Sandite Football Falls 51-13 to No. 1 Muskogee on the Road

With under six minutes in the opening half, junior running back Ali McCoy took a handoff on the first play of the drive, rolled out around the right side of his line and engaged in a one-on-six foot race, taking the ball 72 yards to the house.

No. 5 Charles Page High School (2-2, 0-1) pulled within a field goal of No. 1 Muskogee (3-1, 1-0) in a district-opening road game.

From there it was all Muskogee. The Roughers scored 35 unanswered points and prevailed 51-13 to solidify their status as the team to beat in Class 6A-II. 

“I got totally out-coached,” said head coach Bobby Klinck. “That’s a really good football team, a really good coaching staff. I’ve got to do a better job of getting our kids in a position to make plays.”

“We’ll go back to the drawing board. This coaching staff will do better and we’ll figure some things out.”

The Sandites have had a tough time with athletic quarterbacks this season. Sapulpa quarterback Colton Howard passed for 379 yards in the season opener. Ponca City’s Tay Moore passed for 151 yards and ran for 153 last week. 

Muskogee junior star Jamarian Ficklin, who holds a handful of Division I offers, presented the same issue, passing for 215 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 152 yards and five more scores. 

“I thought we could get pressure on him,” said Klinck. “That guy did an unbelievable job of eluding and making some big plays with his feet. He’s an outstanding football player.”

Sand Springs opened the game strong with Gatlin Gunn breaking up a third-and-long around midfield to force a punt. The senior earned a single-digit jersey this week for his strong performance against Ponca.

Ficklin’s punt, however, was downed at the three-yard line and Treyveon Houston took down Kenneth Page for a safety two plays later.

Sand Springs forced another punt soon after and put together a 12-play, 46-yard drive, converting on third and fourth down before Deyonn Bowler broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Caleb Goodman.

Muskogee ended the first period with a strong drive, setting up a two-yard plunge from Ficklin on the first play of the second quarter to go up 9-0.

The visitors quickly responded with a 9-play, 74-yard march to score on a 34-yard strike from Easton Webb to Goodman, who also received a single-digit uniform this week.

Not to be outdone, the Roughers used only four plays to score, padding their lead with a 43-yard run from Ficklin.

19 seconds later came McCoy’s marathon touchdown, but from there it was all Muskogee.

Ficklin scored on a 14-yard run, Sand Springs went three-and-out, then Ficklin tossed a five-yard strike to Ondraye Beasley to end the half up 30-13.

Sand Springs punted three times in the second half, lost a fumble to Bowler, and ended the game with a 9-play, 49-yard march that ran out of time inside the Rougher red zone.

“We’ve got to do better at sustaining some drives and not hurting ourselves,” said Klinck.

Muskogee scored on three of its four fourth-quarter possessions, punting once. Ficklin added scoring runs of four and two yards while Israel Martin added the last two-yard dive.

Webb was 8-of-16 passing for 77 yards in his first game back after a shoulder injury against Bixby. Goodman had four catches for 50 yards to lead the receiving corps.

McCoy led the Sandite offense with 10 carries for 107 yards. 

Ficklin ended the night 16-of-23 for 215 yards while carrying 18 times for 152 yards. Kayden McGee had six catches for 93 yards and Martin had 13 carries for 83 yards.

Defensively Sand Springs was led by Gunn with nine tackles and three pass deflections, followed by Alex Dudley and Dallas Elifrits with eight tackles apiece.

Next up for the Sandites is Homecoming against No. 6 Tahlequah (1-3, 1-0), who is fresh off a 29-19 win against No. 9 Putnam City West (3-1, 0-1).

“Next week is a really good football team,” said Klinck. “We can’t afford to take anybody lightly. We’ve got to go to work. We’ve got to figure out how we can sustain drives and how we can get people off the damn field.”

Last year the Sandites won 25-21 on the road after falling behind 21-6 early in the game. Sand Springs leads the all-time series 14-8-1 against the Tigers.

Muskogee 51 CPHS 13

1Q: MHS 2-0.
2Q: MHS 28-13.
3Q: MHS 7-0.
4Q: MHS 14-0.

First Downs: MHS 23, CPHS 11.
Passing: MHS 16-23-215-0, CPHS 9-17-85-0.
Rushing: MHS 39-297, CPHS 29-160.
Offense: MHS 62-512, CPHS 46-245.
Fumbles/Lost: MHS 2/0, CPHS 3/1.
Penalties: MHS 10-93, CPHS 8-37.

Scoring Summary

1Q (8:41): Houston Safety, MHS 2-0.
2Q (11:52): Ficklin 16-yard Run, Espinosa Kick, MHS 9-0.
2Q (7:14): Goodman 34-yard Pass from Webb, Kick Blocked, MHS 9-6.
2Q (5:56): Ficklin 43-yard Run, Espinosa Kick, MHS 16-6.
2Q (5:37): McCoy 72-yard Run, Puckett Kick, MHS 16-13.
2Q (1:53): Ficklin 14-yard Run, Espinosa Kick, MHS 23-13.
2Q (0:03): Beasley 5-yard Pass from Ficklin, Espinosa Kick, MHS 30-13.
3Q (4:51): Ficklin 4-yard Run, Espinosa Kick, MHS 37-13.
4Q (11:56): Ficklin 2-yard Run, Espinosa Kick, MHS 44-13.
4Q (4:52): Chaplin, 2-yard Run, Espinosa Kick, MHS 51-13).

Sandites Survive Wildcats 27-14 Behind Strong Secondary and Sturdy Backup QB

Caleb Goodman hauled in 6 catches for 88 yards and a TD against Ponca City. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

After rallying from a 21-0 halftime deficit with two third-quarter touchdowns, momentum was on the side of the Ponca City Wildcats.

But Sand Springs had an answer. After rushing the ball for only 64 yards through the first three quarters, the Sandites finally put together a methodical 15-play, 95-yard march to chew up more than seven minutes of clock in the fourth quarter.

The three-pronged attack of Ali McCoy, Kenneth Page, and Jace Arnold combined for 63 yards on the ground, capped by a four-yard plunge from Page to restore the two-score lead with only 2:12 remaining.

Then it was time for the defense to do what it had been doing all night.

Wildcat star quarterback Tay Moore juked and jived his way as far as the Sand Springs 22-yard line before the magic ran out. Owen Floyd and Hudson Sheppard combined on one sack, then Waylon Jeffers wrapped up another.

Moore tried to dump a pass off on Brody Wicker, but Dallas Elifrits drilled the senior receiver to make it 4th and 13. Finally, under pressure from Sheppard and Marcum Sims with nowhere to go but Elifrits’s open arms, he chucked the ball out of bounds for the turnover on downs and the game was secure.

Final score 27-13 - the Sandites earned their fourth consecutive win against the Wildcats (0-3).

6A-II No. 5 Sand Springs (2-1) entered the game on uncertain footing after losing starting quarterback Easton Webb to a shoulder injury last week against Bixby, but senior backup Jace Arnold showed his moxie, going 9-of-10 for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

“I felt pretty good,” said Arnold. “I wasn’t nervous coming in. I felt way more prepared this week. We got a good game plan - couldn’t have done it without the coaches’ game plan and everything worked out how we wanted it to work out.”

Arnold, an Allen County Community College baseball commit, ended the night 13-of-23 for 207 yards with another 17 yards on four carries.

“That’s a young man that played as a freshman, quit as a sophomore to concentrate on baseball, but decided he missed it too much and came back,” said head coach Bobby Klinck.

“And now he’s able to come out here and help us win a football game. That kid’s an outstanding young man - I’m so proud of that kid.”

Arnold’s first touchdown pass of the season came on a 40-yard wheel route by Page on the Sandites’ opening drive.

Early in the second quarter he connected on a 56-yard toss to Caleb Goodman to set up a 1-yard dive from McCoy. Then he added a 22-yard dime to Goodman to go up 21-0 with 1:05 in the half.

“I played (quarterback) fairly often when I was younger, so I know a lot of these guys on the starting lineup,” said Arnold. “We’ve had that (connection) for a while, so I feel pretty good getting out there again and throwing it around.”

His primary target was Goodman, who had six catches for 88 yards, followed by Page with four catches for 66 yards. Wyatt Rutledge had 41 yards on a single reception.

Page also had 76 rushing yards on 21 carries.

While the effectiveness of the offense with a new general was a pleasant surprise, it was the defense that often stole the show, coming away with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions, and six pass deflections.

Moore ended the night 15-of-26 passing for only 151 yards after throwing for over 250 last year against the Sandites.

The Sandite secondary effectively shut down his passing game with three picks in the first half, including two from sophomore Alex Dudley, who was elected as a defensive captain by his team this year.

“I’m glad that the team can count on me,” said Dudley. “As a sophomore, it really means a lot.”

Dudley made his first interception at the Sandites’ 7-yard line to prevent a potential game-tying drive early in the second quarter. His second came in the endzone and he returned that as far as the 30-yard line before being tackled.

“Coach Klinck calls great plays and puts me in a great position to make plays,” said Dudley. “When it comes to me, I’m going to try and make a play, no matter what.”

Dudley wasn’t the only playmaker in the Sandite secondary. Landyn Barnes broke up a fourth-down pass attempt early in the second quarter and Gatlin Gunn picked off Moore to end the half.

“It’s easy to play with those guys,” said Dudley. “It’s like a brotherhood. It’s amazing. I think we just click so well it makes everything easy.”

“They stepped up today,” said Klinck. “They were playing with a bunch of confidence…they’ve been working their tails off and it’s starting to show.”

The dual-threat Moore punished the Sandites with his legs, however, carrying the ball 15 times for 143 yards.

On a fourth-and-three early in the second half he got loose for a 44-yard touchdown run, then connected on a 15-yard touchdown toss to Wicker with 3:18 in the third.

The Wildcat defense was highly effective in the third, with Teegan Hodgson getting an interception and Hudson Haas breaking up a fourth-down pass attempt.

Penalties also derailed the Sandites throughout the night. Sand Springs totaled 135 yards on 13 penalties, though Ponca didn’t fare much better with 10 penalties for 80 yards.

“We’ve got to do a much better job of not killing ourselves as a team,” said Klinck. “We’ve been making that a priority. We’ve just got to figure that out.”

“But with Coach (Scott) Harmon, it’s always going to be a difficult game, especially here. These guys aren’t going to quit. They’re well coached, they’ve got good football players. That quarterback’s outstanding.”

“I was proud of our kids for handling adversity. When it got down to 21-14, that was a big-time championship drive at the end of the game.”

Defensively the Sandites were led by Gunn and Sheppard with seven tackles apiece, followed by Jeffers, Christian Freitus, and Floyd with six each. Gunn, Jeffers, and Sheppard had two tackles for loss apiece and Barnes had a team-high three pass deflections.

Sand Springs will really be put to the test next week as it travels to No. 1 Muskogee (2-1) to open district action at Rougher Village.

Last year’s meeting was a wild one as the Roughers took a 27-0 first quarter lead. Sand Springs rallied to 27-26 before Muskogee pulled away to win 48-26.

Jamarian Ficklin passed for 235 yards and six touchdowns in that game while Ondraye Beasley ran for 103 yards and another score. Both of those two are back this year as juniors.

Whether or not Webb will return to lead the Sandites is uncertain as he continues to work through an AC joint sprain, but if Arnold is called back up, he’s ready.

“I’m feeling really comfortable,” said Arnold. “We had a good game this week.”

The defense is also ready to prove itself on an even bigger stage.

“We’re ready,” said Dudley. “We want that. Everyone’s doubting us, don’t think we’re going to win. I’m ready for it. We all are.”

Box Score

CPHS 27 Ponca 14
1Q: CPHS 7-0.
2Q: CPHS 14-0.
3Q: Ponca 14-0.
4Q: CPHS 7-0.
C-A-Y-I: CPHS 13-23-207-1, Ponca 15-26-151-3.
Rushing: CPHS 35-129, Ponca 26-183.
Offense: CPHS 58-336, Ponca 52-334.
First Downs: CPHS 14, Ponca 13.
Fumbles-Lost: CPHS 1-0, Ponca 3-0.
Penalties: CPHS 13-135, Ponca 10-80.

Scoring Summary

1Q - Page 40-yard Reception from Arnold, Puckett Kick (7:59).
2Q - McCoy 1-yard Run, Puckett Kick (7:52).
2Q - Goodman 22-yard Reception from Arnold, Puckett Kick (1:05).
3Q - Moore 44-yard Run, Perez Kick (7:06).
3Q - Wicker 15-yard Reception from Moore, Perez Kick (3:18).
4Q - Page 4-yard Run, Kick Blocked (2:12).

Sandite Weekly Sports Roundup: Basketball Sweeps Roughers, Athletes Sign LOIs

Sandite basketball swept the Muskogee Roughers Friday night with the varsity boys winning 72-65 while the girls won 63-41.

The 6A-East No. 6 Lady Sandites (12-5, 5-3) never trailed against No. 14 Muskogee. It was still a close game at 39-31 entering the fourth but the Sandites steamrolled the Roughers 24-10 in the final stanza.

Hailey Jackson scored 24 points to lead all scorers, Taiona “Yanni” Morris added 13, Sakauri Wilson had 9, and three different Sandites scored 5 apiece.

“We’re starting to play better as a unit,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We have more people stepping up.”

Sand Springs will have to cover six games over the final two weeks after meetings with Bartlesville and Booker T. Washington were postponed due to weather. This is the second time the Washington game has been rescheduled.

“This is our second game in 17 days,” said Berry. “It’s a bit different from when we start the season out with eight games in like 14 days.”

“We’re rested and we’re ready to go. It’s nothing that we can control so we just try to get better.”

The No. 11 Sandite boys (9-8, 2-6) snapped a five-game conference skid and got back above .500 overall with a win over the No. 15 Roughers (3-13, 0-9).

The Sandites led 34-27 at halftime but a seven-point run put the Roughers up 45-44 entering the final stanza.

Jamarian Ficklin tied it for the final time at 52-52 but Kooper Kelly hit a pair of free throws and layed up on a steal to put his team ahead for the final three minutes of the game.

Kelly tied his career-high with 20 points to lead all scorers while Luke Hooper also had a career night with 15 points.

“Any conference win, especially on the road, is a good feeling,” said head coach Eric Savage.

“In the past we’ve kind of lost our composure. A couple of times this wear we gave up the lead and never got it back. We showed some growth tonight and were able to weather the storm and get back in control late in the fourth quarter.”

Sand Springs will travel to Bixby on Tuesday and Bartlesville on Thursday before hosting Sapulpa Friday night.

Signing Day

School may have been canceled, but the festivities couldn’t be stopped Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House. Sand Springs celebrated 10 student-athletes who signed letters of intent to continue their careers at the collegiate level.

Many of the players will get to enjoy Sand Springs connections on their new rosters.

Kyle Morrall, Jacob Blevins, and Drake Fain signed with Northwestern Oklahoma State University to play Division II football. There they will be reunited with former Sandite assistant coach Jason Medrano, who recently took over as Offensive Coordinator for the Rangers.

Brody Rutledge signed to play Division II football at Northeastern State University. There he will join former Sand Springs teammates Gabe Brown, Landon Hendricks, and Blake Jones.

Dominic Ornelas and Jabe Schlehuber signed to play junior college baseball together at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid.

Carson Sargent signed to play Division II soccer at Rogers State University, where she will join former teammates Ali Day and Karsen Lynch.

Payton Robbins signed to play NAIA volleyball at Friends University in Kansas, where she’ll be reunited with Sandites Tehya Johnson, Charley Fahland, and Kasidy Holland.

Madori Bland signed with the stunt team at Drury University, a Division II program in Missouri.

Coleman Hight signed to play NAIA golf at Southwestern College in Kansas.

Baseball

Freshman quarterback Easton Webb has been getting lots of attention as a football prospect, but on Friday he announced his commitment to Oklahoma State University as a baseball player before ever playing a varsity minute.

Sand Springs will kick off the preseason with a home scrimmage against Sapulpa on the 16th at 4:30 p.m.

Girls Powerlifting

The Sand Springs girls powerlifting team took second place at the All-American Lift-a-thon in Shawnee Saturday with two champions. The Sandites had 137 team points, just behind Choctaw with 141.

Madison Thompson won the 220 weight class, sweeping all three events. She benched 140, squatted 285, and deadlifted 295.

Jaden Jordan won at heavyweight, taking first in squat at 335 pounds, first in deadlift at 375, and third in bench at 155.

Melani Skelly placed third, Gracie Worthington placed fourth, and Bailey Doughty and Kiyah Dover placed fifth.

Sandites Drop District Opener to Muskogee

It was a tale of three games Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The No. 6 Muskogee Roughers improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2019 with a 48-26 win at No. 7 Sand Springs (2-2) to open district action. 

Muskogee stormed out to a 27-0 first quarter lead that could easily have turned into a blowout, but it was only 27-26 to start the fourth quarter.

Then the wheels came off the wagon for the resurgent Sandites who committed five penalties in the fourth quarter, surrendered an onside kick, and threw two interceptions. 

“I was very happy with our kids,” said second-year Muskogee coach Travis Hill, whose Roughers were 2-8 last season.

“They showed a lot of composure. It was a little emotional because when you work with a bunch of kids you get in environments that they have failed in before. So when they don’t fail, it’s very exciting.”

“Kudos to our kids, that’s what it’s all about. That’s what we’re all here for. It’s for those guys to go out and continue to grow up and use football as a tool to make them better people.”

Sophomore star Jamarian Ficklin ended the night 16-of-29 for 269 yards passing, with six touchdowns to one interception. 

“He’s special,” said Hill. “Jamarian Ficklin’s a quarterback. He’s not just an athlete. He’s the leader of our football team. Very, very special person. Not just a special football player, but a special person. Go look at his grades, go look at what he does off the field in the community.”

The Roughers forced three-and-outs on the Sandites’ first three possessions while scoring on their first four drives for a stunning 27-0 lead in the first quarter.

Ficklin scored on a 7-yard screen to Anthony Watson, a 61-yard strike to Kayden McGee, and a 51-yard throw to Brandon Tolbert. Ondraye Beasley added an 85-yard run for the only touchdown not thrown by Ficklin.

He then added a 61-yard scoring strike to McGee and a 51-yard touchdown to Tolbert to make it 21-0.

Jayden Bell’s two-point pass was broken up, however, and the Sandites began to build momentum.

Kenneth Page cashed in on a 17-yard run, then Kyle Morrall recovered a muffed kick to set up a two-yard scoring dive from Page.

Cody Cramer snagged a pick on the Roughers’ second-half opening possession and Easton Webb connected with Brody Rutledge soon after on a 26-yard touchdown.

Webb kept on a fourth-down one-yard plunge with six seconds left in the third, but Muskogee got back to its winning ways in the fourth.

Ficklin tossed a 62-yard score to Jayden Bell, then Sandite penalties resulted in an onside kick from the 30-yard line. 

Tolbert recovered the kick and Ficklin found Watson from nine yards out. Soon after he added a 20-yard strike to Beasley for the final points of the game.

Beasley ended the night with 103 yards on only four carries to go with 13 yards on two receptions. Bell led the Rougher receivers with three catches for 95 yards.

Sandite freshman Webb was 18-of-27 for 251 yards and three interceptions in his first varsity start and Page had 31 carries for 147 yards. Rutledge had five catches for 105 yards to lead the receiving corps. 

Sand Springs will return to action Friday at Tahlequah (2-2, 1-0) in its first meeting with the Tigers since 2007. Muskogee will host Putnam City West (2-2, 0-1) Friday.

Muskogee;27;0;0;21–;48
Sand Springs; 0;13;13;0–;26

1Q: Muskogee - Watson 7 pass from Ficklin (Armstrong kick), 7:39
1Q: Muskogee - McGee 61 pass from Ficklin (Armstrong kick), 6:06
1Q: Muskogee - Tolbert 51 pass from Ficklin (Armstrong kick), 3:28
1Q: Muskogee - Beasley 85 run (pass failed), 0:03
2Q: Sand Springs - Page 17 run (kick failed), 9:21
2Q: Sand Springs - Page 2 run (Daniels kick), 5:43
3Q: Sand Springs - Rutledge 26 pass from Webb (Daniels kick), 7:22
3Q: Sand Springs - Webb 1 run (pass failed) 0:06
4Q: Muskogee - Bell 62 pass from Ficklin (Armstrong kick), 10:29
4Q: Muskogee - Watson 9 pass from Ficklin (Armstrong kick), 9:40
4Q: Muskogee - Beasley 20 pass from Ficklin (Armstrong kick), 5:37

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: MUS 9, SS 22. C-A-Y-I: Rushes-Yards: MUS 27-314, SS 50-161. Comp-Att-In: MUS 16-29-1, SS 18-27-3. Passing Yards: MUS 269, SS 251. Total Yards: MUS 460, SS 416. Fumbles-Lost: MUS 3-3, SS 5-3. Penalty Yards: MUS 65, SS 150. Punts-AVG: MUS 2-25.5, SS 3-42. Records: MUS 4-0 (1-0), SS 2-2 (0-1). 

Sand Springs Football sabotages Muskogee Homecoming 48-34

A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

It’s hard to say if a Sand Springs football player had ever returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown before Friday night. But the loyal Sand Springs fans who traveled to Muskogee on October 1st almost got to see the rare feat twice.

With the game tied up at 13-13 early in the second quarter, junior return-man Jabe Schlehuber took the ball from the one-yard line to the house, but had it called all the way back for holding at the 16-yard line.

“I was mad,” said Schlehuber. “We went and scored though on that drive. It was alright, it made up for it. But I had to get redemption, I had to get another one.”

So, on the opening play of the second half, he did it again, and this time it held up. The Sandites took a 34-20 lead en route to a 48-34 win at the Indian Bowl, and all three sides of the ball made their way onto the scoreboard.

Class 6A-II No. 5 Charles Page High School improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2012, and more importantly, they’re 2-0 in district play. Unranked Muskogee dropped to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in district action.

Since kicks can’t be returned from the end zone in high school ball, it’s safe to say Schlehuber at the very least tied the school record for longest kick return. It’s certainly possible he’s the only Sandite to have done so. “That’s crazy,” he said after the game. “That’s my first varsity touchdown, that’s kind of cool.” 

He wasn’t the only star on the night, however. The always lethal Sandite offense put up huge numbers, and the defense made their way onto the scoreboard for the second straight week.

Ty Pennington was 14-of-18 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns, with 13 carries for 94 yards and two more touchdowns. 

Jacob Blevins led the receiving corps with five catches for 71 yards and one touchdown, and Ryan Shoemaker had three catches for 34 yards and two scores. Blake Jones had 23 carries for 138 yards and one catch for 45 yards. Brody Rutledge had three catches for 36 yards and also threw a 26-yard touchdown strike to Blevins.

6’4” defensive end Landon Hendricks led the defense with seven tackles, including three for negative yards, two sacks, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. The senior has recorded three forced fumbles in the past two games, and two have been returned for touchdowns. This time it was Gabe Brown who scooped it up and carried it 75 yards for a 48-27 lead.

“What an unbelievable play,” said Sandites head coach Bobby Klinck. “And then Gabe Brown picking that up, he looked like a dang running back scooping that thing up.”

Muskogee didn’t look like a team that was coming off only its first win in two seasons, however. In their first under head coach Travis Hill they appear to be trending in the right direction. 

“I’ve coached at Muskogee and those kids are horribly talented and they’re coached very well by Coach Hill and his staff,” said Klinck. “So I knew it was going to be a dogfight. We were just lucky that we had a few more plays than them.”

Freshman quarterback Jamarian Ficklin looked like a veteran, passing 18-of-28 for 355 yards and three touchdowns. 

“I’m not going to look forward to playing him the next three years,” said Klinck. “They’re a young football team and each week they get better and better.”

Jayden Bell led the Muskogee receiving corps with five catches for 123 yards and two scores, followed by Anthony Watson with five catches for 117. Kayden McGee and Isaiah Givens also caught touchdown passes, and Walker Newton aired out a 74-yard touchdown pass to Bell on a trick play. 

“That whole dang team is going to be back next year,” said Klinck. “They’re doing things really well over here at Muskogee. We’re very fortunate to come away with a win and we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”

“Wins are like plane landings, there’s no such thing as a bad one. That’s the way we look at it. That was a huge win for districts. Competition is really going to start ramping up. We knew Muskogee was going to be good, it was going to be a good test and to get us ready for this next stretch of probably the top three teams in the state right now.”

Things will only get rougher from here for the Sandites, who will host No. 3 Booker T. Washington (4-1, 1-1) next Friday. The Hornets are fresh off a 66-0 shutout of Bartlesville. Then they travel to No. 1 Bixby (5-0, 2-0) before returning home against No. 2 Choctaw (4-1, 2-0).