2023 Team Preview: Sand Springs/Sapulpa

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 school season is just around the corner and we are taking a look at two teams in each article. We will talk about some things the team is planning to focus on, players returning, and possible outlook on the season. We will be looking at two teams, Sand Springs and Sapulpa, they are cross town rivals. They play each year for the "Highway 97" trophy, where each year it is a toss up of who will take it home. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sand Springs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sand Springs received a new head coach, Skylar Jackson, from 6A Broken Arrow. Behind a seasoned senior class and some upcoming young talent, they were able to maintain their place in the conference and state. The Frontier Valley Conference is one of the toughest in the state. Seniors, OH <strong>Payton Robbins</strong> and MB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='145974' first='Layla' last='Lenex']</strong> will both be continuing their playing career into college. S <strong>Allie Wright</strong> and DS <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='145965' first='Olivia' last='Dewitt']</strong> were also both starters for the Sandites last season. Losing these four will hurt but Sand Springs has another solid senior class right behind them. OH <strong>Jayden Smith</strong>, OH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='285744' first='Alia' last='DeBerry']</strong>, DS <strong>Evyn Morrow</strong>, and S <strong>Hannah McKelvey</strong> will all be looked to shoulder more of the work load this season and they will step up in a big way! Big games next season include: a tri match with Bartlesville/Enid on 8/8 could get them a ton of momentum early, their home tournament on 8/12-13 which they won last season, and of course the Highway 97 Rivalry on 9/26. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sapulpa</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sapulpa is coming off another state tournament berth. Coach Corey Harp is the most successful coach this program has ever seen. They were able to stay inside the top 8, host a regional, and take down Newcastle last season to punch their ticket. They lost All State MB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284832' first='Stailee' last='Heard']</strong> and DS <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='145996' first='Kinzie' last='Wagner']</strong> but they will be returning OH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156857' first='Tyla' last='Heard']</strong>, S <strong>Jailey Battles</strong>, OH <strong>Raeni Tucker</strong> and DS <strong>Brooklyn Kuster</strong>. Look for this strong senior class to keep them in the top 10 again and find a way to get to state again this season. Big games for the Chieftains include: Almost all of the Coweta Invitational matches on 8/11-12, both late in the season matches with @Booker T on 9/28 and Union 10/3 could help prepare them for playoffs. They went with a 12 match and 4 tournament schedule. This allows for more matches to be played and they have 3 tournaments in the first 3 weekends. If they do well in these, they will start high in the rankings with likely more wins than any other team at that point. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wrap Up:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have taken huge steps forward in the last 5 years. They will look to continue to maintain this level of success while also finding a way to push even further up the ladder. Look for these players to perform well and have a chance at All Conference this next year: OH [player_tooltip player_id='156857' first='Tyla' last='Heard'] and OH Jayden Smith. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->