Laila Mirza Crowned Homecoming Queen, Lady Sandites split with Ponca City & Westmoore

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For the first time in Sandite history, the wrestling Homecoming queen was an actual wrestler. Laila Mirza was crowned in between a pair of victories as the Sandites hosted Westmoore and Ponca City on Thursday.

No. 9 ranked Sand Springs (4-2) won 42-36 against No. 13 Ponca City (0-4) before falling 54-30 to No. 6 Westmoore (3-0).

“We’ve been trying to take one dual at a time and handle Ponca City first, but we knew Westmoore was going to be tough,” said head girls coach Trent Cleveland.

“They battled us tough and ended up getting the better of us. We did have a couple of girls out of the lineup tonight. That probably played a factor but it is what it is, just got to roll with the punches.”

Sand Springs never trailed against the Wildcats, though the visitors tied things up twice and held close till the end.

Bailey Copeland took an 8-2 lead on Camila Bohon before pinning her at the 5:17 mark. Caryss Upton received a forfeit at 105 to take a 12-0 lead.

Ponca City tied things up with pins from Marli Arbona against Ambrielle Chambers and Toutie Bales against Trinity Owens.

Mirza responded by pinning Oakly Hunt and Gracie Gifford pinned Kaylie Thomas to make it 24-12, but Porscha Kreger pinned Audree Robinson and State placer Adisyn Ivers pinned Mia Bruns at 135 to tie it once again.

Kelsi Hilton gave her team its final lead by pinning Caitlin Cooper in 3:38, then Kayla Arnold and Tessa Urrey received forfeits to clinch the dual.

Fiona Schalk pinned Kadence Grant at 170 and the Wildcats received a forfeit at 190, but neither team had a heavyweight, resulting in a double forfeit.

In the second dual the Sandites never led but clawed back from a 24-0 deficit to keep things close before the Jaguars ran away with the final three weight classes.

Returning State qualifiers Kyrain and Krystan Perez pinned Copeland and Chambers, the Sandites forfeited 110, and Michaela Pinley pinned Owens to start the dual.

Mirza snapped the Jaguars’ streak by pinning Paula Galindo in just 42 seconds, then Gifford and Robinson received forfeits. The teams traded pins from there.

Zusette Arellano pinned Bruns at 135, Hilton pinned Ashlyn Hyde in 2:49, Izzy Galindo pinned Arnold, Urrey pinned Kaysie Gallope in 4:48, and Pearl Galindo pinned Grant to make it 42-30. Sand Springs forfeited 190 and 235.

Sand Springs came into the night with momentum, ranked the highest in school history after winning the Diamond State Invitational last weekend.

“We’re definitely coming off a high, going a state over and representing Oklahoma wrestling,” said Cleveland.

“It’s all kind of coming together at the right time. I couldn’t be luckier to have such a great coaching staff, support group, and wrestlers. The girls are really just coming out of the hallways just to try it out. We’ve officially got a full lineup.”

“It’s the first team title. There’s a lot of firsts going on this year and so now we’re really searching for that first State qualifier and that first State placer.”

Sand Springs also competed at the Supergirl 64 tournament at Union High School over the weekend, taking 15th place out of 46 schools.

Hilton took second place at 140 pounds, winning her pool with three pins. In the gold bracket she won two more pins, beating Bixby State qualifier Jay’la Ford in the semifinals before dropping a 5-1 decision to Yukon State qualifier Trysten Rittberger.

She was the only Lady Sandite to place in the loaded tournament.

“We try to give our girls a tough schedule so Regionals is not a shock when they go in there,” said Cleveland.

Oklahoma 6A Week 7 Basketball Rankings

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Girls

  1. Edmond North (9-0)

  2. Putnam City West (10-0)

  3. Putnam City North (11-3)

  4. Owasso (9-2)

  5. Edmond Memorial (8-1)

  6. Choctaw (9-0)

  7. Sand Springs (6-4)

  8. Bixby (6-4)

  9. Edmond Santa Fe (7-4) +1

  10. Broken Arrow (8-5) -1

  11. Norman North (5-3)

  12. Norman (6-4)

  13. Yukon (8-3)

  14. Mustang (7-4)

  15. Jenks (7-3)

Boys

  1. Edmond North (9-0)

  2. Owasso (9-2)

  3. Edmond Memorial (9-3) +9

  4. Piedmont (10-2)

  5. Edmond Deer Creek (8-3) -2

  6. Broken Arrow (8-2)

  7. Choctaw (7-2) -2

  8. Union (8-2)

  9. Bixby (6-4) -2

  10. Edmond Santa Fe (8-3) -1

  11. Moore (4-5)

  12. Putnam City West (6-7) - 2

  13. Mustang (8-3)

  14. Norman North (6-5)

  15. Lawton (7-3)

Sandites Top Westmoore and Ponca City on Homecoming

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The Charles Page High School boys wrestling team is 7-0 for the second straight year after picking up a pair of ranked wins Thursday night on Homecoming.

The No. 7 ranked Sandites won 57-13 against No. 15 Ponca City (0-4) and 48-19 against No. 6 Westmoore (1-1) and crowned Homecoming Queen Laila Mirza between the duals.

“Ponca City’s always a good tough opponents, they’ve got good tough kids,” said head coach Ty Bowling.

“Westmoore, they’re top (six) in the state right now. Will Evans does a good job over there. So it was two good wins tonight.”

In the first dual the Sandites trailed through the first four matches against Ponca City who was stronger at the light weights.

Dawsen Briscoe (1-2) suffered a third-period fall against Garrett Short and Caden Rodriguez (1-3) fell 9-0 to Blake Parker before David Ritchey (1-0) got the home team on the board with a 7-5 decision against returning State qualifier Jimmy Swenson in his first match of the season.

Jaxon Grigsby (11-3) pinned Connor Cox in 59 seconds and Matthew Moore (9-4) won a 9-7 decision against State qualifier Cameron Kiser in sudden victory overtime to give the Sandites their first lead at 12-10.

Ethan Pappan put the Wildcats back on top one last time with an 8-3 decision against Jayden Pait (6-1) but the Sandites responded with eight consecutive wins to close out the dual.

Jesse Moore (7-0) took a 7-0 lead against Braden Perciful before pinning him in 4:20 to continue his undefeated season and Isaac Sensintaffar (7-3) pinned Axel Tucker in 1:16.

Brody Ensten (9-4) won a 9-6 decision against Anderson Bivins and Zander Grigsby (12-0) pinned Lance Arbona in 50 seconds to remain undefeated on the season.

Jaxon Trotter (13-2) took an 8-0 lead on Jaxon Goodard before pinning him in 3:14 to clinch the dual and the remaining Sandites all pinned their foes in the first period.

Peyton Callis (12-3) pinned Jose Herrera in 34 seconds, Ali McCoy (6-7) pinned Cesar Jiminez in 37 seconds, and Ryley Kester (1-0) made his varsity debut by pinning Blaze McGehee in 1:21.

Sand Springs only trailed for one match against Westmoore after returning State placer Eric Casula pinned Briscoe at 106. Rodriguez picked up his first varsity victory by pinning Eli Archer in 3:22 to tie it.

Kase Skaggs (11-1) pinned State qualifier Brayden Kelly in 1:11, Jaxon Grigsby won a 5-0 decision against Jackson Yeatman, and Matthew Moore pinned Woodley Johnson in 4:46 after opening the third period on top of a 4-4 tie to make it 21-6.

Undefeated freshman Kasen McAffrey (4-0) earned a 7-4 decision against State qualifier Gannon Morales at 138 and Jesse Moore pinned Artak Khachatryan in 2:36.

State qualifier Trae Rios pinned Sensintaffar at 150 and Sam Gibson eked out a 3-1 decision against Ensten to cut it to 30-15.

Zander Grigsby got the Sandites back on track by pinning Chris Steele in 2:11 and Trotter clinched the dual with a 5-2 decision over Cole Olguin at 175.

The teams traded wins from there. Callis added a 10-5 decision against Jordan Cox, McCoy fell 13-4 to Devin Lacroix, and Mason Harris (12-1) wrapped things up by pinning Gavin Gagnon in 1:11.

“Seven duals in and seven different lineups,” said Bowling. “That’s good depth and that tells you we’ve got good youth, a good junior high that helps push those guys up, so next man up.”

“We got to kind of showcase junior high, girls, and boys all at the same time. It’s probably the first time we’ve ever done that up here. I wish it wasn’t so late but it was good to get a couple of matches in.”

Sand Springs will get some rematches with both teams at this weekend’s Larry Wilkey Invitational in Jenks.

“That’s kind of why we put this together was everybody was going to the Jenks tournament,” said Bowling.

It will be the Sandites’ first appearance at the Jenks tournament since winning it in 2015. The Sandites have won the tournament ten times in school history.

Undefeated No. 11 Hutchinson Knocks Off No. 3 Butler

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EL DORADO – The No. 11 Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team took over sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk Conference Wednesday night after returning from the holiday break with a dominant victory over No. 3 Butler at the Power Plant.

Former Lady Sandites Hailey Jackson and Journey Armstead were top contributors in the victory.

Hutchinson defeated a Top 5 nationally ranked team for the first time since March 8, 2017 when the Blue Dragons defeated then-No. 4 Seward County 65-44 in the 2017 Region VI Tournament.

The Blue Dragons are now 13-0 overall and are the last remaining undefeated team in the Jayhawk Conference at 7-0. The Blue Dragons play host to Northwest Tech at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena. Butler is now 12-1 and 6-1 in the KJCCC.

Hutchinson trailed 7-2 with 5:36 to play in the first quarter before finally getting its offense going. Armstead's layup with 13 seconds left in the period gave Hutchinson an 11-10 lead after the first quarter.

The Blue Dragons exploded in the second quarter, outscoring Butler 28-4 over the first 9 1/2 minutes of the second quarter. Hutchinson shot 71.4 percent (10 of 14) and was 5 of 5 from 3-point distance in the second stanza. Butler was just 3 of 13 in the second quarters and committed seven turnovers.

Leading 23-14 with 5:22 to play in the period, the Blue Dragons went on a 16-0 run over a span of 5 minutes, 7 seconds to build a game-high 25-point lead at 39-14 with 18 seconds to play. Butler's Freddie Wallace hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Dragon lead to 39-17 at halftime.

The Blue Dragon lead dwindled to 12 points at 51-39 with 9:43 to play in the fourth quarter, but Hutchinson answered with a 7-0 run with 6:03 to play for a 58-39 lead.

Jackson had 12 points. nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Armstead had eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Sandite Recruiting Report: Tyler Smith Commits to Hendrix College

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Tyler smith (#72) is committed to Hendrix College. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Charles Page High School senior offensive lineman Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10” 285 pounds) announced on X Friday that he has committed to playing football at Hendrix College next season.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity,” tweeted Smith. “I want to thank my parents for all their love, support, always being there, and everything they have done for me.”

“To my coaches, thank you for always pushing me to be my best and for everything they have taught me over the years. I also want to tank all my teammates, friends, and family for all of their support.”

Smith, an All-District selection this past season, chose Hendrix over offers from McPherson College and Southwestern College.

Hendrix is an NCAA Division III program in Conway, Arkansas competing in the Southern Athletics Association.

The Warriors went 3-7 last season under 11th-year head coach Buck Buchanan. Hendrix discontinued football in 1960 before resurrecting it under Buchanan’s leadership in 2013. Since then they have posted six winning records.

Nine other Sandites have received offers to play football at the next level.

Senior OL Marcus Sims (6’0”, 265 pounds) holds offers from Southwestern College, Langston University, and Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Senior DE Dallas Elifrits (6’1”, 230 pounds) holds offers from McPherson College and Bethel College.

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) committed to play at Bethel College on November 10th.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he also holds a Division I football offer from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) has received offers from UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior linebacker Owen Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds) has earned two offers this season from Hendrix and Oklahoma Wildcats Prep.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Softball

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes holds offers from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Coffeyville Community College.

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Baseball

Senior RHP/OF Cole Pearson (6’2” 150 pounds) is committed to playing at McPherson College next season.

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Girls Basketball

5’10” senior small forward KiAryn Taylor is committed to Ranger College.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

5’7” senior guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris recently announced her commitment to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Boys Basketball

6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson holds one offer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Golf

Senior Mason Ward announced his commitment to Coffeyville Community College on Monday, November 13th.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Lady Sandites Win Diamond State Invitational Over Top Arkansas Teams

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Photo courtesy of Earl Shockley.

Charles Page High School has laid claim to its first ever tournament title in girls’ wrestling, winning the Diamond State Lady Invitational with four champions Saturday afternoon in Springdale, Arkansas.

Bailey Copeland, Ambrielle Chambers, Laila Mirza, and Kelsi Hilton all took top honors at the event while Tessa Urrey was runner-up and every Lady Sandite placed top-five.

Sand Springs earned 192 team points for a three-point advantage over Sylvan Hills, last year’s Arkansas 5A State Runners-Up. Placing third was defending Arkansas 6A State Champion Springdale Har-Ber with 147 points.

Copeland won the 100-pound bracket handily, pinning all four of her opponents while outscoring them 18-1. In the second round she took an 8-0 lead against Sylvan Hills State Runner-Up Emele Siegfried before pinning her in 3:36. Her other three opponents didn’t make it out of the first period.

Chambers won the gold at 105 pounds, also pinning all four of her foes while outscoring them 20-5. In the first round she pinned State Champion Farrah Crossno of Greenwood in 1:21.

Mirza won at 120 pounds with three pins, outscoring her opponents 21-0. All three of her pins came in under a minute and in the second round she won a 5-0 decision against Sylvan Hills State Runner-Up Chelsea Harmon.

Hilton won at 140 pounds, pinning all four of her foes, including Arkansas State qualifiers Kinalisa Lokot and Alyssa Beasley. She outscored her opponents 18-3, only surrendering escape points.

Urrey was runner-up at 155 pounds with a 6-2 record, with all six of her wins coming via fall. She had two wins over returning State qualifiers. In round eight she took a 7-0 lead on Har-Ber State Runner-Up Serena Valentine before pinning her in the second period, and in the final match she pinned Fayetteville’s Meya Flowers.

Mia Bruns placed third at 130, Kayla Arnold placed third at 145, Emily Ambriz placed third at 235, Zoe Butler placed fourth at 135, Gracie Gifford placed fourth at 125, Caryss Upton placed fifth at 110, Trinity Owens placed fifth at 115, and Kadence Grant placed fifth at 170.

The Lady Sandites (4-1) will return to action Thursday with duals against Westmoore (1-0) and Ponca City (0-2).