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 Oct. 3-9 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
Brendan Anderson, Senior, Mountain Ridge - In Friday’s game against North, Anderson completed 28 of his 38 pass attempts for 290 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in the 45-6 victory.
Gage Baker, Junior, Paradise Honors - Baker had an explosive performance on Friday to lead Paradise Honors to a 50-20 victory over ALA-West Foothills. He finished the night completing 16 of his 19 pass attempts for 296 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception.
Deyon Bradley, Senior, Moon Valley - Wrapping up Friday’s game against Maryvale with 209 all-purpose yards, Bradley had his second five-touchdown game of the season. Carrying the ball for 95 yards and three touchdowns, he also was an explosive special teams player, returning both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns, helping Moon Valley blast past Maryvale 58-6.
Navi Bruzon, Junior, Liberty - It was a red-hot night for Bruzon on Friday in the highly anticipated matchup against the Basha Bears. Bruzon finished the night completing 17 of his 20 pass attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns, along with his own rushing touchdown, to help lead the Lions to a 35-7 victory over Basha.
Darrien Campbell, Senior, Kellis - Setting a new personal best, Campbell rushed for 268 yards and four touchdowns to help Kellis pick up a 33-12 win over Independence.
Jacob Espinoza, Sophomore, Amphitheater - In Friday’s 35-27 victory over Rincon/University, Espinoza finished the game with 121 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
Misael Gamez, Junior, Tolleson - Helping Tolleson pick up a 32-16 victory over Cibola on Friday, he finished the night with 12 tackles, a sack and an interception returned for 40 yards.
Damian Giles, Senior, Cactus - It was a big night for the senior at his final homecoming game, where he had 28 carries for 202 yards and five touchdowns to help the Cobras pick up a rivalry victory, defeating Peoria 47-20.
Cameron Hackworth, Junior, Sabino - Proving once again why he’s one of the most underrated quarterback recruits in the state, Hackworth finished Friday with 27 of 32 completed passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns. He also had eight carries of his own for a total of 72 yards and a touchdown, helping Sabino take home a big 72-40 victory over Sequoia Pathway.
Matthew Jensen, Senior, Marana - It was a big night for the senior on Friday, helping Marana put a stop to Cienega to pick up a 41-31 win. Jensen finished the night with 14 total tackles, two tackles for loss, an 85-yard pick-six and a forced fumble.
Samuel Johns, Junior, Desert Ridge - Johns had a strong night for Desert Ridge on Friday, helping the Jaguars fight to a 21-20 victory over Cesar Chaves with nine tackles, a 60-yard pick-six, two passes deflected and two blocked field goals.
Cody Leopold, Senior, Prescott - Leopold had an absolutely outstanding night on both sides of the ball Friday in the 44-20 victory over Sierra Linda. Leopold finished the game with 191 rushing yards and five touchdowns, along with eight tackles.
Gavin Limongello, Senior, Apache Junction - Returning to the list again this week is Limongello, who helped Apache Junction pick up a 45-12 win over Lee Williams on Friday. Limongello completed 9 of his 13 pass attempts for 212 yards and four touchdowns, as well as carrying the ball 13 times for an additional 74 yards.
Kayden Luke, Junior, Canyon del Oro - Luke had four touchdowns and 124 yards on 13 carries in Friday’s 49-6 win over Catalina Foothills.
Mack Molander, Senior, Eastmark - Molander had another strong game Friday to help Eastmark pick up a 54-7 victory over Florence. He completed 17 of his 23 pass attempts for a total of 283 yards and three touchdowns.
Keaton Stam, Junior, Liberty - Stam was one of Liberty’s defensive leaders on the field Friday night in the 35-7 victory over Basha, finishing the night with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Viliami Tongotea, Senior, Buckeye - With 11 carries on the day, Tongotea was like a freight train once again, managing to pick up 159 yards and four touchdowns. He also had two receptions for 86 yards and an additional touchdown to help Buckeye defeat Estrella Foothills 55-7.
Ca’lil Valentine, Junior, Chandler - Proving once again he’s nearly unstoppable, Valentine put up 220 yards and three touchdowns to help the Wolves defeat Casteel 40-21 in a delayed Saturday afternoon game.
Noah Walker, Freshman, Ironwood - Coming in to play quarterback for only the second time this season, he once again led Ironwood to another victory by completing 11 of 20 passes for 307 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He also had seven carries of his own for an additional 64 yards, leading the Eagles to a 44-22 victory over Agua Fria.