Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Softball Goes 3-0 to End Regular Season

Sandite softball (23-14) went 3-0 in the final week of the regular season, winning 6-0 against Sperry, 8-3 against Sapulpa, and 7-2 against Collinsville.

They also received their Regional assignment and will return to action Tuesday, October 4th, at Broken Arrow with a first round game at 2:00 p.m. against Muskogee (14-22). On the other side of the bracket is Broken Arrow (25-9) vs. Putnam City North (8-23).

Sand Springs has yet to play Muskogee this season but lost a close 7-5 meeting with Broken Arrow at the Tigers’ home tournament, and beat Putnam North 1-0 twice in district action.

The Sandites have won 17 Regional titles and are aiming to return to the State Tournament for the first time 2019.

On Monday Addison Hughes tossed seven strikeouts with only four hits in the shutout at Sperry (23-10). Kenzie King went 3-of-4 at the plate with one run and one RBI.

The Sandites haven’t lost a Highway 97 Rivalry game in over a decade and this time it was Kelsi Hilton who led the charge against the Chieftains (14-17) with a seventh-inning grand slam while tossing eight strikeouts. Jaden Jordan also hit a home run.

In the final game of the regular season Hughes tossed eight strikeouts and three hits against Collinsville (9-22). The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead but Jordan tied it with a two-run double in the third and Mikena Stephens hit the go-ahead RBI single in a five-run fourth inning.

Volleyball

The 16th ranked Sandite volleyball team (16-16, 3-5) went 5-2 last week, splitting a pair of conference matches before going 4-1 at the Southmoore Invitational.

The team won a 3-0 sweep of Muskogee on Tuesday but fell 3-1 to Booker T. Washington on Thursday. They put up a great fight against the Hornets, however, losing close sets of 25-17, 28-26, and 25-22 after winning the first 28-26.

In Moore the girls lost 2-1 to conference foe Bartlesville, but won 2-1 against No. 12 Moore, 2-1 against Bishop Kelley JV, 3-0 against Shawnee, and 3-1 against Southmoore.

The Sandites have one last regular season match Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against No. 1 Jenks (26-4, 7-0).

Cross Country

Josie Grona took first place in the elementary meet at Kiefer Saturday morning, running the one-mile in 6:14.92. Sophie Grona finished fifth in 7:05.26 and the team took eighth.

The elementary boys also placed eighth, led by Kellen Adkins with a 6:30.74 mile for tenth place.

Shooting

Caden Shea won the Muscogee Nation Trap Shoot Wednesday with a score of 24.

Fishing

Gabriel Castellano and Ean Williams took 22nd place at the Oklahoma Bass Nation season opener Saturday on Ft. Gibson Lake. The duo caught five fish weighing 7.32 pounds. Nate Griffin and Eli Rogers placed 31st, Caden Strawn and Drew Turner placed 46th, Decana Plummer and Gunner Beasley placed 47th, and Jonathan Isley and Jaxon Trotter placed 49th.

Sand Springs weekly roundup: Eli Buxton pitches perfect game in 20-0 shutout of US Grant

View fullsize

Left to right: Abbie Dunn, Daffaney Snyder, Caitlin Shipman. Courtesy of Dana Peacock.

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

The Charles Page High School baseball team (26-5, 9-3) started last week with a pair of run-rule district shutouts, 18-0 and 20-0, at U.S. Grant (1-14, 0-7) before taking on Oologah-Talala, Bixby, and Tahlequah in non-district play.

Jabe Schlehuber (5-1) threw a five-inning one-hitter with seven strikeouts in the first game and Keaton Campbell went 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs and five RBI to lead a slugging crew that amassed 15 hits.

Eli Buxton (2-0) pitched a perfect game in the nightcap, tossing 11 strikeouts as the visitors recorded 14 hits. 

Keaton Campbell continued his dominant night at the plate, going 2-of-3 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. Ty Pennington was 2-of-2 with three runs, three RBI, and a home run, and Jace Arnold was 2-of-2 with two runs, three RBI, and a triple. 

On Thursday the Sandites traveled to Oologah (15-9) and won 11-4 while out-hitting the Mustangs 12 to six. 

Kayden Campbell (3-0) tossed eight strikeouts with five hits and two walks in five innings, while Gage Elliott threw one hit, one strikeout, and one HBP in two innings of relief. 

Keaton Cambpell led at the plate, going 3-of-5, while Schlehuber scored one run and three RBI.

The Sandites’ six-game win streak came to an end on Senior Night in a 17-7 run-rule loss to Bixby (27-5).

The Spartans scored five runs in the first, second, and third innings and out-hit the Sandites 17 to eight with nine home runs.

John Keim (4-1) took his first loss of the season, tossing two hits, five walks, and three strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning. Elliott threw 10 hits, one strikeout, and one walk in two innings, and Wyatt Rutledge threw five hits and one walk in 2.1 innings.

The Sandites also had strong offensive performances in the second and fourth innings, but couldn’t stymie the Spartan bats that combined for nine homers.

Pennington went 2-of-3 with two runs, three RBI, and a home run, and Keaton Campbell hit a solo homer.

Prior to the game the Sandites celebrated seniors Carson Seabolt, Jacob Shields, Cale Askew, Keaton Campbell, Jason Clark, Brooks Dudley, Nathan Gibson, Gabe Glenn, Keim, Ethan Norton, Pennington, and manager Avery Tanner.

Sand Springs wrapped up the busy week with a high-noon showdown at Tahlequah (9-19) and won 16-3 in five innings.

Arnold (6-0) got the win on the mound, tossing three hits, six strikeouts, and no walks in four innings. Buxton threw two strikeouts and one walk, surrendering one hit in an inning of relief.

Glenn and Dom Ornelas both hit home runs and the team amassed 11 hits overall.

Sand Springs will wrap up the regular season with a district home-and-away series against Putnam City North Monday and Tuesday, followed by home games against Sapulpa Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and Westmoore Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Softball

The No. 15 Sand Springs slow pitch team (7-12) picked up an 11-8 upset win against No. 8 Union (15-16) Tuesday but fell 8-0 to Bixby in the evening game and 16-7 to No. 5 Jenks (23-8) in Thursday’s regular season finale.

The Sandites will travel to Jenks for a three-team Regional tournament on Wednesday, April 27th, with a first-round game against No. 14 Guthrie (12-8) at 10:00 a.m. 

Sand Springs has yet to play the Bluejays this season, but they’re 1-2 against Jenks, upsetting the Trojans 7-5 at the Haskell tournament in March.

Golf

Gina Foster shot a 103 and Madison Chambers shot 116 at the Frontier Valley Conference Championship in Bartlesville on Wednesday. Chambers scored 108 and Foster scored 110 at the Skiatook tournament on Thursday.

The boys’ Skiatook tournament was rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27th.

Track and Field

The Sand Springs varsity girls placed ninth and the boys took 13th at the Terry Due Track Classic in Collinsville on Friday. The freshman girls and boys both placed eighth and Sandites won four total events.

Layne Kirkendoll won the high jump with a mark of 5 ft. 6 in. and the long jump with a distance of 17 ft. 0.75 in. Jestin Rawlins won the discus throw with a mark of 162 ft. 9 in.

Jazmin Lopez placed fifth in the 800-meter run in 2:32.42.

In freshman action, Gracie Gifford placed third in the 1600 in 6:37.39 and won the 3200 uncontested in 14:37.93. Briona Searcy was second in long jump at 14 ft. 9 in.

Caleb Goodman ran the 110 hurdles in 17.51 seconds for fourth place, Preston Kennedy ran the 100 in 11.8 for fifth, Jacob York ran the 400 in 1:00.56 for sixth. Kennedy also placed third in the high jump at 5 ft. 4 in. and was sixth in the long jump at 17 ft. 8.5 in.

The freshman boys placed third in the 4x100 relay in 48.01 and fourth in the 4x200 in 1:43.68.

Tennis

Kira Shipley placed seventh in No. 1 Singles, Abbie Dunn placed sixth in No. 2 Singles, and Caitlin Shipman and Daffaney Snyder placed seventh in No. 1 Doubles at the Broken Arrow tournament on Friday, April 15th.

On Monday, April 18th the girls won the consolation bracket at the Bartlesville tournament with Dunn defeating Muskogee and Ponca City in No. 1 Singles, while Shipman and Snyder defeated Edison and Ponca City in No. 1 Doubles. 

Late Goal from Ava Watts Lifts Sandites to Tournament Title

View fullsize

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

On a brisk night at Colinsville’s Sallee Field, the Charles Page High School girls soccer team (6-2) found themselves all tied up with Oologah (4-3) in the Cardinal Classic finals.

With only three minutes left to play, sophomore forward Ava Watts found an opening and drilled the game-winner to lift her Sandites to a 2-1 win.

“I really didn’t want to go into PKs,” said Watts. “All I knew is that we needed to score because they had a better chance of winning in PKs than they did (in regulation).”

Oologah took the initial lead on a goal from Dallie Hill 14 minutes into the match, but freshman star Lainey Stanfill booted the equalizer on an assist from Watts seven minutes later. The next 36 minutes were scoreless for both teams.

“I’m really happy,” said Watts. “I think that we’re doing really good and if we keep it up we can make it to the playoffs.”

The Sandites got off to a 3-0 start on the season before falling 3-2 at Bartlesville (7-2) before spring break and 3-0 at Bixby (4-1) on Tuesday.

They got back on track with a 2-1 win over Durant (3-3) in the first round of the Cardinal Classic on Thursday, despite being severely shorthanded. 

“We’ve got a real beat-up team from previous weeks,” said head coach Cisco Chavez. “We had to use everybody tonight. We used all of our bench and everyone played their hearts out and we got it done.”

The Sandites started the season with 22 players but have lost seven to injuries, though only one is suspected to be season-ending. 

“Over the next few weeks we need to work on getting healthy,” said Chavez. “That’s number one. Number two, we just need to keep reminding them to play hard and leave it all out there every time they go out there because you never know when it’s going to be your last one because of injury or something like that.”

Stanfill scored the Sandites’ first goal against Durant and Alyssa Cunningham scored the game-winner on an assist from Ashlee Feigenbaum.

Watts scored two goals in the semifinal win over Collinsville (4-2), and recorded an assist on the opening goal from Stanfill.

Watts now leads the team with ten goals on the season, followed by Stanfill with eight.

“They make everyone better every day,” Chavez said of his two lead scorers. “They push everyone to the limit with their talent. Overall, just a great tournament by those two.”

Chavez is currently in his first season as full head coach, though he shared duties with Mathew Watkins last year as co-head coaches.

“It definitely feels like first year jitters for everything: tournaments, big games, things like that. I’m just really proud of the girls. If I had to describe this team in two words, it’d be ‘Sandite tough.’”

“They’re fun to watch. I’m really proud to be their coach. Really great job by them and we’ll keep moving forward and hopefully contend for the gold ball at the end of the year. The limit is whatever they set their bar to. Obviously the gold ball is what we’re looking forward to.”

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. with a non-district home game against Ponca City (0-5), followed by a district home game against Enid (4-4) on Friday.

“We’ve got our first district game against Enid next Friday night, which is our Family Fun Night,” said Chavez. “Kids get in free if they wear their soccer jersey. It should be fun. Moving forward we’ll get everyone healthy and we’ll keep competing.”

Sandite Football stuns Collinsville 17-0 in preseason scrimmage

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

Anytime a team graduates 27 players, including a top receiver, a top running back, several top defenders, and almost the entire offensive line, they might be sweating their ability to reload the next year.

But not Sand Springs. After watching their Friday-night scrimmage against Collinsville, a person might reasonably conclude that this was a veteran group.

In two quarters of action, the Sandites blanked 5A Collinsville 17-0. Despite being a lower classification, the Cardinals are a no-joke program that was unanimously voted by the coaches in its district to repeat as district champs. They went 11-1 last season, only falling in the playoff semifinals to eventual champion Carl Albert.

The Sandites forced two punts, Alex Turner returned a pick 45 yards, and the Cardinals’ two other drives ended with the clock. Meanwhile the home team scored on three of their four possessions and only punted once. 

Senior quarterback Ty Pennington was 7-of-11 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns behind a fairly young offensive line. Keaton Campbell stole the show at receiver, scoring both touchdowns on three catches and racking up 154 yards overall, and backup QB Brody Rutledge had three catches for 30 yards. 

The offensive line is a younger unit as well after the team graduated five linemen with starting experience. Mason Harris, Matthew Shelton, Morgan Eubanks, Owen Higgins, and Marcus Sims will anchor the offensive front this time around.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” said Head Coach Bobby Klinck after the game. “Coach Medrano has come in here and just done an unbelievable job. That goes for the rest of this coaching staff. This is the least amount of work I’ve ever done getting ready for a season. I told them, this camp, practice, and everything in this scrimmage - man we’ve been on point. I’m very proud of this coaching staff, and we’ve got some good football players on this team. 

Jason Medrano is leading the Sandites’ offensive line this season after a two-year stint as Catoosa’s Head Coach. Lee Kizzar is taking over as offensive coordinator after Stephen Hogan returned to his hometown of Greenwood, Arkansas for the same position there. Kizzar previously coached tight ends for the Sandites. 

Not much has changed on the defensive side of the ball, and defensive coordinator Shane Ingram’s unit looks ready to go, based on their performance Friday night. 

Brooks Dudley, Drake Fain, Landon Hendricks, Turner, Conner Light, Gabe Brown, and Dom Ornelas are among the names to look for on the defense this season.

It won’t be an easy road. Bixby is the odds-on favorite to repeat, having won three-straight titles and six of the last seven. Choctaw, last year’s State Runner-Up, and Booker T. are also in the same district as the Sandites. The Washington Hornets are the only other team besides Bixby to win a Class 6A-II title.

The Sandites remain loaded at the skill positions. Top running back Blake Jones returns after amassing 484 yards and seven TDs in an injury-riddled campaign. Campbell and Jacob Blevins will give Pennington options at receiver as both posted over 600 yards apiece and combined for ten TDs last year. Ryan Shoemaker also showed skill at tight end, collecting 226 yards. 

Pennington is already ranking among the top QBs in Sandite history with over 3600 yards passing and 27 TDs, as well as 744 yards rushing and 14 TDs in the past two seasons.

“Keaton Campbell’s a two-sport star,” said Klinck. “Our quarterback’s a two-sport star. These are guys that are going to make big plays all year, and college recruiters need to start waking up a bit.”

Despite their success, the team wasn’t flawless. They gave up a handful of penalties, had a three-and-out, and stalled in the red zone on their first drive.

“We’ve got a lot of things to get better at in terms of penalties,” said Klinck. “We scored points on big plays, we have that capability. I’d like to see more sustained drives. I’d have liked for us to have finished that first drive instead of kicking a field goal.”

The Sandites are coming off a 7-5 mark in their first season under Klinck. Last year they won their rivalry game at Sapulpa, dealt Shiloh Christian their only loss of the season, finished fourth in the district, and won a playoff game against Deer Creek before falling to powerhouse Stillwater on the road.

Prior to that, they went 10-21 over the previous three seasons, but were perennial playoff contenders from 2012 to 2017, including a State Runner-Up performance in 2015. 

The Sandites will start their season Friday at 7:00 p.m. with the 95th installment of Highway 97 Rivalry when they host Sapulpa. Sapulpa leads the series with a 45-44-5 record, and the two teams have met annually since 1930. 

Ty Pennington is one of Oklahoma's top under-recruited football players

View fullsize

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

“Pennington” and “Quarterback” have become synonymous in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. 

Brett Pennington led the Charles Page High School Sandites from 1989 to 1991. His daughter, Sydney, played quarterback on the powder-puff team from 2016 to 2017. His oldest son, Caden, led the varsity squad from 2017 to 2018, and now it’s Ty Pennington’s time to shine.

“It’s been great,” says Ty about his family tradition. “My dad gives me all the confidence in the world. He tells me he’s proud of me every day. Him just being a great leader for this town gives me a lot of confidence.”

He also has a strong bond with his brother. 

“He just enlisted in the Army, he’s going to be an Army Ranger. He’s really been my hero and even though we’ve butted heads our whole lives, I love that dude to death. He’s always been my hero.”

The Penningtons are a family that oozes excellence. Both Brett and Caden took their teams to the playoffs, as did Ty last season. Ty’s mom, Amy, was an All-State and collegiate basketball player. Brett was a wrestling State Champion and collegiate baseball player. Caden played collegiate football at Northeastern State University before enlisting in the Army, and Sydney is a starter on the Oklahoma State softball team.

Ty hopes to continue that tradition at the next level too.

“I hope to play in college. I’ve been to several camps this year just trying to get my name out there. I just hope to have a big year and get on the radar of some guys.

Ty is also a starter on the varsity baseball team, and he hasn’t ruled out a future in that sport either. “It’s not set in stone right now. I love them both so we’ll just see from here.”

Some D2 and D3 colleges have been recruiting him for football, but he’s hoping to get some bigger looks once the season starts. “I’ve just got to stick to it and keep grinding each week and they’ll come eventually. I think I have what it takes to go D1. My talent’s there and I know I work hard.”

After winning the starting spot in week two of 2019, Ty is now a senior veteran with a lot to prove. He has seen his team go 2-8, suffering their worst loss in 75 years, and he’s led his team two rounds deep in the playoffs. Now his eyes are on nothing short of a gold ball.

I don’t really have a lot of individual goals - just chasing that state championship,” says Ty. “That’s all I really want. We’re all in.” 

It wasn’t long ago that the Sandites were only two scores away from a state title, falling 38-28 to perennial powerhouse Bixby in the 2015 Class 6A-II State Finals. Ty’s old enough to remember that year, but it’s the 2-8 season he led his team through that motivates him the most.

“I feel like a lot of people just gave up hope on us. Last season we came out pretty good and had a pretty successful season. We’re just trying to build on that and keep it rolling.”

When asked if Sand Springs could hang with teams like Bixby and Booker T. Washington, Pennington wasn’t fazed. “The confidence is through the roof with this group,” he said. “We think we can do big things this year. Everyone’s bonded and excited for it, for sure.”

Pennington will need a lot of help if he wants to overthrow the blue blood programs like Bixby and Booker T. Washington. Fortunately he’s got most of his receiving corps back, and his young offensive line seems promising.

“They’re really looking good through this fall camp,” he says of his O-line. “I’m excited for them. They’re the most important part of the team. Whatever our success is depends on how good they do. This is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of. We all just have a super close friendship and brotherhood we’ve created. The O-Line, they’re my guys. I love them to death.”

If the O-line is as good as last year’s, then Pennington should be poised to put up some big numbers this season. He already ranks fifth in school history in passing yards, sixth in passing TDs, third in rushing yards by a QB, and third in rushing TDs by a QB. 

In his past two seasons as a starter, Pennington is 257 of 489 passing for 3624 yards and 27 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He also has 230 carries for 744 yards and 14 TDs. After finishing his sophomore season with only 80 yards on the ground, he emerged as one of the state’s top double-threats last year and led the team rushing.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have room for improvement, however. 

“I’ve really been trying to work on my speed this year, my strength of course. Just throwing the ball, making sure all my receivers are on the same page. I could definitely improve on my speed, that’s what I’ve worked on a lot this year. Throwing on the run, stuff like that. I always have room to improve.”

But his ceiling is very, very high. As a pocket passer, he can go deep and accurate with ease, and his ability to read the defense is one of his best features. 

“Our quarterback’s a two-sport star,” says Head Coach Bobby Klinck. “College recruiters need to start waking up a little bit. My quarterback, he’s the best dang quarterback in the state. But he plays baseball so he doesn’t get to do all the camps and everything so nobody notices him. All that guy does is win and throw dimes every single day. That guy’s an unbelievable football player.”

If the rest of the season goes the way of the Sandites’ Friday-night scrimmage against Collinsville, Pennington should get the recruiters’ attention quickly. In only two quarters of action, the young stud went 7-of-11 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

The quarterback couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to showcase his talents than what he’ll have Friday night, as the Sandites’ season-opening game against Sapulpa will be broadcast statewide on Yurview.

CPHS Basketball: Sandites top Collinsville 54-45 at Port City Classic

The Class 6A No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School boys basketball team (5-4) got back to a winning record Thursday night with a 54-45 knockout of 5A No. 16 Collinsville (5-4) in the first round of the Port City Classic. On Wednesday it looked like the tournament wouldn’t even be played after Catoosa canceled all athletic operations due to COVID-19, but Victory Christian stepped and volunteered to host.

Oscar Hammond put up the first bucket of the game and Cooper McDowell drained a three for a 5-0 Cardinal lead. Corbin Fisher hit a pair of free throws, Marlo Fox buried a three to tie it, and Cason Savage earned the Sandites their first lead at 7-5. The teams traded leads six times in the first half, but after Fisher put the Sandites up 23-22 they never again let the Cardinals out front, despite the game remaining close.

Down 38-33 to start the fourth quarter, Caden Bouy went on a 5-1 run to make it a one-point game, but foul trouble caught up with the Cardinals and the Sandites scored eight from the stripe to go with field goals from Fox and Jason Clark. They took their biggest lead at 54-42 before Corey Dees scored three unanswered to end the game.

Fox led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Fisher with 11 and Clark with 10. McDowell scored 12 as the only Cardinal in double digits.

Sandite basketball will return to action Friday at 8:30 p.m. against 5A No. 6 Bishop Kelley (7-3). Collinsville will play 5A No. 10 Edison (6-5) at 5:30 p.m. The Kelley Comets defeated the Eagles 66-58 in their quarterfinal game.

CPHS 54 CHS 45.
1Q: CPHS 14-12.
2Q: CPHS 12-11.
3Q: CPHS 12-10.
4Q: CPHS 16-12.
Free Throws: CPHS 16-of-33, CHS 16-of-24.
Field Goals: CPHS 16-of-43, CHS 12-of-36.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 8, CHS 6.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 24, CHS 19.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 32, CHS 25.
Steals: CPHS 10, CHS 8.
Blocks: CPHS 2.
Fouls: CPHS 22, CHS 25.

(Sand Springs stats)
Scoring: Fox 17, Fisher 11, Clark 10, Savage 9, Hawkins 3, Keim 3, Oakley 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Keim 2, Oakley 2, Hawkins 1, Savage 1, Fisher 1, Brockman 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Clark 6, Fisher 6, Fox 4, Savage 3, Hawkins 2, Keim 2, Oakley 1.
Total Rebounds: Fisher 7, Clark 6, Savage 4, Fox 4, Keim 4, Hawkins 3, Oakley 3, Brockman 1.
Steals: Fox 3, Hawkins 2, Savage 2, Fisher 2, Clark 1.
Assists: Fisher 2, Fox 2.
Blocks: Fisher 2.
Fouls: Hawkins 4, Keim 4, Savage 3, Fox 3, Oakley 3, Fisher 2, Clark 1, Brockman 1, Corona 1.

Collinsville Scoring: McDowell 12, Bouy 8, Scyrkels 8, Dees 6, Hammond 4, Schloman 3, Meacham 3, Morgan 1.