Area athletes gear up for annual All-State games

As many as eight area athletes who are coming off high school graduation will be participating in the Oklahoma All-State Games  this week in Oklahoma City.

The student athletes will be involved in sporting events today, Tuesday and Friday.

Today
Golf

Ardmore’s Ryan Smith and Britt Ritter will be playing for the West Boys, while Plainview’s Emily Leahey will be competing for the West Girls squad at Lincoln Park Golf Course. Tee time is at 10 a.m.

Smith and Ritter were members of Ardmore’s Class 5A state championship team in May at Dornick Hills Country Club. Smith placed second as an individual in that meet with 209, while Ritter was third with 213.

Leahey won state as an individual with 151 strokes after making a fairway shot that set up a winning birdie at the Golf Course at Cimmarron Trails in Perkins.
Jenna Ross also qualified with a fourth-place finish (165) at state, but withdrew.

Smith, Ritter, Leahey and Ross were all members of the Daily Ardmoreite inaugural all-area golf teams.

Sulphur boys coach Toby Todd is also serving as the West coach.

Baseball

Layton Hawkins of Turner is on the roster for the Small West, who will take on the Small East in the Small game at 4:30 this afternoon at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.

Hawkins, who made the all-area baseball super team, batted .378 for the Falcons and had an 8-2 record on the mound, with an earned-run average of 1.58 and 86 strikeouts.

Tuesday
Tennis

Timothy Argo will play for the West Boys and Jordan Adams will play for the West Girls at 5:30 p.m. at Oaktree Country Club in Edmond.

Each played in their respective state tournaments.

Friday
Football

Ardmore’s Dominic Williams and Dickson’s Hawk Rouse will be playing for the West offense. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. at Mustang High School.

Both players made the all-area football super team last fall.

Williams, a running back, rushed for 1,577 yards and scored 20 touchdowns in 2007. He was also the Offensive Player of the Year for District 5A-1.

Rouse, who will play as a lineman, made 75 pancake blocks last season for the Comets.

Justin Blackmon, also made the All-State teams in football and basketball, but will not be playing since he has to report Thursday to Oklahoma State, where he has signed to play football.

Blackmon, who was slated to play wide receiver, was the Co-Offensive Player of the Year in football and Boys Player of the Year in basketball.

On the gridiron, he was the District 3A-2 Player of the Year,  catching 61 passes for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns, rushing for 162 yards on 21 carries and two TD, returning punts for 567 yards and four TDs.

Known for his slam-dunking abilities on the hardwood, he averaged 24.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 4.8 steals per game.

He shot 57 percent from the field and 48 percent from the ree throw line.

He scored a total of 1,212 points on the year and won back-to-back Lake Country Conference Most Valuable Player awards.

Plainview coach Corey Cole will also coach in the football game for the West.

In other capacities, Ardmore’s Kaitlin Polk will serve as an athletic trainer for the West, while Katie Bahner will be a cheerleader for the West.