2025's BIGGEST STORIES: COUNTDOWN BEGINS WITH Nos. 30-20
By Mike Tupa
Jan. 2, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
It has been an incredible year for area sports. The following is a look back at the top 30 stories of 2025. Today we’ll highlight Nos. 30-20.
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The Dewey Lady Bulldoggers, wearing pink jerseys for cancer awareness, celebrate a home run during their stellar season. Dewey came within one game of qualifying for state and is BASR’s 30th top story for 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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30 — Dewey Softball Misses State by Just 1 Win
The 2025 Dewey Lady Doggers displayed plenty of moxie and mastery during a star-spangled softball season that saw them finish just one run away from 30 wins (29-9) and one victory shy of qualifying for state.
In addition, this group of “We Can” warriors knocked off a very strong Bartlesville team, 5-2, in a rivalry head-knocker.
Coached by Riley Allen, the Lady Doggers finished the regular campaign at 27-7. Their postseason survival came down to a showdown against Valliant. Valliant won, 4-3, to deny Dewey its first state appearance in multiple years.
Spearheading the Dewey powerhouse were two of the state’s top players, Londyn Bond and Kyla Overton and an extremely strong group of talent around them.
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Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Michael Mendoza (32) delivers a pitch. The Eagles returned to the NAIA College World Series and ended their season at 47-12. This is BASR’s 29th top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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29 — Eagle Baseball Team Closes In On 50 Victories
What had to rank as Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s best-ever baseball seasons ended just two or three wins shy of returning to the NAIA College World Series.
The Eagles swooped to a 47-12 record and reached the end of their run in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Only losses to the University of British Columbia, 9-3, and Indiana (Southeast),14-8, kept the Eagles from advancing to the NAIA CWS.
OKWU — which is coached by Kirk Kelley — blitzed through April with a 12-2 mark, but found the going rougher in May, finishing 3-2 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament and 1-2 in the NAIA regionals.
In their lone regional win they knocked off William Carey (Miss.), 16-11, with Javier Marcial ripping two singles and drove in four runs and Victor Sanchez and Luis Antigua each plating three runs. Ravaughn Morgan mashed two doubles and a single and drove in two runs. Starting pitcher Michael Mendoza earned the win in 5.2 innings of work. He scattered three hits and whiffed two.
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Bartlesville High School’s Sutton Williams moves the ball. The Bruins qualified for the 6A playoffs and is BASR’s 28th top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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28 — BRUINS KNOCK OFF P.C. NORTH; QUALIFY FOR PLAYOFFS AGAIN
Following an 0-6 start, including four straight losses of 20-or-more points and two shutouts, the scenario for Bartlesville High’s football team looked about as bright as a worm’s basement.
But these Bruins were a hearty sleuth of determined warriors.
In Week 7 they faced a favored Putnam City North team that had won two of its previous three games by a combined score of 103-0 — and Bartlesville had to meet P.C. North in Putnam City.
The Bruins opened up the game with a 58-yard touchdown drive — capped by Michael Kent’s ninth touchdown, off a flea-flicker from Matthew Sears to Kent to Harrison Ketchum streaking down the left side — to put the Bruins ahead, 6-0, less than two minutes into the game.
Bartlesville went on to win, 42-28 — rallying from a first-half deficit and halftime tie, 21-21 — to pull off the seismic upset. Other Bruins scoring in the game were Gavin Thomas (reception), Sutton Williams (3 rushing touchdowns), Sears (reception) six extra points by Dillon Burson.
That win setup Bartlesville’s last-gasp push to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth-straight season.
They would finish the regular season at 3-7 by beating P.C. North and two of their next three games before losing to Piedmont in the opening round of the 6A-II playoffs, 53-28.
It was to be noted — in fairness to past Bruin teams — a change in the playoff format the past four seasons made it easier to qualify than the previous 40-plus campaigns.
Even so, the 2025 Bruin squad made a courageous charge up the slope of improbability onto the postseason plateau.
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Veteran coach David Lampton returned to the Bartlesville area by taking the head coaching position for the Pawhuska Lady Huskies basketball team. This is BASR’s 27th top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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27 — COACHING LEGEND TAKES REINS AT PAWHUSKA
Among area basketball coaches David Lampton is legendary for his love and respect for the game. It’s as if he were born to be a coach and to gobble up basketball like an eight-year-old devouring cotton candy. When not coaching his team, Lampton has been spotted at other arenas watching other teams play — ostensibly for scouting but also because of his passion for the sport and his friendship in the fraternity of those special individuals that sacrifice so much to coach prep basketball.
For 30-years-or-more, Lampton carefully crafted the Oklahoma Union High School girls basketball program, winning a state title and making other deep state title runs. But just two or three years ago, Lampton felt motivated to move on.
He stopped next in Fairland to coach the Lady Owls. But earlier this year he acquired the head girls basketball position at Pawhuska.
So far, so great. With Brooklyn Miles providing major production, the Lady Huskies plowed through their December schedule at 6-1, while knocking off a strong Dewey team (twice) and state-ranked Frontier and Oologah squads.
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Dewey High School’s Austin Eastman (11) takes a shot earlier in the season. The Bulldoggers started the season with an 8-1 start and is BASR’s 26th top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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26 — DOGGERS OPEN 2025 HOOPS SEASON WITH A ROAR
Few area boys basketball coaches have served as long a tenure with the same program — both as an assistant and a head coach — than Lance Knight.
He’s known his share of both losing and winning seasons, disappointing moments and electric highlights.
His 2025-26 team might be the culmination of all the positives he has instilled in Dogger basketball.
Dewey charged through its first semester schedule with an 8-1 record — surpassing an 8-2 start in 2015-16.
Dewey opened up the 2025-26 campaign by doubling up Oklahoma Union, 87-40. The team has racked up several other double-digit wins but has also proved it can win the close ones — 60-55 against Gravette (Ark.) and 48-45 against Pawhuska.
With seniors like Kooper Crawford, Lathe Griggs, Tra Hicks, Karson Johnson, Scott Horton providing leadership and several other battle-proven juniors and younger Dewey might have the right stuff to keep expanding the concentric leading edge of its success.
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Caney Valley (Kan.) Bullpup quarterback Layne Denny moves the ball. The Bullpups went deep into the Kansas football playoffs and is BASR’s 25th top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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25 — CANEY VALLEY (Kan.) PUPS MAKE DEEP PLAYOFF THRUST
There’s no doubt that when it comes to consistently winning, the Caney Valley Bullpups are the gold standard in area high school football.
The Pups have piled up a deep string of winning seasons, district titles and playoff wins during the past quarter-century and more.
But they are still chasing an elusive semifinal spot in the postseason. Again this year they came up just shy of shuttling into the Final Four. This was the sixth time since 2010 that Caney Valley has advanced to the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately this season they ran into a red-hot Osage City team that eliminated them, 46-14, and finished their season at 9-2.
Blessed with two 1,000-yard-quality rushers in Traxcyn Garton and Jace Buckley, a savvy field engineer in Layne Denny and a crushing defense — and the leadership of veteran head coach Criss Davis — the Pups produced a huge bit.
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Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Sydney Collins (8) celebrates during a match. The Lady Eagles returned to the NAIA national tourney and ended the season at 26-5. This is BASR’s 24th top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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24 — OKWU VOLLEYBALL FLEXES ITS MUSCLES
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s volleyball team conjured up a momentous season, both in winning and individual achievements.
Led by head coach Tracie Gillette, the Lady Eagles powered to a 26-5 season, including a return trip to the NAIA national tourney.
OKWU ascended as high as No. 5 in the NAIA Coaches Poll. Along the way, Gillette reached her 350th career win — especially meaningful because she played her college ball at Oklahoma Wesleyan and also coached Bartlesville High volleyball for several seasons.
On the individual level, Evelyn Rohrberg was named as the NAIA Attacker of the Year and as a member of the NAIA All-America First Team. Rohrberg recorded 20-or-more kills in 14 matches and averaged 5.4 kills per set.
Gillette’s daughter Sydney Collins wrapped up a remarkable college career as OKWU’s setter, including setting a team record with 67 assists in a match.
Collins also was voted to the NAIA All-America Second Team. For the season she produced 1,254 assists and a nation-leading 11.8 assists for set.
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The Dewey Lady Bulldoggers volleyball team qualified for state and is BASR’s 23rd top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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23 — DEWEY SPIKERS NEARLY UNSTOPPABLE
Guided by head coach Hayley Harris, the Dewey Lady Dogger volleyball team put together a break-out season, capped by qualifying for state for the first time in many seasons.
Once Harris got the Lady Doggers rolling they cut a bigger swath of success than a 16-wheeler spinning out of control in a Kansas wheat field.
During one stretch Dewey surged to 12 wins in a row.
The Lady Doggers blitzed through the Class 3A regionals by knocking off Oklahoma Union, 3-1, and Corn Bible in a five-match classic, 22-25, 24-26, 26-24, 26-24, 15-12. This was the first time in 20 years that Dewey hosted a regional.
But the state fates weren’t too kind to Dewey, which drew No. 1 ranked Metro Christian in the 3A quarterfinals. Metro beat Dewey, 3-0, and finished as the state runner-up.
Two of Dewey’s most powerful parts throughout the season were Camrin “C.J.” Jones and libero Isabella Villanueva. Setters Kaylee Cole and Rylan White also helped fuel the Dewey attack.
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Bartlesville High School’s Kennedy Nubel (25) fights for a rebound during the 2024-2025 season. The Lady Bruins broke the .500 mark for the first time since 2018-19 and is BASR’s 22nd top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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22 — LADY BRUINS WEAVE WINNING WAYS
Bartlesville High School’s girls basketball team wasn’t just an overnight success.
Head coach Justyn Shaw has been patiently building a system and a tradition and developing players.
From 3-15 in 2020-21, the Lady Bruins improved to 4-20 in 2021-22, 7-16 in 2022-23 and 12-13 in 2023-24.
During the 2024-25 season they broke out on the plus-side of .500 (13-12) for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.
An incoming transfer player named Sami Sheaffer and battle-hardened veterans like Kennedy Nubel, Alayah Lunn and Adrianne Flick helped rewrite the Lady Bruin narrative and set a winning course for the future.
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Dewey High School’s quarterback Braxton Braden (1) runs the offense during an earlier season game. The Bulldoggers, under the leadership of new head coach Scott Sapulpa, went 4-6 on the season, their best record since 2019. This is BASR’s 21st top story of 2025.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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21 — INSTANT SUCCESS FOR NEW-LOOK DEWEY FOOTBALL SQUAD
A sudden coaching change in the summer gave the Dewey Bulldoggers an unexpected challenge to deal with and opportunity for change. Scott Sapulpa found himself in charge of the Bulldoggers.
They responded with a stunning win in the first game of the 2025 season, knocking off Locust Grove, 53-34. Not only did the win avenge a 53-20 loss the previous season but it also might have been Dewey’s biggest quality win in five years.
First-year quarterback Braxton Braden hurled four touchdown passes — two to Caydn Artherton and one each to Easton Davis and Layne Gastel — in the 2025 season opener.
Jayden Vallen and Eddie Rice ran for 69 and 43 yards, respectively.
Dewey went on to finish at 4-6, its best record since 2019.
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The 1969 Doenges Ford Indians American Legion baseball team is inducted into the Bartlesville Sports Hall of Fame. Gerald Thompson, Mike Epperson and Noah Hartsock were also honored and is BASR’s 20th top story of 2025.
Courtesy photo
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20 — HALL OF FAME GO-GO
For the 17th time in the last 18 years, the Bartlesville Sports Commission canonized a new group of local sports achievers to sports immortality.
The Class of 2025 for the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame included the 1969 Bartlesville Doenges Ford “Injuns” baseball team, coach Gerald Thompson, former collegiate/international gymnastics competitor Mike Epperson; and former Bartlesville High basketball great Noah Hartsock.
The autumn induction dinner took place at the Bartlesville Community Center.
This year’s welcomees swelled the Hall of Fame numbers to 69 individuals and 20 teams/organizations. The Hall of Fame physical location is on the upper deck of the Bartlesville Bruin Fieldhouse.
— The 1969 Doenges team qualified for the American Legion World Series.
— Thompson is a local high school product that returned to teach and coach for decades for Bartlesville Public Schools and is still coaching.
— Epperson helped power the University of Nebraska to a collegiate men’s gymnastics national championship.
— Hartsock played on three state-qualifying Bruin basketball teams and averaged more than 25 points a game and approximately double-digit rebounds during his senior season (2005-06). He was one of five brothers that played Bruin varsity hoops.
(Our top stories Nos. 19-10 will appear at a later date.)