Congratulations to the football team at my collegiate alma mater Lindenwood University, for advancing to the championship game of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national playoffs. The Lions defeated Carroll (Mont.) 42-35 to advance to the national championship game for the first time in the school’s history.
I watched the entire game on my computer while biting my fingernails the entire time.
Lindenwood (13-0), ranked No. 3 in the country, will take on No. 1 Sioux Falls (14-0) for the national title on Saturday, Dec. 19 in Rome, Ga. Sioux Falls is the defending national champions.
Lindenwood’s season ended last season in the semifinals against Carroll in a 39-38 heartbreaker when a two-point conversion was stopped in the closing seconds. This time, LU got the last second touchdown to get to the finals and snap Carroll’s 24-game home field winning streak in the process.
The Lions boast several players from the St. Louis area, who have been standouts all season. Redshirt freshman tailback Denodus O’Bryant (Washington High) has a school-record 23 touchdowns. He has rushed for 943 yards and amassed 1,671 all-purpose yards. Senior Roren Thomas (Soldan) has 1,119 all-purpose yards. Thomas has 34 receptions for 396 yards. The versatile Thomas has scored eight touchdowns, three rushing, two receiving and three kick and punt returns.
On defense, sophomore linebacker Chris Howard (Parkway Central) has 39 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Huge defensive tackle Chidi Oteh (Clayton) has been a stalwart in the middle of the Lions’ defensive line. Defensive end Alvin Davie (Cardinal Ritter) has 2.5 sacks and an interception while defensive back Jovan Alexander (Hazelwood East) has two interceptions.
Good luck to the Lions in their quest to bring home a national championship back to St. Charles.
On a side note, Lindenwood’s men’s basketball team is off to an 8-2 start under the direction of former Saint Louis U. coach Brad Soderberg.
Blacks and Whitey
A tip of the cap goes to former St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Whitey Herzog on getting the nod for induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
I moved to the St. Louis area in 1980, which coincided with Whitey coming to the Gateway City after his successful run across the state with the Kansas City Royals.
For my money, Herzog’s Redbirds of the 1980s was the most glorious time and my favorite era as far as St. Louis sports teams were concerned (other than the 1999 Rams, of course). Those great Cardinals’ teams were based on speed, speed, defense, pitching and more speed. They were the most exciting team in baseball. That electric style of play netted the Cardinals three National League pennants and one world title during the ‘80s.
It was also a wonderful time for African-American fans who had a chance to cheer on the exploits of great black stars such as Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, Terry Pendleton, George Hendrick and Lonnie Smith and so many others during the Herzog era in St. Louis.
I can still remember the days when fans would call the talk shows on KMOX radio complaining that the Cardinals had too many black players on the field, but that mattered little to Whitey, who flooded the field with great African-America stars throughout his tenure in St. Louis.
Cal-State star
Former Vashon High standout Kenny Daniels has been on a roll to begin his senior year at Cal-State Northridge. A 6’4” senior guard, Daniels is currently averaging a team-high 18 points a game. Last week, he had a career-high 39 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over Idaho. A starter on Vashon’s 2006 Class 5 state championship team, Daniels was a two-year starter at Sheridan J.C. in Wyoming. Last season, he averaged nine points a game in helping Cal-State Northridge to the Big West title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He scored 14 points in the Matadors near-upset of No. 1 seed Memphis is the first round of the tournament in Kansas City.
Netting grants
The St. Louis-based Net Rushers Tennis Association has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The Program/Project Support Grant is one of 38 grants awarded by the USTA nationally. The Net Rushers Tennis Association has done a wonderful job of introducing the sport of tennis to young minority athletes for several years. Players such as former state champion and NCAA All-American Blake Strode and former Hazelwood West girls standout Brandi Hudson are just a few of the many young players who have come out of the Net Rushers program.
You can follow Earl Austin Jr. on his daily basketball blog, stlouisbasketball.com. He is also on facebook and twitter. Earl’s new book “You Might Need a Jacket: Hilarious Stories of Wacky Sports Parents” is on sale at various locations around St. Louis, including Borders Bookstore, Johnny Mac’s Sporting Goods, Barnes and Noble and on line at Amazon, earlaustinjr.com, Barnes and Noble.com and Prioritybooks.com.
