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. 26-Oct. 2 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.
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
Jaqua Anderson, Junior, Liberty - Leading in offensive yards for Liberty in Friday’s 26-17 victory over Saguaro, Anderson had six carries for 25 yards as well as seven receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Dominik Bagchi, Senior, Central - Passing for a total 254 yards, Bagchi completed 14 of his 16 pass attempts for five total touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Bobcats defeat Alhambra 48-0.
Matty Braun, Senior, Mountain Pointe - In Thursday’s rivalry game between Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista, Braun had four receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns to help the Pride to a 63-35 victory.
Jake Busot, Junior, Arizona College Prep - Leading Friday’s game against Moon Valley with 10 receptions for 203 yards and two touchdowns, Busot helped the Knights pick up a 28-0 victory.
Chris Cordero, Senior, Desert Edge - It was an explosive night on Friday for Cordero in Desert Edge’s 52-21 victory over Cienega, where he had 24 carries for 203 yards and five touchdowns.
Adam Damante, Senior, ALA-Gilbert North - Despite the 40-19 loss to ALA-Queen Creek on Friday, Damante completed 24 of his 37 pass attempts for 423 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Dylan Dwiggins, Junior, Sunnyslope - With only two receptions in Thursday’s game against Ironwood, Dwiggins still amassed 129 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings, helping to lead them to a 42-14 victory over Ironwood.
Athan Ferber, Junior, Campo Verde - Carrying the ball 17 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns on the night, Ferber helped Campo Verde take the 30-13 victory over the Gilbert Tigers on Thursday.
Carter Hancock, Senior, Higley - In Friday’s 35-0 victory over Casa Grande, Hancock had 11 receptions for 232 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Knights to the win.
Wyatt Horton, Sophomore, Pinnacle - Horton returns to the list this week after a strong performance Friday in the 45-10 victory over Horizon. He completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 253 yards and four touchdowns.
Landon Jury, Senior, Casteel - Leading Casteel to a huge 52-0 victory over Tolleson on Friday, Jury completed 16 of his 20 pass attempts for 235 yards and five touchdowns.
Jeriah Krize, Senior, Eastmark - Helping the Firebirds shut out ALA-Ironwood on Friday 57-0, Krize had six tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks for a loss of 15 yards.
Markhi McKinnon, Junior, Barry Goldwater - Finishing Friday’s game with 15 carries for a total of 206 yards and three touchdowns, McKinnon helped Barry Goldwater pick up a 42-21 win over North Canyon.
Adam Mohammad, Junior, Apollo - With nine carries on the night, Mohammad amassed 134 yards and four touchdowns to help Apollo defeat Copper Canyon 50-0 on Friday.
Sinjin Schmitt, Senior, Boulder Creek - Schmitt returns to the list this week after an explosive game against Sunrise Mountain, where he had 22 carries for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
Ca’lil Valentine, Junior, Chandler - Picking up a number of college offers this week, Valentine continued to impress on the field against Red Mountain. He finished the game with 13 carries for a total of 132 yards and a touchdown, as well as seven receptions for 92 yards and three touchdowns to help the Wolves defeat the Mountain Lions 59-27.
VOLLEYBALL
Neomi Beach, Senior, Hamilton - It was a top-five matchup Wednesday when Hamilton faced off against Perry, and Beach put up 19 kills, four aces and 13 digs to help Hamilton cruise to a 3-0 victory.
Dissy Brinkeroff, Junior, ALA-Gilbert North - Helping the Eagles to a big 3-1 victory over ALA-Queen Creek on Tuesday, Brinkeroff led things on the court for ALA-Gilbert North with 20 kills, four aces and nine digs on the night.
Haylee Brown, Senior, Maricopa - It was a stellar night for Brown on Tuesday in the 3-1 victory over West Point. Brown finished the match with a new career-high of 29 kills, along with five aces, a block and 22 digs.
Molly Brunell, Junior, Ironwood Ridge - In Monday’s 3-0 rout of Tucson Magnet High School, Brunell posted 15 kills, four aces, a block and six digs to help the Nighthawks to victory.
Kathryn Cherrington, Senior, Ironwood Ridge - In Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Campo Verde, Cherrington helped the Nighthawks rally to victory with an outstanding performance. Cherrington put up 19 kills, two aces and two blocks, along with 17 digs to get the job done.
Kamryn Gibadlo, Senior, Cactus Shadows - Cactus Shadows was able to defeat Horizon on Wednesday night 3-1 behind a strong performance by Gibadlo with 22 kills, three aces, three blocks and 12 digs.
Evan Hendrix, Junior, Notre Dame Prep - On Wednesday, Hendrix finished the match against Desert Mountain with 22 kills, four aces, a block and 10 digs to help Notre Dame Prep to a 3-0 victory over Desert Mountain.
Zoe John, Junior, Highland - Highland was able to knock off Desert Vista on Tuesday 3-1 behind a strong game by John. She finished the game with a new career high of 23 kills, an ace, three blocks and seven digs to help the Hawks pull off the win.
Ella Kraver, Junior, Arizona College Prep - Going the distance on Thursday, Kraver made a nice varsity debut by helping ACP pick up a 3-2 victory over Eastmark with 17 kills, four aces, four blocks and 11 digs.
Hayven Lick, Sophomore, Thunderbird - Sweeping Paradise Honors 3-0 on Thursday, Lick helped the Titans to victory with 14 kills, an ace, six blocks and and three digs on the night.
Jennifer Morales Solis, Junior, Maryvale - Helping to pick up a 3-0 win over Carl Hayden on Tuesday, Solis had 12 kills, six aces and 10 digs to help the Panthers sweep the Falcons.
Alina Nunez, Senior, Canyon del Oro - Leading in kills on Wednesday in the 3-1 victory over Eastmark, Nunez also had five aces, a block and six digs on the night.
Francesca Pieroni, Senior, Salpointe Catholic - In Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over ALA-Queen Creek, Pieroni finished the game with 21 kills, an ace, three blocks and 10 digs to help the Lancers pick up a victory.
Emily Pruitt, Junior, Sunrise Mountain - Pruitt finished Monday’s game against Kellis with 16 kills, an ace, a block and 12 digs to help the Mustangs to a 3-0 victory.
Tristan Raymond, Sophomore, Liberty - In a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Sunnyslope on Tuesday, Raymond led the Liberty Lions on the court with a stellar night. She finished with a total of 18 kills, an ace, three blocks and 17 digs to help pick up a win.
Celeste Rivas, Senior, Marcos de Niza - Rivas had one of the best performances of her career Wednesday in the 3-1 victory over Tempe, where she posted 15 kills, eight aces, seven blocks and two digs.
Teraya Sigler, Sophomore, Horizon - After being forced to sit for half of the season after transferring from Phoenix Country Day to Horizon, she was a huge contributor in the Huskies’ 3-0 victory over Centennial on Monday. Sigler finished the match with 15 kills, two blocks and 16 digs.
Maria Toledo, Senior, Vista Grande - Helping the Spartans to a 3-2 victory over Dysart on Monday, Toledo posted 12 kills, three aces, two blocks and eight digs to help her team edge their way to victory.