Vote: Who should be SBLive's Minnesota Athlete of the Week? (10/17/2023)

Read through the candidates and cast your vote

Here are the candidates for SBLive's Minnesota High School Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 9-15.

Read through the nominees and cast your vote. 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, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com with “MNHSAW Nomination” in the subject line.

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.

Minnesota high school football computer rankings (10/16/2023)

Vote: Who is the top midfielder in Minnesota high school boys soccer?

Minnesota high school Athlete of the Week

Ryan Meagher, Minneota

Meagher had 99 yards on twelve rushing attempts and three touchdowns in a win over Lac qui Parle Valley.

John Karkula, Stillwater

Karkula led the stout Ponies' defense with 10 tackles in a 14-7 loss to Edina. 

Henry Schrader, St. Louis Park

Schrader had a monster game for St. Louis Park. He had 21 tackles and one forced fumble.

Adam Hernandez, St. Agnes

Hernandez was the motor on offense for the Aggies in a 35-10 win. He finished with 160 rushing yards on 17 carries. He scored two rushing touchdowns. 

Liam Rodgers, Orono

Rodgers had 18 rushing attempts for 198 yards and two touchdowns in big Class 4A win over Totino-Grace, 31-7.

Azayah Washington, St. Cloud Apollo

Washington caught six passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to New London-Spicer.

Camden Hungerholt, LeRoy-Ostrander

The junior rushed 44 times for 312 yards and five touchdowns, completed 14 of 24 pass attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown, and assisted on five tackles in a thrilling 51-50 victory over Mabel-Canton on Oct. 13. He leads all of Minnesota in carries (204), rushing yards (1,825), and rushing touchdowns (25). He’s also 25th in the state with 1,155 passing yards.

Cooper Crandall, International Falls

The junior rushed 22 times for 144 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 60 yards and a touchdown in a 32-28 victory over Aitkin, Oct. 13. He’s top-10 in Minnesota in carries (161), rushing yards (1,070), and rushing touchdowns (13).

Noah Miller, St. Michael-Albertville

The senior led the Knights defense with 14 tackles (nine solo) in a 14-13 win over Maple Grove on Oct. 12, holding Maple Grove running back Charles Langama to just one touchdown despite rushing for 251 yards on 26 carries. 

Bryar Nordby, Pequot Lakes

The junior had 263 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries and had a 39-yard touchdown catch in a 61-8 drubbing of Proctor, Oct. 13. He’s top-25 in the state with 773 rushing yards and six touchdown receptions.

Koi Perich, Esko

On defense, the senior had two interceptions and returned both for touchdowns. On offense, he ran seven times for 93 yards and two more touchdowns, pacing Esko to a 41-7 win at Hermantown on Oct. 13.

Logan Gass, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda

The senior had nine tackles (seven solo and five for loss), two sacks, a fumble recovery and a touchdown reception in a 20-6 win at Madelia, Oct. 13. He’s tied for sixth in Minnesota with seven sacks and is second in fumble recoveries with four.

Chris King, Mountain Iron-Buhl

In a 28-6 win over Cherry on Oct. 12, the junior had seven tackles (four solo), two sacks, a fumble recovery on defense, and had a 27-yard rush on offense. He’s tied for sixth in the state with seven sacks. 

Leyton Patzer, Forest Lake

The senior ran 22 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-13 win at Eagan, Oct. 13. His 1,110 rushing yards rank ninth in Minnesota, and he’s fourth in carries with 173.

Jake Schultz, Delano

On offense, the junior had 12 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-19 win at Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Oct. 13. On defense, he had four tackles (three solo) and a fumble recovery. He leads the state in receiving yards with 781.

Sydney Beumer, Rockford

The senior outside hitter scored 18 or more kills in all three matches last week, had 14 digs twice, and added at least four service aces in two of three matches as well. Her 280 kills ranks 15th in the state. 

Caitlin O’Connor, Hopkins

On Oct. 10, she had 34 assists, six digs, four aces and three kills in a 3-1 win at Robbinsdale. Two days later she had 37 assists, 10 digs and three kills in another 3-1 win at Minneapolis Southwest. She’s eighth in Minnesota with 61 service aces. 

Carly Gilk, Champlin Park

The junior had 89 kills over seven matches to help her team to a 6-1 record last week, adding 49 digs, 11 aces and eight blocks. She’s ninth in the state with 318 kills. 

Gracelyn Schulte, Sartell

The senior setter averaged 19.4 assists over five shutout victories last week, propelling herself to third in Minnesota with 698 assists. She also had three solo blocks to go along with 22 assists in a 2-0 win at Burnsville on Oct. 14. 

Kaydence White, Kittson County Central

The sophomore middle hitter had 26 kills, four blocks and an ace in a 3-2 win at Badger/Greenbush-Middle River, Oct 10, and 19 kills, six aces and a block in a 3-2 win over Warren-Alvarado-Oslo three days later. She’s tenth in the state with 316 kills.

Jackson Hayes, Waconia

The senior goalkeeper stopped all 17 shots on frame in a 2-0 win at Chaska on Oct. 10. His 171 saves are eighth-most in Minnesota.

William Smith, Duluth East

The sophomore midfielder played a part in all six goals scored in a 6-1 win over Cambridge-Isanti, Oct. 10. He scored five of the goals and assisted on the other, putting 12 shots on frame. He’s tied for sixth in the state with 25 goals scored.

Elle Bettcher, Detroit Lakes

The senior goalkeeper had 29 saves to carry her Lakers to a 0-0 tie at Willmar after full time on Oct. 12. Willmar got the 1-0 win on penalty kicks (2-0), but Bettcher has been the busiest goalkeeper in Minnesota by far, with 135 more saves than the next best keeper. She’s stopped almost 90 percent of shots on frame despite seeing 462 of them.

Martina Krattley, St. Croix Prep

The senior had four goals in a 12-0 win over Hmong Academy, Oct. 11, and another four goals in a 6-0 victory over St. Agnes, Oct. 14. Her 34 goals are tied for fifth-most in the state.

Izzy Kapanke, St. Croix Lutheran

The sophomore played a part in all five goals scored in a shutout of Hiawatha Collegiate on Oct. 12, scoring four and assisting on one. Her 28 assists are third-most in Minnesota, and her 30 goals rank 12th. 

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Jack Butler contributed to this article.

-- Jack Butler | butler@scorebooklive.com | @sblivemn