Sandites roll Patriots 44-7 on Senior Night, Jones scores 3 TDs
/A version of this story was originally written for the Tulsa World.
Senior Night at Memorial Stadium was all about recognizing the 23 football players who have spent four years building a huge legacy in Sand Springs, but head coach Bobby Klinck wasn’t yet ready to talk legacy after the game.
“Some coaches and some players are getting a little bit nostalgic or whatever, but we’ve got a lot left to play for,” said Klinck. “So you know, once the season’s truly over, maybe I’ll look back and see that, but their legacy is not done yet.”
Instead, it’s all eyes on the playoffs.
Class 6A-II No. 6 Charles Page High School (7-3, 4-3) rolled to an easy 44-7 district win over an outclassed Putnam City West (0-10, 0-7), dealing the Patriots their 34th consecutive loss.
The game marked the final time that many of the players would compete on their home turf and served as a tune-up before the Sandites travel to No. 4 Del City (9-1) next week.
Sand Springs took a 31-0 lead into the half and sent in the backups in the fourth quarter with a 44-0 advantage.
Ty Pennington was 18-of-22 passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns, and added a third score on the ground.
Jacob Blevins had eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Brody Rutledge caught three passes for 74 yards and the first score of the game.
Blake Jones saw his most productive game since suffering a mild injury four weeks ago, and carried the ball 13 times for 63 yards and three touchdowns. His second score of the night came with a helpful push from lineman Owen Higgins, who powered him through a handful of defenders for the final few yards.
Kenneth Page racked up 100 yards on the ground, mostly in the fourth quarter, to lead the team’s seven rushers.
Jonathan Daniels handled most of the kicking duties, going four-for-four on extra points, and added a 35-yard field goal to end the first half. Logan Wolfe also kicked a PAT for the Sandites.
Defensively the team was led by Conner Light with eight tackles and two sacks. Alex Turner forced a fumble that Jabe Schlehuber recovered, and Drake Fain had an interception.
The Patriots struggled in most aspects of the game, but had an ace up their sleeve in three-star Baylor-commit Corey Gordon, who had eight catches for 223 yards, and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“Definitely satisfied, glad we’re healthy, glad we were able to make some explosive plays,” said Klinck. “Little disappointed in the personal foul, that was a point of emphasis last week, so we need to do better because next week in Del City those are going to really hurt us. But all in all, happy for the win, happy for the seniors, but we’ve got a lot left to play for.”
This season marks the Sandites’ second winning record and second postseason trip in their two years under Klinck. It’s the team’s first 7-3 regular season finish since 2014 technically, though they would have been 7-2 in 2015 had they not forfeited two wins due to an OSSAA violation.
Next week’s trip to Del City will mark the first ever meeting between the Sandites and Eagles. Del City has won nine consecutive games since a season-opening loss to Booker T. Washington.
“They do a really good job of running the football and then defensively they’re very sound, so we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Klinck. “It’s going to be a physical football game, so we’ve got to bring our lunch pail and come ready to go.”
