Lady Sandite Soccer season comes to an end at Deer Creek

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Girls' Soccer Team (9-6) traveled to Edmond Thursday night for their season finale against Deer Creek High School (11-3) and fell 5-2 to cap a disappointing end to a season that started with lots of promise. 

The girls started the year with a bang, racking up a 3-1-1 record in preseason scrimmages, including winning the Stillwater preseason tournament. In the season-opener at East Central they dominated their opponents with a 10-0 mercy rule shutout in only 23 minutes. Over the course of the season they racked up six shutouts and a championship trophy at the Edison Green and White Tournament.

The girls' six-straight win streak came to an end with a 6-0 loss to Union, who is currently ranked number one in the nation with a 30-game win streak. They rebounded with a dominating 9-1 performance against Putnam City North, which saw Megan DeShazo score six goals. From there, however, they lost the final four of the season and failed to make the playoffs.

Things started out fairly close as Deer Creek held a 3-1 lead after the first half, with the lone Sandite goal coming from Kyndal Zicker.

DeShazo narrowed the gap to 3-2 on a penalty kick exactly four minutes into the second half, but Megan Neilson returned the favor seven minutes later for the two-point advantage. 

Oral Roberts University-signee Taylor Reed added to the lead on a high-sailing free kick from 27 yards out that sailed just over Sandite goalie Abigail Banks's head into the top right corner with 21 minutes to play.

With a 5-2 lead and 17 minutes left, the Lady Antlers pulled their starting lineup and sent in the second string. That evened things out quite a bit, but even the youngsters from an annual powerhouse like Deer Creek are above average players and the two teams were evenly matched for the duration and regulation expired before either team could score again. 

With the bulk of the ladies' wins coming against non-district foes, the girls settled for sixth in the district and failed to make the playoffs. Despite the heavy losses at the end of the season, the girls still outscored their opponents by an impressive 46-26 overall this season.

DeShazo led her team in scoring with 13 goals, followed by Zicker with 12, Kayla Foster with 10, Brooklyn Eardley with 9, and Kylie Taylor with 2.

Foster, who is signed to play with Missouri University of Science and Technology next season, led for much of the season, scoring two hat tricks in the first four games, but was sidelined for half a dozen games after sustaining an injury against Bixby. 

DeShazo, a junior, opened the season with a hat trick against East Central, and had the highest single-game performance for the girls with her six goals against Putnam North. 

The girls will be losing McKinzie Horton, Marissa Doll, Bryn Lewis, Taylor Coyle, Ashley Marino, and Alexis Slabby plus four players who are signed to play at the collegiate level. Eardley is headed to ORU, Kylee Cramer is headed to Oklahoma Baptist University, and Madison Dye will be playing for Northeastern State University. 

This season's soccer gallery can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Soccer

Sandite of the Week: Jessica Schuler

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride would like to recognize Charles Page High School senior Jessica Schuler for her consistent outstanding performances at all three slow pitch softball games last week. Schuler is the second-highest scorer on the team with 25 runs and 34 RBI this season and is the leading home-run hitter with 13 this season. She has the highest slugging average at 1.644 and is the only Lady Sandite to hit a grand slam this season.

This past week has been particularly notable for Schuler, who is signed to play for Northeastern State University this fall. In a Tuesday evening game against 2A No.3 ranked Barnsdall (23-4) the No.14 Lady Sandites (10-5) scored a 13-8 upset win with Schuler (6-2) on the mound. 

The Lady Panthers led 4-3 in the bottom of the third when Schuler scored a go-ahead 2RBI homer. Barnsdall had tied it back up at 8-8 in the top of the fifth, but once more it was Schuler to the rescue with a grand slam to make it 12-8. Schuler pitched all seven innings and gave up 12 hits, 1 walk, and 8 earned runs with 1 strike out while throwing 43% strikes. 

On Thursday evening the Sandites had a close double-header rivalry match-up at Sapulpa. In the first game Schuler only got off a single on four at-bats, but she was instrumental in the second game.

Once more Schuler was on the mound, giving up just two earned runs and twelve hits over eight innings while throwing 73% strikes. Schuler got a base hit in the top of the second and courtesy runner Jensen Arnold scored the go-ahead on a Jacie Taber sacrifice. The Chieftains retook the lead in the bottom of the third, but in the top of the fourth Schuler hit a home run to tie it back up. Sapulpa battled back to a 6-6 tie by the top of the fifth and it held through extra innings till Sydney Pennington scored Kimi Presnell, then came home on a single by Schuler to ice the cake. 

The Sandites have just two game-days left in the regular season and will play next at Bixby (5-14) on Tuesday.

Sandite Soccer celebrates 19 on Senior Night

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STAFF REPORTS

Charles Page High School celebrated its senior soccer players and trainers Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The girls lost their game 2-1 in overtime to Westmoore and the boys lost 2-1 in double overtime.

Taylor Coyle is the daughter of Kary and Mike Stephens and James Coyle. She's been a player for the Sandite soccer team for three years. Throughout high school, she's been a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) secretary, a counselor at Make Promises Happen special needs camp, and a Peer Tutor in Ms. Harper's Special Ed class. After graduation she plans to attend Tulsa Community College (TCC) where she will major in Mild/Moderate Special Education.

Jacob Dixon is the son of Mike and Tammy Dixon. He's been a player for the Sandite soccer team for four years. During his high school career he's been involved in NHS and Future Farmers of America (FFA). After graduation he plans on enlisting in the United States Navy. 

Kylee Cramer is the daughter of Jill and Barrett Cramer and has played for the Sandite soccer team for four years. Throughout high school she's been involved in NHS, the Fellowship of Christian Students, the Native American Student Association (NASA), Calvary Baptist Youth Group, and the Oklahoma Indian National Honor Society. She's played competitive soccer with the West Side Alliance (WSA) 97 Girls for two years and Blitz United 98 Girls for one year. After graduation she plans to attend Oklahoma Baptist University where she will major in Nursing.

Lazaro Franco is the son of Lazaro and Elisabeth Franco and has played for the Sandites for three years. After graduation he plans on attending TCC where he will major in Electronics and Electrical Engineering Technology. 

Marissa Doll is the daughter of Russell and Elfi Doll and has played for the Sandites for three years. She's been a four-year member of Student Council and a three-year member of NHS, where she served as Vice President her senior year. She's a member of Youth and Government, has played soccer since she was five and has played competitive soccer with WSA for seven years. After graduation she plans to attend the University of Oklahoma (OU) where she will major in biochemistry with the goal of becoming a dentist.

Hunter Jacob is the son of Dawna Maron and Randy Jacob. He has played for the Sandites for one year, has played with the Sand Springs Soccer Club for eight years, and the WSA for one year. After graduation, he plans to attend OU where he will major in Biomedical Engineering. 

Madison "Hoot" Dye is the daughter of Erik and Nina Dye. She's played for the Sandites for one year. Throughout high school she has participated in NHS, FCCLA, and made the TCC President's Honor Roll. She's played for WSA for twelve years and has been the captain of her competitive team for the last six years. After graduation she will be attending Northeastern State University on a soccer scholarship. 

Dylan Lambert is the son of Robert and Jennifer Lambert and has played for the Sandites for four years. During his high school career he has been involved in NHS, FFA, Boy Scouts, Venturing Crew, Soccer, and Spanish Club. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 2015 and is graduating with honors. He has played recreational soccer with the Sand Springs Soccer Club for eight years. After graduating he plans to attend Oklahoma State University where he will major in Architecture and minor in Paleontology, Archaeology, and Horticulture.

Brooklyn Nicole Davis Eardley is the daughter of Sunnie and Josh Eardley and the late Marques Davis. She has been a player for the Sandites for four years. During her high school career she has been involved in NHS, NASA, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Competition, as well as CPHS Volleyball. She has played competitive soccer with the WSA 98 Girls Red for twelve years. She is signed to play soccer for Oral Roberts University where she will major in Pre-Sports Medicine. Eardley is fourth on her team in scoring this season with 9 goals.

Twin brothers Austin and Andrew Morrison are the sons of Steve and Leslie Morrison and have both played for the Sandites for four years. Austin has played soccer for six years. Both plan on attending TCC where Austin will major in Aviation and Andrew will major in Nursing. Andrew is one of the leading scorers for the Sandites with four goals this season. 

Kayla Foster is the daughter of Mark and Melissa Foster and has played for the Sandites for four years. Throughout high school she has participated in NJHS, NHS, Spanish Club, and played volleyball her freshman and sophomore years. She has played competitive soccer with WSA 98 Girls Red for nine years. She is signed to play for Missouri University of Science and Technology and plans to major in Petroleum Engineering. Foster is third in the team for scoring this season with 10 goals over six games after sitting out more than half the season with a leg injury. She's scored two hat tricks in wins over East Central and Enid.

McKinzie Horton is the daughter of Kassi and Colin Horton and has played for the Sandites for four years. Throughout high school she has participated in WSA, Ultimate Youth, FCS, and FCCLA. She has played recreational and competitive soccer with WSA for eleven years. After graduating she plans to attend TCC and major in Sonography. 

Dalton Lane is the son of Shannon Dobson and Kevin Smith and has played for the Sandites for one year. He's been a four year member of NHS and has played recreation and competitive soccer with SSSC and WSA for nine years. After graduating he plans to attend the University of Tulsa where he will major in Petroleum Engineering. 

Courtney Langley is the daughter of Dana and Gene Langley and has been a trainer for the Sandites for three years. Throughout high school she has served as the President of Student Council, Secretary of NHS, and has participated in Youth and Government, Fellowship of Christian Students, Horizons, and Key Club. After graduating she plans on attending NSU to major in Biology and Business. 

William Pelfrey is the son of Benjawan Sanka and William and Duangpon Pelfrey. He's played for the Sandites for four years, and has played soccer for twelve years. After graduation he plans on enlisting in the US Army.

Bryn Lewis is the daughter of Jim and Sharon Lewis and has played for the Sandites for four years. She's played in the Gold Pride Marching Band for four years, including two years as Drum Major. She's participated in the Sandite Concert Band for seven years, FCS, President of Youth and Government, and President of NHS. She also plays for Sandite Volleyball and is a volleyball partner with the Sandite Special Olympics. She's played competitive soccer with WSA for thirteen years. After graduation she plans on attending the University of Tulsa where she will major in Engineering. 

Ashley Marino is the daughter of Juan and Maria Marino and has played for the Sandites for four years. During her high school career, she's also been involved in Masa Club and Sandite Track. After graduation she plans on majoring in Criminal Justice at NSU. 

Alexis Slabby is the daughter of Kristina Slabby and Shane Morgan and has played for the Sandites for the past two years. During her high school career she has also participated in FCCLA and Make Promises Happen. After graduating she plans on attending the University of Central Oklahoma to obtain a liberal arts degree, then enlisting in the Marine Corp. 

Full photo galleries from both games and Senior Night festivities can be viewed and purchased at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Soccer/41516-Sand-Springs-vs/

Lady Sandites sweep Sapulpa rivals in double-header victories

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

A new chapter of the Highway 97 Rivalry was written Thursday night at Chieftain Softball Stadium as the Charles Page High School slow pitch softball team (10-5) dealt their nemesis back-to-back losses. In the first battle, Sand Springs led for the entirety of the game. Sapulpa rallied from an 8-2 deficit thanks to a pair of home runs by Analys Gloden, who is signed to Rose State College. Ultimately Sand Springs held on for the 8-7 win behind pitcher and Mid-American Christian University-signee Stella Millican (4-3).

In game two it was Northeastern State University-signee Jessica Schuler (6-2) with the win on the mound, giving up just two earned runs and twelve hits over eight innings. The Lady Sandites committed more than half a dozen errors over the course of the game, many resulting in runs. Ally Skaggs got the loss for Sapulpa.

Sand Springs wasted no time in getting on base, landing two hits on two pitches as Southwestern Oklahoma State University-signee Kennedy "Goose" Salyers hit a leadoff single, followed by a first-pitch double from Kimi Presnell. Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington doubled to score both runners for the 2-0 advantage.

Sapulpa wasn't content to trail this time and promptly tied things up in the same inning. Taylor Acree, who pitched the loss in the first game, scored on a single by Kristen Moore. Next was Gloden who scored the equalizer on a single by Coffeyville Community College-signee Raini Deeringwater.

Jensen Arnold reclaimed the lead for Sand Springs in the top of the second on a Jacie Taber sacrifice, but the Chieftains took their first lead of the game as Feather Roberts and Adrianna Butler scored on an error by Salyers. 

The back-and-forth scoring continued as Schuler hit a home run and Rachel Blair singled in Jessica Collins to make it 5-4. In the bottom of the fourth, Jessica Hobbs hit a single and picked up two more bases to score Azelea Fogleman on an error at first. Acree batted in Hobbs and Sapulpa had the 6-5 edge.

Rachel Blair singled in Collins in the top of the fifth to tie things up, and the score would hold at 6-6 till the top of the eighth. With two outs and two strikes, Presnell resurrected the Sandite offense on a do-or-die double into the left field fence. Pennington followed it up with a double of her own for the go-ahead run, then was batted in on a single by Schuler.

Sand Springs gave up a single to Blakely Alden, but Skaggs, Adriana Banks, and Roberts were each put out by Pennington for the victory. 

The Sandites return to action next Tuesday on a road game at Bixby (5-14). Sapulpa plays Memorial (4-16) next Tuesday, then the Highway 97 foes will get a rematch in yet another double-header next Thursday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Jessica Schuler pitches 13-8 upset over No.3 Barnsdall and hits Grand Slam

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 14 ranked Charles Page High School slow pitch softball team (8-5) dealt the 2A No. 3 Barnsdall Lady Panthers (23-4) only their fourth loss this season in a back-and-forth shootout that saw a combined nine home runs between the two teams, including a grand slam by Lady Sandite pitcher Jessica Schuler (5-2).

Schuler, a Northeastern State University signee, scored 6 RBI on two home runs while pitching 12 hits, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout for the win. Schuler leads her team in home runs this season, having scored 12 over 13 games, and is the only player to hit a grand slam.

The Lady Panthers boasted several impressive sluggers of their own, including Ciara McCabe who gave her team the first run of the game on a homer in the first inning. 

Junior Jessica Collins retaliated for the Lady Sandites, smacking a double to score Sydney Pennington and Kellie Johnson in the bottom of the first for a 2-1 lead.

Barnsdall reclaimed their lead in the top of the third on a home run from Maria Quesada, followed by a homer from Alyssa Babb that scored Courtney Berry for the 4-2 advantage.

Sand Springs had an explosive inning in the third, kicked off by a double from Pennington to score Presnell. Schuler hit her first homer of the evening to score Pennington, Cameron Clemons singled in Collins, and Jacie Taber doubled to score Rachel Blair. The Panthers stranded one in the fourth and Sand Springs came back in to make it 8-4 on a home run by Pennington.

In the top of the fifth, Babb batted in Bailey Walker and Cecilia Jones on loaded bases, then McCabe and Jasmine Shores hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth to tie the game up. 

The Lady Sandites put it away in the bottom of the inning, however, as Schuler sent one over the fence for a grand slam, scoring Taber, Salyers, and Pennington. Collins followed it up with a first pitch home run and Schuler pitched a no-hitter in the top of the seventh to secure the victory. 

Sand Springs has just three game days left before Regionals. This Thursday they'll play a double-header at Sapulpa (5-11) with the first game beginning at 4:30 pm. 

Lady Sandites score 6 home runs in dominating 18-5 victory over Beggs

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 14 ranked Charles Page High School slow pitch softball team (7-5) dominated 5A No. 11 Beggs (14-12) Friday afternoon at the Haskell Tournament, batting .724 from the plate as a team for more than 20 base hits and 6 home runs.

Northeastern State University signee Jessica Schuler (4-2) got the win on the mound, giving up 10 hits, 1 walk, and only 5 runs. Schuler was also responsible for two home runs, along with Oklahoma State University commit Sydney Pennington, who also hit two.

Pennington kicked off the scoring frenzy in the first inning, sending one over the fence to score herself and Kimi Presnell, then Schuler scored her first home run right after for a 3-0 advantage. Beggs had no problem tying it up, however, scoring three runs on four hits that same inning.

Sand Springs left their opponents in the dust in the second inning, however. Cameron Clemons sacrificed to score Rachel Blair, Goose Salyers tripled to bring in Jacie Taber, and Presnell homered to make it 7-3. Schuler pitched a no hitter in the bottom of the inning and the Lady Sandites put extra cushion between themselves and the Lady Demons.

Salyers singled on loaded bases to score Madelyn Blair and Clemons, and Presnell singled to score Taber. Pennington and Schuler each cleared the fence once again for a 14-3 advantage. The Lady Demons attempted to rally with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, but Sand Springs added four in the top of the fourth to secure the victory via run-rule as Jacie Taber singled in Rachel Blair and Salyers scored Clemons and Taber on a home run.