestlers of the year in each classification.

Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association Awards
Region 1 Coach of the Year - Brian Picklo (Mustang)
Region 2 Coach of the Year - Laddie Rupp (Cushing)
Region 3 Coach of the Year - Micco Charboneau (Wagoner)
Region 4 Coach of the Year - Michael Miller (Lawton MacArthur)
Region 5 Coach of the Year - Andy Howington (Marlow)
Region 6 Coach of the Year - Josh Cunningham (McAlester)
Region 7 Coach of the Year - Shawn Jones (Broken Arrow)
Region 8 Coach of the Year - J. Wesley Ruth (Del City)
3A Head Coach of the Year - Andy Howington (Marlow)
3A Assistant Coach of the Year - Keith Kizarr (Marlow)
4A Head Coach of the Year - Laddie Rupp (Cushing)
4A Assistant Coach of the Year - Bobby Williams (Tuttle)
5A Head Coach of the Year - Erik Ford (Piedmont)
5A Assistant Coach of the Year - Luke Brummett (Skiatook)
6A Head Coach of the Year - Shawn Jones (Broken Arrow)
6A Assistant Coach of the Year - Rod Jones (Broken Arrow)
Junior High Coach of the Year - Casy Rowell (Comanche)
Official of the Year - Danny Blackshear
3A Wrestler of the Year - Drake Barbee (Blackwell)
4A Wrestler of the Year - Thaddeus Long (McLain)
5A Wrestler of the Year - Josh Heindselman (Piedmont)
6A Wrestler of the Year - Zane Coleman (Choctaw)
Wrestler of the Year (All Classes) - Josh Heindselman (Piedmont)

Small West 30 Small East 27
113: Remington White (Walters) FALL Kaleb Harris (Sallisaw), 6-0.
120: Jaxon Miller (Comanche) 5-3 Luke Montgomery (Bristow), 9-0.
126: Logan Farrell (Tuttle) 4-4 Thaddeus Long (McLain), 12-3.
132: Wesley Scott (Pawnee) FALL Nikolas Gers (Blanchard), 12-9.
138: Kobey Kizarr (Marlow) 3-0 Price Perrier (Pawhuska), 15-9.
145: Stone Snodgrass (Kingfisher) 1-0 Alec Capehart (Sallisaw), 18-9.
152: Alec McDoulett (Little Axe) 11-4 Abel Perez (Catoosa), 21-9.
160: Tyler Lavey (Marlow) 6-4 Jacob Ahrberg (Cushing), 24-9.
170: Ethon Hamrick (Comanche) FALL Tyler Bingham (Tecumseh), 30-9.
182: Nathan Ulmer (Poteau) FALL Denver Dahlenburg (Hinton), 30-15.
195: Eriq Simpson (Cushing) FALL John Mark Holten (Anadarko), 30-21.
220: Drake Barbee (Blackwell) 7-4 Cameron Gregg (Pauls Valley), 30-24.
285: Teaguen Wilson (Perry) 4-1 Chase Merkey (Geary), 30-27.

Large West 36 Large East 21
113: David Boucher (Bartlesville) 2-2 Dominic Derr (Westmoore), 3-3.
120: Laif Jones (Bartlesville) 11-2 Jayston Cato (Carl Albert), 3-7.
126: Mitchell Lance (Piedmont) 4-0 Ty Nohelty (McAlester), 6-7.
132: Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow) TECH Kylon Burgert (Yukon), 6-12.
138: Cameron Picklo (Mustang) 4-2 Spencer Schickram (Ponca City), 9-12.
145: Kobi Gomez (Altus) 5-2 SV Gage Hight (Glenpool), 12-12.
152: Kyle Knowles (Edmond Memorial) FALL Ja’len Hernandez (Union), 18-12.
160: Hunter Jump (Duncan) 4-2 Diego Maturino (Broken Arrow), 21-12.
170: Zane Coleman (Choctaw) FALL Mason Seth (Muskogee), 27-12.
182: Christian Maldonado (Lawton MacArthur) DECISION Abram Arechiga (Ponca City), 30-12.
195: Carson Savage (Deer Creek) FALL Braxton Kearns (Glenpool), 36-12.
220: Tony Opichka (Choctaw) DECISION Matt Woods (Lawton MacArthur), 36-15.
285: Caleb Orr (Jenks) FALL Josh Heindselman (Piedmont), 36-21.

CPHS Track: Mitchell Mefford places second at John Jacobs Invitational

The Charles Page High School track and field teams recently competed at the University of Oklahoma’s John Jacobs Invitational. A loaded field with more than thirty schools caused the team scores to suffer, but several Sandites set personal records.

The boys placed 22nd out of 35 teams while the girls tied for last. Only top-six finishers earn team points, and only Mitchell Mefford accomplished the feat. Mefford placed second in discus with a personal-best distance of 150’05”.

Riley Magee set a personal record distance of 39’07” in shot put. Caleb James ran PRs of 11:15.49 in the 3200 and 5:21.67 in the 1600. Danny Murray also PRed in the 1600 in 4:59.50. Dalton Wilcox and Sam Smith ran PRs of 2:23.55 and 2:23.84, respectively, in the 800.

Daren Hawkins and Justis Meyers PRed in the 200 with times of 25.90 and 27.97. All three 100-meter runners set PRs. Morgan Lockhart finished in 11.73, Meyers in 12.74, and Hawkins in 12.78.

Joselyn Shinnerer and Kristen Fields set PRs in the 100-meter dash with times of 15.39 and 15.75, respectively. Erika Baker and Chezney Kelley set PRs in the 1600 run with times of 6:23.78 and 6:52.94, respectively.

Sandite Results
110 Hurdles
30th - Matt Wilkerson - 18.33
34th - Alex Newport - 19.86
35th - Knox Goggins - 20.33
300 Hurdles
38th - Alex Newport - 47.45
39th - Matt Wilkerson - 48.20
42nd - Knox Goggins - 52.53
100 Dash
29th - Morgan Lockhart - 11.73
43rd - Justis Meyers - 12.74
44th - Daren Hawkins - 12.78
200 Dash
40th - Morgan Lockhart - 25.25
42nd - Daren Hawkins - 25.90
44th - Justis Meyers - 27.97
400 Dash
36th - Titus Wright - 1:03.75
800 Run
46th - Dalton Wilcox - 2:23.55
47th - Sam Smith - 2:23.84
1600 Run
37th - Danny Murray - 4:59.50
42nd - Nelson Yazzie - 5:03.62
55th - Caleb James - 5:21.67
3200 Run
17th - Jacob Smith - 10:34.78
32nd - Caleb James - 11:15.49
43rd - Noah Hanlon - 11:46.84
Shot Put
17th - Riley Magee - 39’07.00”
27th - Mitchell Mefford - 35’06.25”
Discus Throw
2nd - Mitchell Mefford - 150’05.00”
17th - Riley Magee - 107’07.00”

Male Champions
4x100 Relay - Union - 41.55
4x200 Relay - Union - 1:28.02
4x400 Relay - Altus - 3:24.73
4x800 Relay - Weatherford - 8:04.38
110 Hurdles - Slater Ward - 14.79
300 Hurdles - Robert Wood - 38.12
100 Dash - JT McCloud - 10.47
200 Dash - JT McCloud - 21.09
400 Dash - Michael James - 50.03
800 Run - Blake McConkay - 1:58.16
1600 Run - Brady Carpenter - 4:31.88
3200 Run - Daniel Nickell - 9:48.98
High Jump - Tyler Dechant - 6’06.00”
Long Jump - Romeo Ingram - 22’04.50”
Pole Vault - Brandon Hanoch - 14’06.00”
Shot Put - Brandon Zamarripa - 52’02.25”
Discus Throw - Adrian Del Toro - 170’09.00”

Team Scores
94 Union
70 Broken Arrow
39 Altus
37 Del City
37 Norman North
35 Weatherford
31 Lawton
28 Putnam City
28 Edmond Santa Fe
26.5 Choctaw
21 Edmond Memorial
21 Yukon
20 Bartlesville
19 MacArthur
16 Owasso
14 Southmoore
14 Woodward
10 Hobart
10 Edmond North
10 Putnam West
8 Sand Springs
8 Noble
6 Stillwater
6 Westville
6 Westmoore
2 Casady
1.5 Atoka
0 Deer Creek
0 Graham-Dustin
0 Heritage Hall
0 Lincoln Christian
0 Putnam North
0 Santa Fe South
0 Shattuck

Lady Sandite Results
100 Hurdles
7th - Makenzie Rader - 17.30
22nd - Elizabeth Watts - 18.58
300 Hurdles
27th - Elizabeth Watts - 54.60
100 Dash
39th - Davina Green - 14.33
44th - Joselynn Schinnerer - 15.39
45th - Kristen Field - 15.75
200 Dash
41st - Davina Green - 30.34
43rd - Kaitlyn Converse - 33.09
400 Dash
33rd - Gigi Williams - 1:15.27
800 Run
43rd - Victoria Baker - 3:00.69
1600 Run
33rd - Erika Baker - 6:23.78
37th - Sara Abbet - 6:34.46
38th - Chezney Kelley - 6:52.94
3200 Run
18th - Erika Baker - 13:33.38
High Jump
10th - Makenzie Rader - 4’08.00”
Long Jump
18th - Makenzie Rader - 14’02.00”
Shot Put
28th - Ayden Meade - 24’09.00”
Discus Throw
17th - Ayden Meade - 76’01.00”

Female Champions
4x100 Relay - Broken Arrow - 49.08
4x200 Relay - Broken Arrow - 1:45.79
4x400 Relay - Broken Arrow - 3:57.18
4x800 Relay - Broken Arrow - 9:33.34
100 Hurdles - Shelbie Maddy - 15.70
300 Hurdles - Tahlor Brown - 44.76
100 Dash - Lyric Henry - 12.58
200 Dash - Jada Atkinson - 25.07
400 Dash - Levi Gladd - 57.47
800 Run - Daphne Matthews - 2:14.43
1600 Run - Maddie Medina - 5:09.03
3200 Run - Maddie Medina - 11:14.97
High Jump - Taylor Dozier - 5’04.00”
Long Jump - India Morgan - 18’01.00”
Pole Vault - Kyla Davis - 12’06.00”
Shot Put - Madison Collier - 42’4.75”
Discus Throw - Madison Collier - 145’01.00”

Team Scores
122.33 Broken Arrow
90.33 Edmond North
78 Southmoore
51.33 Putnam City
37 Del City
34 Weatherford
33.33 Union
28 Owasso
23.33 Choctaw
22 Heritage Hall
20 Hennessey
20 Lawton
14 Altus
12 Yukon
10 Lincoln Christian
10 Putnam West
8 Stillwater
8 Sulphur
6 Norman North
6 Edmond Santa Fe
4 Casady
4 Moore
3 Bartlesville
2.33 Westville
0 Deer Creek
0 MacAthur
0 Putnam North
0 Sand Springs

CPHS Football: Sandites face big test on the road at 6A-I No. 9 Yukon

The No. 7 ranked Charles Page High School football team (2-2) will travel to 6A-I No. 9 Yukon (2-2) Friday evening for their final non-district game of the season as they hope to improve to a winning record for the first time this season. 

Last year the Sandites' season went nearly identically to this year, at least thus far. Last year Sand Springs was totaled by Pulaski Academy, lost a heart-breaker to Choctaw, won a close one against Putnam West, dominated Sapulpa, and heartily defeated the Millers to improve to 3-2. 

Just like last year, the Sandites went down 59-21 to nationally-ranked No. 21 Pulaski (4-0), were edged out 21-20 by No. 9 Choctaw (3-1), then doubled down on No. 13 Putnam (1-3) 28-14 and No. 14 Sapulpa (0-4) 31-16. If history continues to repeat itself, they should be in for a solid win today. 

Yukon, however, is having a much different season under first year Head Coach Jeremy Reed. Last year the Millers went 0-10 under Brian Sauser, but Reed snapped the fourteen game losing streak in week two with a 38-31 win at No. 6 Norman North (3-1).

Reed turned around the 5A Altus program from a 3-7 season in 2014 to an 8-3 year in 2015 and a 2016 State Championship and 13-1 record before leaving for Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. He coached Hamilton to a 6-5 record before returning to Oklahoma. He got his coaching start in Sand Springs as the offensive coordinator in 2006 when the Sandites went 4-6 under Head Coach Brad Odom. The team averaged 26.5 points per game that season.

The Millers took a 31-14 hit in their season opener at No. 7 Mustang (2-1), but followed up the Norman North win with a 28-7 victory over Southmoore (0-4) before falling 56-20 in their district opener against No. 4 Broken Arrow (1-3).

The Sandites are a run-heavy team this year, averaging 259 yards per game with 222 of that coming from Payton Scott. The 5'5" senior running back has carried 126 times this season for 889 yards and eleven touchdowns. Just last week he set a career record of 352 yards on only 29 carries. He also has four catches for 96 yards and one touchdown this year, plus three kick returns for 91 yards. 

Junior quarterback Caden Pennington is steadily improving in the pass game. He sits at 19-50-239-4 this year with two touchdowns, but his passing percentage has gone up every week. He passed for a career-best 6-12-145-1 record against Putnam West two weeks ago.

Hayden Cramer has led a stout Sandite defense with 36 tackles this season, plus a six-yard interception return. Kameron Adcock and Bryson Denton both have forced fumbles. Braden Askew has two interceptions with eleven yards in returns and one fumble recovery. Jerry Lyons has an interception and a forced fumble, plus two sacks for twelve yards. 

First-year kicker Jaden Weiser is 13 of 14 on extra points and kicked his first field goal last week from 25 yards. He has booted kickoffs as far as 59 yards, but averages 36 yards due to several onside and squib kicks.

Click here to Virgil Noah's story from last year's game against Yukon.

Sandite Pride has unanimously picked Sand Springs with Virgil Noah predicting a 42-13 blowout and Scott Emigh calling a much closer 35-28 Sandite win.

CPHS Boys knock off No. 9 Yukon 66-59 in Playoffs; Colt Savage scores 27

Junior Colt Savage led the Sandites with 27 points in a Regional playoff win. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

CPHS 66 YHS 59

1Q All 14-14
2Q Yukon 14-12
3Q Sand Springs 21-18
4Q Sand Springs 19-13

Free Throws: CPHS 8-of-11, YHS 11-of-15.
Field Goals: CPHS 25-of-50, YHS 21-of-53.
Fouls: CPHS 13, YHS 13

Scoring: (CPHS) Colt Savage 27, Garbey 14, Keener 12, Taber 8, Cale Savage 3, Wash 2. (YHS) Martin 27, Turner 11, Williams 7, Brazil 6, Berg 6, McGee 2.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 2, Wash 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Keener 6, Garbey 3, Colt Savage 2, Taber 2, Cale Savage 1.
Steals: Taber 6, Colt Savage 1, Keener 1, Wash 1.
Assists: Keener 3, Taber 2, Cale Savage 2, Colt Savage 1.
Blocks: Keener 2.
Fouls: Keener 4, Taber 3, Price 3, Colt Savage 1, Garbey 1, Wash 1.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 9 ranked Yukon Millers (15-8) were likely caught off guard by the ferocity of the unranked Charles Page High School boys basketball team (12-12) in their Friday night Regional playoff at Norman North High. 

A quick look at the Sandites' losing record is deceptive considering the number of brutally close losses that Sand Springs has endured in the highly-competitive Frontier Valley Conference. Despite being unranked themselves, the Sandites have topped six ranked opponents this season, including two top-ten teams. They worked their magic again Friday night and rolled to a 66-59 victory, qualifying for the Area Tournament next weekend. 

Head Coach Scott Raper wasn't very happy with how his boys started the first period, but he was likely satisfied with their finish. The Sandites took an 8-0 lead to start the game with a pair of threes from Jacob Garbey and a two point basket from Colt Savage, but the Millers scored nine-straight to claim the lead with back-to-back field goals from 6'10" senior Cameron Martin. Josh Taber snagged a steal and took it coast to coast for a buzzer-beater layup to tie things at 14-14.

The second period was practically a replay of the first as Sand Springs scored the first three baskets of the quarter. University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener scored the first basket off an assist by Taber, Colt Savage took a rebound coast to coast for a layup, then Taber scored off yet another steal. Then the Millers went to work and took a four-point lead off a seven-straight scoring streak before Colt Savage added a two-point jump shot at the buzzer.

Yukon headed to the locker room with a close 28-26 lead.

Both teams came out of halftime hot, but it was Sand Springs who won the highest-scoring period of the game. Colt Savage scored the opening three, Martin and Jordan Williams hit four from the charity stripe, then Savage scored three more on a layup and foul shot to tie it at 32 apiece.

Martin and Vernon Turner hit back to back jump shots to take the lead, but Cale Savage and Jacob Garbey both hit threes to put Sand Springs back on top.

Tallyn Brazil stole the spotlight for Yukon with a pair of two-point jump shots, but Garbey iced another three, then Colt Savage traded shots and the lead with Martin and Brazil to get the final say at 47-46.

The Sandites had yet another impressive start in the fourth quarter as Taber recorded his sixth steal and took it to the house. Colt Savage drained a three and Keener posted two before Martin broke things up with back-to-back threes.

Garbey and Williams traded blows from two-point range, then Colt Savage added another long ball to make it 59-54. The Millers grew desperate and began racking up the fouls, but the Sandites held strong for the win.

Martin and Colt Savage scored a game-high 27 points apiece, followed by Garbey with 14 and Keener with 12. Turner also broke double digits with 11 points. 

The Sandites will face the winner of No. 5 Norman North (17-4) vs unranked Jenks (3-17) Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Both Regional finalists will advance to the Area Tournament. 

Lady Sandite Volleyball defeats Yukon 3-1; finishes season with 25-14 record

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs: 63 kills, 44 errors
Yukon: 40 kills, 33 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 24, Youngblood 11, Leslie 11, Burris 4, Madison Ward 2, Cypert 1.
Yukon Kills: Fowler 8, Brown 7, Benge 6, Blowers 5, Scott 3, Sauser 2, Collins 2, Hartman 1.

SS Assists: MaKenzie Ward 24, Burris 13, Leslie 2, Madison Ward 2.
YHS Assists: Fowler 20, Scott 1.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 9.
YHS Blocks: Sauser 2, Blowers 1, Brown 1.

SS Aces: Leslie 1, Burris 1, Youngblood 1, Mutiri 1.
YHS Aces: Fowler 1.

SS Digs: Burris 15, Leslie 14, Mutiri 7, Burris 4, MaKenzie Ward 4, Madison Ward 3, Mudd 2, Youngblood 1, Cypert 1.

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (25-14) saw their season come to and at Edmond Santa Fe High School Tuesday evening in the Regional Tournament. After winning their first match 3-1 against No. 18 Yukon (9-19), the Sandites were unable to overcome the host team and fell in straight sets.

No. 4 Edmond Santa Fe (23-9) has a highly decorated volleyball program with a long tradition of success. They have seen the State finals eleven times, secured five State Championships, and have won twenty-four consecutive Regional Championships. 

In the first match the Lady Sandites won their first two sets without difficulty before giving up the third to the Millers. 

Sand Springs emerged to a quick 6-0 lead before freshman Izzy Brown was able to get her team on the board. The Millers began to battle back and got close to tying it thanks to a series of Sandite errors and a block from Emma Sauser. After allowing the score to narrow to 13-11, Sand Springs exploded for the 25-16 win with 15 team kills, 6 of which came from Ohio State committed junior Gloria Mutiri. Both teams committed ten errors in the first set.

In the second game it was the Millers who took an early lead, working up an 8-4 advantage before the Sandites went on a run and tied it at 11-11 with a kill from Makenna Cypert before surging ahead to a 15-11 lead on a kill from Lee Leslie. Sand Springs led for the rest of the game and won 25-22. The Sandites stepped back their offense, scoring only thirteen times against eleven errors, while the Millers improved on offense with eleven kills, but gave up twelve errors. 

In the third set the Sandites actually led 74% of the time, far more than they did in the second or third sets, but the Millers scored when it mattered most. Sand Springs took a quick 9-3 advantage with a series of solo blocks from Mutiri and an ace from Madison Burris. After Sand Springs took a 2-1 lead, the Millers didn't tie it up again till 16-16 on a kill from Sidney Benge. It was back and forth from there and the Millers took their first lead at 20-19. Burris set up Mutiri for the tie, and an error from Haley Fowler gave the Sandites the last advantage of the game at 21-10. Back to back kills from Brown off Fowler sets gave Yukon the lead at 22-21. Fowler and Sauser combined to block a shot from Mutiri and the Fowler-Brown combo secured the Yukon win, 25-21. Sand Springs led in kills with fifteen, but added twelve errors to the Millers' thirteen kills. The Millers had their best offensive output of the night and were solid on defense as well with only six errors. 

The fourth set was far more competitive for the duration and Sand Springs only led 45% of the time with eleven ties. Neither team won two-straight rallies till the Sandites took a 6-4 lead with a kill from freshman Devree Youngblood and a pair of Miller errors. The Sandites gave up a pair of errors of their own to tie it at 6-6 and the back-and-forth melee continued. Yukon worked up as much as a 15-11 lead before the Sandites won four-straight rallies to tie it at 15-15. The teams exchanged the lead till the Sandites surged ahead once and for all with a kill from Youngblood off a set from MaKenzie Ward to make it 19-18. The Millers fought to the end, but the Sandites got the win 25-21. Sand Springs had a match-best twenty kills in the set, doubling the Millers ten kills. They also more than doubled the Millers on errors, giving up eleven points to the Millers' five. 

Yukon utilized their timeouts well throughout the match, scoring the first point after timeout ten out of eleven times.

Sand Springs: 27 kills, 26 errors
Edmond SF: 46 kills, 21 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 15, Youngblood 5, Leslie 1, Burris 1, Taylor 1, MaKenzie Ward 1.
ESF Kills: Muse 18, Scott 8, Scholl 6, Peacock 6, Robinson 4, Barakhoyeva 1, Hungate 1, Moore 1.

SS Assists: Burris 9, MaKenzie Ward 4, Leslie 1.
ESF Assists: Scholl 22, Moore 1.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 3, Youngblood 1.
ESF Blocks: Robinson 2, Peacock 2, Muse 1, McCrary 1.

SS Aces: Burris 1, MaKenzie Ward 1.
ESF Aces: Scott 4, Scholl 1, Muse 1, Barakhoyeva 1, Moore 1.

SS Digs: Mutiri 6, Leslie 6, Taylor 4, Youngblood 3, Mudd 3, MaKenzie Ward 3, Madison Ward 2, Burris 1, Wise 1, Wyrick 1.

The Regional finals were a whole different beast from the Millers. Sand Springs has only faced a handful of teams this season on the level of the Wolves and had difficulty keeping up the high powered offense. Most teams have one or two powerful hitters that dominate the ball, but Edmond had several making it impossible to double up on anyone defensively.

The first set only saw three ties and the Sandites only led for one rally, though they were competitive for much of the first half. After the Wolves took an early 5-1 lead, the Sandites doubled down to take the lead at 7-6 thanks to a pair of blocks and a kill from Mutiri. Edmond quickly tied it up and never relinquished the lead for the duration. Sand Springs secured seven kills and committed twelve errors, while the Wolves scored thirteen kills and committed six errors.

In the second game Sand Springs toned back the errors to nine while scoring seven kills compared to the Wolves' sixteen kills and six errors.

The third set was the most competitive, though the Wolves still led for 85% of the game. Sand Springs only led thrice, but was within two points of their foes for nearly half the set. The Sandites recorded thirteen kills in the game, nearly as many as the first two sets combined. They committed only five errors, but were still overcome 25-21. The home team scored a match-high seventeen kills with nine errors. 

The Sandites' season came to an end with their first winning record since long before any of the current students were in high school. The team will only be graduating two seniors this year and will be in good shape next year as the young talent competes in club ball throughout the summer.