Vote: Who should be SBLive's Minnesota High School Athlete of the Week? (1/9/2024)

Here are the candidates for the SBLive Minnesota High School Athlete of the Week for Jan 1-7.

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.

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Minnesota high school Athlete of the Week nominees

Aidan Siegfried, Cretin-Derham Hall

The senior defenseman not only kept his goalie’s pads clean all night against Roseville, but he also added some offense of his own. Siegfried held the Roseville attack to only 10 shots and scored three points of his own on the way to helping the Raiders cruise to a 7-0 victory. 

Wyatt Cheney, South St. Paul

Any 1-0 victory is a hard fought effort on any end of the ice, but most of the pressure resides on the goalie to keep such a close game from getting blown wide open. Cheney was brilliant in the net though, saving 29 shots and securing the shutout to give South St. Paul a 1-0 win. 

Bobby Cowan, Edina

In a game many expected to be much closer, it was Cowan and the Edina Hornets that dominated. Hosting a stout, two-loss Holy Family team, Cowan put up a hat trick to help propel his team to a dominant, 9-3 victory. 

Harper Searles, Centennial

Searles put up a game for the ages this past weekend. Squaring off against Coon Rapids, Searles kicked off his historic night in dramatic fashion, finishing with eight points on five goals and three assists that carried his team to a 9-1 victory. 

Ashton Schultz, Minnetonka

The Skipper still haven’t lost a game, primarily thanks to the depth they have on the roster. With Javon Moore being held to only one assist, it was Schultz who had to shine, securing four points on one goal and three assists to help his team reach their 12th win on the year.

Sam Scheetz, Minnetonka

A team-first type of performance is always fun to watch, and Scheetz had a clinic when it came to spreading the puck around. The University of Vermont commit notched four assists en route to a 6-2 victory over Mahtomedi. 

Landon Huber, Stillwater

In just his second start of the year, Huber was brilliant under pressure. The junior goalie saved 14 of the 15 shots that went his way, helping the Ponies clinch a 2-1 victory over Forest Lake thanks to his solid game between the pipes. 

Gavin Greniuk, Elk River/Zimmerman

Greniuk may not have secured the win, but his performance was still as memorable as they come. The goalie saved 53-of-54 shots on the net in a stalemate against Rogers, 1-1, despite the overwhelming amount of shots it was able to send his way. 

Tristan Lawrence, Lakeville South

Lawrence has been a budding star for Lakeville South as his sophomore season continues, but one of his most clutch varsity moments recently transpired against Eagan. Clinging to a 2-1 lead early in the third period, Lawrence slapped a puck into the back of the net, pushing his team’s lead to two and helping the Cougars hang on to a 3-2 victory. 

William Esterbrooks, Hermantown

Esterbrooks has been a force on the attack all year, and chose a good time to have another career game. Against a solid Class 2A team like Eden Prairie, Esterbrooks was excellent, notching three points on two goals and one assist to lift his team to a narrow 5-4 victory. 

Jack Christ, Chanhassen

Christ put together another signature performance against Duluth East. The Minnesota State commit assisted four goals, and the Storm hung on to a 6-0 victory. 

Ben Curtis, Chanhassen

Speaking of Chanhassen skaters who played lights-out, Curtis was another top performer on this team. He may not have scored, but thanks to Curtis and the defense, Chanhassen goalies only faced 12 shots on the night, a big reason as to why they combined for a shutout against Duluth East. 

Tate Spilde, Becker/Big Lake

Facing Windom Area, Becker/Big Lake needed a big win, and Spilde stepped up to the challenge, and then some. The sophomore forward notched four points, including the game winning goal in overtime that lifted his team to a 5-4 victory. 

Kambelle Freije, Crookston

Freije has been a force between the pipes all year, taking excellent teams like Northfield to the wire and winning plenty of games in the process. Her most recent performance was a 30-save shutout against Gentry, a game that helped push her team to a 12-5-1 record on the year. 

Claire Bronson, Lakeville South

It’s always a challenge for goalies to stay locked in when their defense is playing lights out, but Bronson did not lose focus for even a moment. The senior goalie saved 17 shots, shutting out Eagan and lifting her team to a 5-0 victory. 

Grace Kemp, Cretin-Derham Hall

Kemp was another goalie who secured a shutout this past week, and her performance is even more impressive when noting she is still only a sophomore. Kemp saved 24 of the 24 shots that went her way, blanking conference foe East Ridge in the process to help give her team the 6-0 victory. 

Morgan Zenk, Blaine

While Zenk did not secure a shutout this past week, her performance was outstanding in her own right. She allowed two goals, but saved a whopping 42 shots, putting up a .955 save percentage as she helped lift Blaine to a 3-2 win over Champlin Park/Coon Rapids.

Brianna Finnegan, Brainerd/Little Falls

Finnegan was the lone goal scorer in a hard fought game against Warroad. The junior forward notched a singular goal, all that was needed to lift her team to a 1-0 victory against a solid Warrior team. 

Cece Hanson, Rosemount

Speaking of game winning goals, Hanson notched one of her own in dramatic fashion. Deadlocked in a 1-1 game against Eastview deep into overtime, Hanson buried a puck in the back of the net, winning her team the game thanks to her overtime heroics. 

Reese McConnell, Edina

Low scoring games were the theme of this last week, meaning goalies across the state had career games. McConnel was one of them, putting together a 16-save shutout to give the Hornets a 1-0 victory over Minnetonka. 

Cate McCoy, Edina

With a slew of low scoring games statewide, offensive production came in droves of quality over quantity. McCoy clutched up for the Hornets, notching an early goal on the power play to lift the Hornets up 1-0 and maintain their lead for the rest of the night. 

Katy Comstock, Warroad

Comstock has been an assist machine for Warroad all year, and last week was no exception to this rule. She put up four assists in a 8-3 victory against St. Cloud, pushing her point total up to 20 on the season, a number that includes an impressive 18 assists. 

Ian Jacobson, Norman County East/Ulen Hitterdal

In a 58-57 game, every point, rebound, block, and assist counts, and Jacobson had his fair share of all of them. The junior racked up 13 points, three blocks, three steals, three assists, and seven rebounds, his all-around performance lifting his team to a 58-57 win.

Abraham Soumis, Hermantown

A 40-point performance is something usually reserved for the NBA, but Soumis pulled this feat off while still in prep hoops. He put up a whopping 43 points, a figure that was a big part in helping Hermantown secure a 94-83 victory. 

Olivia Olson, Benilde-St. Margaret's

After a long awaited return from injury, Olson shined per usual. The Michigan commit dropped 30 points against Jordan, her excellent performance helping her team cruise to a 82-70 win.

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