Football Preview: Sandites Host No. 6 Bartlesville on Thursday

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The Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School football team (4-3, 2-2) is set to host No. 6 Bartlesville (3-4, 3-1) Thursday evening at Memorial Stadium.

Sand Springs is coming off a 39-14 road win at No. 9 Putnam City West and looking to get above .500 in district play while the Bruins are coming off a 14-10 near upset against No. 4 Stillwater for their first district loss of the season.

The Church That Matters Tailgate Party will start at 6:00 p.m. outside of the stadium. Tickets are $6 and include your choice of a hamburger, grilled chicken sandwich, or hot dog with chips and a drink. Proceeds will benefit the Sandite Tennis program.

Limited tickets are still available for the Varsity Club, which includes a buffet dinner and indoor seating to view the game from the CPHS Fine Arts Building in the south end zone.

Tickets for the Varsity Club are $30 and must be purchased by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors 65+. General admission is $8. Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and other concessions are available inside the gate with proceeds benefiting the Gold Pride marching band.

The History

Sand Springs has won three in a row against the Bruins, but Bartlesville leads the series 21-18. The series is one of the longest-standing rivalries for either school, having been played 24 consecutive seasons. The two teams have only missed playing each other twice since Bartlesville High School opened in 1982.

Sand Springs High School went 3-3 against Bartlesville Central from 1919 to 1930. The Sandites were 4-11 against Bartlesville College from 1953 to 1979 and 2-6 against Bartlesville Sooner from 1970 to 1977. College and Sooner were unified under the Bruin banner in 1982.

Following the Bartlesville unification, the Bruins won the first three meetings in the new series before LD Baines’s Sandites prevailed 35-15 in 1985 to secure their first winning season in eight years.

Bartlesville won seven in a row from 1986 to 1992 and the Sandites responded with three in a row from 1993 to 1995.

This is the third time the Sandites have won three in a row against the Bruins but thus far they have never gotten past that mark.

The Bruins’ biggest win in the rivalry was 48-16 in 2010 while the Sandites have the largest margin of victory at 55-13 in 2017. Each team owns three shutouts against the other.

The highest-scoring game in the series was a 54-34 Bruin victory in 2019 while the lowest-scoring game was a 7-0 Bruin victory in 1990.

During the Bobby Klinck era the Sandites have won 21-14 in 2020, 41-20 in 2021, and 36-29 last season.

Sand Springs squandered a 22-point third-quarter advantage in last year’s game and needed overtime to secure the win.

Bartlesville is making gains under second-year head coach Harry Wright, who led the Bruins to a 5-7 record and a playoff win last year after they only went 2-8 the previous season.

This Season

Sand Springs has proven it can win in the trenches and run the ball against almost anybody this season, averaging 183 rushing yards per game. The Sandites have struggled to mesh in the passing game, however, averaging only 115 yards by air.

The task against Bartlesville will be to get promising sophomore quarterback Easton Webb, who missed one game with injury, in sync with an all-new receiving corps. With only three games left till the playoffs, the Sandite offense needs to work on being more multidimensional.

Webb was 7-of-15 last week against Putnam West, throwing for 83 yards. Kenneth Page had 3 catches for 57 yards and 26 carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns.

Alex Dudley led the defense with 6 tackles, followed by Owen Floyd and Gatlin Gunn with 5 apiece. Joseph Farmer had an interception, Floyd forced a fumble, Christian Freitus had a scoop-and-score, and Hunter Wilson blocked a punt and scored a safety.

On the Season:

Webb is 46-of-69 for 597 yards, 4 TDs, and 6 INTs with 1 rushing TD. Caleb Goodman has 28 catches for 344 yards and 3 TDs.

Kenneth Page has 119 carries for 627 yards and 8 TDs plus 2 TD receptions. Ali McCoy has 74 carries for 643 yards and 8 TDs but he is expected to miss the game with an injury.

Dawson Puckett is 24-of-27 on PATs and 1-of-2 on field goals, connecting from 30 yards.

The defense is led by Floyd with 53 tackles, Gunn with 40 tackles, and Dudley with 39 tackles. Dudley and Gunn each have two interceptions.

Football Preview: Sandites Travel to Putnam West on Thursday

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The Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School football team (3-3, 1-2) is headed to No. 9 Putnam City West (3-3, 0-3) for a Thursday night district showdown at Patriot Stadium.

Sand Springs is coming off a 35-18 road loss to No. 4 Stillwater and looking to get back to .500 in district play while the Patriots are coming off a 31-28 loss to No. 6 Bartlesville and are looking for their first district win after an 0-3 run.

Patriot Stadium is located on the campus of Putnam City West High School at 8500 NW 23rd, Oklahoma City. The new 2019 stadium has a capacity of 3558, with limited visitor seating available in the north end zone. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The game will be the sixth meeting in a series that Sand Springs owns 5-0. The two teams first met in 2016 when the Sandites prevailed 29-24 in a non-district home game. They won the next year 28-14 on the road.

The first district meeting was a 51-13 rout in 2020 that remains the highest-scoring and most lopsided in the series. The Sandites won 44-7 in 2021 and 44-14 in 2022.

Ali McCoy ran for 162 yards and five touchdowns in last year’s meeting.

Sand Springs has proven it can win in the trenches and run the ball against almost anybody this season, averaging 190 rushing yards per game. The Sandites have struggled to mesh in the passing game, however, averaging only 121 yards by air.

The task against Putnam West will be to get promising sophomore quarterback Easton Webb, who missed one game with injury, in sync with an all-new receiving corps. With only four games left till the playoffs, the Sandite offense needs to work on being more multidimensional.

Webb was 15-of-33 last week against Stillwater, throwing for 168 yards and three interceptions. Wyatt Rutledge had three catches for a team-high 96 yards while McCoy ran the ball 12 times for 86 yards.

Owen Floyd led the defense with 11 tackles and one fumble recovery; Alex Dudley had 10 tackles and a blocked kick; Gatlin Gunn had nine tackles and a forced fumble; Hunter Wilson had nine tackles; and Landyn Barnes had seven tackles, a fumble recovery, and three pass deflections.

On the season:

Webb is 39-of-54 for 514 yards, 3 TDs, and 6 INTs with 1 rushing TD. Caleb Goodman has 25 catches for 319 yards and 3 TDs.

Kenneth Page has 93 carries for 489 yards and 6 TDs plus 1 TD reception. McCoy has 74 carries for 643 yards and 8 TDs.

Dawson Puckett is 19-of-22 on PATs and 1-of-1 on field goals, connecting from 30 yards on his only attempt.

The defense is led by Floyd with 48 tackles, Gunn with 35 tackles, Dudley with 33 tackles, and Waylon Jeffers with 29 tackles. Dudley and Gunn each have two interceptions.

Sandites End Season in Regional Finals, Fall 5-2 to Edmond Memorial

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Kylie King drove in both Sandite runs with a double in the 5-2 loss.

Sand Springs matched up well against Edmond Memorial at the plate but third inning mistakes were the difference maker as the defending State Champions prevailed 5-2 to end the Sandites’ season Friday afternoon in the Regional tournament finals.

Memorial (26-9) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a home run from Beth Damon, but the Bulldogs did most of their damage in the third when two walks and two errors put the home team up 4-0.

Chenna Davidson scored her team’s fifth and final run on a sacrifice hit after reaching base on a hit-by-pitch.

Sand Springs averted the shutout in the sixth with a pair of singles from Lakelyn Harger and Ashlyn Clark and a two-run double from Kylie King.

Kelsi Hilton ended her high school career stranded at first base on a seventh-inning single.

King (2-3) got the loss in the circle, surrendering four hits, one earned run, and two walks in four innings. Addison Hughes (12-7) got the start and allowed three hits and two walks with one strikeout in two innings.

Lilly Stephens got the start for the Bulldogs, throwing three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings but Keegan Baker got the win with four hits, no walks, and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

Charles Page High School wrapped up the season with a 19-15 mark. The girls will graduate four players this season: Morgan Rector, Hilton, Gracey Massey, and Natalia Delgado. The senior class of 2024 went 87-53 during its career.

Rector and Hilton will have compelling resumes for potential All-State accolades and Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University next season.

Edmond Memorial will join Southmoore (21-11), Moore (31-3), Broken Arrow (30-3), Owasso (33-1), Edmond Deer Creek (25-6), Mustang (23-6), and Choctaw (22-10) at the 6A State Tournament on October 12th in Oklahoma City’s USA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex.

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Two Sandites Medal at State Wrestling Tournament

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The Sand Springs boys’ wrestling team took tenth place at the OSSAA 6A State Tournament with two placers in their best finish since 2020.

Mitchell Smith took fourth place at 150 pounds to end his career as a four-time State qualifier and two time placer with a 108-35 record.

Mason Harris took fourth place at heavyweight and finished his junior year with a team-best 40-9 record.

The Sandites went 3-3 in the wrestle-in round and 3-3 in the quarterfinals with Jayden Pait, Jaxon Trotter, and Ethan White earning their way into the main bracket.

Smith, Harris, and Kase Skaggs all advanced to the semifinals before taking their first losses. Skaggs and Trotter were both eliminated one win short of the podium.

Sand Springs will graduate Smith and White but will return 12 starters and seven state qualifiers next season.

Soccer

The CPHS boys soccer team improved to 2-0-1 in preseason action while the girls fell to 2-1-0.

The boys won 3-0 against Collinsville on Tuesday with goals from Elias Villanueva, Zac Ritter, and Elgin Hernandez, with Brian Boyles recording an assist. They battled to a 1-1 draw against Sapulpa with Eli Bise scoring the lone goal.

The girls fell 2-1 against Collinsville, with Alyssa Cunningham scoring the lone goal on an assist from Ava Watts. On Thursday they defeated Sapulpa 4-1 with two goals from Watts and one goal apiece from Avery Miller and Ashley Feigenbaum.

The Sandites have one more scrimmage scheduled Tuesday against Glenpool before opening the regular season Friday with home matches against Tulsa NOAH at 6:00 p.m.

Bowling

The CPHS girls bowling team of Tabby Hicks, Olivia Alexander, Zoe Butler, and Kyeara Owens finished as Regional Runners-Up on February 18th in Sapulpa, advancing to the State Tournament Saturday in Enid.

At State they sat in second place after eight games of qualifying, but were eliminated in the first round of bracket play.

“I’m so proud of this team,” said coach Shawn Judy. “Three out of the four girls on the team, this is the first year they have competed in high school bowling. I believe we overachieved every expectation that anybody put on us.”

Baseball

Sandite baseball improved to 5-1-1 in preseason games, losing 6-7 at Owasso on Monday before winning 9-6 Tuesday against Bartlesville and 13-0 Thursday against Glenpool. On Saturday they beat Edmond Santa Fe 2-0 and tied Noble 3-3.

The Sandites will travel to Pryor on Monday and will host Union on Tuesday to conclude the preseason.

The regular season will kick off Thursday at 11:00 a.m. against Greenwood, AR with a home game Friday at 6:00 p.m. against Shawnee. Sand Springs will travel to Yukon Saturday at noon.

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Girls Powerlifting Wins Meet, Wrestling Qualifies 9 for State

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The Sand Springs boys wrestling team took fifth place at the OSSAA 6A-East Regional Championship Saturday in Jenks, their highest mark since 2020.

The team qualified nine wrestlers for this weekend’s State Championship, the most since 2018.

The Sandites had a tough regional with nationally ranked Stillwater and Bixby, as well as perennial powerhouse Broken Arrow leading the pack. Owasso edged out the Sandites for fourth place with 147.5 points to 141.5.

Kase Skaggs was the lone finalist with a 6-0 semifinal upset against second-seeded Ponca City junior Jimmy Swenson to avenge a district loss at 106. In the finals he fell to nationally ranked Aydan Thomas from Stillwater.

Mitchell Smith took third place at 150 pounds, winning a 2-1 overtime tiebreaker against Broken Arrow’s Garrett Stinchcomb in the placement round.

Mason Harris placed third at heavyweight with a 4-2 sudden victory takedown against Broken Arrow’s Michael Cook.

Jaxon Trotter placed fourth at 157, losing only to nationally ranked LaDarion Lockett from Stillwater before medical forfeiting the placement round.

David Ritchey, Jayden Pait, Jesse Moore, Ethan White, and Hudson Sheppard placed fifth.

The State tournament will be held Friday and Saturday at Jim Norick Arena at the State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

The Lady Sandites didn’t have any State qualifiers in their first year, placing 42nd out of 64 schools at the OSSAA East Regional.

The Keystone Kids had several top performers at the OKWA Youth State Championship, placing third in Open 8U and ninth in Open 15U.

Hudson Waag, Hagan Wolfenberger, and Ryley Kester won State titles; Sutton Hawley was runner-up; Mason Londo, Karson Waag, and Jace Simms placed third.

Girls Powerlifting

The Lady Sandite powerlifting team won its second meet of the season at Chandler, beating the home team 161 to 110 in team points.

Jaden Jordan won her third meet of the year at heavyweight, taking first in bench at 160 pounds, first in deadlift at 390, and second in squat at 360.

Madison Thompson was runner-up at 220, placing second in squat at 305, second in bench at 150, and fourth in deadlift at 315.

Addily Shotwell was runner-up at 181, placing second in squat at 235, second in bench at 125, and fourth in deadlift at 270.

Gracie Worthington placed third and Olivia Alexander, Bailey Doughty, Kelsi Hilton, and Melanie Skelly placed fourth.

The girls will compete at the Regional Championship in Miami on Tuesday the 28th.

Soccer

The CPHS soccer teams started the preseason with a scrimmage sweep at Grove.

The boys won 4-0 behind two goals from Brian Boyles and one goal apiece from Eli Bise and Dawson Puckett. The girls won 3-0 with a hat trick from Ava Watts.

Both teams will return to action with home scrimmages against Collinsville Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

Baseball

The Sandite baseball team won its first two scrimmages of the year 6-0 against Mannford and 18-10 against Westmoore.

Gage Elliott and Wyatt Rutledge combined for a nine-strikeout one-hitter against the Pirates on Friday and Rhen Rutledge went 1-of-2 at the plate with a triple, 3 RBI, and a run.

Jackson Turney, Dom Ornelas, and Alex Dudley had two hits apiece against the Jaguars, with Ornelas scoring a 3RBI homer.

The Sandites will travel to Owasso, Glenpool, and Edmond Santa Fe next week and will host Bartlesville on Tuesday and Bixby on Friday.

Sandite Wrestling Wins Glenpool Warrior Classic with 4 Champions

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The Charles Page High School wrestling team earned its first tournament title of the Ty Bowling era Saturday, crowning four champions at the 5th Annual Glenpool Warrior Classic.

The Sandites went 4-3 in the finals with Kase Skaggs, Mitchell Smith, Jaxon Trotter, and Mason Harris earning gold. No. 7 Sand Springs earned 219 team points to beat out No. 9 Owasso with 179.

“I think we finished the regular season strong,” said Bowling.

“We really wanted to go to (the Yukon tournament two weeks ago) but we were kind of beat up and we’d been going for a few weeks in a row so I felt like we needed to take that off and we really needed to get this one in right before the postseason started.”

Coincidentally, Bowling was previously the head coach at Glenpool, though this was the first time one of his teams would win the tournament

Skaggs breezed through the 106 bracket with three pins and 10-1 major decision in the finals against Owasso’s Elijah Cherry.

Smith won at 150 with five pins and a tech fall, outscoring his foes 45-8. He pinned Glenpool’s Michael Lohr in the finals and also reached a big milestone in the quarterfinals when he pinned Glenpool freshman Kevin Gruse for his 100th career victory.

“I watched all these other guys grow up and do it so it feels nice,” said Smith.

The senior has been battling a knee injury since the Jenks tournament but doesn’t see that slowing him down in the postseason.

“I’m feeling good, healthier, a lot better now. I’m excited about that too.”

Trotter didn’t give up a single point till the 157-pound finals, where he earned a 5-3 decision over Sapulpa’s Blake Hurt.

Harris was equally dominant at heavyweight, only giving up one point in the whole tournament before winning a 6-0 decision against Enid’s Seth Melvin.

David Ritchey, Jayden Pait, and Ethan White finished as runners-up. Colt Hood, Ali McCoy, and Connor Diaz placed fourth. Landon Castro and Jaden Allen placed fifth. Luke McGehee placed sixth.

The Sandites were also missing several starters in Hudson Sheppard, Zander Grigsby, Jesse Moore, and Matthew Moore, making the team title even more remarkable.

“The ones we brought, they were the ones who stepped up and wrestled hard,” said Bowling.

“Coach (Earl) Shockley does a good job of setting up JV duals and JV tournaments, so those guys are constantly wrestling. It’s a next-man-up mentality.”

Smith says the team spirits are high and feels confident going into Dual State and Regionals.

“We’re a lot happier than we have been in the past, more of a team than anything else.”

“He’s a great team leader,” Bowling said of Smith. “How he goes, that’s how the rest of the team’s gonna go. He sets the tone for us. He’s the leader in the room and out of the room so he’s a good one to have.”

Junior High

The Sand Springs boys placed seventh at the Junior High Allstate Tournament in Oklahoma City.

Ryley Kester and Kaden Pope placed third, Isaac Sensintaffar placed fourth, and Jaxon Grigsby and Kasen McAffrey placed sixth.

For the girls: Rylee Allen placed fourth and Stefanie Ortiz placed sixth.