Vote: Who should be SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week (11/27/2023)?

Here are the candidates for SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff

Here are the candidates for SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week 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 at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced the following week. If you would like to nominate an athlete in the future, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.

THIS WEEK’S SBLIVE MISSOURI 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.

Mikayla Atton, Rolla girls wrestling

At the Dutchgirls Tournament on Nov. 21, the senior was 5-0 and took first place in the 235-pound bracket. She recorded pins in four of her five victories and helped the Bulldogs take first place.

Alivia Bottoms, Boonville girls wrestling

The sophomore beat South Callaway’s Dalayna Harris, 8-7, to take first place at 125 pounds at the Versailles Girls Tournament on Monday. Bottoms was 4-0 with two decisions and two pins.

Preston Brown, Hillsboro football

The Hawks' junior QB ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for two more to help Hillsboro beat Lutheran North, 34-14, on Saturday. Brown threw for 97 yards and ran for 146 yards — just like his older brother, Payton, did — on 21 carries.

Aleah Conard, El Dorado Springs girls wrestling

Conard opened the year with a 4-0 showing at the Turkey Tussel Tournament on Monday in Diamond, securing pins in all four of her matches.

Jordan Diercks, Lathrop girls wrestling

Dierks recorded three pins — in 12, 36 and 41 seconds — to take first place in the 125-pound division at her team’s home meet on Nov. 21.

Tucker Duncan, Bronaugh boys basketball

The senior dropped 38 points in an 86-44 win over Thomas Jefferson Independent during the game on Tuesday in Joplin.

Annabelle Dunlop, Minnetonka girls wrestling

Dunlop beat a returning state qualifier, Lawson’s Madison McFall, in the 120-pound first-place match by a pin in the first period. Dunlop was 3-0 for the ‘Tonka in the Lathrop Tournament on Monday.

Layne Evans, Owensville boys basketball

Playing in the Borgia Turkey Tournament, Evans recorded a double-double for the Dutchmen with 17 points and 11 rebounds — also adding four assists and two steals in a 52-46 win over Soldan on Friday.

Grant Fallert, Valle Catholic football

The senior ran for two touchdowns and 151 yards while throwing for two more and 131 yards in a 51-26 win over Fair Grove on Saturday.

Grace Frazier, Diamond girls basketball

The Missouri Southern signee had 19 points to help the Lady Wildcats post a 44-35 win over Marion C. Early (Morrisville) during her team’s season-opening game on Tuesday.

Abigail Fuglsang, Camdenton girls wrestling

A runner-up last year at the state meet, she opened this season by taking first place at the Versailles Girls Tournament on Nov. 21. She posted a pin, decision and major decision on the day.

Gabbi Hiebert, Thomas Jefferson girls basketball

The 5-foot-9 guard had 26 points, including four 3-pointers, to help the Lady Cavaliers pick up a 63-35 win over Exeter on Monday to win Lindsey Showalter’s debut as the head coach.

Vernell Holt Jr., Battle boys basketball

The junior broke a 55-55 tie by scoring a layup with 4 seconds left and hit the free-throw that followed after a foul to give the Spartans a 58-55 win over Monday. The next night, he dropped 33 against Blue Springs South

Graclyn Hursch, Marshfield girls wrestling

She had four pins — all in 1:18 or quicker — to take first place in the 115-pound division at the Turkey Tussel Tournament on Nov. 21 in Diamond.

Kayla Jansen, St. Joseph’s Academy girls basketball

The St. Louis University volleyball signee had a double-double in a 62-59 win over Eureka on Friday. She tallied 18 points — hitting 7-of-9 shots from the field — and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Kali Jensen, Wright City girls wrestling

A returning state medalist last year, Jensen went 5-0 at the Owensville Invitational on Nov. 21. She took first place at 125 pounds and won all five matches by pins in the first period.

Cheyenne Kincade, DeSoto girls wrestling

The freshman ended her first high school tournament with a 5-0 mark and took first place in the 115-pound finals at the Owensville Invitational on Nov. 21.

Colton Kirkham, North Platte football

The quarterback helped send the Panthers to the Class 1 finals for the first time since 1998 with a four-touchdown effort in a 54-34 win over Milan on Saturday.

Lilyan Landis, Scott City girls basketball

The 6-foot junior had a team-high 19 points — including 13 in the fourth quarter that helped the Lady Rams rally for a 54-44 win at Perryville on Tuesday.

Jeremiah McClellan, CBC football

Returning from injury, the Ohio State wide receiver pledge caught two TD passes in the fourth quarter to help the Cadets rally for a 31-28 win over De Smet on Saturday in a Class 6 semifinal game. He finished with nine catches for 168 yards.

Briar McIntire, Archie football

He ran the ball 15 times for 298 yards and seven touchdowns on offense, while adding an interception and forced fumble in an 89-20 win over Braymer in an 8-man semifinal game on Friday.

Amitria McNack, Clinton girls wrestling

A defending state champion from last year, McNack opened the season with a 5-0 mark at the Versailles Girls Tournament on Nov. 21. She had pins in all 5 wins, the first coming in 22 seconds to take first at 155 pounds.

Dejerrian Miller, Cardinal Ritter football

The standout junior wide receiver had another big game for the Lions in their 52-22 win over Cape Central on Saturday. He caught five passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns.

Casen Murphy, Park Hills Central football

The Arkansas State baseball signee threw five touchdown passes to help the Rebels beat Blair Oaks, 48-43, to reach the school’s first-ever state championship in football.

Yabsa N’diaye, Confluence Prep boys basketball

In a one-point win over SLUH on Friday, 11-24, N’diaye nearly had a double-double with a team-high 21 points and added 9 rebounds for the Titans.

Jamarion Parker, Cardinal Ritter football

The Arkansas pledge, a junior running back, ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries to help the Lions beat Cape Central, 52-22, on Saturday.

Cash Pomeroy, Marionville football

He had a trio of touchdowns and 134 yards on the ground to help the Comets beat St. Vincent 38-7 in a Class 1 semifinal game.

Adam Rickman, St. Francis Borgia boys basketball

The Knights won the title at their 71st Annual Turkey Tournament and Rickman was the tournament MVP. He has 17 points and 14 rebounds in a 54-46 win over Principia in the semifinals and added 18 in a 62-39 win over Union in the finals on Saturday.

Casey Rooney, Kearney football

The senior quarterback ran for a score and threw two touchdowns to Manny Linthacum in a 42-7 win over Jefferson City in a Class 4 semifinal game on Saturday.

Layla Scott, Truman girls basketball

The Patriots opened the 2023-24 season with a 43-35 win over Park Hill on Monday and the senior guard had 27 points.

Clara Swearingen, Nevada girls basketball

The Pittsburg State signee dropped in a game-high 22 points in Nevada’s 47-31 win over Lebanon on Tuesday in the team’s season opener.

Courtney Thomason, Neosho girls basketball

The Lady Wildcats opened a new era under coach Tyler Chaney with a 47-31 win over Seneca on Monday, with Thomason leading the way with 16 points.

Alex Wilkerson, Lamar football

He had three interceptions on defense — including a pick-six, while throwing for three touchdowns and running for three touchdowns in a 47-16 win over Bowling Green on Saturday.

Wyatt Woods, Republic football

The Tigers' QB ran for a touchdown and threw two touchdowns — including the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter in a 21-20 win over Webb City.

Hillsboro's Payton Brown voted SBLive’s Missouri High School Athlete of the Week (11/27/2023)

• Check out our Missouri Athlete of the Week page

PREVIOUS WINNERS: Logan-Rogersville's Stewart McDonald (Nov. 6-12), Marquette's Robert Williams (Oct. 30-Nov. 5), St. Pius X's Justin Lehn (Oct. 23-29), Portageville's Jamarion Smith (Oct. 16-22), Lutheran North's James Bryant (Oct. 9-Oct. 15), Incarnate Word Academy's Sammi Bergjans (Oct. 2-Oct. 8), St. Joseph’s Academy's Paige Jackson (Sept. 25-Oct. 1), Oakville's Nina Cillo (Sept. 18-24), Grain Valley's Ty Williams (Sept. 11-17), Oakville's Amelia Wiesler (Sept. 4-10), Christian Brothers' Cole McKey (August 28-Sept. 3), St. Pius X's Elena Ruble (August 21-27).


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

- Cody Thorn | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveMiz


Published
Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.