This time, however, they finished alone on the throne after winning 20-0 against Muskogee, 12-6 in Bartlesville, 14-6 against Booker T. Washington, 26-8 in Sapulpa, 30-6 against Union, 44-22 at Muskogee, 28-0 against Bartlesville, 26-14 at Booker T. Washington and 42-24 against Sapulpa.

“They are strong and resilient,” Parks said. “There have been times when things didn’t go our way, but we never got too deep, we always came back, we always had an answer.”

“We wouldn’t back down from anyone, no matter who we played against. We always showed up and played Sandite football. If we play good Sandite football, it’s good enough to beat anyone we face.”

In the season finale against Sapulpa, the Sandites took an 8-0 lead to open the second quarter on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Dom Forbes to Boston Kissee and a two-point run from Kendell Page.

After Kaden Pope recovered an onside kick for the Sandites, Gabe Harris cashed in a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, but Sapulpa would respond quickly.

After putting together a six-play, 74-yard scoring drive, the Chieftains forced a quick turnover on downs and drove back downfield with the potential to even things up. But Gabe Harris had other plans and intercepted Sapulpa for a 74-yard pick six.

“Gabe has been a really good player for us,” Parks said. “He faced some adversity early in the year, but he just kept showing up, kept working hard and became a dynamite running back and a dynamite player in our secondary. I love Gabe Harris and everything about him.”

Page converted a two-point run and the Sandites averted the momentum shift to take a 22-6 lead into halftime.

The Sandites opened the second half with an offside kick recovery and immediately cashed in. From an empty backfield with a set of five receivers, Forbes shocked the Sapulpa defense with a 60-yard touchdown draw on the first play from scrimmage.

Sapulpa responded with a 56-yard scoring run of its own on the next play, but Dawson Jamison stuffed the quarterback draw to prevent the two-point play.

Joseph Farmer returned the ensuing kick 73 yards to set up a two-yard touchdown dive for Page and once again the momentum stayed with the Sandites.

“This year is (Farmer)’s first year in Sand Springs,” Parks said. “He has been an absolutely great addition to this team. He can play offensively, defensively, return kick, cover kick – he does everything. As a player he is every coach’s dream.”

Page added another two-point run to make it 36-12.

“Kendell didn’t get as many carries as he probably would like,” Parks said, “but when he was there, he did his job, he did a good job, he ran the ball hard, and there’s definitely more carries to come.” in the kid’s way if he keeps showing up and keeps doing what he needs to do and keeps producing like he did for us.

The Sandite defense came up big on the ensuing possession, with Nikyllien Crisp and Hunter Fields getting tackles for loss, followed by a tackle for loss and a Grady Harris sack to back the Chieftains to fourth-and-23.

“Grady is the type of kid that shows up every day, does what’s right, does his job,” Parks said. “He’s not looking for accolades, he doesn’t want to be noticed, he just wants to do the right thing for the team. He is the ultimate team player.”

The Sandites shifted Kissee to quarterback and brought Christian Headley into the backfield late in the third and the two methodically worked their way downfield for a two-yard touchdown run by Headley for the final Sandite points of the game.

Sapulpa added a 45-yard touchdown pass on their next drive, but Charles Palmer sacked the Chieftain quarterback on the two-point attempt. The Chieftains closed the game with a 73-yard hook-and-ladder for a touchdown as time expired.

Forbes finished the game 2-of-5 passing for 62 yards and had five carries for 78 yards and two total touchdowns.

Pope had two receptions for 45 yards, Gabe Harris had four carries for 62 yards, and Kissee had four carries for 62 yards to go with his 56 receiving yards.

“Boston Kissee is another player every coach dreams of,” Forbes said. “He can play offense, he can play defense, he plays on both of our special teams, he comes to every meeting, he shows up and works hard. I never have to worry about whether Boston Kissee is doing the right thing. If he steps in at quarterback, I have complete confidence that our offense won’t take a step back at all.”

Defensively, the Sandites were led by Grady Harris with seven tackles, while Caiden Ruhland and Crisp had three each.

After the game, Cowan gave one final post-game speech to his team, reminding them of the bond they had built over the years.

“We’re closer than brothers, closer than best friends, closer than anything,” said Cowan, who expects big things from his teammates in the coming years.

“I just hope it will be great and we can win more championships.”