Choctaw deals Sandite football team 41-28 loss

A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

There’s one thing that Sand Springs and Choctaw have in common. Both teams’ coaches had to tip their hats to the other side at the end of the game.

“That’s a really good football team,”  said Sand Springs coach Bobby Klinck. “Hat’s off to them.”

“So proud of our kids for finding a way to win,” said Choctaw coach Jake Corbin, “but also hat’s off to Sand Springs, they did a great job.”

The Class 6A-II No. 2 Yellowjackets (6-2, 4-1) prevailed 41-28 at No. 4 Charles Page High School (5-3, 2-3) to retain sole ownership of the No. 2 spot in the district Friday night at Memorial Stadium, though the game was far closer than the final score indicated.

Sandite quarterback Ty Pennington found Ryan Shoemaker for an 11-yard touchdown with 4:10 left to play and the home team only trailed 34-28, then recovered an onside kick and drove to the visitors’ 39-yard line before Cameron Hunt picked off Pennington with 2:06 to play.

Possibly expecting the Yellowjackets to take victory formation, the Sandites were caught sleeping on a 61-yard scoring run from La’Trell Ray on the very next play.

Still, they didn’t give up and drove right back down to the red zone before time ran out on a fourth-down incompletion. 

“The difference between winning and losing can be just a few plays,” said Klinck. “Whether it’s blown coverage or a missed interception opportunity, those types of things. We’ve got to start making those types of plays if we’re going to get this program over the hump.”

“That’s what we try to get these kids to understand, that’s why we’re so hard on them during practice and demand excellence. Hat’s off to Choctaw, really good football team, but I like my team.”

Sand Springs did make several big plays, including a fumble recovery from Landon Hendricks on a bad punt snap that set up Ty Pennington for a 3-yard touchdown run late in the first half.

Ryder Barnes recovered the onside kick late in the fourth that also gave the home team a huge opportunity, and Pennington didn’t waste any opportunity.

The senior record-breaking quarterback was 19-of-31 passing on the night with 272 yards, and even strung together nine-straight completions late in the game with 189 yard in the fourth quarter. 

All while being mercilessly pursued by the heavily recruited DeSean Brown, who sacked Pennington four times for 37 yards. 

“He’s an absolute stud,” Corbin said of the Sandite QB. “He’s just a tough kid, throws really accurate balls. He plays tough as nails. He can barely walk at the end and he’s still standing in there firing off, running it. I definitely shook his hand after the game and wanted to tell him what a great job he did. He’s a super tough kid.”

Corbin gave credit to the entire Sand Springs operation for creating a hostile road environment.

“They’ve got tough, hard-nosed kids like us that just keep battling. We knew it would be an absolute battle on the road and a great atmosphere. It’s a cool place to play when you’re not the opponent. We knew it’d be a big-time game and we knew that they were a really good team, a really talented team, and you know we had to play well for 48 minutes. Obviously we did. It came down to the last couple of plays to be able to do it.”

Choctaw was paced offensively by quarterback Steele Wasel, who was 16-of-29 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while Ray had 11 carries for 122 yards and two scores.

Both teams will wrap up the season as heavy favorites against Bartlesville and Putnam City West in the coming weeks. 

“We still control our own destiny,” said Klinck. “That’s what I tell these kids. It’s okay to be disappointed. Last week we got rolled at Bixby. I could tell the kids were disappointed. That’s what you want, so I’m glad about that. We’ve got two weeks to get a lot better. I do feel we’re going to be a dangerous football team when it comes time for the playoffs.”

Sandite Football hosts Choctaw Friday in pivotal district matchup

If you can only make it to one Sand Springs football game this season, this Friday is the one you don’t want to miss. No. 4 Charles Page High School (5-2, 2-2) hosts No. 2 Choctaw (5-2, 3-1) Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, and the outcome could be the difference between fourth and second place in the district.

If Sand Springs beats Choctaw, it’ll force a three-way tie for second place behind Bixby. In such an event, at the end of the season, it’ll come down to district point differential to settle things between the Sandites, Yellowjackets, and Booker T. Washington Hornets. That’s a difference between a first-round playoff game against the District 1 Champions, and a home game against the No. 3 team in District 1.

The Game

Tickets for the game are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and $10 for reserved seating. Memorial Stadium is located at 600 N. Adams Road on the campus of CPHS.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-19. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they have won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling 37-32 to Booker T. Washington and 58-14 to Bixby.

“We’re going to reset this,” said Klinck after Friday’s loss. “We’re going to give the kids some time, we’ll see them on Sunday. Let them kind of recover. Then we’re going to get right back at it. We’ll put it to bed, make corrections, and then we’ll come up with a brand new game plan and we’re gonna see what happens.”

“It’ll be a measuring stick for our program to see how we respond to something like this” said Klinck.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 109-175-1535-1 passing with 17 touchdowns, and is 90-335 rushing with six TDs. He has over 5,000 passing yards in his career and holds the school record.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 108-746 rushing with seven touchdowns but was injured against Booker T. Washington and his status is unknown going into Friday’s game.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 26-413 receiving with three TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 29-373 receiving with six touchdowns and averages 22.8 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Jr. WR) is 36-528 receiving with five TDs and averages 19 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 14-153 receiving with four TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 38.9 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 46 tackles, 14 for loss, 7 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 4 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 60 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Gabe Brown has 38 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 45 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 62 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 34 tackles, 0.5 for loss, two interceptions, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 24-of-29 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Choctaw

The Yellowjackets are in their fifth season under Head Coach Jake Corbin, who holds an all-time coaching record of 37-30 and a record of 27-18 at Choctaw. He previously went 2-7 at Sapulpa and 6-5 at Del City in one-year stints.

Choctaw has put together back-to-back winning seasons with playoff appearances, and made it as far as the State finals last year. Coming into the season, the Yellowjackets were considered by many to be the biggest threat to Bixby’s reign after close losses of 24-13 in last year’s regular season and 17-14 in the championship.

Choctaw started strong with wins of 66-0 and 63-6 against Beacon Hill (1-5), and Springdale (1-6), but they suffered their first loss 36-29 at Dallas Jesuit (6-1). They got back on track with a huge 29-20 win over Booker T. Washington (6-1), then earned a 36-0 shutout against Ponca City (3-4). The much-anticipated rematch with Bixby was nothing like anyone expected, however, as the Spartans decimated the Yellowjackets 70-7 on statewide television. Choctaw got back on track with a 49-32 win at Muskogee (2-5) last week.

Players to Watch

Three-star senior DL DeSean Brown (6’3”, 230) has offers from over a dozen D1 programs, including Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska, Indiana, Missouri, and most of the Big 12. The 247 Sports Crystal Ball projects him as a likely Oklahoma State commit.

Three-star senior IOL Cade McConnell (6’5”, 290) is committed to Texas Christian University.

Junior quarterback Steele Wasel has passed for over 1,000 yards and 17 TDs this year, including a 6-9-124-0, 2 TD performance against Muskogee last week. He recently received an offer from Virginia Tech.

Junior running back La’Trell Ray put up 207 yards and two touchdowns against Muskogee last week.

The Series

The Yellowjackets lead the all-time series 5-2 and have won the last three consecutive meetings. Choctaw’s biggest win was a 37-0 shutout in 2000, while the Sandites’ biggest win was 29-6 in 2001.

The home team has only failed to win one time in the history of the series, a 21-20 Yellowjacket upset in 2017 at Memorial Stadium.

Coach Corbin is 2-1 against the Sandites in his career, losing his one Highway 97 Rivalry game, but winning both meetings as the Choctaw lead man.

1992: Choctaw 21-14 (A).
1993: Sand Springs 31-18 (H).
2000: Choctaw 37-0 (A).
2001: Sand Springs 29-6 (H).
2016: Choctaw 45-41 (A).
2017: Choctaw 21-20 (H).
2020: Choctaw 34-9 (A).

Sand Springs Football Preview: Looking to Topple Bixby

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Throwback file: Sand Springs packed Union-Tuttle Stadium at the 2015 State Championship game vs. Bixby.

This Thursday marks a pivotal game in the trajectory of Sandite Football in a lot of ways.

If Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School (5-1, 2-1) pulls off an upset of No. 1 Bixby (6-0, 3-0), it’ll without a doubt be the biggest win for the program since the 1966 State Championship. And although it won’t come with a gold ball, such a win could even be considered of far more importance to the program.

Even if they don’t win, if they’re at least competitive, it’ll show everyone around the state that this year’s Sandites are for real.

The Spartans aren’t just another top-ranked divisional program. They’re elite. Nationally elite. Bixby has won 42 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Oklahoma history, and the fourth-longest active streak in America. Last week they rolled over No. 2 Choctaw 70-7 on statewide television to improve to the No. 20 ranking in the country according to MaxPreps.

This game will also be on statewide television, broadcast by Yurview on Cox Channel 3. To say that Sand Springs isn’t supposed to win would be an understatement. After the beating that Bixby put on Choctaw in a rematch of their last year’s State Championship, few even expect the Sandites to be competitive.

Few outside of Sand Springs, anyways.

But Bixby’s lofty resume won’t be intimidating the Sandites.

“We’re going to show up,” Sand Springs head coach Bobby Klinck said in a Sunday interview. “Our kids aren’t going to back down, our coaches certainly won’t. We’re going to try to put a game plan together where it gives our guys a chance to be successful, but it’s really up to them to go make the plays.”

Last year the Sandites lost 51-20 to the Spartans, after getting routed 49-0 by the Booker T. Washington Hornets the week prior. This year they held their own against the Hornets and only lost 37-32.

Of course, the law of transitive property doesn’t always apply in football, but if the Sandites play Bixby as hard as they played the Hornets, then the Spartans could have their hands full.

“I do hope and I do feel like we got a confidence boost from playing a really good Booker T. Washington team that’s very fast, has really good skill players, and I think we found some things out defensively and offensively and kind of figured out who we are and what our identity is,” said Klinck. “We’re going to take this next week and really push that on our kids. We’ll see what happens on Thursday, we’re excited.”

The Game

Spartan Stadium (Lee Snider Field) - Capacity 5,800, is located at 601 S. Riverview Drive in Bixby. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and can be purchased at this link.

Sand Springs

The Sandites saw their five-game undefeated streak snapped last week against Booker T. Washington but they’re still very much in the hunt this year, and could force a three-way tie for first place in the district with an upset of the Spartans.

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-18. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they have won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee before falling to the Hornets.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 95-147-1437-1 passing with 15 touchdowns, and is 84-335 rushing with six TDs. He has over 5,000 passing yards in his career and holds the school record.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 108-746 rushing with seven touchdowns but was injured against Booker T. Washington and his status is unknown going into Thursday’s game. Backup Kenneth Page was 12-49 with one TD in relief.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 23-413 receiving with three TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 23-291 receiving with four touchdowns and averages 22.8 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Sr. WR) is 32-511 receiving with five TDs and averages 19 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 13-154 receiving with four TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 45 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 43 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 48 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Gabe Brown has 35 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 38 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 53 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 29 tackles, 0.5 for loss, one interception, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 22-of-27 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Bixby

Bixby’s 42-game win streak includes three consecutive State Championships, six overall, and six of the last seven since the 6A split. Since their 2018 season-opening loss to Jenks, they have recorded nine shutouts and have scored 50+ points on 23 occasions. They have scored 70+ points on nine occasions, including three in a row this year.

The Spartans opened the year 69-14 against Mansfield Timberview, then won 23-15 at Jenks, 42-14 against Stillwater, 71-0 at Bartlesville, 81-6 at Putnam City West, and 70-7 at Choctaw. 12th-year head coach Loren Montgomery, a Sand Springs alumni, holds a career record of 99-39 at Bixby.

Players to Watch

Christian Burke (Sr. QB) is 97-145-1409-2 passing with 18 TDs.

Conner Kirby (Jr. QB/LB) is 6-9-61-0 passing, 56-355 rushing for 10 TDs, and 1-18 receiving. He also has 10 tackles and two two-point conversions.

Oklahoma State University-commit Braylin Presley (Sr. RB) is 53-616 rushing with 9 TDs and 30-362 receiving with 3 TDs.

Zach Blankenship (Sr. RB) is 31-199 rushing with 5 TDs and 3-60 receiving with 1 TD.

Preston Solomon (Sr. WR) is 7-268 receiving with 2 TDs.

University of Oklahoma commit Luke Hasz (Jr. TE) is 18-229 receiving with 1 TD.

Jack Puckett (Sr. LB) has 53 tackles, 9 for loss, 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 forced fumbles,

Connor Stacy (Sr. LB) has 38 tackles, 8 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception,

Miles Hill (Sr. LB) has 32 tackles, 14 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), and 1 forced fumble.

Connor Nolan (Sr. K) is 38-of-41 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 37.

The Series

The Spartans lead the series 19-12, and have won the last seven consecutive meetings. At the beginning of the 6A split, the two teams met in the playoffs for three-straight years. Bixby beat the Sandites in the 2014 and 2016 semifinals. The Sandites shut out Bixby 20-0 in the 2015 regular season, but the Spartans got revenge 38-28 in the State Championship.

Bixby’s current seven-game streak is the longest win streak in series history. Sand Springs has won three in a row on two separate occasions. Sand Springs’s biggest win was 33-7 in 1994, and Bixby’s was 75-0 in 2020. The lowest-scoring game was a 5-3 Sandite win in 1984, and the highest-scoring game was a 48-35 Spartan win in 2010.

1922: Bixby 19-14.
1926: Sand Springs 30-12.
1927: Sand Springs 20-6.
1980: Sand Springs 10-7 (A).
1981: Bixby 14-12 (H).
1982: Bixby (Score unverified).
1983: Bixby 21-4 (A).
1984: Sand Springs 5-3 (H).
1985: Bixby 14-3 (A).
1992: Bixby 20-17 (H).
1993: Sand Springs 26-20 (A).
1994: Sand Springs 33-7 (A).
1995: Bixby 17-10 (H).
1996: Sand Springs 28-7 (A).
1997: Sand Springs 19-0 (H).
1998: Sand Springs 30-6 (A).
1999: Bixby 23-7 (H).
2010: Bixby 48-35 (H).
2011: Bixby 43-23 (A).
2012: Sand Springs 21-7 (H).
2013: Bixby 35-21 (A).
2014: Bixby 34-31 (A).
2014: Bixby 41-14 (N, State Semifinals).
2015: Sand Springs 20-0 (H).
2015: Bixby 38-28 (N, State Finals).
2016: Bixby 35-19 (A).
2016: Bixby 35-21 (N, State Semifinals).
2017: Bixby 41-21 (H).
2018: Bixby 35-0 (H).
2019: Bixby 75-0 (A).
2020: Bixby 51-20 (H).

Sand Springs Football Preview: Undefeated Sandites Host Booker T. Washington Friday

The Class 6A-II No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (5-0, 2-0) will host No. 3 Booker T. Washington (4-1, 1-1) Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Sandites are looking for their first 6-0 start since 2012 and first win against the Hornets since 2015.

The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at 600 North Adams Road, on the CPHS campus. Home-side parking is at the high school, while visitor-side parking is the grass field north of the stadium. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and $10 for reserved seating.

Sand Springs

The Sandites are in their second year under Head Coach Bobby Klinck, who holds an all-time coaching record of 25-17. While Sand Springs was a perennial playoff contender from 2012 to 2017, they hit a rough patch of three losing seasons before Klinck’s arrival spurred them from 2-8 in 2019 to 7-5 last year.

Sand Springs has emerged undefeated through the first five games of the year. In the season opener they beat archrival Sapulpa 53-26, then they easily handled Bishop Kelley 34-13. Against defending Arkansas 4A State Champion Shiloh Christian they had to come from behind in a 40-33 shootout. In district action they have won 30-13 against Ponca City and 48-34 against Muskogee.

Players to Watch

Ty Pennington (Sr. QB) is 81-120-1167-1 passing with 13 touchdowns, and is 66-273 rushing with four TDs.

Blake Jones (Sr. RB) is 106-736 rushing with seven touchdowns.

Brody Rutledge (Jr. WR) is 2-3-49-0 passing with two touchdowns and 19-319 receiving with three TDs.

Keaton Campbell (Sr. WR) is 20-218 receiving with three touchdowns and averages 22.8 yards per kick return.

Jacob Blevins (Sr. WR) is 28-430 receiving with four TDs and averages 19 yards per kick return.

Ryan Shoemaker (Sr. TE) is 11-131 receiving with four TDs.

Jabe Schlehuber averages 45 yards per kick return with a school record-setting 99-yard TD.

Landon Hendricks (Sr. DE) has 37 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 3 forced fumbles, a safety, and a blocked PAT.

Brooks Dudley (Sr. LB) has 42 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Gabe Brown has 29 tackles, 3 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a 75-yard scoop and score.

Conner Light has 31 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble.

Drake Fain has 39 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup, two fumble recoveries, and a 13-yard scoop and score.

Ryder Barnes has 29 tackles, 0.5 for loss, one interception, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.

Logan Wolfe (Jr. K) is 21-of-25 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 34 yards.

Booker T. Washington

The Hornets are a blue-blood program with nine State Championships, and are the only team other than Bixby to win one in Class 6A-II. They are in their second year under Head Coach Jonathan Brown, who guided his alma mater to a 7-4 record last year.

The Hornets have dominated in all but one game this year, winning 51-7 at Southmoore (0-5), 39-26 at No. 5 Del City (4-1), 64-13 against Edison (1-4) and 66-0 against Bartlesville (1-4). Their only loss was a 29-20 district opener at No. 2 Choctaw (4-1).

Players to Watch

Lathan Boone (Jr. QB/FS) is 61-92-950-1 passing with 11 TDs and 37-191 rushing with 3 TDs.

Four-star recruit Gentry Williams (Sr. WR/CB) is 1-13 rushing and 13-135 receiving with 1 TD. Has 17 tackles and 1 pass breakup.

DJ McKinney (Jr. RB/CB) is 22-296 rushing with 4 TDs and 5-104 receiving. Has 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass breakup.

Issac Covington (So. FS/RB) is 12-109 rushing with 5 TDs. He has 13 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup, and 1 interception.

Ethan Washington (Sr. RB/WR) is 45-298 rushing with 5 TDs and 2-16 receiving with 1 TD.

Four-star recruit Micah Tease (Sr. WR/SS) is 13-309 with 4 TDs. Has 13 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 interceptions, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, 139 yards on turnover returns, and two defensive touchdowns.

Jayden Oates (So. TE/OLB) has 27 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

Solomon Thompson (Sr. OLB/DE) has 38 tackles, 4 for loss, and 2 sacks.

Aiden Walker (Jr. MLB) has 87 tackles, 6 for loss, and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown.

The History

Booker T. Washington leads the series 17-7 and has won five straight meetings, the longest streak in the history of the series. They are also coming off a 49-0 win, the biggest win in the history of the series, and their third shutout of the Sandites.

The teams first met in 1986 and the Hornets doubled Sand Springs 42-21 on their way to a State Title, but the Sandites paid it back 15-12 the next year. The last time Sand Springs won was in 2015 when the Hornets won 17-14 in the regular season, but Sand Springs got revenge 30-23 in the State Semifinals.

2020. Booker T. Washington 49-0 (A)
2019. Booker T. Washington 34-7 (H)
2018. Booker T. Washington 48-21 (A)
2017. Booker T. Washington 40-0 (A)
2016. Booker T. Washington 17-12 (H)
2015. Sand Springs 30-23 (N, State Semifinals)
2015. Booker T. Washington 27-14 (A)
2014. Booker T. Washington 42-35 (H)
2013. Sand Springs 42-38 (H)
2012. Sand Springs 21-7 (A)
2007. Booker T. Washington 23-7 (H)
2006. Booker T. Washington 62-28 (A)
1997. Sand Springs 23-15 (H)
1996. Booker T. Washington 34-7 (A)
1995. Sand Springs 14-10 (A)
1994. Booker T. Washington 28-7 (H)
1993. Booker T. Washington 21-14 (A)
1992. Booker T. Washington 48-7 (H)
1991. Sand Springs 15-14 (H)
1990. Booker T. Washington 31-17 (A)
1989. Booker T. Washington 35-0 (H)
1988. Booker T. Washington 28-14 (A)
1987. Sand Springs 15-12 (H)
1986. Booker T. Washington 42-21 (A)

Sand Springs Football sabotages Muskogee Homecoming 48-34

A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

It’s hard to say if a Sand Springs football player had ever returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown before Friday night. But the loyal Sand Springs fans who traveled to Muskogee on October 1st almost got to see the rare feat twice.

With the game tied up at 13-13 early in the second quarter, junior return-man Jabe Schlehuber took the ball from the one-yard line to the house, but had it called all the way back for holding at the 16-yard line.

“I was mad,” said Schlehuber. “We went and scored though on that drive. It was alright, it made up for it. But I had to get redemption, I had to get another one.”

So, on the opening play of the second half, he did it again, and this time it held up. The Sandites took a 34-20 lead en route to a 48-34 win at the Indian Bowl, and all three sides of the ball made their way onto the scoreboard.

Class 6A-II No. 5 Charles Page High School improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2012, and more importantly, they’re 2-0 in district play. Unranked Muskogee dropped to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in district action.

Since kicks can’t be returned from the end zone in high school ball, it’s safe to say Schlehuber at the very least tied the school record for longest kick return. It’s certainly possible he’s the only Sandite to have done so. “That’s crazy,” he said after the game. “That’s my first varsity touchdown, that’s kind of cool.” 

He wasn’t the only star on the night, however. The always lethal Sandite offense put up huge numbers, and the defense made their way onto the scoreboard for the second straight week.

Ty Pennington was 14-of-18 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns, with 13 carries for 94 yards and two more touchdowns. 

Jacob Blevins led the receiving corps with five catches for 71 yards and one touchdown, and Ryan Shoemaker had three catches for 34 yards and two scores. Blake Jones had 23 carries for 138 yards and one catch for 45 yards. Brody Rutledge had three catches for 36 yards and also threw a 26-yard touchdown strike to Blevins.

6’4” defensive end Landon Hendricks led the defense with seven tackles, including three for negative yards, two sacks, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. The senior has recorded three forced fumbles in the past two games, and two have been returned for touchdowns. This time it was Gabe Brown who scooped it up and carried it 75 yards for a 48-27 lead.

“What an unbelievable play,” said Sandites head coach Bobby Klinck. “And then Gabe Brown picking that up, he looked like a dang running back scooping that thing up.”

Muskogee didn’t look like a team that was coming off only its first win in two seasons, however. In their first under head coach Travis Hill they appear to be trending in the right direction. 

“I’ve coached at Muskogee and those kids are horribly talented and they’re coached very well by Coach Hill and his staff,” said Klinck. “So I knew it was going to be a dogfight. We were just lucky that we had a few more plays than them.”

Freshman quarterback Jamarian Ficklin looked like a veteran, passing 18-of-28 for 355 yards and three touchdowns. 

“I’m not going to look forward to playing him the next three years,” said Klinck. “They’re a young football team and each week they get better and better.”

Jayden Bell led the Muskogee receiving corps with five catches for 123 yards and two scores, followed by Anthony Watson with five catches for 117. Kayden McGee and Isaiah Givens also caught touchdown passes, and Walker Newton aired out a 74-yard touchdown pass to Bell on a trick play. 

“That whole dang team is going to be back next year,” said Klinck. “They’re doing things really well over here at Muskogee. We’re very fortunate to come away with a win and we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”

“Wins are like plane landings, there’s no such thing as a bad one. That’s the way we look at it. That was a huge win for districts. Competition is really going to start ramping up. We knew Muskogee was going to be good, it was going to be a good test and to get us ready for this next stretch of probably the top three teams in the state right now.”

Things will only get rougher from here for the Sandites, who will host No. 3 Booker T. Washington (4-1, 1-1) next Friday. The Hornets are fresh off a 66-0 shutout of Bartlesville. Then they travel to No. 1 Bixby (5-0, 2-0) before returning home against No. 2 Choctaw (4-1, 2-0).

Sandite Football upsets defending Arkansas State Champions 40-33

A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.

For the first time since 2012, the Sand Springs Sandites are 3-0.

The Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School football team rolled into Springdale with a big task in front of it. Repeating its last year’s win against the defending 4A State Champions from Shiloh Christian (2-1) wouldn’t be an easy task, but even down 14-0 early in the fourth quarter, the Sandites kept their cool and showed toughness.

“Our kids are from Sand Springs, so we know all about toughness,” said second-year head coach Bobby Klinck. “That’s a really freaking good football team that we just beat. I think we’re lucky to get away with a win, so we’re really pleased.”

As they should be. The Saints are ranked No. 1 in their class, and their only loss last season was 27-26 on the Sandites’ homefield. This time the visiting Sandites prevailed 40-33 behind a monumental effort from senior quarterback Ty Pennington.

Pennington finished the night with a career-high 331 yards and five touchdowns, passing 21-of-32 with one interception. The lone pick was only a tad high of his receiver, who tipped it up into Dax Widger’s hands to set up the Saints’ third score late in the first quarter.

“I’ve said it over and over again,” said Klinck. “He’s the best dang quarterback in the state. He suffers through drops sometimes with our guys, but he never flinches. That guy’s a dang winner. I’m constantly just saying, ‘put the ball in that dude’s hands. We’ve got the best dang quarterback in the state, let’s go get the dang first down.”

The Saints took a 14-0 lead behind a 2-yard run from Eli Wisdom and an 11-yard pass from Wisdom to Ben Baker, but the Sandites soon settled down and found their rhythm. It wasn’t Pennington who gave them their first score, however.

After running back Blake Jones did most of the work to move the chains, it was Brody Rutledge who tossed the first touchdown pass on a 23-yard trick play to Jacob Blevins.

“That’s all Coach (Lee) Kizzar,” said Klinck. “The trick play, that’s all our coaches. I’ve been really hands-off this year. I know I’ve hired great coaches so I let them coach. That’s all them.”

The backup quarterback and leading receiver finished the night with seven catches for 132 yards and one touchdown, a 33-yard pass from Pennington to make it 21-14 late in the first quarter.

“I’ve challenged that kid all through 7-on-7, he kind of had drop-itis during the summertime, and we challenged him,” Klinck said of Rutledge. “Now that guy’s become one our top receivers and I’m freaking proud of that kid.”

Keaton Campbell was the Sandites’ other top receiver with seven catches for 112 yards and two scores, a 49-yarder in the second quarter and a 21-yarder in the third. 

Also collecting passes for the Sandites was tight-end Ryan Shoemaker, who had three catches for 59 yards and two scores. 

Sand Springs trailed 21-20 in the second and stalled out in their own territory, but Kenneth Page recovered a muffed punt to extend the drive, and Pennington found Shoemaker for an eight-yard score. 

The Sandite defense got a turnover on downs to close the half 26-21.

Campbell’s next touchdown made it 32-21 but the Saints negated it three plays later on a 78-yard pass from Wisdom to Cooper Hutchinson, then took a 33-32 lead on a 14-yard screen to Arkansas-commit Kaden Henley. 

The Sandites got back on top with a 34-yard pass from Pennington to Shoemaker to start the fourth quarter, and Shoemaker also caught the two-point pass for the final points of the game.

“We’ve watched film, we knew they were going to come out with stuff we haven’t seen, so we just had to weather the storm,” said Klinck. “We’ve been down big before, so great job by our kids.”

“That’s an unbelievable football program. That’s a good team, they’re going to win it again. So for us to come here and really steal one from a really well-coached football team, that’s huge for our program.”

“That offense is great,” said Klinck. “They’ve been doing that for a long time. We knew it was going to be a slug fest. We knew it was last year. We had to just make one more play. ‘One more play,’ that’s what we kept saying.”

Sandite Football will return to action Friday at 7:00 p.m. with a district homecoming game against Ponca City (1-2) as the team looks to keep its winning streak alive.