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

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.”

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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

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.

Sandites Win First Regional Championship Since 2011

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.

Sandites Dominate Bishop Kelley and Bartlesville in Regional Playoffs

The Charles Page High School baseball team rode its aces to a pair of blowout wins in the first two games of the Regional playoffs Tuesday, while an upset loss for host Union has given the Sandites a strong chance to make their first State Tournament appearance since 2011.

The RedHawks (21-15) were stunned 2-1 by Bartlesville (13-21) in the first game of the tournament, though they battled back in the elimination match with a 4-2 win over Bishop Kelley (13-21) to keep their season alive.

Sand Springs (26-11) took care of business with a 13-1 win over the Comets behind the arm of Arizona State-committed senior Eli Buxton (5-3), who pitched a six-inning one-hitter with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Sutton Cook led a dominant offensive performance, going 2-of-4 with three runs and one RBI while Kayden Campbell, Alex Dudley, and Buxton also had two-hit performances.

The Sandites did most of their scoring in chunks, trailing 1-0 till a four-run fourth inning, a five-run fifth, and a four-run seventh.

Gatlin Gunn pitched one inning of relief with one strikeout and no runners allowed on base.

In game two the Sandites prevailed 8-1 against Bartlesville behind a two-hit, five-inning performance from sophomore Oklahoma State commit Easton Webb (6-1), who struck out eight with four walks. Webb also hit a solo homer in the fourth for his only at-bat of the day.

Gunn went 3-for-3 at the plate with one run and one RBI. Campbell was 2-of-4 with a run and two RBIs while Miller Tavaglione went 2-of-4 for two runs and an RBI.

Sand Springs scored a trio of runs in the third and added a run in both the fourth and sixth innings before pushing its lead to 8-0 in the seventh.

Wyatt Rutledge pitched the sixth inning and fanned all three batters, while Jace Arnold closed things out with three hits and one strikeout.

An RBI single from Jaxon Zaun prevented the shutout but Jackson Stewart turned a 1-4-2 double play to end the game.

Union will play an elimination rematch with Bartlesville at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, with the winner taking on the Sandites at 4:00 p.m. All games are played at the Union Baseball Complex at 7616 South Garnett, Broken Arrow.

Kenneth Page and Gatlin Gunn Headline Sandites' 13 All-District Awards

The Charles Page High School football team recently wrapped up an 8-4 season and on Monday the Sandites found out that 13 of their seniors had received All-District accolades.

Kenneth Page was named the district Running Back of the Year, ending the season with 169 carries for 960 yards officially and 14 touchdowns to go with 16 receptions for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Gatlin Gunn was named co-Safety of the Year, alongside Stillwater’s Trey Tuck, after racking up a team-best 82 tackles with 3 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble, and 6 passes defended.

Eight other Sandites were named to the All-District team.

Dallas Elifrits finished the season with 64 tackles, a team-best 10 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 2 passes defended.

Owen Floyd finished the season with 72 tackles, 5 for loss, 0.5 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery.

Hunter Wilson finished the year with 65 tackles, 4.5 for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 1 blocked punt.

Keagan Gilman ended the year with 58 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries.

Offensive linemen Mason Harris, Marcus Sims, Easton Pritchard, and Tyler Smith paved the way for 5.2 yards per carry and 5.98 yards per play.

Three Sandites received honorable mentions, including offensive lineman Marcum Sims.

Kayden Campbell finished the year with 15 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown while Wyatt Rutledge had 9 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown.

Choctaw Ends Sandites' Season 45-15 in Quarterfinals

Bill Jensen Field is becoming a familiar, heartbreaking setting for the Sand Springs community. The Choctaw stadium has been the final resting place for the Sandite football team in back-to-back seasons.

Down 22-0 at halftime of the 6A-II quarterfinals Friday night, the Sandites scored on their first two drives of the second half to try and make a game of it, but the Yellowjackets scored two unanswered touchdowns to end the game 45-15.

“I got outcoached,” said head coach Bobby Klinck. “They did a great job of running counter and doing a few different things, cutting it up inside. We thought they wanted to go outside more on the perimeter. They had a great game plan.”

No. 3 Choctaw improved to 8-2 on the season and advanced to the semifinals for the fourth time in the past five years while No. 5 Charles Page High School ended the year 8-4.

Thus ended the high school careers of one of the most successful senior classes in school history.

The Class of 2024 was the first class to play all four years under Klinck, who arrived in 2021. They went 30-18 in that timeframe, the highest win total since the class of 1999, the only other team to hit that mark.

They won the highest-scoring game in Highway 97 Rivalry history (64-54) and the highest-scoring playoff game in Sandite history (56-24 against Lawton). The Class of 2024 was also part of the biggest win in school history last season when they routed U.S. Grant 83-0.

The Class of 2024 went 4-0 against their rivals from Sapulpa, and more importantly, they won playoff games all four years of their careers. The Sandites also went 5-1 on their home turf this season for their best record at Memorial Stadium since 1997.

Not a bad legacy.

“I think we’ve come pretty far,” said Klinck. “I think this senior class set up the standard of what we’re looking for.”

“We’re going in the right direction. I know we are. I’ve been a part of really good programs. I know what it’s like, and it takes time. I just wish that it could have been faster for this group of kids.”

The Sandites didn’t go down without a fight

With 4:07 in the third, junior running back Ali McCoy took a wildcat snap and flipped it to sophomore quarterback Easton Webb in motion from the slot. Webb dodged two would-be tacklers before finding McCoy again, wide open on a post route for a 25-yard touchdown.

The Sandites cut it as close as 29-14 and got a stop on the Yellowjackets’ next drive as well.

Unfortunately, a goal-line stand pinned the Sandites inside their own end zone. After three plays failed to find any vertical momentum and nobody got loose on fourth down, Webb stepped out of the back of the end zone for an intentional safety.

Mayor Morgan returned the ensuing kick 33 yards to set up a 37-yard touchdown run by Cash Williams, followed by a 12-yard touchdown run from Morgan after a Sandite three-and-out.

A turnover on downs with 2:02 remaining sealed the Sandites’ fate.

Sand Springs struggled to contain the explosive Yellowjackets, surrendering 505 yards on the night.

Williams, a Tennessee baseball commit, was 9-of-13 passing for 149 yards while carrying the ball eight times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Morgan ran the ball 16 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns with another 54 yards receiving.

Despite the final numbers, the Sandites did get some key stops early in the game and it looked like fans might have been in store for a defensive battle.

The Yellowjackets went three-and-out to open the game. After a fumbled handoff at midfield, the Sandites responded with a turnover on downs when Owen Floyd broke up a pass.

The Sandites marched as far as the Choctaw 31 before being turned away after a bad snap on a field goal attempt resulted in a turnover on downs.

Choctaw wouldn’t be denied on its third possession and scored on a 47-yard scamper by Williams, who connected with LT Simmons for the two-point conversion.

Sand Springs put together yet another semi-successful drive, marching as far as the Choctaw 25-yard line before McCoy was stuffed on fourth-down.

Gatlin Gunn deflected a third-down pass on Choctaw’s next possession and Landyn Barnes intercepted it, but once again the Sandites were stuffed on fourth down as Webb was stood up at the 14-yard line.

Five plays later, Hayden Mounce took a pitch 51 yards for the score.

Austin Hubert paid back the Sandites’ interception, picking off Webb to set up a 36-yard touchdown run from Morgan.

Once again the Sandites worked their way down the field, getting as close as the Choctaw 22-yard line before a bad snap on third-and-three sailed over Webb’s outstretched hands. Webb recovered, but the Sandites were forced to punt.

“We were able to move the ball, we get inside the 20 to the red zone, and then we just can’t finish drives,” said Klinck. “We’ve got to be able to do that to play at a top-notch program like Choctaw.”

“That’s what we talked about this year is to try to take the next step and when we get down in there, we’ve got to be able to convert.”

The Yellowjackets nearly scored again as JuJu Smith got loose on a forward pitch for 67 yards before Barnes made the touchdown-saving tackle as time expired.

Sand Springs adjusted well at halftime and scored four plays into the third quarter on a 42-yard run by Kenneth Page, then Jace Arnold ran in the point-after try to make it 22-8.

Choctaw responded with a 7-yard touchdown run by Morgan, followed by Webb’s touchdown throw to McCoy.

Webb finished the night 12-of-25 passing for 125 yards, getting in a strong rhythm with Dom Forbes, who had nine catches for 83 yards.

Page ended the night with 11 carries for 88 yards, putting him over 1,000 on the season. He also had a 14-yard reception from Forbes on a trick play.

McCoy had 38 yards on 16 carries to go with his 25-yard reception.

Defensively, the Sandites were led by Gunn and Keagan Gilman with eight tackles apiece.

Choctaw will advance to play No. 1 Stillwater (9-2) in a rematch of last year’s State Championship, which the Pioneers won 26-21. Stillwater is coming off a 56-7 rout of Putnam City (5-7) in its quarterfinal matchup.

Choctaw 45 CPHS 15

First Downs: Choctaw 10, CPHS 14
Fumbles/Lost: Choctaw 0/0, CPHS 4/1.
Passing: Choctaw 9-13-149-1, CPHS 13-26-139-1.
Rushing: Choctaw 39-356, CPHS 35-104.
Offense: Choctaw 52-505, CPHS 60-229.
Punts-Avg: Choctaw 1-38, CPHS 2-32.
Penalties: Choctaw 17-150, CPHS 5-39.

Scoring Summary

1Q (5:40) - Williams 47-yard Run, Simmons Pass from Williams, Choctaw 8-0.
2Q (5:51) - Mounce 51-yard Run, Jennings Kick, Choctaw 15-0.
2Q (4:16) - Morgan 36-yard Run, Jennings Kick, Choctaw 22-0.
3Q (10:29) - Page 42-yard Run, Arnold Run, Choctaw 22-8.
3Q (7:35) - Morgan 7-yard Run, Jennings Kick, Choctaw 29-8.
3Q (4:07) - McCoy 25-yard Pass from Webb, Puckett Kick, Choctaw 29-15.
4Q (11:00) - Safety, Webb Stepped out of End Zone, Choctaw 31-15.
4Q (9:54) - Williams 37-yard Run, Jennings Kick, Choctaw 38-15.
4Q (3:48) Morgan 12-yard Run, Jennings Kick, Choctaw 45-15.