Plus, legacy athletes and remembering the departed
Of the St. Louis American
In June of 2006, St. Louis American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr. completed his 20th year of covering high school sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Earl began covering prep sports during the 1986-87 season. For the past three weeks, Earl has shared 20 years of special memories of covering our area’s young African-American champions of sport. This week, we conclude with Part III of the series, with features Earl’s All-Star teams by sport and the top players in each sport. You can see photos of your favorite athletes of the St. Louis American website, www.stlamerican.com.
Earl’s 20-Year Outstanding Performers (By Sport): Baseball: Ryan Howard (Lafayette ’98); Basketball (boys): LaPhonso Ellis (Lincoln ’88) & Larry Hughes (CBC ’97); Basketball (girls); LaShonda Albert (Wellston ’94) & Niele Ivey (Cor Jesu ’96); Cross Country (boys): Stephen Pifer (Edwardsville ’03); Cross Country (girls); Kim Gardner (Webster Groves ’90); Field Hockey: Meridith Thorpe (John Burroughs ’95); Football: (Offense), Chris Moore (East St. Louis ’90); Defense; Dana Howard, (East St. Louis ’89);Golf: Kortland Ware (Whitfield ’05); Soccer; Brock Chatman (CBC ’04) & Jarious Holmes (O’Fallon ’04); Tennis (boys): Blake Strode (Pattonville ’05); Tennis (girls): Lindsey Jones (Hazelwood West ’06);Track (boys): Lavar Miller (Berkeley ’96); Track (girls); Carmelita Williams (Lincoln ’89); Volleyball: Danielle Lawary (Belleville West ’99);
Wrestling: Bruce Harris (McCluer North ’89).
You know you’re getting old: When you are now covering the games of the children of the athletes you covered back then. Those who apply to this are Dwayne Polk (Soldan ’87) and his son Dwayne Polk Jr. (Vashon ’04); Gerald Fulton (Riverview ’88) and his son Gerald Fulton Jr. (Hazelwood East ’06); Ronnie Wingo (Sumner ’90) and his son Ronnie Wingo Jr. (SLUH ’09); LaPhonso Ellis (East St. Louis Lincoln ’88) and his son LaPhonso Ellis Jr. (Belleville East ’07); Robert Thompson (Kirkwood ’91) and his daughter Devonna Smith (Kirkwood ’08); LaGrant Suggs (East St. Louis ’90) and his daughter Yolanda Suggs (Belleville West ’09); Melvin Morrow (Southwest ’89) and his son Reo Taylor (Eureka ’06).
More favorite nicknames: William “Helicopter” Franklin (Vashon Football ’04); Ronald “Spike” Scott (Assumption/East St. Louis Basketball ’90); Alicia “Lee Lee” Williams (Northwest ’88); Aaron “Bobo” Peebles (McCluer North Basketball ’90); Antonio “Windmill” Rivers (Affton Basketball ’95); Teandrea “Tee Tee” Smith (East St. Louis Basketball ’08); Antonio “Sleepy” Anderson (Mehlville Basketball ’89) LeShone “Fat Man” Buchanan (Wellston Basketball ’95); Barbara “Lady Shaq” Washington (Wellston Basketball ’94); Demarco “Smurf” Smith (Belleville West Basketball ’00); Andre “Tootsie” Aarons (Vashon Basketball ’02); Johnnie “Bone” Parker (Webster Groves Basketball ’96); Racquel “Rocky” Ransom (Lincoln Basketball ’90); Steve “L’il Fats” Hall (Vashon Basketball ’87); Sedathon “Deebo” Shelton (Soldan Basketball ’87), Raymond “Champ” Patterson (McCluer North Football ’89); Bryan “Big Tyme” Turner (Beaumont Basketball ’99).
RIP: During my 20 years, we lost several of our young athletes way before their time. They may be gone, but we haven’t forgotten about young people such as Ed Barron (Lutheran North Basketball); DeVaughn Black (Hazelwood West Football); Ernest Blackwell (Eureka Football); Travis Charleston (Beaumont Football); Melvin Cooper (Hancock Basketball); Chris Davis (Jennings Basketball); Jason Dubis (McCluer North Football); Justin Hughes (Parkway North, #1 Basketball fan ); Christopher Fort (Hazelwood East Football); Jason Johnson (Parkway North Football); Ricky Jones (Normandy Basketball), Gerren Kidd (McCluer North Basketball); Shalom Manuel (Sumner Football); Aaron O’Neal (Parkway North Football); Maika Prewitt (McCluer North Basketball); Mike Quarles (Belleville West Basketball); Latricia Roberts (Normandy Basketball); Joe Shelton (Vashon Basketball ’91); Kenslow Scales (Cardinal Ritter Basketball); Sean Tunstall (Vashon Basketball); Tony Wadlington (Berkeley Track); Malik White (Vashon Basketball); Sherman Wilderness (Mehlville Football); Mike Williams (Normandy Track); Tyrone Williford (North County Tech Basketball).
Now, it’s time for Earl’s 20-Year All-Star Teams
Boys Basketball: (Forwards) – Darius Miles (East St. Louis), Craig Upchurch (Beaumont), Kelly Thames (Jennings), Cuonzo Martin (Lincoln), Chris Carrawell (Cardinal Ritter); Jesse Hall (Venice). (Centers) – LaPhonso Ellis (Lincoln), Loren Woods (Cardinal Ritter), Jahidi White (Cardinal Ritter). (Guards) – Larry Hughes (CBC), Jimmy McKinney (Vashon), Vincent Jackson (Lincoln), Sean Tunstall (Vashon), Erwin Claggett (Venice), Joel Shelton (Vashon), Julian Winfield (Cardinal Ritter).
Girls Basketball: (Forwards) – Kim McClelland (Normandy), LaShonda Albert (Wellston), Racquel Ransom (Lincoln), Charmin Smith (Ladue), Angenette Sumrall (Lincoln), Felicia Chester (Incarnate Word). (Centers) – Brittany Mannings (Duchesne), April McKinney (Incarnate Word), Casey Covington (Pattonville). (Guards) – Niele Ivey (Cor Jesu), Rita Adams (Lincoln/East Side), LaKesha Cole (Lincoln/East Side), Dionnah Jackson (Parkway West), Rhonda Moore (Hazelwood East), Tara “Peaches” Harris (Gateway Tech).
Football: (Large Schools, Offense)- QB- Darrell Jackson (Webster Groves), Christian Morton (Riverview Gardens), Isaac Byrd (Parkway Central), RB- Chris Moore (East St. Louis), Terrell Fletcher (Hazelwood East), Damien Nash (East St. Louis/Riverview Gardens), Laurence Maroney (Normandy). FB-Mario Johnson (Hazelwood Central), Jason Eberhart (Mehlville), WR- Reggie Germany (Hazelwood East), Kenneth Dunn (East St. Louis), Jason Dulik (SLUH), Renaldo Gallagher (Hazelwood East), Jeremy Maclin (Kirkwood) TE- Dennis Stallings (East St. Louis), James Cooper (Hazelwood East). OL- Barrett Brooks (McCluer North), Ryan Young (Parkway Central), Bennie Anderson (Cleveland Naval Jr. ROTC), Tony Williams (Riverview Gardens), Arte Middleton (Sumner); Cliff Young (Riverview Gardens) KR- Darris Pierce (Sumner), Ricardo Rhodes (Hazelwood East); Butler Bynote’ (Vashon) PR- Macler Cody (Vashon),
(Large Schools, Defense)- DL- James Gregory (Sumner), Bernard Whittington (Hazelwood East), Darrell Lee (Kirkwood), Wendell Bryant (Ritenour), Hollis Thomas (Sumner), Ayiyyah Ellison (Parkway South). LB- Dana Howard (East St. Louis), Melvin Williams (Mehlville), Ed Morrow (McCluer), Michael Young (Hazelwood East), Terrell Jones (Mehlville), Ronnie Ward (Hazelwood East) DB- Jamar Fletcher (Hazelwood East), Darnell Walker (Sumner), DeRon Jenkins (Ritenour), Lorenzo Brinkley (Hazelwood Central), Terrence Curry (Kirkwood), Kenny Wilhite (Oakville).
Football: (Small Schools, Offense)- QB- Byron Gettis (Cahokia); RB- Hickey Thompson (Althoff), Jonathan Reece (MICDS), William Tolen (Lutheran North), FB- Armandos Fisher (Althoff), WR- Michael Martin (Lutheran North), Bryan Baldwin (Cardinal Ritter), Jason Griffin (Clayton) TE- Lorenzo Scott (Lutheran North), OL- Howard Brown (Berkeley), Courtney Van Buren (Ladue), Derrick Crouch (Lutheran North), Dave Porter (Althoff), Eric Liddell (Assumption). KR- Kevin Jackson (Affton), David Buckner (Ladue).
(Small Schools, Defense)- DL- Joe Johnson (Jennings), Luther Hardin (Althoff), Dewey Houston (Cahokia), Robin Thompson (Lutheran North). LB- Brent Hawkins (Jerseyville), John Williams (Clayton), Jerry Terry (Lutheran North), Robert Douglas (Lutheran North). DB- Duane Hawthorne (Ladue), Jairus Byrd (Clayton), Adrian Beard (St. Charles West), Terrence Binion (Ladue), PR- Ken Barry (Priory)
Boys Track (By Event): 100- John Vaughn (McCluer North), 200- Paul Chaney (SLUH), 400- Chris Pulley (East St. Louis), 800- Darnell Walker (Sumner), 1,600 & 3,200- Stephen Pifer (Edwardsville), 110 High Hurdles- Damon Love (Hazelwood East), 300-Intermediate Hurdles- Ralph Holmes (O’Fallon), Long Jump- DeRon Jenkins (Ritenour), Triple Jump- Kali Jackson (Cahokia), High Jump- Lavar Miller (Berkeley) & Brandon Campbell (Cardinal Ritter), Shot Put- Ronald Willis (Lincoln), Discus- Terrance Parker (Parkway North), 4×100 (John Vaughn, McCluer North, Paul Chaney, SLUH, Chuckie McGee, Ladue; Detar Anderson, East St. Louis); 4×200- (Imani Butler, Parkway North; Rick Stovall, Berkeley, John Vaughn, McCluer North, Paul Chaney, SLUH); 4×400- (Imani Butler, Parkway North, Chris Pulley, East St. Louis, Derron Davis, Parkway Central, Rod Marshall, McCluer). 4×800- Darnell Walker, Sumner, Marquis Walker, Sumner, Demonser Burch, Normandy, Chaz Baker, Parkway North).
Girls Track (By Event): 100: Carmelita Williams (Lincoln); 200- Alishea Ursery (Berkeley); 400- Carmelita Williams (Lincoln); 800- Ann Heffner (Hazelwood Central), 1,600- Kim Gardner (Webster Groves), 3,200- Marque Sanders (Lincoln), 100-High Hurdles, Dawn Harper (East St. Louis), 300-Low Hurdles, Dawn Harper (East St. Louis), Long Jump – Cynthia Tylor (Lincoln), Triple Jump- Kathryn Coleman (Gateway Tech), High Jump- Reflaye Williams (Belleville East) & Connie Teaberry (Lutheran North), Shot Put & Discus- Amarachi Ukabam (Marquette); 4×100- (Alishea Usery, Berkeley, Cynthia Tylor, Lincoln, Kyra Sullivan, Gateway Tech, Carmelita Williams, Lincoln); 4×200- (Alishea Ursery, Berkeley, Carmelita Williams, Lincoln, Lauren Fisher, Hazelwood Central, Ciara Jones, Soldan); 4×400- Alishea Ursery, Berkeley, Carmelita Williams, Lincoln, Tianna Swinney, Sumner, Tiffaney Williams, Hazelwood East); 4×800 (Ann Heffner, Hazelwood Central, Janel Humprhies, Parkway South, Kim Gardner, Webster Groves, Juanita Coleman, Gateway Tech).
Baseball: Infielders- Ryan Howard (Lafayette); Homer Bush (East St. Louis), Jerry Creer (East St. Louis), Jairus Byrd (Clayton), Derek Cotton (Hazelwood West), Jimmy McKinney (Vashon). Outfielders- DaRond Stovall (Althoff); Kerry Robinson (Hazelwood East), Scarborough Green (Lafayette), Isaac Byrd (Parkway Central), Keith Adaway (Parkway South), Byron Gettis (Cahokia), Dante Brinkley (Belleville East) Designated Hitters- Alvin Morrow (Kirkwood), Shannon Rhodes (Hazelwood East), J.R. Warner (Priory) Catchers- Cliff Williams (East St. Louis), Corey Smith (McCluer), Chaz Macklin (East St. Louis). Pitchers- Robert Person (University City), Jason Boyd (Edwardsville), Robert Mosby (East St. Louis); Emanuel Bishop (Belleville East), Andy Watson (Vashon).