Earl Austin

We are in the home stretch of the regular season with just two more weeks left of football before the playoffs begin on both sides of the river.  As we get closer to the playoffs, there are still a few big regular season contests on the docket this week. The big one on the Illinois […]

St. Louisan Napheesa Collier seems to have made it a habit to make history throughout these WNBA playoffs. Led by Collier and guard Courtney Williams, the Minnesota Lynx pulled off the greatest comeback in playoff history as they stunned the New York Liberty 95-93 in overtime to take a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals […]

The football program at Hazelwood East is on the upswing. The Spartans were once a state power for decades as they competed for state championships while sending players to the college ranks and the National Football League. East has been out of the spotlight for awhile, but the program has been making positive strides. The […]

American sprinter Noah Lyles provided one of the most electrifying moments of the Olympic track and field competition by winning the gold medal in the 100-meter dash on Sunday in Paris, France. In one of the most dramatic races in the history of the event, Lyles edged out Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in a photo […]

The USA men’s and women’s basketball teams have both advanced to the quarterfinals at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France with perfect 3-0 records. St. Louisans Jayson Tatum and Napheesa Collier turned in solid performances in helping the USA cruise to three victories during pool play last week. Both players have been starting for their […]

The summer grassroots basketball season came to an end last weekend and some very talented girls teams came home with national championship trophies. The Napheesa Collier Elite 16U team won the Platinum Division title at the National Championships in Louisville, KY. Phee Elite defeated Drill 4 Skill in the championship game to win the 32-team […]

The Summer Olympics are here and I cannot wait for Friday’s opening ceremony in Paris. A Summer Olympics fan since I started watching them in 1972 when I was seven years old, I also love its history. One of my favorite shows as a youth was “The Olympiad,” a series of documentaries on the Olympic […]

Simmering my favorite Summer Olympic memories

When the middle of July rolls around, that means that I get to make my annual road trip down to Louisville to spend time with family members in Kentucky while also watching high-level girls’ basketball. As long as I can cover basketball, the Run 4 Roses Classic in Louisville will always be a permanent part […]

State championship trophies will be handed out to seven high school football teams as the Show-Me Bowl returns to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. This season will mark my 25th Show-Me Bowl since becoming a sportswriter in the fall of 1986. During those 25 years, I have witnessed some great games and great […]

25 Players to Watch in ’06 By Earl Austin Jr. Of the St. Louis American Prep football begins this weekend on the Missouri side of the river. Here are a few of the top players to watch as the season opens this weekend. 25 Players to Watch in ’06 William Anderson (Hazelwood East): Brusing fullback […]

LaTosha Evans and Chanese Witt Timberland’s terrible twosome Timberland Softball By Earl Austin Jr. Of the St. Louis American The double-play combination of LaTosha Evans and Charnese Witt have been rolling for the Wentzville Timberland softball program for the past two years. The talented duo has been in the middle of the action for the […]

There are two things you can say about the 2024 high school track season in the St. Louis area – it was outstanding, and like its sprinters, it went fast. It was a great season of track and field in the St. Louis metro area in 2024. Several teams from the area brought home state […]

In her second trip to the Olympics, Napheesa Collier figures to have a more prominent role as she has emerged as one of the top players in the WNBA. She made her first Olympics appearance with Team USA in 2021 as the youngest player on a loaded team that rolled to the gold medal. To be named […]

In the hours leading up to Sunday’s evening Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, I was really looking for something to do other than laying in bed and passing the time. While looking on my phone, I came across the Instagram account of the St. Louis Griffins of […]

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are set to play in the NBA Finals, which gets underway on Thursday night in Boston. The Celtics are seeking their 18 world championship as a franchise, which would put them past the Los Angeles Lakers for most in league history. The Mavericks are looking for their second NBA […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves scored a decisive 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals. After falling behind 9-2 in the early minutes of the game, the Timberwolves went on a 20-0 run to take control of the game. Minnesota added a 13-0 run in […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks posted big road victories to even their respective NBA playoff series in the conference semifinals. The Cavaliers posted a resounding 118-94 victory over the host Boston Celtics to even their Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series at 1-1. In the Western Conference semifinals, Dallas defeated Oklahoma City 119-110 to also […]

Former DeSmet Jesuit High football standout Mekhi Wingo was selected by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round in last weekend’s National Football League Draft, which was held in Detroit. Wingo is a 6’1” 295-pound defensive tackle, who played the last two seasons at LSU after starting his career at the University of Missouri. He […]

St. Louisan Jayson Tatum has accomplished many great things in the playoffs during his career with the Boston Celtics. On Sunday, Tatum added a triple-double to that list of accomplishments in the Celtics’ 114-94 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs in Boston. The Celtics took a 1-0 lead […]