Ty Bowling hired as next Sandite Wrestling head coach

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Great jobs don’t stay available for long. Less than a month after the resignation of Jarrod Patterson, Charles Page High School has found its new wrestling coach. 

Sand Springs Athletic Director Rod Sitton confirmed Thursday the hiring of 2020 5A Coach of the Year Ty Bowling, pending the approval of the Sand Springs Board of Education.

“I’ve always wanted to coach in 6A,” said Bowling. “I just felt like this was the best time to go up and accept that challenge.”

Bowling was previously the head coach at Glenpool, where he coached three individual State Champions and led the Warriors to five district championships. 

The Warriors won three consecutive district titles from 2020 to 2022, were Regional Runners-Up in 2021, and have placed among the top four teams in 5A each of the last three seasons.

“We’ve had a lot of success over the past four or five years. We have awesome kids; they really bought into what me and the coaches were selling. They’re the ones who made that program what it has been.”

Leaving his hometown wasn’t an easy decision for the Glenpool alumnus, who has spent his entire professional career at his alma mater. 

“Being an alumni and building this program over the last 16 years, it was definitely a difficult decision,” said Bowling. “It wasn’t a decision I made within a couple of hours. I took my time on it.”

In addition to being 6A, Sand Springs was also a desirable program to join due to its longstanding wrestling tradition.

The Sandites have won two State titles and a Dual State title as recently as 2017 along with four State Runner-Up finishes, 17 District titles, and 41 individual State titles.

“I know Sand Springs has great wrestling tradition,” said Bowling. “I know they have great support within the community, with the parents, within the school.”

“A lot of wrestling programs - they’re fighting for everything they can get. I think Sand Springs - they’re going to do everything they can to support the wrestling program and make sure it’s got what it needs to try and succeed.”

In addition to wrestling, Bowling was also the running backs coach at Glenpool, though he expects to just be focused on wrestling at Sand Springs. 

“We didn’t discuss any football stuff, I think I’ll be all in on wrestling and we’re working on trying to build a girls’ program as well.”

Bowling met with the Sand Springs wrestling team this past week and will be getting together with the assistant coaches soon to begin the transition.

“They know how to build a good program, so I can learn from them and they can learn a little bit about my philosophy.”

He will also be coordinating with the Keystone Kids wrestling club that operates out of CPHS to see how he can assist with the town’s youth program.

Bowling currently lives in Kiefer with his wife, and the two don’t have any immediate plans to move closer to the Sand Springs area. He will be teaching outdoor education at CPHS. 

Patterson, the Sandites’ previous coach, resigned after four seasons with a 29-19 record, two district titles, and two top-ten finishes at State to take an assistant coaching position at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

Sand Springs weekly sports roundup: Journey Armstead signs with Hutchinson CC

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Charles Page High School celebrated three athletes Wednesday, April 13th at the Ed Dubie Field House, who signed collegiate letters of intent.

Journey Armstead signed to play basketball at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. The Blue Dragons went 29-6 this past season, making it to the second round of the NJCAA tournament.

Armstead finished her career as one of the most accomplished Lady Sandite basketball players in school history, scoring 1525 points, and was named to the All-State team. 

Ashley Blake signed to cheer and Alyssa King signed to dance at Oklahoma Baptist University, an NCAA Division II school in Shawnee.  

Baseball

The Sandites’ nine-game win streak came to an end in a 2-0 upset against Southmoore (9-16, 3-7) on Monday, April 11. They won the second district meeting 1-0, however, and went on to beat Bartlesville and Glenpool in non-district action.

Sand Springs (22-4, 7-3) is off to its best start since 2012, but even district-leader Owasso couldn’t get past Southmoore.

The Sabercats played spoiler once again on Monday despite being out-hit six to two. The Sandites stranded two in the first, three in the fourth, two in the fifth, and two in the seventh. 

Jabe Schlehuber (4-1) struck out 11 while giving up only two hits and three walks in his first loss of the season.

The Tuesday rematch was equally close with the Sandites stranding two in the second, three in the third, and two in the fifth before Gabe Glenn hit his third home run of the season to lead off the sixth.

Southmoore loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning but Kayden Campbell (2-0) struck out the side to earn a save. Carson Seabolt (4-1) struck out six batters in five innings with three hits for the win.

The Sandites’ bats got hot again on Thursday with a 5-0 shutout of Bartlesville (19-9) that saw Keaton Campbell hit his fourth homer of the year. Jace Arnold (5-0) tossed a complete game with seven strikeouts and only two hits.

Dom Ornelas blasted his team-leading sixth homer of the year in a 10-1 five-inning run-rule win over Glenpool (9-19) on Friday. The Sandites combined for 11 hits in the win.

John Keim (4-0) tossed three strikeouts, three walks, and two hits in four innings, and Kayden Campbell tossed one strikeout and one walk in an inning of relief.

Sand Springs will return to action Monday with a district double-header at U.S. Grant (1-10, 0-6) before traveling to Oologah (13-7) on Thursday, hosting Bixby (24-5) on Friday, and traveling to Tahlequah (8-15) on Saturday.

Girls Golf

Gina Foster shot a 111 and Madison Chambers shot 119 at the Union tournament on Tuesday, then Foster shot 103 and Chambers scored 106 at Sapulpa on Wednesday. 

Slow Pitch

The No. 15 Sand Springs softball team (6-10) ended a tough week on a high note, beating Bartlesville 9-6 on the back end of a double-header. 

The Bruins won the first game 8-6 after a sixth inning rally spoiled the Sandites’ 6-3 lead. Earlier in the week the Sandites fell 16-6 to both Berryhill and No. 5 Jenks.

The Sandites will host Bixby and Union in a double-header on Tuesday before traveling to Jenks on Thursday to wrap up the regular season against the Trojans and Pryor.

Boys Soccer

The Sandites’ Tuesday Senior Night district match with Putnam City was rescheduled for April 25th at 6:00 p.m. due to inclement weather. They fell 3-0 to Stillwater (7-6, 1-4) on Friday and dropped to 0-9 on the season.

Tennis

The Sandite girls tennis team won a quad meet with Rejoice Christian on Tuesday. 

Abbie Dubb won the No. 2 Singles battle 2-1 against Reagan Cherry, with sets of 10-7, 5-7, and 10-7. 

The No. 1 Doubles team of Caitlin Shipman and Daffaney Snyder won their match 2-1 with sets of 6-4, 2-6, and 10-6.

Track & Field

The girls track team placed fifth and the boys took eighth at the Broken Arrow Track Classic on Friday.

Layne Kirkendoll won the high jump with a mark of 5 ft. 6 in. and the long jump with a distance of 17 ft. 11.25 in. Jestin Rawlins was runner-up in discus throw with a mark of 164 ft. 8 in.

Kelsi Hilton placed third in the 3200 in 12:52.42 and Gracie Gifford took sixth in 13:51.81.

Caleb Goodman placed fourth in the 110 hurdles in 19.1 seconds. Preston Kennedy was seventh in the high jump with a mark of 5 ft. 6 in. Matthew Shelton was eighth in the shot put with a distance of 41 ft. 11.25 in.

The girls relay teams placed third in the 1600 sprint medley, fourth in the distance medley, fourth in the 4x200, and seventh in the 4x100.

The boys relay teams placed sixth in the distance medley, seventh in the 1600 sprint medley, 11th in the 4x100, and 14th in the 4x200.

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. 

Sand Springs Sports Roundup: Girls Basketball wins first playoff

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

Inclement weather couldn’t stymie the Sandites for long, and the Charles Page High School girls basketball team rolled to a 70-50 win against Muskogee in the first round of the regional playoffs Saturday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

In a game that was originally scheduled for Thursday, the 6A-East No. 2 Sandites (20-3) won their eighth consecutive game to extend their season by an extra week against No. 15 Muskogee (2-14).

“They’re a good team,” said head coach Josh Berry. “They make shots and they don’t quit. You look at their record and you don’t see what they really are. They’re well-coached and they’re going to play hard.”

The Roughers held pace with the Sandites throughout the first half, entering the second quarter 12-12 and leading by as much as 23-19.

Journey Armstead and Kiaryn Taylor hit back-to-back three pointers to end the first half with a 35-29 advantage, however, and the Sandites never trailed again.

“We had everybody in foul trouble in the first half, but once we got in and got settled down, I think everything took care of itself,” said Berry. 

The two teams combined for 37 fouls overall and 22 in the first half, with 45 free throw opportunities. Muskogee made the most of their trips to the charity stripe, shooting 14-of-18, while the Sandites went 18-of-27.

Zhayn Mayes scored 17 to lead the Roughers, followed by Akira Eubanks with 16, but the Sandites had three double-digit scorers.

Armstead led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Hailey Jackson with 15 and Taiona Morris with 10. Morris also collected a team-high five steals, and Layne Kirkendoll added 9 points with 9 rebounds. 

“Layne did good tonight,” said Berry. “Kiaryn played well, Yanni (Taiona Morris) played well. It’s about that - different people stepping up and finding a way to win and I think we did that tonight. I think that’s a team effort.”

Next up for the Sandites will be a rematch with No. 7 Putnam City North (12-10), who won its game 53-47 in double overtime against No. 10 Ponca City (9-12). 

The Lady Sandites previously beat the Panthers 50-33 at the Jenks/Union tournament in January.

“Hopefully we guard and don’t let them shoot some open shots, and make some shots,” said Berry. 

“Tonight we made some shots and we haven’t done that in a long time either. We made quite a few threes. We need to continue to do that, continue to share the basketball, and play for each other.”

The regional championship will be played Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Sand Springs, and both teams will advance to the area playoffs.

Boys Basketball

The No. 14 Sand Springs boys (5-17) had their Regional playoff game postponed to Monday at 8:00 p.m. The Sandites will play No. 3 Putnam City West (17-5) in an elimination game.

Wrestling

Mitchell Smith (30-7) placed third in the 145-pound bracket at the OSSAA 6A State Championship on Saturday. It was the junior’s third trip to state but his first medal, and he was the only Sandite to earn a medal.

Smith won his first match 2-1 but gave up a 7-4 decision to West Champion Layton Schneider in the semifinals. In consolation he won 6-3 against Bixby’s Caden Kelley and 3-2 against Yukon’s Boston Powell.

David Ritchey and Zander Grigsby both won their wrestle-in matches, Carter Goodman won his quarterfinal, and Blake Jones won a consolation match to help the team to a 13th place finish overall.

Six of the Sandites’ state qualifiers will return next year, with Jones being the lone senior. Jones wrapped up his career with an 82-42 record as a four-time State qualifier. 

Track and Field

Several Sandite alums competed in the Summit League Indoor Championship for Oral Roberts University on Saturday. 

Aden Baughman placed 8th in the 800 meter run. Joel Mackey placed 14th in the 60 meter and 15th in the 200. Mitchell Mefford placed 14th in the weight throw. 

Soccer 

The Lady Sandite soccer team is off to a strong start in preseason action, winning 4-0 against Sapulpa before sweeping the Skiatook scrimmage tournament and outscoring their foes 11-0. They suffered their first loss 1-0 at Owasso. 

The season will officially begin March 1st at home with non-district matches against Tulsa NOAH. The girls will play at 6:00 p.m. followed by the boys at 8:00 p.m.

Baseball

Sandite baseball took its first preseason loss, 13-5, at Owasso. The Sandites previously routed Glenpool 16-5, Tahlequah 8-0, and Lawton MacArthur 11-0, and tied Westmoore 2-2. Their season will begin March 1st at Guthrie.

Sandite Wrestling Takes Down Owasso 42-36

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The 6A No. 15 ranked Sandite wrestling team (7-3) won a 42-36 upset against No. 10 Owasso (8-5) Tuesday night in a Senior Night instant classic at the Ed Dubie Field House.

The visiting Rams stormed out to a 24-0 lead with four falls before Jayden Pait (17-8) pinned Easton Eicher to get the home team on the board.

Mitchell Smith (23-6) and Ethan Norton (19-9) also collected falls at 145 and 152, but the Sandites still found themselves down 36-18 with only four matches left.

Ethan White (18-13) and Brooks Dudley (17-7) both pinned their opponents and Cash Lucas (11-12) received a forfeit at 220 to tie it up, putting the weight of the dual on Mason Harris’s shoulders.

The sophomore star weighed in 40 pounds lighter than Jamon Colbert but wrestled tough and pinned his foe 25 seconds into the second period to end the dual and improve to 15-4 on the season.

The Sandites had their Thursday night dual at No. 3 Broken Arrow (6-5) rescheduled for Monday at 7:00 p.m. and the Glenpool Warrior Invitational was canceled over the weekend.

Sand Springs placed 17th out of 151 teams at the Junior High Allstate tournament in Oklahoma City with three runners-up.

Jaxon “Scout” Trotter, who is 10-6 on the varsity team, placed second at 138 pounds with three pins. 

In the 6th & 7th Grade division, Kasen McAffrey placed second at 120 pounds, Kaden Pope placed second at 105 pounds, and Jaxon Grigsby placed third at 80 pounds.

Sandite Wrestling wins Homecoming 54-27 against Glenpool

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The Sand Springs Winter Homecoming Court combined Basketball and Wrestling this year. Photo courtesy of Moton Photography.

The Charles Page High School wrestling team went 2-1 in district duals Tuesday at Union, winning 65-9 against Deer Creek and 45-27 against Union before falling 50-30 to No. 8 Ponca City.  They also won a 54-27 Homecoming dual against 5A No. 8 Glenpool on Thursday.

Sammy Naugle, James Robey, Carter Goodman, Blake Jones, and Brooks Dudley collected pins against the Antlers, while Jayden Pait, Mitchell Smith, Goodman, Ethan White, Dudley, Mason Harris, and David Ritchey recorded falls against Union. 

Against the Wildcats, the Sandites fell behind 21-0 before Smith got a pin at 145. Ethan Norton, Goodman, and White followed it up with pins to take the lead.

Ponca rallied with pins at 182 and 195 before Harris got a fall at 220, but the Wildcats won the next three matches with bonus points to punch their ticket to dual state.

On Thursday, Ritchey, Colt Hood, Shane Wolf, Robey, Goodman, White, Dudley, and Harris all won pins against the Warriors.

The Sandites canceled their involvement at the Owasso Ram Duals over the weekend due to sickness and injuries. They will instead compete at Glenpool Warrior Classic February 4-5th.

Keystone Kids

The Keystone Kids brought home two gold medals from the Wrestlemania tournament in Broken Arrow, Saturday, January 22nd.

Nicholas Elmore and Kydon Harness won their brackets, JJ Baker was runner-up, Collin Randall and Caemon Young placed third, and Rixon Hathaway placed fourth.