It’s the Cardinals’ time again.
The Southern Financial Group Ardmore Cardinals are heading back to the American Legion state tournament. The team is a collective of collegiate players, state champions and future all-staters. And their summer’s been eventful.
Heading into their Bo Raney Memorial Festival, the Cardinals (17-16) were 3-8 and the postseason was a pipe dream, a mirage in the long summer ahead. But four consecutive wins at Lone Grove and the Bo Raney championship propelled the Cardinals to 14 wins in 22 games.
That was the turning point in what could become a memorable run.
“We really got going from there,” Cardinals coach Jake Melton said. “We were missing a couple of guys, but to win those four games in a row and to come from behind and beat another state tournament team in the (Oklahoma City) Ruffnecks in the championship game was special.”
For Melton, it was a matter of the team meshing together. Many of the players hail from surrounding schools like Lone Grove, Plainview or Ardmore and have experience together from last year’s Legion team and youth ball. This season, a large contingent is from Silo High School, the small-school juggernaut out of Durant. Since Durant didn’t field a Legion team this summer, Melton and the Cardinals have reaped the benefits of a deeper talent pool.
As a result, the Cardinals are loaded with college prospects. Two of Silo’s products, Kenton Stanley and Jacob Carter, will join Plainview’s Wes Davis as Class of 2010 graduates heading to Carl Albert State. Cardinals starting catcher Trevor Raper, who prepped at Madill, just completed his freshmen year with the Vikings. Raper is one of two current collegiate players on the squad along with Ardmore alum Josiah Custar, who is a soon-to-be sophomore at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee.
“Silo’s won state championships and those boys play for a great coach in coach (Billy Jack) Bowen,” Melton said. “They’ve really helped out a bunch.
“The college guys have been at a different level and have seen a lot of baseball between their fall and spring seasons. That means a lot to the team.”
Also, from the Class of 2010, infielder Reed Downing (Ardmore) will play for Labette College in Parsons, Kan., and Cody Sewell (Lone Grove) and Blake Smith (Plainview) are heading to Northeast Texas College in Mount Pleasant and Redlands College in El Reno, respectively.
