Chisholm’s Snodgrass travels from Germany just in time for match
OKLAHOMA COACHES ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE TENNIS
TULSA — No player was more thankful for Tuesday’s brief rain delay before the start of the All-State tennis matches than Chisholm’s Jack Snodgrass.
Even with the delay, Snodgrass arrived just five minutes before his first match of the day.
Considering he was in Germany on Monday, it’s understandable. Between flying time and layovers, Snodgrass had been awake for about 36 straight hours when he arrived at Tulsa International Airport Tuesday afternoon.
His mother met him there with his tennis gear and drove him straight to the University of Tulsa’s Case Tennis Center.
“I”m running on pure adrenaline right now,” he said.
Snodgrass teamed with Mustang’s Tony Nguyen for a doubles victory, one of the West’s only two wins in boys play. Nguyen won his singles match for the other in a 13-2 loss to the East.
Snodgrass will be attending TCU in the fall, with plans of walking onto the tennis team. He was in Germany for nearly two weeks as part of a study-abroad program through the school. He spent a lot of time in Berlin, and was in Munich the day before a mass shooting in the city.
“We got to see the first concentration camp that was built for political prisoners, Sachsenhausen,” he said. “That was a humbling.”
WEST GIRLS PULL OUT TIGHT VICTORY
It came down to the wire in the girls competition, with the West hanging on for an 8-7 victory.
Edmond North’s Rylee Tucker, The Oklahoman’s All-City Girls Player of the Year, pulled out a 6-3 win at No. 1 singles, while Beaver’s Allex Looper and Oklahoma Christian’s Saralyn Dyer also won at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
Rain drenched the outdoor courts just before the start of the matches, moving most of them indoors while the others dried. It delayed the start briefly, but didn’t seem to disrupt the flow for anyone.
“I was actually kind of relieved that we didn’t have to play outside,” said Tucker, who also paired with McGuinness’ Katie Conrad for a doubles victory. “It was hot.
“This whole thing was a lot of fun. No one took it too seriously. It was a lot about our team effort.”
RIVERFIELD’S CLARK STAYING BUSY
Riverfield Country Day star
Zeke Clark, widely considered the best player in the state, regardless of class, won both his matches for the East team on Tuesday.
But All-State was only a brief stop on his busy summer calendar that includes a stop at a national event in Michigan before enrolling at Illinois next month.
He played in four futures tournaments — in Virginia, North Carolina, Tulsa and Wichita, Kan. — and a national clay court tournament the last two months. He also played in the Australian Junior Open in February.
“There hasn’t been much time off, but I love it, so it works out,” he said. “I love the travel, and being able to travel all these places and play the sport I love, I’m so fortunate to be able to do that.”