Sports Roundup: Layne Kirkendoll and Greg Reed win Regional Championships

Courtesy of Tommy Dial.

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School baseball team ended the season 19-21 in their first full year under Head Coach Matt Brown, falling 6-4 in the Regional Championship against Bixby (28-12). They went 3-2 in their final week of the season and battled back through the losers’ bracket at Stillwater’s Couch Park to force a tie-breaker game against the Spartans.

Bixby rallied from a 5-0 deficit to win game one of the tournament on Thursday. Blake Nichols hit a three-run blast to tie it in the seventh, and the Spartans won on a walk off in the eighth. 

Carson Seabolt tossed five strikeouts as the Sandites rolled Booker T. Washington 11-3 in the next game, then Brycen Peterman pitched a 5-3 upset win against host Stillwater. Cason Savage went 3-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI and a run as the Sandites earned a rematch with Bixby.

Wes Strand gave Bixby a 1-0 lead with a solo homer Friday evening, but the Spartans left nine runners stranded and Sand Springs scored four runs on five hits in the fifth. Keaton Campbell hit a two-run double for the final score and Jace Arnold got the win on the mound.

The Sandites out-hit the Spartans 9-7 in Saturday’s Championship game, but the Spartans blasted three homers in the 6-4 win. 

On Monday, May 3, the Sandites ended the regular season with a 6-4 win over Meeker after scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth. 

Fishing

Three Sandite high school fishing teams qualified for the Oklahoma Bass Nation State Championship. Mack Taylor and Reese David, Cruz Norris and Gunnar Casey, and Kyle and Kale Hilligoss will all fish Lake Eufala on June 13th. Nate Griffin and Jaxon Trotter qualified for the junior high tournament on June 12th. 

Golf

The boys team ended their season with a 12th place finish at Regionals, while the girls qualified two to the State Championship. Meghan Charles shot 162 to tie for 16th while Alyx Edwards shot 240 for 73rd. 

Boys Regionals: Drew Paden 162, Mason Ward 164, Cole Hight 178, Cameron Villines 189, Seth Benton 191. Girls Regionals: Charles 74, Edwards 97, Gina Foster 108, Madison Chambers 117.

Soccer

The boys’ soccer team (8-8) ended their season in a 3-2 first-round playoff loss at Stillwater, Tuesday, May 4. Jack Bratcher and Cameron Summerton scored the Sandites’ two goals. Fernando Saldana ended the season as the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals, followed by Bratcher with 13 and Summerton with 6. 

Track and Field

Sand Springs crowned two Champions and qualified three athletes for State, Saturday at the 6A Regional Track Meet in Sapulpa. Greg Reed and Layne Kirkendoll both won Regional titles in the Long Jump, and Joseph Mattison also qualified in that event.

Kirkendoll remains undefeated in the long jump this year, leaping 17 ft. 11 in. to win her eighth gold medal in that event and her 13th overall. She also came in runner-up in the high jump with a mark of 5 ft. 2 in. 

Reed crushed his previous personal best with a leap of 21 ft. 4.5 in., which ranks eighth in school history. Mattison recorded a jump of 20 ft. 9 in. for third place, and he placed fourth in the 200-meter dash in 22.4 seconds. 

The boys’ 4x800 relay team placed fourth with a time of 8:56.5 and Jazmin Lopez placed fifth in the 800-meter run in 2:28.07. 

Meghan Charles wins Frontier Valley Conference Championship

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

The top female golfer in the Frontier Valley Conference is a Sandite this year. Meghan Charles isn’t a new name on the scene - she is already a two-time State Qualifier. But the young star has found another gear in her senior season and has already earned three first-place medals. 

Charles won the Sand Springs and Sapulpa tournaments, and earned the Frontier Valley Conference title. The conference meet was held simultaneously with the Jenks Invitational at South Lakes. There were also non-conference teams at the tournament, and Charles placed second overall with a round of 74, but was the top-performing FVC athlete. 

“Meghan is a joy to have coached for these last four years,” says Head Coach Matt Webb. “She’s one of those athletes that every coach wants to have. She’s worked hard. She’s very driven. She wanted to play college golf and she signed back in November with Oklahoma City University.”

“After this year she should be a four-time State Qualifier, but last year we didn’t have (a State Tournament). I expect her to qualify again this year. Freshman year she shot both rounds in the 90s, sophomore year both rounds were in the 80s, and she hasn’t shot out of the 70s yet this year. She’s really worked hard to develop her game. She can play. She’s definitely one of our better female golfers we’ve had around here.”

Charles also placed sixth at Edmond North, second at Stillwater, third at Owasso, fourth at Union, and fourth at the State Preview tournament. She has shot under 80 at every single tournament, and has logged three rounds of 74. 

“It has felt so good,” says Charles. “I feel like for so long I put in a lot of work and the scores didn’t really come along, but this year I feel like it’s starting to really pay off.”

She started golfing at a young age and really fell in love with it in middle school. “I love how much of a mental game it is. You don’t really need to be super strong or athletic to do golf. It’s more about the mental game, so it’s really helped me grow in that way.”

As her senior season draws to a close, she has two goals: place top-five at Regionals, and top-five at State. Next year she plans on studying nursing at OCU. “I’m really passionate about helping people, and I felt like I was being called in that direction.”

The boys team is also seeing some success this season, and placed second at the Skiatook tournament last week, just four strokes back from first place. Drew Paden shot 78 for second place, Mason Ward shot 81 for ninth, Cole Hight shot 86, Seth Benton shot 89, and Zane Downey shot 98.

Senior Class Wins Powerpuff and Weekly Sports Roundup

A version of this story was originally published in the Sand Springs Leader.

After a three-year hiatus, powderpuff football returned to Memorial Stadium Saturday night. The Charles Page High School seniors dominated the lower classmen in the Senior Celebration fundraiser event, not giving up a single score. The event raised nearly $1800 for the all-night lock-in event that will be held after graduation.

The 21 Puff Street senior team defeated the Hoosier Daddies underclassmen 34-0 in the first game and 19-0 in the second. Cameron Clemons, Raegan Padilla, Drew Hawkins, and Madison Lee all scored touchdown runs. Kali Baker threw a dime to Lee for a TD and ran in three PATs. Lee and Ali Day both scored pick sixes, and Day took hers 79 yards before also catching the PAT toss from Baker. 

Baseball

Sandite Baseball is in a six-game slump after dropping two district games to Enid and a non-district game against Tulsa NOAH last week.

Monday’s game against Enid went fourteen innings before the Plainsmen won 6-5 on a walkoff single. The bullpen combined for 12 strikeouts in the loss, and Cason Savage hit a triple. Tuesday’s rematch was an 8-3 decision, 

Jace Arnold threw six strikeouts and Savage hit a home run in the loss to NOAH on Thursday, but six walks, two singles, and two errors in the top of the sixth gave the Jags the comeback.

Sand Springs will host Oologah-Talala Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and Sapulpa Friday at 6:00 p.m. in non-district action.

Cheer

Senior Sandite cheerleader Claire Smith has signed to join the University of Central Arkansas cheer team next season.

Dance

Sandite Dance traveled to the Dance Team Union Nationals in Orlando, and placed seventh in Hip Hop.

Golf

Meghan Charles has been bringing home some medals for the Sandite golf team this season. The Oklahoma City University-bound senior placed second at the Jenks Invitational and won the Frontier Valley Conference title with a round of 74. 

Slow Pitch Softball

Sandite Slow Pitch is 7-14 on the season after going 0-4 this past week against a tough slate of ranked teams. The girls dropped losses of 18-17 to Jenks, 13-7 to Pryor, 16-8 to Kellyville, and 10-7 to Union. 

The girls led 17-10 going into the bottom of the seventh Monday against Jenks, but the Trojans rallied with six hits and won on a walkoff fly. Avery Tanner was 4-of-5 at the plate, scoring three runs and two RBI, and Raegan Rector hit a homer.

Jaden Jordan hit a home run against Pryor, then Jordan, Kelsi Hilton, and Taylor Skipper all went yard against Kellyville. Jordan and Hilton repeated against Union, and Avery Tanner also smacked one over the right field fence.

Sandite Softball will host No. 3 Broken Arrow Thursday at 4:30 p.m. 

Track and Field

The Sandites’ trip to Jenks was postponed due to weather, giving the athletes an off week. Joseph Mattison recently signed a letter of intent to run track at Coffeyville Community College on scholarship next season, and junior Layne Kirkendoll has received scholarship offers from Oral Roberts University and South Dakota State University. 

State Basketball Tournament and all Spring sports canceled

March 26, 2020—1:30 p.m.—On March 25, the State Superintendent announced that all public schools would remain closed until the end of the academic year for each respective public school. The academic year for schools will end between May 8 and May 15.

In conjunction with this decision the OSSAA Board voted unanimously, at the March 26, 2020 Teleconference Board Meeting, to cancel the State Basketball Tournament for Classes 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A; additionally, all spring activities have been cancelled for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. 

For the purpose of all OSSAA member school activities, all school personnel, including certified, adjunct or volunteer coaches, as well as teachers, directors, or instructors are prohibited from engaging in any type of OSSAA member school activity involving secondary students; no practice, instruction, training, weight lifting, tryouts, competition or travel is permitted.

SUMMER TIME ACTIVITIES: Until further notice, no OSSAA member school activities will be permitted. The timeline for the beginning of summer activities will be provided to member schools at a time when CDC recommendations as well as State and Local government recommendations allow for safe participation.

Sandite of the Week: Meghan Charles qualifies for State Tournament as freshman

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Sand Springs freshman Meghan Charles has been on a roll this season and her persistence has paid off with a trip to the OSSAA 6A State Tournament.

After leading her team with a single-round score of 88 strokes at the East Regional last week, Charles punched her ticket to Hillcrest Country Club.

The girls' State Tournament will by held May 2nd and 3rd in Bartlesville. Charles will tee off at 9:08 a.m. Wednesday.

CPHS Golf: Carson Griggs and Meghan Charles qualify for State Tournament

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The Charles Page High School golf team qualified two for the OSSAA 6A State Tournament.

University of Denver-signed senior Carson Griggs was the top individual qualifier at the East Regional on Bailey Ranch Golf Course, shooting a 148 over two rounds. Kyler Gaylor scored 176, Danny Pittman shot 190, J.T. Bristow scored 204, and Nate Campbell shot 216.

Freshman standout Meghan Charles was the number-four qualifier in Muskogee with a single round score of 88. Emily Charles shot 99, Elizabeth Moore shot 113, and Adele Downey shot 122. 

Owasso and Edmond Memorial will be the top contenders for the State title in boys' competition as the East and West Regional Champions, respectively. 

Bixby and Edmond North won the girls' Regionals, but only by a few strokes over Jenks and Norman making it anyone's game at State. 

The girls' State Tournament will by held May 2nd and 3rd at Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville. Charles will tee off at 9:08 a.m. Wednesday.

Griggs will tee off at 8:00 a.m. May 7th at Forest Ridge Golf Club in Broken Arrow. This is his fourth trip to the State Tournament, and he came in Runner-Up as a junior.