By Byron Beers

Bobby Klink got everything he expected from his Sand Springs football team in 2024, guiding the Sandites to an 8-4 record. Sand Springs’ season came to a close after it suffered a 31-21 loss to Choctaw in the semifinals of the Class 6A-II playoffs. The Sandites posted a 6-1 mark in District 6A-II-2 with their lone setback coming to Muskogee. They won eight of nine games before falling to eventual state champion Choctaw. All four of their losses came to teams – Bixby, Owasso, Choctaw and Muskogee – that played in the Class 6A state championship games.

“I thought we got to where we were supposed to be. We beat the teams we should beat,” Klink said. “We needed to have a better second half against Choctaw, but they have gotten the better of us the past few years and this was the first time I felt we punched back. We have lots of guys coming back next year so that is exciting.” Offensively, Sand Springs were led by the explosive duo of junior quarterback Easton Webb and sophomore wide receiver Dominic Forbes. Webb completed 218 of 342 passes (63.7 completion percentage) for 3,502 yards with 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He threw for a season-high 447 yards with four

TDs against Bishop Kelley, and twice threw for six touchdowns against both Bartlesville and Capitol Hill. He passed for 440 yards and four scores against Putnam City North. “Easton will be the top quarterback in the state next year,” Klink said. “He has everything you could ask for in a QB. His first two years as a starter he suffered through a bunch of dropped balls and this year we did not have as many. His maturity is what gets me really excited.” Forbes led the Sandites with 70 receptions and 1,551 receiving yards. He also finished with 20 TD catches and added five more on the ground. Forbes surpassed 100 yards receiving in seven games and three times had over 200 yards. He finished with 261 yards and had four touchdowns against Bartlesville.

“Dom Forbes is one of the best receivers in the state. From a production standpoint I do not think anyone else in large classification football came close,” Klink said. “He will only get better with experience and athletic maturity.” The Sandites averaged just over 387 yards per game, including 295 passing yards, on
offense and averaged 36 points per contest. “I liked our ability to create explosive plays. We have not had that ability in the past few years, and it feels like we are catching up on some teams athletically,” Klink said. Junior linebacker Emory Smittick led Sand Springs defensively with 98 total tackles. Junior defensive back Alex Dudley, who also contributed at wide receiver, added 77 total tackles, and led the Sandites with three interceptions.