Vote: Who should be the Florida High School Athlete of the Week (8/25/2023)?

Vote now to select SBLive Sports Florida High School Athlete of the Week for Aug. 19-24

SBLive Sports Athlete of the Week /

Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Florida High School Athlete of the Week for Aug. 19-24 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff. Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday, September 1st at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced in next week's poll. If you would like to nominate an athlete, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com or tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @SBLiveFL.

THIS WEEK’S FLORIDA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:

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 that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

---

Here are this week's nominations.

Wells Bettenhausen, Football, Walton: Not many quarterbacks could boast the kind of stat line the Braves' signal caller had in a win over Marianna last week. Bettenhausen completed 25-of-31 passes for 382 yards and six touchdowns.

Bjorn Jurgensen, Football, Bishop Moore: The Virginia commitment lit up the airwaves in the Hornets' 45-40 victory over Oviedo. Jurgensen completed 19-of-26 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns.

Z'orey Cotton, Football, Spoto: Against Davenport, the Spartans' running back went off for one of the top rushing performances in the state. Cotton rushed for 255 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns. Also added 59 yards receiving.

Owen Klees, Football, Wakulla: Another signal caller that had himself a huge performance opening week as Klees. The War Eagles' quarterback completed 16-of-20 passes for 323 yards and six touchdowns in win over Port St Joe.

Corey Simms, Football, Mitchell: Picking up from where he left off from last season, Simms was masterful in a 41-26 victory over Gulf. Simms rushed for 195 yards on 24 carries and scored four touchdowns in the win.

Julius Jones, Football, St. Thomas Aquinas: Despite Jones' effort came in a 29-21 loss to Bishop Gorman, it's clear the sophomore is a star in the making Jones caught 12 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Nathan Merriman, Football, Sunlake: The Sunlake Seahawks started the season off with a statement win over Weeki Wachee amd Merriman played a huge role in that. Merriman finished with 144 yards on 15 attempts and scored five touchdowns. Also added 52 yards receiving and 44 via the return game.

Kadin Hanifen, Football, Middleburg: Hanifen was a tackling machine in the Broncos' 13-0 win over Westside. The middle linebacker racked up 19 tackles and a sack in the victory.

Jackson Stecher, Football, Master's Academy: In a near flawless performance in Week 1 for Master's Academy, Stecher was nearly impossible to slow down. Stecher completed 11-of-14 passes for 225 yards and five touchdowns in a 62-14 win over Saint Stephen's Episcopal.

Brady Hart, Football, Cocoa: Hart could probably make this list mostly every week, as the Michigan commitment made quick work of Titusville in a 42-10 victory. Hart completed 15-of-18 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

London Green, Football, Lennard: Not all the time you see every single catch go for a touchdown. For Green, that's exactly what happened in a 42-7 win over Pasco, hauling in three passes for 100 yards and three scores.

Edward Jordan IV, Football, Beachside: Jordan IV put up some of the biggest numbers of any quarterback in the Sunshine State in Week 1. The Barracudas' signal caller finished with 331 yards on 16-of-19 passing, accounting for four total touchdowns.

Isaiah Mizell, Football, Boone: Boone made quick work of Mars (Pennsylvania) and Mizell was the main culprit burning them deep. The Arizona commitment caught six passes for 149 yards and added a touchdown.

Nate Sparkman, Football, Saint Edward's: Sparkman went ahead and set a program passing record for a single game in Saint Edward's 37-23 win over Orangewood Christian. The quarterback completed 22-of-27 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns.

Brock Stomps, Football, Gulf Breeze: Nothing feels better than guiding your team down the field for the win. The Dolphins' quarterback did that, as Stomps completed 12-of-19 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns, including the game-winner to cap a 80-yard drive in a 20-16 over South Walton.

Joel Morris, Football, Sarasota Booker: Quarterback efficiency at possibly its highest form was on display in Sarasota Booker's rout of Naples Lely last week. Morris finished the evening completing 5-of-5 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

Carson D. Griffin, Football, Mosley: A way to start off the season in style is to explode right out of the gates, Griffin did that in Mosley 53-28 win over Rutherford, hauling in six passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns.

Connor Mathews, Football, Niceville: Mathews went off in his debut with Niceville, as the Eagles pulled off a 35-28 victory at home. The UMass commit rushed for 233 yards and scored two touchdowns.

JT Tipton, Football, Lecanto: Whoa. Tipton tipped the scales when it came to quarterback performances in the state, completing 21-of-27 passes for 353 yards and an eye-popping eight touchdowns in a 59-20 win over West Port.

Jenna St. Pierre, Volleyball, Cocoa Beach: St. Pierre had a big night in Cocoa Beach's 3-0 win over Calvary Chapel Academy, tallying a game-high 18 kills.

Madi Hobbs, Volleyball, Indian Rocks Christian: Hobbs had herself a strong outing in the Eagles' 2-0 win over Harvest Community. The senior outside hitter notched a game-high 16 kills.

Valerie Yambao, Volleyball, Timber Creek: In a five-set victory over Innovation last week, Yambao was setting up teammates left and right for kills. The junior setter ended the match with 51 assists.

---

Follow SBLive Florida throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

---

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl