SAND SPRINGS — It was one of those nights in Sand Springs when the jumbotron at Memorial Stadium was every Sandite fan’s best friend. Last Thursday, when the Charles Page High School Sandites football team didn’t just win their football game, they performed a 48-minute clinic, capped with a 55-0 shutout that wore out the marching band, as they were obligated to acknowledge every first down and every big play with fight song excerpts. Trust me, they were busy.
By the time the last drop of the canned cheese hit the last concession stand pretzel, the Sandites (5-2) were sitting atop District 6A-II2, shoulder to shoulder with Sapulpa and Muskogee, also chasing playoff dreams but keeping a wary eye on Sand Springs.
None of it was pretty Thursday if you were from Putnam City West. From the opening kick, Charles Page’s offense made it clear the visitors were in for a long night.
The fireworks began with Gevauri Hill, who returned the opening kickoff deep into Patriot territory like he was late for bingo. Two plays later, Sandite quarterback Easton Webb found Dominic Forbes streaking into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass. It was 7-0 and for fans that were running 90-seconds late, all they could do was listen to the roar of the Sand Springs crowd from the parking lot.
From there, Sandite precision was surgical — and merciless.
Webb, who looked more like a conductor than a quarterback, tossed five touchdown passes before halftime, carving up the Patriots’ secondary with a calm smile and a clean jersey. He connected twice with Chaves Williams, once more with Hill for 50 yards, and added a five-yard dart to Kayden Worthington, who caught the ball as well as the collective sigh of Putnam City West’s defense.
By the time the clock showed eight minutes remaining in the half, it was 42-0, and the officials mercifully announced a running clock.
The Sandite defense was generous as a tax audit and painless as a root canal. Tre Pope and Emory Smittick picked off passes like they were door prizes, while Brock O’Dell not only recorded a sack, but a picksix — rumbling 32 yards through the Patriots defense like a combine through corn.
Even special teams got in on the fun, blocking a late first-half field goal attempt just to prove, apparently, that scoring points in the Sandite’s house is not allowed on Thursdays.
And through it all, the Sandites’ sideline stayed loose. There was laughter, backslaps, and a kind of quiet confidence that suggested they already knew what the rest of District 6A-II-2 is figuring out — when the boys are having fun, Sand Springs is dangerous.
When the clock struck zero, it was 55-0.
Next up is Muskogee, another 4-3 Rougher bunch coming off their own rout of Capitol Hill. They’ve a new coach, Dale Condict, who built a legacy of 4A state titles in Wagoner by simply out thinking his opponents.
Make no mistake — on Thursday night, it wasn’t about who’s next. It was about who’s here.
The Sandites are rolling — crisp and confident and head coach Bobby Klinck’s got his hands full, keeping his boys’ heads screwed on when they travel to Muskogee. After all, when your quarterback’s tossing touchdowns like he’s dealing cards, your defense is scoring pick-six TDs, and your kicker hasn’t missed a PAT in who knows how long… well, its hard not get a little cocky.