Stella Millican and Lady Sandite Softball hammers Booker T with 18-5 run-rule victory

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School slow-pitch softball team (3-3) got off to a slow start against the Booker T Washington Lady Hornets (4-8) Tuesday afternoon, but found their feet in the top of the third and never looked back.

Senior Mid-American Christian University-signee Stella Millican (1-3) picked up her first win on the mound for the season and batted in a team-high six runs on two singles and a triple. Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington connected for three hits as well, including a home run, and scored four runs and 2RBI. Freshman Kimi Presnall scored 3RBI and three runs with two singles and a homer.

The game started slow as there were already two outs on the board before the Sandites got on base. But they didn't stay on base for long, as the very first hit was the homer by Pennington. The Lady Hornets tied things up in the bottom of the first as Abbey Taylor singled in Jacinta Harris, but Sand Springs jumped right back ahead in the second as Madelyn Blair tripled and came in on a sacrifice fly by Millican.

In the top of the third Blair batted in Presnall, then Millican hit a 3RBI triple to score Pennington, Jessica Schuler, and Blair. Millican pitched a no-hitter in the bottom of the inning, then the Sandites doubled their score in the top of the fourth.

Kennedy "Goose" Salyers singled in Rachel Blair and Presnall batted a 3RBI homer to score Jacie Taber and Salyers. Pennington doubled and came in on a Schuler double. Madelyn Blair singled in Schuler and Cameron Clemons sacrificed to score Jessica Collins for a 13-1 advantage. 

Booker T finally found their bats in the bottom of the fourth as Kerri Alexander scored a runner with a double, then came in on a single by Taylor Carey who in turn scored on a single by Anna Powell. 

In the top of the fifth the Sandites put on the finishing touches. Pennington singled in Salyers, Madelyn Blair walked in Presnall, and Millican hit a single to score Pennington and Schuler. Clemons sacrificed to score Madelyn Blair for an 18-4 lead. Booker T scored one in the bottom of the inning and fell by run-rule.

Brooklyn Eardley leads Lady Sandite Soccer to Edison Tournament finals

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Story and photo by: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director

The Charles Page High School Girls soccer team (7-1) continued their winning ways in exciting fashion on day one of the Edison Green and White Tournament. The Sandite Girls defeated the Tulsa Memorial High School Lady Chargers 4-0 to get the ball rolling. Senior midfielder Brooklyn Eardley led the way for Sand Springs with a pair of goals and an assist, with juniors Kyndal Zicker and Megan Deshazo accounting for the other scores. 

As a result of the Sandites win and the Booker T. Washington High School Lady Hornets victory over the Regent Preparatory School Lady Rams, the two teams met for the second time in three days. BTW came in seeking to avenge the 2-0 loss they were dealt on Sand Springs's home turf. 

After a scoreless first half, things got going early in the second. Two minutes in, Lady Hornet midfielder Jae Harris crossed in a corner to Lauren Cousins whose shot deflected off of a Sand Springs defender and scored. Booker T. would hold the lead for a very short time though, as Eardley would spin around a defender and place a pass perfectly in stride to Deshazo who tapped the ball just past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Lauren Ketchum. The Sandite girls would dominate possession for the rest of the half, but were unable to come up with another goal despite a few solid opportunities. Charles Page keeper Abigail Banks would stop the only shot that came her way in the second half, sending the game to penalty kicks tied 1-1. 

BTW led things off with a successful penalty kick and Zicker quickly tied it at 1 apiece. The second Lady Hornet PK hit the crossbar and Deshazo put the Sandites on top. A diving save by Banks put Sand Springs in prime position to seal things but a save on Jae Anthony-Wilson's penalty and a miss by Marissa Doll opened things back up for Washington who tied things up at 2 heading into the final round. The final kick for BTW was saved by Banks though, and Eardley sealed things for CPHS by calmly netting her shot for the win. 

The Lady Sandites will get a one-day break while the boys' tournament goes on, then will confront Edison, the host team, Saturday evening at 6:30 pm. The Lady Eagles are 3-4 for the season after defeating Pryor and Cascia Hall each 1-0 in the early rounds of the tournament.

Sandite soccer splits with Booker T: girls win 2-0, boys fall 4-1

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Story and photo by: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director

It has been a troubling year so far for the Charles Page High School Varsity Boys soccer team, who came into Tuesday night's game with a record of just 1-4. The Booker T. Washington Varsity Boys came into the first game of district play with a much better record of 3-0 and looked very formidable coming in. 

The Hornets got off to a hot start with Senior captains Zach Canady and Joseph Cuellar each scoring a goal to put their squad up 2-0. The visiting team's defense stifled the Sandite offense for nearly the entirety of the first half, until Senior forward Cody Gurley corralled a loose ball and fired a shot that squeaked by Hornet keeper Zac Haney. The Sandite goal came in the 39th minute and cut the lead in half going into the break. 

The second half would see a more aggressive Sandite offense, as they made far more trips into the box. Sand Springs nearly evened the game in the 50th minute when a left footed strike hit the right post and shot out of bounds. That would be as close as they would get though as Max Pettett, a sophomore midfielder, netted a header in the 63rd minute and Cuellar scored his second goal of the match on a penalty in the 66th to seal things for Booker T. 

The loss puts the Sandites at 1-5 (0-1) on the year and the Hornets continue their undefeated start at 4-0 (1-0). Charles Page will play next April 1-2 at the Edison Tournament. 

The Charles Page and Booker T Washington girls soccer teams both entered the district opener with records well over .500 for the year. The Lady Hornets carried an undefeated record of 4-0 with them into Memorial Stadium to face the Lady Sandites who boasted a record of 4-1 on the season. The lone Sand Springs loss came at the hands of Metro Christian Academy by a score of 1-0, but Bobby Behrens's girls have gotten back on track beating Enid 5-0 and Bixby 2-1. 

Sand Springs took a major hit offensively coming in, as Senior captain and leading goal scorer Kayla Foster was unable to play due to injury. Foster has scored 7 goals in the first 5 games, including a pair of hat tricks. 

The Lady Hornets made a strong run at goal in the opening minute as Freshman forward Lauren Cousins played a ball in to fellow freshman midfielder McKenna Raley who took a shot that went just wide to the right of the goal. That would prove to be the only shot of the half for Booker T. as the two teams would simply trade possession for the remainder of the half. The Lady Sandites managed one shot midway through the opening 40 minutes, and it came on a Brooklyn Eardley free kick that sailed well over the top of the goal. 

Both teams seemed to really pick up the pace in the second half as they traded shots for the first 20 minutes with Sandite keeper Abigail Banks making a key stop on a shot by Cousins. Sand Springs finally found pay dirt in the 64th minute when Eardley collected a loose ball on the left sideline, cut past her defender towards goal, took a couple of touches and stroked a shot inside post past the keeper. Kyndal Zicker got in on the fun as the junior contributed with her 5th goal of the season coming in the 76th minute.  The Lady Hornets refused to give up though, as Cousins and the offense continued to press forward and get off shots, but Banks and the Sandite back line stood strong and completed the shutout. It was Banks's fourth clean sheet of the year and the girls's third straight victory. 

The victory moves the Sandite girls to 5-1 (1-0) and the Lady Hornets fall to 4-1 (0-1). Sand Springs will play this weekend, April 1-2 at the Edison tournament.

Lady Sandite Soccer deal Booker T first loss of the season for third straight win

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Story by: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director
Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page and Booker T Washington girls soccer teams both entered the district opener with records well over .500 for the year. The Lady Hornets carried an undefeated record of 4-0 with them into Memorial Stadium to face the Lady Sandites who boasted a record of 4-1 on the season. The lone Sand Springs loss came at the hands of Metro Christian Academy by a score of 1-0, but Bobby Behrens's girls have gotten back on track beating Enid 5-0 and Bixby 2-1. 

Sand Springs took a major hit offensively coming in, as Senior captain and leading goal scorer Kayla Foster was unable to play due to injury. Foster has scored 7 goals in the first 5 games, including a pair of hat tricks. 

The Lady Hornets made a strong run at goal in the opening minute as Freshman forward Lauren Cousins played a ball in to fellow freshman midfielder McKenna Raley who took a shot that went just wide to the right of the goal. That would prove to be the only shot of the half for Booker T. as the two teams would simply trade possession for the remainder of the half. The Lady Sandites managed one shot midway through the opening 40 minutes, and it came on a Brooklyn Eardley free kick that sailed well over the top of the goal. 

Both teams seemed to really pick up the pace in the second half as they traded shots for the first 20 minutes with Sandite keeper Abigail Banks making a key stop on a shot by Cousins. Sand Springs finally found pay dirt in the 64th minute when Eardley collected a loose ball on the left sideline, cut past her defender towards goal, took a couple of touches and stroked a shot inside post past the keeper. Kyndal Zicker got in on the fun as the junior contributed with her 5th goal of the season coming in the 76th minute.  The Lady Hornets refused to give up though, as Cousins and the offense continued to press forward and get off shots, but Banks and the Sandite back line stood strong and completed the shutout. It was Banks's fourth clean sheet of the year and the girls's third straight victory. 

The victory moves the Sandite girls to 5-1 (1-0) and the Lady Hornets fall to 4-1 (0-1). Sand Springs will play this weekend, April 1-2 at the Edison tournament.

Lady Sandite Basketball advances in playoffs with 46-43 win over Booker T Washington

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Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.11 ranked Charles Page High School girls' basketball team (17-8) is still alive in their playoff run after a close 46-43 win over No. 13 Booker T Washington (16-10) Thursday night in Catoosa. 

The girls won their first Regional game against Union last week, guaranteeing their advancement to Area, but lost in the Regional Championship to No.4 Sapulpa (22-3), 48-40, meaning they have to take the long way to State by winning two straight at Area. Their win over Booker T puts them halfway there, now they just need to defeat No. 9 Owasso (19-7) Saturday at 1:30 PM.

Junior Sydney Pennington led the scoring effort for the Sandites with 14 points, followed by sophomore Gloria Mutiri who had a double-double with ten points and twelve rebounds. 

The Lady Sandites took an early 11-3 lead before trailing off defensively toward the end of the first quarter, at one point allowing the Hornets to snag six straight offensive rebounds, and their opponent took a 17-13 lead early in the second. 

Pennington tied things back up with a pair of layups and it was a back and forth affair from there. Rhys Anderson hit a two to take the lead back for Booker T. Sandite freshman Destiny Johnson missed a two but Mutiri rebounded and tied things up at 19-19. Anderson sank another shot, followed by Mutiri, then freshman Holly Kersgieter snatched a half court steal and hit the layup with five seconds left in the half to take the lead back for the Sandites.

Kambri Davis hit a three, followed by Taylor Sells with a two and it was the Hornets with a 26-23 lead to start the second half. Pennington, Kersgieter, and Mutiri went on a 6 point run for Sand Springs to take back the lead for a while, but the Hornets found 5 points of their own to carry a 33-31 advantage into the final stanza.

The lead exchanged hands five times in the fourth period, but Sand Springs emerged to a definitive lead off a run from Johnson who sank a field goal and three free throws to give her team a 44-39 advantage. Sells hit a two and added a free throw and it continued to come down to the wire as both teams were in the double bonus with 1:16 to play. 

Aiya El-Hassan had a chance to tie things up from the charity stripe, but missed her second shot and senior Cierra Scott was fouled on the rebound and sent to the line to score the final points of the night.

If the girls can overcome Owasso on Saturday, they'll advance to the State Championship tournament for the first time in half a decade. It won't be easy. The girls defeated the Lady Rams 51-48 earlier this season, but the last time the two teams met it was Owasso with a 53-48 victory.

Come out and support your girls Saturday afternoon at 1:30 at Catoosa High School, right up the road from the Hard Rock Casino! It's been an incredible year of State Championship appearances from Sand Springs, let's rally around our incredible athletes and send another team to the top!

#3 Charles Page upsets #1 Booker T Washington: Here's the stats

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

In case you've been living under a rock for the last 36 hours, the Sand Springs Sandites are headed to the State Championship for the first time in 49 years after a come-from-behind 30-23 win over the #1 Booker T Washington Hornets.

Passing

First-year quarterback Hunter Greathouse threw for 171 yards and 1 touchdown in his second largest output of the season, completing 7 of his 14 passes. Greathouse sits 88 of 164 for the season with 1603 yards, 16 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.

Kasey Bales also attempted one pass that was broken up, but still sits at 2-4-0-77 for the season.

Receiving

Five Sandites registered receptions in Friday's semi-final game.

Bales led with two catches for 79 yards and 1 touchdown, putting him at 21-359 for the season and 4 touchdowns. 

Lane Lettich pulled in a season-long pass for 49 yards. He sits at 12-231 and 2 touchdowns on the season.

Trace Fleischman caught two passes for 25 yards, putting him at 32-718 on the season with 6 touchdowns.

Jake Ward caught a season-long 13-yard pass bringing him to 5-47 this year.

Ty Fain caught a 5-yard pass putting him at 10-158 and 1 touchdown for the season.

Rushing

Lane Lettich had his second-best night of the year, entering the game 69-yards short of a 1000-yard season rushing. He broke through that barrier on his first play of the night with a season-best 70 yard carry and went on carry 13 times for 128 yards and 1 touchdown. He'll be going into the Championship 207-1059 with 17 touchdowns.

Payton Scott was 6-39 bringing him just shy of 900 for the season. Scott will need a big night against Bixby if he hopes to break 1000 as he currently sits 112-861 with 8 touchdowns.

 Trace Fleischman picked up a single yard on a direct snap. He sits 19-112 with 1 touchdown.

Kasey Bales was hit hard immediately upon reception of a lateral pitch and stuck with a 10 yard loss for the night. Seasonally, he sits 5-12.

Hunter Greathouse was pushed to negative yardage for the season, suffering several sacks by the #2 defense in the state. Despite a few QB sneaks for 2 touchdowns, he ultimately ended up 9-(-13) against Booker T and is 62-(-9) on the season with 5 total touchdowns.

Kicking

After quite a few kicker switch-ups at the beginning of the season, Kasey Bales has had the position completely on lock for the last several games. He was 3/4 on extra points and sank a 25 yard field goal, but missed a 32. He punted 3 times for an average of 26 yards and kicked off 6 times for an average of 40.

For the season, Bales is 33/38 on PATs and 3/4 on field goals with a long of 36. He averages 25 yards over his 28 punts with a long of 57. He's kicked off 32 times for an average of 39.9 with 1 touchback.

Kick Returns

Trace Fleischman returned four kickoffs for 57 yards. He's 13-341 on the season with a long of 57. 

Parker Taylor picked up 10 yards on a punt return and is 8-151 for the season with 1 touchdown and a long of 62.

Tackles

For the third time this season, Cole Dixon registered 11 tackles for a team leading 89 total. 14 of those are tackles for loss totaling 52 yards and 2 are sacks for 10 yards.

Jacob Taber was not far behind with 8 tackles bringing his total to 76. 10 were for losses totaling 36 yards and 1 was a 1 yard sack.

  • Jaxon Starling had 6 tackles, 3 for loss of 9, 1 sack for 5 yards. (47 tackles, 21 for loss of 115, 9 sacks for 81).
  • Delvin Jordan had 6 tackles, 1 for loss of 4. (74 tackles, 15 for loss of 63, 7 sacks for 31).
  • Malachi Walton had 3 tackles, 1 for loss of 3. (24 tackles, 1 for loss of 3).
  • Cruz Desjarlais had 3 tackles. (32 tackles, 1 for loss of 3).
  • Parker Taylor had 3 tackles. (37 tackles).
  • Jason Cooper had 3 tackels. (31 tackles).
  • Gage Fain had 2 tackles. (28 tackles, 6 for loss of 13, 1 sack for 5).
  • Trace Fleischman had 2 tackles. (8 tackles).
  • Payton Scott had 1 tackle. 
  • Treyce Tolbert had 1 tackle. (23 tackles, 1 sack for loss of 6).
  • Josh Taber had 1 tackle. (4 tackles. 

Other Defense

Malachi Walton caught his first interception of the season, the only one of the night, on the final play of the game to seal the Sandites' ticket to the State Championship.

Jacob Taber scored his first pass breakup of the season.

Jacob Taber and Jaxon Starling both forced their first fumbles of the season. Delvin Jordan recovered one of them, his fourth recovery of the season. 

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