Vote now: Who should be the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Athlete of the Week?
Here are the candidates for the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Athlete of the Week for Sept. 5-11 as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. We’ll send a free SBLive T-shirt to the winner of the poll! Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced Monday.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email brittanyabowyer@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @bbowyer07. You also can tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @sbliveaz.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
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FOOTBALL
Jordan Blake, Skyline, Junior - Finishing Friday night’s game with an outstanding 412 all purpose yards, Blake was a huge factor in Skyline’s offensive attack in the 47-28 victory over the Tucson Badgers. Blake carried the ball 18 times for 283 yards and three touchdowns, while also snagging two receptions for 51 yards.
Matt Brimhall, Snowflake, Senior - Brimhall was an absolute terror on defense in Friday’s 20-14 victory over Show Low, where he had 17 tackles, four tackles for a loss, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery.
Navi Bruson, Liberty, Junior - Going a perfect 18 for 18 in Saturday’s game against Pinnacle, Bruson finished the night with a total of 344 yards and two touchdowns in the 49-7 beatdown.
Adrian Crespin, Valley Vista, Senior - Completing 14 of his 21 pass attempts on Thursday night in the game against Westview, he helped the Monsoon roll to an easy 49-0 victory. Crespin totaled 188 yards, along with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Bryson Dedmon, Basha, Junior - Helping to propel Basha to an outstanding 63-0 win over Desert Ridge on Friday, Dedmon had four receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Cooper French, Coconino, Senior - With a dynamic performance on Friday in Coconino’s 62-6 win over Blue Ridge High School, French had 12 carries for a total of 151 yards and three touchdowns.
Garrett Garcia, Apache Junction, Senior - Finishing Friday’s game with eight receptions for 136 yards, he also had four touchdowns on the night for the Prospectors to help them pick up a 56-0 win over San Tan Foothills.
Cody Hanna, Prescott, Senior - Hanna was one of the main defensive forces in Friday’s 62-28 victory over Glendale, where he posted 12 tackles on the night, along with two sacks, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Judah Huisman, Northwest Christian, Senior - Completing 13 of his 15 pass attempts for 247 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, it was a stellar night on Friday for Huisman in the 42-8 victory over Estrella Foothills.
Elias Johnson, Tempe, Sophomore - While Tempe couldn’t pick up the win on Thursday night against Carl Hayden, he still had 21 carries for 211 total yards and three of Tempe’s touchdowns.
Camar Lee, Sierra Linda, Freshman - Despite the game being postponed until Saturday due to the weather, the freshman QB still looked sharp. He completed 18 of his 30 pass attempts for 228 yards and two touchdowns in the 35-33 victory over ALA-Ironwood
Maurea Norris, Prescott, Senior - It was a record-setting night for Norris on Friday in the 62-28 victory over Glendale, where he rushed for a career-high of 130 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries.
Cooper Perry, Notre Dame Prep, Sophomore - Helping Notre Dame Prep steamroll the Ironwood Eagles 50-0 on Thursday night, Perry had five receptions for 124 yards, four of them being good for a touchdown.
Richard Stallworth, Yuma Catholic, Senior - Back on the list again this week is the all-star quarterback from southern Arizona, who passed for 512 yards in Yuma Catholic’s 54-19 win over River Valley on Friday. Completing 28 of his 47 pass attempts, he also threw seven touchdowns on the night, but unfortunately had three picks in the game as well.
Isaac Stopke, Lake Havasu, Senior - Taking the rock 198 yards on 24 carries for three touchdowns on the night, he also had four tackles for the defense to help Lake Havasu pick up a 28-14 win over Mohave on Friday.
Viliami Tongotea, Buckeye, Senior - Plowing his way to a total of 225 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, Tongotea was a workhorse for Buckeye in the 49-14 win over Deer Valley.
Richard Valdez, West Pointe, Sophomore - Valdez has had an impressive start to the season, helping the infancy program to a 2-0 start on the year. In Friday’s 17-7 win over McClintock, Valdez completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 239 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Ca’lil Valentine, Chandler, Junior - In Chandler’s 50-0 rout of Corona del Sol on Friday, Valentine had 15 carries for a new career high of 190 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two receptions for 55 yards.
Devin White, Lee Williams, Senior - With six receptions for 253 yards and two touchdowns, White was a huge offensive key in Lee Williams’ 48-15 victory over Wickenburg on Friday night.
Jaime Zayas, Carl Hayden, Senior - Zayas was a workhorse for the Falcons on Thursday night in the 40-26 victory over Tempe, where he carried the ball 27 times for a total of 284 yards and three touchdowns.
VOLLEYBALL
Lucy Anderson, Marana, Senior - Posting a new career high of 19 kills along with an ace and five digs, Anderson had an outstanding night despite the team’s 3-2 loss to Boulder Creek on Thursday.
Kierstyn Barton, Corona del Sol, Senior - It was a strong night for the senior in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Basha, where she had 22 kills, four blocks and 15 digs.
Addyson France, O’Connor, Sophomore - France led the team with 12 kills and five blocks in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Rincon/University.
Kamryn Gibadlo, Cactus Shadows, Senior - In Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Centennial, Gibadlo had a strong overall performance with 16 kills, three aces, a block and 19 digs.
Brooke Harwood, Eastmark, Freshman - Returning to the list again this week is the freshman from Eastmark, whose strong performance helped the Firebirds pick up a 3-0 victory against Seton Catholic on Tuesday. With 16 kills, a block and 14 digs, she was a leader in the team’s attack. She had another killer performance on Wednesday in Eastmark’s 3-0 victory against Paradise Honors, where she had 17 kills, six aces, two blocks and four digs.
Amanda Lauer, Cactus, Senior - Leading Cactus in Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Bradshaw Mountain, Lauer had 16 kills, an ace, three blocks and four digs.
Shelbie Lemm, St. Mary’s, Junior - Setting a new career high with 34 kills, Lemm also had four aces and 19 digs to help the Knights pick up a 3-2 win over Peoria on Tuesday. She followed it up with another 27 kills and 32 digs despite the team’s 3-2 loss to Apache Junction on Wednesday.
Kendal Murphy, Horizon, Senior - Back on the list once again is Murphy, who helped Horizon to a 3-1 victory over Pinnacle on Tuesday. She posted 29 kills, four aces, three blocks and nine digs to help the Huskies get the job done.
Francesca Pieroni, Salpointe Catholic, Senior - Setting a new career high with 24 kills on Thursday, she also had an ace, two blocks and 22 digs on the night to help Salpointe Catholic blow past Arcadia 3-0.
Georgi Stein, Sunnyslope, Sophomore - Setting a new career high of 20 kills in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Valley Vista, Stein also had three blocks, nine digs and four assists on the night.
Sophia Smith, Shadow Mountain, Senior - Helping Shadow Mountain cruise to an easy 3-0 win over North Canyon on Thursday, Smith had 15 kills, four aces and eight digs to contribute to the win.
Reagan Richardson, Gilbert, Sophomore - In Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Campo Verde, Richardson had another strong night with 16 kills, two aces, one block and eight digs.