Sandite Baseball wins nine in a row, sweeps Jenks and run-rules Union

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The train keeps rolling for Sandite baseball.

The Charles Page High School varsity team (19-3, 6-2) has now won nine in a row, including a pair of crucial district bouts with Jenks (20-3, 6-2) to take second place in District 6A-3.

On Monday, April 4, the Sandites won 8-2 on the road at Jenks behind a five-strikeout, four hit performance from Jabe Schlehuber (4-0). 

Keaton Campbell went 3-of-4 at the plate with two runs and Gabe Glenn scored two runs and two RBIs with a triple. 

Tuesday’s rematch was much closer, but the Sandites still won 2-1 at home behind a two-hit pitching performance from Carson Seabolt (3-1).

Dom Ornelas hit an RBI single in the first inning and Seabolt added another in the fourth.

“(Schlehuber) and Carson (Seabolt) threw freaking great this week,” said Sand Springs coach Matt Brown.

“Those guys are giving us great outings every time they go out there, so I’ve got full confidence in both of those dudes.”

On Friday the Sandites won a 10-0 run-rule victory against NOAH (8-16) with 11 hits, including two-hit outings from Keaton Cambell, Ty Pennington, Ornelas, and Gabe Glenn.

John Keim (3-0) got the win with two hits and four strikeouts in four innings, and Kayden Campbell (2-0) threw three strikeouts in one inning of relief.

“They’re just playing together as a team, playing for each other, and when that happens good things happen,” said Brown. “They’re playing for each other, our pitchers are throwing strikes, the guys in the lineup are picking each other up, so it’s just good stuff all the way around.”

The bats stayed hot on Saturday as the Sandites won 12-2 against Union (14-9) in five innings. 

The Redhawks scored first in the top of the second, but Ornelas and Glenn hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the inning and Keaton Campbell added a three-run homer in the third.

Sand Springs scored seven more runs in the fourth on an error, six walks, an RBI single from Kayden Campbell, and a two-run single from Pennington.

Coach Brown was more happy about the bases-loaded walks than the home runs.

“They’re willing to take their walk and let the next guy do it, and that’s unselfish, man. That’s what’s good. It’s a different guy for us all the time, and they’re willing to let it be a different guy, which is awesome.”

Having already played their district meetings with Owasso, Broken Arrow, and Jenks, the Sandites are likely past the toughest part of their schedule, but Brown isn’t overlooking Southmoore (8-12, 2-6) or anybody else.

“We’re just focused on the next game we’ve got to play. Southmoore is going to show up here on Monday - they’re going to be tough. They’re a good team. And we’ve got to go out and put a good game together.”

“That’s the main thing, is just play the next game that’s in front of us, whatever it is, whatever kind of arm shows up on the mound, we play the game that’s in front of us and we’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow.”

“We’re not ever playing against the other team, we’re playing against ourselves. We’re trying to play the best game that we can play. It doesn’t matter who shows up on the other side.”

The Sandites will play Southmoore at home Monday at 6:00 p.m. and on the road Tuesday at 6:00 p.m., followed by non-district games against Bartlesville (16-7) on Thursday and at Glenpool (6-17) on Friday. 

Sandite Baseball celebrates Teacher Night, beat Midwest City, Bishop Kelley, Broken Arrow

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The student-athletes of the Sand Springs baseball team put an emphasis on the “student” part of their title by acknowledging the teachers in their lives Friday night at the Sandite Baseball Complex.

Each senior member of the Charles Page High School squad selected their all-time favorite teacher to come throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a 10-2 run-rule win over Midwest City.

Keaton Campbell selected CPHS English teacher Heather Miller as his all-time favorite. 

“Keaton was such a great kid in class,” said Miller, who taught the shortstop during his sophomore year. 

“He was always energetic and enthusiastic about learning. It just felt really nice that he thought I impacted his whole educational experience.”

Sixth Grade Center principal Angelia Noel was honored to be chosen by third-baseman Gabe Glenn, who she taught in fourth grade before moving into administration. 

“I hope I’ve made a pretty positive impact on him,” said Noel. “He’s a great kid and he’s going to do great things.”

“These seniors are amazing and we are so proud of them, and we are excited to see what they do in the future.”

Center-fielder Jacob Shields selected his seventh-grade math teacher Rebecca Davis as his all-time favorite teacher. 

“She was really nice and I always came and talked to her even when I didn’t have her class,” said Shields.

Other teachers recognized by the Sandites included Atticus Dellinger, Lorrie Bailey, Kendra Roulet, Katie Dickerson, Laurie Starling, Starr Corbin, Ben Riggs, and Jerie Carter.

After the ceremony, the Sandites (15-3) gave up two unearned runs to the Bombers (5-8) in the top of the first inning before settling down and dominating the rest of the game.

Brody Rutledge, Dom Ornelas, and Keaton Campbell all hit home runs in the game, and Brooks Dudley pinch-hit a two-run double to end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

John Keim (2-0) got the win on the mound with six strikeouts, three hits, no walks, and no earned runs in four innings. Gage Elliott tossed two innings of relief and only surrendered one hit with no runs or walks.

On Saturday the Sandites won 6-3 against Bishop Kelley (11-5) behind a three-hit performance from Ty Pennington. The senior left-fielder went 3-of-4 at the plate with three doubles and three RBIs.

Jace Arnold (4-0) got the win on the mound with six hits, two strikeouts, and four walks in 4.2 innings. Kayden Campbell (2-0) threw two hits and three strikeouts in 1.1 innings, and Eli Buxton got the save with one hit, two walks, and two strikeouts in the seventh.

The Sandites also picked up a pair of huge district wins against Broken Arrow (11-7, 4-2) on Monday and Tuesday to improve to 4-2 in district action.

Monday’s road battle went 11 innings, with Jabe Schlehuber (3-0) tossing seven hits, four strikeouts, and three walks in 6.1 innings before Buxton took over. The closer got his first win of the season with two hits, five strikeouts, and four walks in 4.2 innings.

Broken Arrow took a 2-0 lead in the first inning but Pennington tied it up on an RBI single from Ornelas in the third, then hit an RBI double to bring in Keaton Campbell in the fifth.

The Tigers tied it back up in the bottom of the fifth and the game remained scoreless till Kayden Campbell scored the winning run on a double from Schlehuber in the eleventh. 

In Tuesday’s rematch the Sandites won 5-3 behind a four-hit, two-strikeout performance from Carson Seabolt (2-1) in six innings. Kayden Campbell tossed two hits and two strikeouts in the final inning to earn the save.

The Sandites took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run homer by Glenn, but the Tigers tied it up in the sixth. Two walks and an error put the Sandites back on top and Kayden Campbell threw a clutch strikeout to strand two runners and end the game.

Sandite Baseball will return to district action Monday and Tuesday with a home-and-away series against Jenks, followed by non-district home games against NOAH on Friday and Union on Saturday.

Weekly Roundup: Armstead Gets All-State, Track Crowns Five Champions

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Baseball

Following its tournament championship at Peoria, Arizona, the Sandite baseball team (11-3, 2-2) pushed its winning streak to eight before taking a loss on Thursday at the Bartlesville Tournament. 

The Sandites started the week with a Monday district rainout at Ponca City (5-6, 2-2), but run-ruled the Wildcats on Tuesday, 12-2, in five innings.

Sand Springs talled ten hits, led by Carson Seabolt with a 3-of-3, four RBI performance at the plate. Keaton Campbell, Ty Pennington, and Miller Tavaglione all hit triples in the game. Jabe Schlehuber (3-0) tossed eleven strikeouts to remain undefeated on the mound.

On Thursday the Sandites met the Wildcats again in the first round of the Bartlesville tournament and used it as a makeup for the district rainout. 

This time they won 8-0 behind a four-hit, four strikeout performance from Seabolt (1-1) who pitched all seven innings. Nathan Gibson and Brody Rutledge both went 3-of-4 at the plate and the team tallied 14 hits.

The success streak came to an end in a six-inning 8-0 loss to Highway 97 rival Sapulpa (8-5). Sand Springs managed five hits while only surrendering seven, but left seven runners stranded on base and committed four errors.

They got back in the win column on Friday with a 6-1 win over Bartlesville (8-4) behind a seven-hit, two-strikeout performance from Kayden Campbell (2-0).

Dom Ornelas went 2-of-3 with a double and an RBI and Gabe Glenn was 2-of-4 with a double, a run, and two RBIs.

The Sandites will return to action Monday at Broken Arrow (9-5, 4-0) in district action, with home games against Broken Arrow on Tuesday, Midwest City on Friday, and Bishop Kelley on Saturday.

Friday will be Teacher Appreciation Night at the Sandite Baseball Complex, and all Sand Springs teachers will get free entry with their school ID.

Girls Basketball

Senior star Journey Armstead was selected to the Large East All-State basketball team by the OGBCA, and Sandites coach Josh Berry was selected to lead the team. The All-State game will be played June 4th at Mustang High School at 2:00 p.m.

Berry holds a 50-21 record after three years with the Lady Sandites and took them to the State semifinals this season. Armstead wrapped up her four-year starting career with 1,525 points and is still deciding on a college 

Boys Golf

The Sandites took third place at their home tournament Tuesday at the Canyons at Blackjack Ridge. 

Seth Benton shot an 85 for sixth place, followed by Drew Paden in seventh. Mason Ward shot 89, Zane Downey shot 95, and Cameron Villines shot 98 with an ace on hole nine.

Boys Soccer

The boys’ soccer team is still searching for its first win after falling 4-0 to Bixby on Tuesday. They picked up a program win on Friday however in the form of a successful first Boys Soccer Night at Memorial Stadium. The Sandites hosted dozens of local junior high club players who will be the future of the program in a night filled with games, activities, and giveaways.

Softball

The No. 16 ranked Sand Springs slow-pitch softball team is off to a 2-2 start on the season, losing 7-6 to No. 13 Union and 14-2 to No. 2 Broken Arrow, but picking up wins of 9-7 against Bartlesville and 17-5 against No. 10 Bixby.

The Sandites will return to action Tuesday at Berryhill at 5:00 p.m. before competing at the Haskell Tournament on Thursday.

Girls Tennis

The girls tennis team had a successful event at the Edison Tournament on Wednesday. Kira Shipley placed seventh in #1 Singles, Catilin Shipman and Daffaney Snyder placed sixth in #1 Doubles, and Abbie Dunn and Macie Willits placed seventh in #2 Doubles.

“These girls are all brand new to tennis and are playing opponents who have been playing for years and are juniors and/or seniors,” said head coach Dana Peacock. “Pretty proud of them!”

Track and Field 

The Sand Springs boys placed ninth and the girls took fifth at the Okmulgee Bulldog Invitational on Friday, winning five total events. 

Kelsi Hilton won the 1600-meter run in 6:23.25 and the 3200-meter run in 11:39.50. She also placed second in the 800 behind fellow Sandite Jazmin Lopez. Lopez won with a time of 2:32.64.

Sam English won the 1600 boys' run in 5:16.69 and Lucy Beckner won the girls’ long jump at 14 ft. 9 in.

Gracie Gifford placed third in the 3200, Briona Searcy placed third in the long jump, and Hannah George placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles.

Dalton Wilcox placed second and Alex Lopez took fourth in the 800. Alex Turner placed second in the discus throw and Matthew Shelton placed third in the shot put. Michael Lopez placed fifth and Michael Johnson took sixth in the 1600. 

Noah Hanlon placed third in the 1600 and fifth in the 3200. Preston Kennedy placed fifth in both the high jump and the long jump. 

The boys relay teams placed second in the 4x800, fifth in the 4x100, and fifth in the 4x200. The girls relay teams placed third in the 4x200 and fifth in the 4x100.

Sandite alum and Oral Roberts University sophomore Aden Baughman took first place in two events at the ORU Invite. He won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:51.54 and the 400-meter dash in 48.56 seconds.

Sandite Baseball wins Best of the West tournament

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The Sand Springs baseball team won the 2022 Best of the West tournament in Peoria, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Carrie Schlehuber.

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

In the second round of the Best of the West tournament in Arizona, the Sandite baseball team (8-2) took a huge loss. 

They won the game 10-3 against Bradshaw Mountain (6-3), but lost Jacob Shields in the process. 

“He was just running, trying to catch a fly ball in the outfield,” said head coach Matt Brown.” It was kind of a freak deal, he got rolled up on his foot.”

The senior center fielder had unexpectedly ended his career, breaking his fibula. That loss, however, motivated the Sandites to win their first tournament title since 2018. 

Sand Springs went 5-0 at the tournament and won 9-8 against Boulder Creek (8-3) in the finals after a huge comeback.

“Those kids just rallied behind him,” said Brown. “They were playing for him and they were not going to give up because he doesn’t give up.”

“It was like there was no other option but for them to come back and win, just because they were doing it for him, for their buddy that they love.”

The Sandites were down 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth in the tournament finals, but rallied to a 9-7 lead with an RBI single from Kayden Campbell, a two-run triple from Jabe Schlehuber, an RBI single from Keaton Campbell, and a two-run single from Gabe Glenn.

“Everybody was a little bit down after Tuesday and upset because we knew he was hurt,” said Brown. “He’s such a big part of our team.”

“The guys who filled in did a great job. They were battling at the plate for him. He was on a plane back to go see his orthopedist so he didn’t get to be there for the rest of the games, but he was watching them online and we got to talk to him on FaceTime in the huddle after the game when we won and it was pretty special.”

“You feel so awful for him because it’s the same senior group that had their entire sophomore year taken away when they canceled our season (due to COVID). He’s been a three-year starter for us, he played a little bit as a freshman too. He’s a really good player who just has caught some bad breaks.”

The lead-off hitter for the Sandites had already made up his mind not to play college ball and is preparing for a career as a firefighter, taking EMT training at Tulsa Tech all year.

He will continue to travel to tournaments and be with the Sandites throughout the season, however. 

The Sandites had to make three big rallies over the course of the tournament and also trailed 6-2 in pool play against Cherry Creek (0-4), and were down 5-2 against Tolleson Union (6-4) in the semifinals.

Keaton Campbell hit an RBI double, Dom Ornelas and Glenn scored on errors, and Jason Clark scored on a bases-loaded walk to lift the Sandites over Cherry Creek on Tuesday.

Then, in Wednesday’s semifinal round, Schlehuber hit an RBI double in the sixth and Wyatt Rutledge walked in on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Glenn hit a two-out, full-count double to clear the bases and put his team on top, and Schlehuber added a two-run single in the seventh.

A deep bullpen also proved to be a difference-maker for the Sandites.

The Sandites won 6-1 against Centennial (5-5) in the tournament opener behind a three-hit, four-strikeout performance from Schlehuber (2-0).

Kayden Campbell (1-0) threw eight strikeouts in the win against Bradshaw Mountain, Rutledge (1-0) only gave up two hits in two innings against Cherry Creek, Jace Arnold (3-0) threw seven strikeouts against Tolleson, and John Keim (1-0) only gave up three hits to Boulder Creek.

Sophomore closer Eli Buxton recorded saves in both the semifinals and finals, including a clutch bases-loaded strikeout against Tolleson. 

“We threw 60 innings with freshmen last year on the mound, which is unheard of for a 6A program,” said Brown. 

“One of those guys in the semifinals goes six and two-thirds and gets the W. Eli Buxton was a freshman last year, and Jace Arnold was too. Eli Buxton gets the save in both games. Is that going to happen for them if we don’t throw them last year? Probably not because they’re not ready. They still need that experience.”

“We kept running them out there because they were good and they needed the work. And now it’s really paying off for us.”

Buxton was named the tournament MVP pitcher after only surrendering one run in the tournament, and Glenn was named Offensive MVP for going 8-of-16 at the plate with 8 RBI and 4 runs. 

Sand Springs will return to action Monday and Tuesday with district games against Ponca City (3-5, 2-0). They will then compete at the Bartlesville tournament over the weekend.

Sand Springs Weekly Sports Roundup: Baseball Starts Season With Wins

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Baseball

The Sandite baseball team is off to a strong start on the season, winning its first two games 11-0 against Shawnee and 9-2 against Yukon. 

Jabe Schlehuber and Kayden Campbell combined for eight strikeouts in a no-hitter against the Wolves in Friday’s season-opener. Dom Ornelas went three-for-three at the plate with a double and a home run for 5 RBI.

Schlehuber went four-for-four at the plate on Saturday with two doubles and a homer, and Ornelas and Keaton Campbell also hit home runs.

Boys Basketball

The Sandites wrapped up a 5-18 season with a 69-54 loss at Putnam City West in the Regional playoffs. Cale Askew scored 14 points, Ethan Oakley scored 12, and JD Dickson added 10.

Soccer

The Lady Sandite soccer team won its opening week of matches, coming back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to beat NOAH 4-3 on Tuesday before routing Coweta 5-1 on Thursday.

Karsen Lynch scored two goals, and Lauren Foster and Lainey Stanfill also scored against NOAH. Ava Watts posted a hat trick against Coweta and Stanfill scored twice. Christina Thompson got the wins at goalie.

The boys are still looking for their first win of the Brent Lollis era, falling 4-2 to NOAH and 2-0 to Coweta.

Golf

The boys golf team placed sixth at the Olive Wildcats Golf Classic in Sapulpa. Mason Ward shot 81 to tie for tenth, Seth Benton shot 87, Drew Paden 93, Zack Downey 93, Hunter Brenner 99, Sidney Horton 101, Jacob Halpain 116. Madison Chambers shot 114 as the lone Lady Sandite.

Tennis

The boys tennis team placed 16th at the Jenks tournament led by Connor Shipman with a 13th finish in #2 Singles.

Track and Field

The Sand Springs girls placed 10th and the boys took 15th at the season-opening Owasso Track Invitational.

Freshman star Lainey Stanfill placed fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.79 and was third in the 200 in 26.69. Jazmin Lopez paced fifth in the 800 in 2:33.38.

Bowling

The Sand Springs boys bowling team placed second at Regionals and third at State.

Girls Powerlifting

The girls powerlifting team placed second at the North Regional with Jaden Jordan winning squat, deadlift, and overall at heavyweight. Jordan squatted 335, deadlifted 380, and benched 155 to qualify for State. Madison Thompson placed fourth at 198 and Mikah Hampton placed fifth at 108 to qualify. 

Defense Spurs Sand Springs Football to 30-13 Homecoming Win Over Ponca City

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While other four-year-olds dream of being pilots, NFL players, or the President, Cooper White dreams of being on the Sandite flag crew. 

Cooper can often be seen running around the playground with his own flag, imagining he’s one of the Sand Springs baseball players who storm onto the field hoisting the four “CPHS” flags after touchdowns on Friday nights. 

Now he no longer has to imagine it. As the Sandites rolled to a 30-13 win over Ponca City Friday night on Homecoming, Cooper got to tote his own miniature flag across the turf while wearing an official crew-member t-shirt, presented to him by the baseball players before the game.

“He’s been coming to Sandite games since he was newborn, and he’s always been obsessed with the flag boys running onto the field,” said Cooper’s mom, Bailee White. “We watch YouTube videos of old games just so he can watch the flags. This is a dream come true.”

The Sandite football players can rest easy knowing their number-one fan will be back in the stands when they return home Friday, October 8th against Booker T. Washington.

A version of this story was originally published in the Tulsa World.

On a night when the typically lethal Sandite offense struggled, the defense stepped up and made some big plays to lead a second half comeback on Homecoming.

Down 13-10 late in the third quarter, junior linebacker Drake Fain saw the ball pop loose deep in Wildcat territory and scooped it up for a 20-yard touchdown return to take the lead. 

Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School (4-0, 1-0) came away with four takeaways and rattled off 20 unanswered points to overcome Ponca City (1-3, 0-1) Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

“Dom (Ornelas) told me he hit it out,” said Fain. “I didn’t really see it. I was thinking ‘we need a touchdown right now.’ It was great for the team.”

“I couldn’t do it without my interior defensive linemen,” he added. “We call ‘em ‘Shake and Bake’ like Ricky Bobby. I love them dudes.”

Sand Springs had little difficulty moving the ball, amassing 410 yards, 22 first downs, and reaching the red zone eight times. They struggled with finishing, however, and turned the ball over on downs four times.

Fortunately, the defense was ready to make a statement. 

Landon Hendricks blocked a PAT in the first half, then forced a fumble in the third quarter that Brooks Dudley recovered. Ryder Barnes added an interception late in the third, then Hendricks added another takeaway late in the fourth. 

“That was just kind of organic how that happened,” said head coach Bobby Klinck. “We knew they were going to come out and kind of pound the ball and try to shorten the game. They had a great gameplan.”

“Coach (Scott) Harmon’s been doing this a long time, he’s a great coach and they caught us on a few things. Luckily we just had a few more playmakers help us out tonight.”

Ty Pennington was 16-of-30 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown on the night, a 64-yard catch-and-run by Jacob Blevins who had 142 yards on nine catches. 

Pennington also had two rushing scores and carried the ball 21 times for 89 yards. Blake Jones added 128 yards on 21 carries.

Sand Springs is now 4-0 for the first time since 2012 and will return to action Friday night at Muskogee (1-3, 1-0). Ponca City will host No. 2 Choctaw (3-1, 1-0).