SAND SPRINGS — The good news for Sand Springs Friday night was that the Sandites found the Deer Creek end zone. Truth be told, finding it wasn’t particularly difficult, actually. They kept getting very, very close to it. Like, there it is! Right there!
Getting into it was another matter, altogether.
The defending Class 6A-II state champions opened the 2026 season with a 34-7 loss to Deer Creek last Friday,agamethatlookedconsiderably more competitive between the 20-yard lines than it did on the scoreboard.
Sand Springs made three trips inside the Deer Creek 10 without scoring — the sort of statistic that can turn an offensive coordinator’s Saturday morning film session into a painful discussion and analysis and a word or two we can’t print here.
For head coach Bobby Klinck, however, Friday’s struggles weren’t entirely unexpected.
This is not the same Sand Springs team that hoisted the gold ball last December.
The Sandites returned only 10 starters — five on each side of the ball — from last year’s 11-2 championship team. They entered the season replacing a sizable chunk of both production and leadership.
“We are starting a lot of new kids, and most of them are underclassmen,” Klinck said. “For a lot of these kids, this game was their first time under the ‘big’ lights.”
Those lights got bright quick. Deer Creek scored on a 15-yard run early in the first quarter, then added another rushing touchdown late in the period to take a 13-0 lead. The Antlers stretched it to 21-0 with a secondquarter touchdown pass and two-point conversion.
Klinck’s Sandites had opportunities to keep things considerably tighter.
Immediately after Deer Creek’s first touchdown, the Sandites connected on a long pass that put them at the Antlers’ 9-yard line. Four plays later, Deer Creek took over on downs at its own 6.
Turnover on downs, at the opposition’s six-yard line. That scenario would repeat itself a few more times before the final whistle Friday, and become something of an unwanted theme.
Still, Klinck saw things he liked from a lineup featuring players being asked to assume considerably larger roles.
“For the most part, I saw great effort, which is a cornerstone of our program,” he said. “I also saw kids step up when being challenged by coaches. That is very encouraging moving forward.”
Sand Springs finally broke through late in the second quarter.
After taking possession at its own 38, the Sandites hit another long pass to reach the Deer Creek 9. This time they finished the job, scoring on an 11yard touchdown pass and adding the extra point to cut the deficit to 21-7.
The Sandites then forced a punt and moved into Deer Creek territory again before turning the ball over on downs just before halftime.
Sand Springs came out of the locker room looking capable of making things interesting in the second half.
The Sandites drove from their own 40 deep into Deer Creek territory on their first possession of the third quarter. They eventually reached the 2-yard line.
And stopped. Deer Creek took over on downs. Sand Springs would mount another drive inside the Deer Creek 25 late in the third quarter and carried it into the fourth, eventually reaching the 4.
And stopped. Again. “There will be growing pains as evidenced by our failure to score three times we were inside the 10,” Klinck said. “We need to clean some things up, and I expect our players and coaches to do exactly that.”
Deer Creek, meanwhile, was considerably more efficient with its opportunities.
The Antlers added a third-quarter rushing touchdown to make it 28-7, then put the game away with a 2-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth. Deer Creek scored in every quarter and finished with the 34-7 victory.
The Sand Springs defense did have its moments. The Sandites recovered a Deer Creek fumble in the second quarter, forced multiple punts and recorded sacks near the end of the first half and again in the fourth quarter.
Senior defenders Grady Harris and Joe Farmer particularly caught Klinck’s attention.
“They are the lone senior returners, and they played like it,” he said.
If there was a temptation to grade Friday’s young lineup on a curve, Klinck wasn’t interested.
Asked how he evaluates a team featuring so many young and new faces compared with the championship group that preceded it, his answer was shorter than the question.
“You evaluate it to the same level as the players before them,” Klinck said. “The standard doesn’t change.”
That standard travels to Sapulpa this week.
The Sandites, 0-1, face the Chieftains Friday at 7 p.m. Sapulpa enters the game 1-0 after opening its season with a 41-14 victory over Fort Gibson.
For Sand Springs, the immediate assignment is obvious.
The Sandites know they can get the ball into the red zone.
The assignment is figuring out how to cross those last few stubborn yards and make the trip worthwhile.