Sandites Upset Owasso 2-0 for First State Finals Appearance Since 1978

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Jace ARnold flings His glove in celebration as the Sandites defeat Owasso 2-0.

Two outs away from the Sandites’ first State Finals appearance since 1978, Easton Webb gave up a ground ball single to Reace Martinez. With the tying run now at the plate, the sophomore pitcher took a step back and called time.

“Just the nerves. Regardless of how you try to avoid them, they’re still always there,” said Webb. “They’ll get to you, but you’ve just got to be able to flush it out, go out there and play still.”

After a quick chat with his infielders, the Oklahoma State-commit stepped back up on the mound and finished up. A sacrifice hit moved the runner to second, but Miller Tavaglione caught Bodie Anderson’s pop fly in left field and the gloves went flying.

Final score 2-0. Charles Page High School (29-11) paid back a pair of regular season losses and took down the district champions from Owasso (35-7) in front of a large crowd at Norman North’s Tull Lake Field Friday afternoon.

“My last outing against them wasn’t good,” said Webb (7-1), who gave up five walks and two hits in a three-inning start against the Rams on April 15. That game ended in a 5-0 defeat, his only recorded loss of the season.

“I was trying to throw it by them, but I knew I couldn’t do that this game. They’re a bunch of good hitters, so I had to be able to mix up my pitches, throw everything for a strike, let them get themselves out. If I strike them out, I strike them out. But just throw everything for a strike.”

EAston Webb and Matt Brown embrace after the sophomore pitcher’s win.

This time around he did indeed throw 68% strikes, only giving up one walk and three hits while striking out two. Not getting too deep in the counts allowed him to stay fresh, throwing just 88 pitches while going all seven innings.

Taking the loss for Owasso was Arkansas-commit Luke Williams (7-2), who struck out 10 but surrendered six walks and five hits.

Williams reached his max pitch count in the top of the seventh after walking Kayden Campbell and giving up a sacrifice bunt to Wyatt Rutledge. Jaiden Gustafson closed things out, getting Jackson Turney to pop out to left, while Tavaglione grounded out to short to leave Campbell stranded at third.

As much as Sand Springs was hoping for insurance runs, leaving eight runners stranded over the course of the game, the two they plated were enough as Owasso was shut out for only the second time this season and the first time in over two months.

“The kids played great,” said head coach Matt Brown. “We’ve been preaching all day just to stay in the moment. The kids are doing a great job of that. They played fantastic so I’m just proud of them.”

A raucous dugout appeared to get in Williams’s head early in the game as senior lefty gave up singles to Alex Dudley and Webb, then walked Gatlin Gunn and Jace Arnold for a free run.

The Rams nearly got a run back in the second after an error at short and a walk put the Sandites in a bind with no outs. Webb sent a ground ball to first and struck out the next two batters to strand the threat.

Owasso stranded a single runner in the third, fifth, and seventh innings but never made it past second base following the second inning.

Rutledge padded the Sandites’ lead in the fifth, reaching on a ground ball to center field. He took second on a passed ball and scored on a single to left from Tavaglione.

Rutledge, a Northern Oklahoma College at Enid-commit, reached base three times with one walk and a team-best two hits. He also came up big in Thursday’s quarterfinal, going 2-of-2 for two runs and an RBI against Edmond Santa Fe.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve gone to the finals,” said Rutledge. “We’re just going with the flow. We’re hot and we’re hoping to stay hot.”

Sand Springs has won eight games in a row, including shutouts, shootouts, and blowouts. Now they’re only 21 outs away from potentially bringing home the first gold ball in school history.

“The last two years we had a hard Regional and ended up losing both Regionals,” said Rutledge. “It feels really good to come out here and be in the finals.”

Sand Springs will take on Westmoore (24-17) Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ball Park in Oklahoma City.

Sand Springs is making its first finals appearance since 1978 while the Jaguars are in the finals for the fourth time since winning their only title in 1994.

“We’ve got tough kids and they’re going to go toe-to-toe with anybody,” said Brown. “It doesn’t matter who shows up in the other dugout.”

Sand Springs previously defeated the Jaguars 6-1 and 24-13 last month.

Sandites Pummel Edmond Santa Fe 9-3 in State Quarterfinals

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It was a fitting first-round assignment for Charles Page High School Thursday morning in the 6A State baseball tournament.

The last time Sand Springs played at State, it was Edmond Santa Fe who sent the Sandites packing in 2011, prevailing 9-7 in a loser’s bracket game of the old double-elimination tournament.

This time around the tournament is single-elimination and it was the Sandites (28-11) who sent Santa Fe (27-11) home in a 9-3 beatdown at Norman North.

Arizona State-committed senior Eli Buxton (6-3) went the distance on the mound, fanning eight while surrendering only four hits and three walks.

Meanwhile Oklahoma-committed sophomore Savion Sims struggled with ball control early in the game, issuing nine walks, despite striking out eight Sandites and only allowing one hit in his 3.2 innings.

Sims walked four in the first inning, giving Jace Arnold a free run. Buxton walked three and gave up a two-RBI double to Cole Britton before dialing things in for the remainder of the game.

Sims walked the bases full once again in the second, setting up Wyatt Rutledge for an RBI single, then Arnold scored on a passed ball for the 3-2 lead.

Santa Fe tied it again the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice hit from Jorge Balcazar but that would be the last run for the Wolves.

Teddy Doe took over on the mound for Edmond and surrendered a walk and three singles in the fifth, putting Sand Springs firmly out front.

Alex Dudley plated Rutledge on a bunt, Miller Tavaglione stole home, and Dudley scored on a ground ball from Easton Webb to make it 6-3.

The Sandites combined for five singles in the sixth, including an RBI hit from Tavaglione, and Rutledge tagged up on a sacrifice fly from Dudley for the five-run lead.

Gatlin Gunn and Arnold hit back-to-back doubles in the seventh with the latter scoring the former for the final run of the game.

Buxton stayed potent in the seventh, striking out two to end the game.

Sand Springs will take on Owasso Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Norman North High School in the State semifinals. It will be a rematch of the Sandites’ last trip to State, when the Rams won 6-1 in a 2011 winner’s bracket game.

Owasso (35-6) won both meetings with the Sandites in the regular season this year, 5-0 and 8-3 in district play. The Rams have won nine in a row and 21 of their last 22, including a 7-1 thrashing of Edmond Memorial (25-10) in their quarterfinal.

The last time the Sandites made it to the State semifinals was 1988 with a 5A victory over Edmond. Sand Springs is in pursuit of its first finals appearance since 1978 and first-ever championship.

Journey Armstead Commits to UAB

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Hutchinson Community College sophomore Journey Armstead announced her commitment to the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Sunday.

Armstead is a 2022 graduate of Charles Page High School, ranking among the leading scorers in program history.

This past season Armstead helped the Hutchinson Blue Dragons to an undefeated 37-0 season and an NJCAA National Championship, defeating Northwest Florida State 88-80.

She was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team and the KJCCC All-Conference First Team.

She averaged 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.2 steals on the season, shooting 37.8% in the field and 64% from the charity stripe.

Armstead had several big games as a Blue Dragon. Her 15 free throws against Seward County as a freshman ranks third in Hutchinson history. She recorded 10 assists on two occasions as a freshman, which ties for 8th among the Blue Dragons, and she had 11 assists this season against Seward County, which ties for fifth.

Her 188 assists this season rank fourth all-time at Hutchinson while her career total of 329 ranks third.

As a Sandite, Armstead was an All-State, All State Tournament, and All Frontier Valley Conference selection.

"Journey is a dynamic point guard that can score from anywhere on the court," said UAB head coach Randy Norton. "Her elite athleticism and ability to make plays on both sides of the ball will make an immediate impact on our program. Journey is a winner and will bring leadership on and off the court. She has a strong work ethic and love for the game. Journey will be an outstanding addition to our program and make an immediate impact as we continue to compete for championships on and off the court."

UAB is an NCAA Division I program competing in the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers went 18-14 overall this season, 9-9 in conference play, and was invited to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

The Blazers have been led by Norton for 12 seasons now, amassing a 213-157 record in that time. This was their first season in the American conference.

Josh Berry Departs for Union, Paige Wadley Named New Head Coach

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Charles Page High School girls basketball coach Josh Berry was recently announced as the new head coach at Union, and Paige Wadley was named his replacement.

Berry led the Sandites to two State Tournament appearances in five years, finishing his tenure as a Sandite with an 89-38 record.

“First, I have to give all thanks to my Lord and Savior. without him and his blessing, this wouldn't be possible,” Berry posted on Facebook.

“I have to thank my cphs family admin, faculty, support staff, athletic dpt, and fellow coaches for the amazing love and support these 5 years for myself and the program. Special thanks to the student body and community for the support and love every game. I have to give special thanks to the parents these 5 years wouldn't have been successful without your buy-in. thanks to my coaches and trainers for their time and dedication to the program. Thank you to my family for being there through my ups and downs of the seasons.”

“Last with small 😢 my players. These 5 years have been special to me. It didn't take me long to know why God did his thing and placed me with y'all and y'all with me. I'm forever grateful for each of you. You all have made me a better coach, person, and father. I will always be thankful for my time at SS. With much love.”

Ten days later, Sand Springs athletic department coordinator Paige Wadley was announced as his successor.

Wadley went 32-39 in three seasons as head coach at Rejoice Christian from 2020-2023 before joining the Sandite staff. She was previously an assistant at Rejoice and Owasso High School, where she won a State Championship with the Rams in 2018.

“Feeling incredibly blessed and humbled by the overwhelming support from everyone as I take on this new position,” posted Wadley.

“Huge thanks to the administration at Sand Springs for entrusting me with this opportunity to lead such an amazing program. A special shoutout to Coach Josh Berry for the incredible foundation he's built here at SS – I'm honored to take over and continue building on the success he has achieved. It's amazing to see God at work, guiding my journey and shaping my story. I had the pleasure of meeting my new team yesterday, and I love them already. Coaching has always been what I’ve felt called to do and I'm beyond excited about the journey ahead!”

Wadley is a 2001 graduate of Savanna High School where she won a State Championship in 2000 and was runner-up as a senior before playing collegiately at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Sand Springs has become a perennial contender in girls’ basketball, posting nine consecutive winning records with four Regional championships, four Area championships, two Frontier Valley Conference championships, and ten regular season tournament titles in that time.

Bob Banfield to be Inducted into OBCA Hall of Fame

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Bob Banfield (Far Right) pictured with the 2010-2011 girls basketball team that made it to the state tournament.

Former Charles Page High School girls basketball coach Bob Banfield will be inducted into the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on June 1st.

Banfield coached at Sand Springs for five seasons from 2007 to 2012 and amassed a 53-55 record with three winning seasons and one trip to the State tournament, in 2011.

The OBCA recently announced Banfield as one of five inductees who will be celebrated with a banquet and ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn Edmond/OKC North Conference Center.

Doors will open at 11:00 a.m. for a meet and greet social hour for family and friends to conclude at 12:00 p.m. Tickets are available online for $37 per person and will be available at the door at an increased price of $50 per person. The online ticket link will close one week prior to the event on May 25th. The OBCA Hall of Fame Banquet is held during OBCA All Star Game Weekend sponsored by BSN Sports.

2024 OBCA Hall of Fame Class

Bob Banfield has coached high school and college basketball for 44 years. His coaching career started at Creighton University as a graduate assistant. His career then took him to Idaho Southern as an assistant coach and Arizona Western Junior College as a head coach, winning three conference championships before becoming the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist University for seven seasons. While at OBU he was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1984 when his men's team won the Southern Athletic Conference championship that season. Coach Banfield was inducted into the OBU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. After OBU, Banfield coached at Shawnee High School for 17 years, followed by stops at Stroud, Sand Springs and Mannford high schools. He has amassed 649 wins overall in his coaching career with three trips to the state tournament. He was the OCA All-State coach in 2006. Bob Banfield played for Eddie Sutton at Tulsa Central High School and was a graduate assistant for him at Creighton. Coach Banfield’s son, Mike, is the current boys basketball coach at Mannford.

Ross Davis coached high school basketball at Waurika, Velma-Alma and Calera. His teams reached the state tournament five times, culminating in a state championship at Velma-Alma in 1984 after being the runner-up in 1983. His Calera teams reached the state tournament in 1994 and 1995 and he took Waurika to the state tournament in 1981. He won 421 games in his career. He was named the OCA Region 5 Coach of the Year twice. He coached both the All-State game in 1989 and Faith 7 game in 1995 and was inducted into the OCA Hall of Fame in 2017. Coach Davis is also a member of the Bryan County Athletics Hall of Fame. Ross Davis coached both Kevin Rehl (Velma-Alma) and Jay Mauck (Calera) during their high school careers. His son, Jimmy Davis, (Velma-Alma) led the Comets to the state championship in 1984.

Harly Day coached Chickasha to two State Championships in 1953 and 1955, and his team was the State Runner-Up in 1954. He was inducted into the OCA Hall of Fame in 1997 and has been named to several other Hall of Fames for Chickasha Public Schools, Chickasha Athletics, and the Grady County Administrators. He was the Chickasha High School principal from 1953 to 1977. Day was a member of the University of Oklahoma Men’s Basketball team that finished NCAA Runner-Up to Holy Cross in 1947. An All State basketball player himself in 1940 and 1941 at Ada High School, in 1975 he was named to the Jim Thorpe “All Decade” team for the 1940’s. The street near the Chickasha School campus bears his name as well as the Chickasha high school basketball court. Harly Day coached fellow OBCA and OCA Hall of Famer Jerry Jobe during his high school career.

Larry Gipson coached both Northeastern Oklahoma State University (NSU) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEO) to national championships in 2003 and 1989, respectively. His college coaching career record is 561-358. He was voted the National Coach of the Year three times and conference Coach of the Year five times. He was a coach at the USA Basketball Trials in the summer of 2003. Gipson was also the head coach at the University of Toledo. Gipson was appointed by his peers as the President of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in April 2012. Gipson’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant at the University of Tulsa under famed coach Nolan Richardson. Coach Gipson coached current NSU men's basketball coach Ja Havens as well as current Rogers State coach Justin Barkley at NSU.

Gary Hendrix coached 37 years in Oklahoma, making stops at Mounds, Fort Gibson, Canadian, Pryor and Hilldale. He won 716 games during his coaching career. His 1985 Mounds team won the Class 2A state championship. Both his 2016 and 2017 Fort Gibson teams were the Class 4A state runners-up. Coach Hendrix’s teams reached the state tournament 12 times, were regional champions 28 times and district champions 30 times. Coach Hendrix was also elected to the OCA Hall of Fame in 2023. He was the Faith 7 coach in 1994 and the OCA All-State game coach in 1996. Coach Hendrix’s first assistant coach at Fort Gibson was Jerry Walker, who would coach Fort Gibson girls to several state championships and is also in the OCA Hall of Fame.

Sandites Win First Regional Championship Since 2011

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For the first time since 2011, the Charles Page High School baseball team is headed back to State after knocking off Union 2-0 Wednesday afternoon in the Regional finals.

Sand Springs (27-11) went 3-0 in the tournament, eliminating the host RedHawks (22-16) who had to battle back from the losers’ bracket to get to Wednesday’s game.

“It feels amazing,” said senior pitcher Kayden Campbell, who earned the win on the mound. “I’m still shocked.”

Campbell pitched a complete game, surrendering only five hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

“Kayden has been so good for us for so many years that there’s nobody else that we wanted to have the ball here besides him,” said fifth-year head coach Matt Brown. “He threw exactly like I thought he would. He’s been great all year.”

Campbell (6-2) had already defeated the RedHawks once, a 7-4 non-district meeting in March. A familiar opponent and the Sandites’ suffocating defense helped him keep his nerves down in the big game.

“I just knew I had my brothers behind my back,” said Campbell. “I knew they were making defensive plays and I just had to throw it in the strike zone. That’s all I was really worried about - just throwing it in the strike zone and let the big things come.”

Sand Springs turned three double plays over the course of the game and committed zero errors, only allowing the RedHawks into scoring position once.

“We’ve got really good athletes out there and they play great in the biggest moments,” said Brown.

Easton Webb was hit by pitch to lead off the third inning, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from Gatlin Gunn and third on a passed ball before scoring on a fly out by Jace Arnold.

Union had a chance to tie it with a runner at third in the bottom of the fourth, but Alex Dudley turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, his second double play of the game, and followed it up with a leadoff line-drive triple to right field.

The Sandites were unable to capitalize on their fifth-inning opportunities though, as Dudley was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice. Webb and Gunn drew walks to load the bases, but Arnold grounded into a double play.

Boston Kissee tagged up on a fly out by Miller Tavaglione to pad the lead in the top of the sixth. Union put one runner on base in the bottom of the inning but Arnold turned the Sandites’ third double play of the game, tagging the runner on his way to second before making the throw to first.

After two pop-outs in the seventh, Dylan Baldridge gave the RedHawks hope with a single, but was left stranded to end their season when Arnold snagged a line drive at second.

Sand Springs hosted Regionals the past two years and was a game away from the State tournament each time, but came up two runs short each time.

Last year the Sandites snagged their first district title in school history and this year they snagged their first Regional title in over a decade.

“It’s all about the kids,” said Brown. “The kids win and lose the games. The kids have turned this program into what it is now and I’m just so proud of them. The guys before them paved the road, and these guys got it done.”

The Minutemen have never won a gold ball, settling for runner-up in their only finals appearance in 1978. The boys in black and gold will be looking to make history next weekend.