The elite eight Class-4A high school baseball teams have all earned spots in this years state tournament. Only three of the 2017 qualifiers are repeats for a title run this week, including Poteau, Blanchard, and the 2017 defending state champion - Heritage Hall. Our Lions will meet Vinita at 12 noon at 4 PM Thursday, May 10, at Edmond Santa Fe - barring rain delay. Our Lions know not to look past the first game of the tournament against a very good Vinita squad, as many a great team gets upset in the first round. The Blanchard Lions' record speaks for itself, with 32 wins and 3 losses, but there are teams that are just as shiny in the tournament including Tuttle, Grove, and Verdigris.
The "tradition" that embodies Blanchard high school baseball began long ago as early as the 1950's, with sports legends such as Oscar Brooks walking the hallways of Blanchard High School. The "tradition" continued throughout the next several decades as Andrew J. Terrell High School (formerly Blanchard High School) produced dozens of All-State baseball players of which several went on to play in the Major Leagues. Blanchard could have "invented" the term baseball tradition for small towns across Oklahoma, as the high school is always among the top 3 or 4 teams in its classification and continues to cast a giant shadow at the state tournament. Not only are the student athletes following in the footsteps of "legends of the spring", but they are creating their own legacy.. for kids of the future. I have no doubt that "win, lose, or draw" this weekend in the Class 4A state baseball tournament - the tradition that defines high school baseball will continue for Blanchard...
No comments:
Post a Comment