Game Preview
Two good teams meet in an important Oklahoma 6A-II matchup on Ford Game of the Week: Sand Springs Sandites vs. Booker T Washington Hornets – Friday, October 9th at 7:00 pm CT. In the latest 6A-II rankings, The Hornets are currently #5 and the Sandites are #8.
How to watch Sand Springs vs Booker T Washington
Sandites Look to Break 4 Game Losing Streak to Hornets
The 4-1 Sand Springs Sandites hope to continue their winning ways on the road against a young 3-2 Booker T. Washington Hornets team. The Sandites have significantly improved under first-year coach Bobby Klinck. They finished 2-8 last season including a 34-7 loss to the Hornets.
Nice win for @SS_SanditeFB tonight 45-14 vs Muskogee. @coachklinck has the Sandites off to a 4-1 start in his first year at the helm.@TyPennington14 pic.twitter.com/VZkRNzxmio
— Morgan Beard (@morganbeard) October 3, 2020
The Sandites currently ride a three-game winning streak with victories over Arkansas 4A #1 Shiloh Christian (27-26), Ponca City (35-10) and Muskogee (45-14). They opened this season’s Ford Game of the Week with a 21-17 win over Sapulpa.
There only loss of the season was to Bishop Kelley, the #1 team in 5A (28-24). Friday’s game against the Hornets will be one of the toughest opponents they face all season (other than next week’s matchup with #1 Bixby).
It’s been an up and down season for the Booker T. Washington Hornets. Jonathan Brown is in his first year as head coach after being promoted from defensive coordinator. The Hornets opened with wins against Southmoore (28-10) and Del City (15-13). They followed that up with back to back losses to Bishop McGuinness (28-17) and the Ford Game of the Week vs. Choctaw (26-22). They bounced back last week with a win over Bartlesville (34-7).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hornets have been solid. In five games this season, they have held opponents to 10, 13, 17, 22 and 7 points. The question is whether they can score enough points and avoid costly mistakes and turnovers.
The Hornets currently own a four-game win streak against the Sandites and need the win to remain in contention for a 6A-II District 2 playoff opportunity.
Players to Watch
Sand Springs junior QB Ty Pennington has passed for 1267 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. He’s also added 265 rushing yards with 8 TD’s. In less than two seasons, Pennington has amassed nearly 3,000 offensive yards and 30 touchdowns.
At Sand Springs single digits are earned, not given. Congrats @TyPennington14 pic.twitter.com/YzsC9IhQM2
— Coach Bobby Klinck (@coachklinck) September 2, 2020
The Sandite ground game has improved since junior RB Blake Jones returned from an injury. In last week’s game against Muskogee, Jones had a career-best 7.8 yards per carry. He has 234 yards/3 TD’s on the season.
A young, significantly improved Sand Springs defense is led by sophomore OLB Drake Fain with 47 tackles and senior DE Sango Whitehorn with 46 tackles/three sacks. Other contributors include junior DE Landon Hendricks with 40 tackles/3.5 sacks and junior LB Brooks Dudley has 31 tackles/1.5 sacks.
Early in the season, the Hornets lost star 4-star junior WR/CB Gentry Williams to a knee injury in the season opener. It was a big blow since Gentry contributed on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 6’00″/180 lb. Gentry is ranked by Rivals as the Class of 2022 #9 cornerback and #1 player in Oklahoma. Most recruiting experts expect Gentry to sign with the Sooners.
Oklahoma recruiting authority @Josh_Scoop predicts BTW's Gentry Williams will end up signing with #Sooners, but right now @gentrywilliams5 begins recovery process after ACL tear #okpreps @BookerTFootball https://t.co/Rmm4OrJrkY
— OK Preps Extra (@okprepsextra) October 3, 2020
Booker T. Washington also has a talented defensive back and wide receiver in 3-star Keuan Parker. The 5’11’/165 lb senior recently committed to the University of Arkansas. Parker is #16 in the 2021 ESPN Top Oklahoma Recruits.
The Hornets offense is young and the inexperience has shown up throughout the season. Sophomore QB Lathan Boone leads the Hornet attack along with sophomore RB Jaiden Carroll. Sophomore Micah Tease and senior Jalen Teague provide Boone with a capable and athletic receiving corp.
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