“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal;”>The
St. Louis area was well-represented at last week’s National
Football League Draft.
Former
Parkway West and University of Missouri standout quarterback Blaine
Gabbert was taken with the No. 10 pick by the Jacksonville
Jaguars.
Former
Webster Groves star Adrian Clayborn was selected in the first round
by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 20 pick. Clayborn was one
of the nation’s top defensive ends during his collegiate career at
Iowa.
Former
McCluer North standout Keith Williams was selected in the sixth
round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams was a college standout
at Nebraska. (Always good to see a fellow North Star get the
call).
It is also
always great to see our athletes from The STL receive their due on
the national stage such as the NFL Draft. It is my hope that this
lockout will end soon so some other area athletes who were drafted
can get that phone call from NFL teams.
Athletes
such as Quentin Davie (Cardinal Ritter/Northwestern), Niles
Brinkley (Beaumont/Wisconsin) and Raymond Webber (Miller Career
Academy/Arkansas Pine-Bluff) are awaiting that call so they can try
to fulfill their dreams to play in the NFL.
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“font-family: Verdana;”>Gnatt to NC State “font-family: Verdana;”>
Cahokia
High wrestling standout Thomas Gnatt has signed a national letter
of intent to attend North Carolina State. Gnatt was one of the top
grapplers in the state of Illinois. As a senior, Gnatt finished
with a 37-2 record while finishing second at 135-pounds at the IHSA
Class 3A state championships. As a junior, Gnatt finished third in
the state at 130 pounds.
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“font-family: Verdana;”>Earl live
I will be
appearing at the St. Louis Public Library Walnut Park Branch (5760
West Florissant) this Saturday (May 7) to make a presentation about
my books, “The PHL in the STL” and both “You Might Need a Jacket:
Hilarious Stories of Wacky Sports Parents” books. My presentation
will be from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. My books and PHL DVD will also be
available for purchase at the event. Hope to see you all
there.
“font-family: Verdana;”>More signings “font-family: Verdana;”>
Clayton
High basketball standout Christian Thomas signed with Loyola of
Chicago University of the Horizon League. The 6’5” Thomas averaged
21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Greyhounds to a Class 4
district championship.
Former
Hazelwood Central standout Connell Crossland signed with TCU last
week. The 6’7” Crossland was a junior college standout at John A.
Logan College in Carterville, Ill.
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“font-family: Verdana;”>Congrats to Coach Mo “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-family: Verdana;”>Congratulations to my friend and media colleague Maurice Scott, who was recently named the Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association for the seventh grade level. Maurice is the head seventh grade coach and assistant eighth-grade coach at Wyvetter Younge Middle. The eighth graders won the IESA state championship in Class 4A.
Also
receiving Coach of the Year recognition from the IBCA were James
Harris (8th grade, Mason-Clark Middle) and xx Prue
(Lincoln Middle). Congratulations to these coaches for their great
work with the young kids on the East Side.
