If there’s one thing that’s consistent in 2020, nothing is for sure and plans can change on a moment’s notice.
The Charles Page High School football team was supposed to host Edmond Deer Creek Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the OSSAA Class 6A-II playoffs, but on Wednesday it was announced that the game had been canceled and Sand Springs would advance to play Stillwater in the quarterfinals. By Thursday afternoon the game was back on, but was moved to Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
The initial cancelation occurred because a player on the U.S. Grant football team tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after the Generals’ game against Deer Creek last Friday. The Oklahoma County Health Department used game footage to do contract tracing and initially told Deer Creek that a large number of their players would have to quarantine, but by Thursday the health department had reversed course and cleared the Antlers to play.
Good news for Sand Springs and Deer Creek. Not so much for U.S. Grant, however, who had to cancel their non-playoff makeup game against Putnam City West. Those two teams, who finished bottom of their districts, had intended to play a game they were billing the “OKC Metro Bowl.” Then again, they do have the freedom to reschedule it for any point up to December 5th if the two teams can put together a full lineup.
When Sand Springs got word that their game was canceled, they immediately went into prep mode for Stillwater, who will play the winner of Sand Springs vs. Deer Creek next week. The Pioneers got a bye in round one. Because the Antlers missed practice yesterday, and Sand Springs was preparing for the Pioneers, they decided to push this weekend’s game back to Saturday to give the teams an extra day of preparation.
So, barring yet another last minute change, the No. 7 ranked Sandites (6-4) will get to host their first playoff game since 2013 on Saturday, and it will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Knock on wood. Sand Springs will be making its first playoff appearance since 2017, and the No. 9 ranked Antlers (4-5) will make their first playoff appearance since 2015.
Sand Springs is one of only three schools in Class 6A-II to play a full ten games this season. Almost every other school had COVID-related cancellations. Because of this, a new play-in round was added to the postseason, and schools could opt in regardless of their record.
With a 4-3 district record, Sand Springs would have qualified for the playoffs even in a regular season. But they would be traveling to undefeated No. 2 Stillwater (8-0) for a game in which they would be at least a 20-point underdog. Instead, Stillwater will get a first-round bye and Sand Springs will host Deer Creek, who went 3-4 for fifth in their district.
Sand Springs started the season 4-1 before suffering three-straight losses to Booker T. Washington, Bixby, and Choctaw. They finished strong with a 21-14 win over Bartlesville, and steamrolled Putnam City West 51-13 after taking a 44-0 lead in the first half.
Deer Creek is also peaking at the right time. They went 2-1 in non-district play, just like Sand Springs, but lost four games in a row once district action started. However, in-between those four losses, they had a cancelation against Northwest Classen, who they were the odds-on favorite to beat. Two weeks ago they got a big 20-18 win over Lawton, then they stormed past U.S. Grant 51-6 in the regular season finale.
Sand Springs ranks 8th in offense, 10th in defense, and 9th in margin of victory in Class 6A-II. Deer Creek ranks 12th in offense, 14th in defense, and 13th in margin of victory.
The Sandites are in their first season under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds a 19-16 record in his career. The Antlers are led by Wade Standley, who is 17-22 in his four seasons with the program, and is 64-61 in his career. Both coaches have led their past teams to District titles and State Championship finals appearances.
This will also be a big weekend for the little league Sandites. The 7th Grade team will be playing Union Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Lincoln Christian High School in the Indian Nations Football Conference Championship, and the 6th Grade Sandites will be playing Metro Christian Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in the Championship game at Glenpool High School.
The Sandites
Junior quarterback Ty Pennington is 118-of-231 passing for 1903 yards and 13 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He also has 148 carries for a team-best 494 yards and 11 more touchdowns.
Blake Jones has 87 carries for 410 yards and six touchdowns, Jamon Sisco has 35 carries for 119 yards, and Tyyee Atkison has 28 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Keaton Campbell is the top receiver with 46 catches for 601 yards and seven scores. Sisco has 29 catches for 574 yards and three scores, and Jacob Blevins has 21 catches for 504 yards and two scores.
Zach Heinen remains perfect kicking PATs this season at 26-of-26, and he is 2-of-3 on field goals with a long of 36. Heinen averages 33 yards per punt, and Greg Reed averages 45 yards per kick.
Sango Whitehorn (78), Landon Hendricks (77), Brooks Dudley (69), and Drake Fain (68) lead the team in total tackles. Hendricks (18.5), Whitehorn (18), and Lane Webster (14) lead the team in tackles for loss. Hendricks (5), Whitehorn (4.5), and Webster (2) lead the team in sacks.
Brycen Peterman leads the team with two interceptions, and Fain, Dylan Sallis, Bryson Chase, Caden Harris, Dudley, and Micah Calico all have one pick apiece.
Hendricks leads the team in fumble recoveries with five, followed by Peterman with four. Chase, Darren Hawkins, Brody Rutledge, Trevor Stone, Dominic Ornelas, Braylon Flores, Conner Light, and Fain all have one apiece.
The Antlers
Junior quarterback Brett Pense is 94-of-198 passing this season for 1,210 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 13 interceptions. He also has 67 carries for 81 yards and two more scores on the ground.
Berkley Dalton leads the receiving corps with 14 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Logan Ward with 18 catches for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Taylor Tomlin has 18 receptions for 187 yards and two scores, and Hunter Holley has nine catches for 176 yards and a score.
Will Hinton leads the team on the ground with 107 carries for 765 yards and five touchdowns, followed by Michael Holley with 45 carries for 214 yards and a score.
Reed Eden, Andre Bruner, Eli Dunn, Asher Blue, and Joseph Davies lead the team in tackles per loss. Blue, Davies, and Denver Hanna have two sacks apiece. Jevion Jones has a team-best two interceptions, and Johnny Osborne has a team-best two fumble recoveries.
Ward handles the team’s kicking duties and is 16-of-18 on PATs this year. He is 4-of-5 on field goals with a long of 42, and he averages 30 yards per punt.
Around The State
No. 15 Northwest Classen (1-4) started the year with a win but canceled five-straight games due to COVID before losing to U.S. Grant. They forfeited their last three games for non-COVID reasons, which disqualified them from postseason competition. They still have the option to schedule a non-playoff game at any point prior to the conclusion of the postseason, if they can find a willing opponent.
No. 1 Bixby, No. 2 Stillwater, and No. 4 Choctaw all received byes in the first round. Stillwater has lost only two games in three seasons, both to Bixby, both in the State Championship finals. Choctaw is riding a four-game win streak, and their only in-state loss was to Bixby when they held the Spartans to a season-low scoring performance of 24-13. Bixby has won 33-consecutive games over three seasons, and is coming off a nationally-televised 70-21 win over Booker T. Washington on ESPN.
No. 5 Putnam City North (7-2) will host No. 12 Bartlesville (3-7), No. 8 Del City (3-5) will host No. 11 Ponca City (3-5), No. 3 Midwest City (6-2) will host No. 13 Muskogee (0-6), and No. 6 Booker T. Washington (6-3) will host No. 10 Lawton (4-4).
