Vote: Who should be High School Sports on SI National Athlete of the Week? (9/16/2024)

Which high school athlete had the best performance in the nation from Sept. 9-15?

Fullback Max Jones of Bellevue (Washington). / Photo courtesy of Max Jones

Each week during the fall sports season, SBLive/SI will gather the best high school performances across the country with the help of fans, readers and staff.

Now, it’s your turn to choose a standout among the pack, the best of the best.

Here are the nominees for High School on SI’s National High School Athlete of the Week for Sept. 9-15. Voting closes on Monday, Sept. 23, at 11:59 (Pacific Time). The poll is below the write-ups on each athlete.

Want to nominate an athlete? Please tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @SBLiveSports.

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.

SBLive/SI National High School Athlete of the Week candidates

1. Mya Allen, sr., Reagan (Texas) volleyball

Allen led the way with 35 kills and 22 digs in a five-set comeback victory over New Braunfels Canyon. 

2. Jorge Bond, so., Drury (Massachusetts) boys soccer

Bond netted four goals as Drury defeated Renaissance, 6-2. 

3. Lotzeir Brooks, sr., Millville (New Jersey) football

Brooks hauled in nine passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-7 win over Mainland Regional. The Alabama commit also returned a fumble 55 yards to the end zone. 

4. Annika Burr, sr., Sacred Heart Academy (Connecticut) volleyball

Burr had 14 kills, 10 digs, seven blocks and four aces in a five-set win victory over Amity.  

5. Angie Castro, jr., El Paso (Texas) volleyball

Castro notched 24 kills as El Paso took down Riverside in straight sets. 

6. Quentin Gibson, sr., North Crowley (Texas) football

Gibson had six receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-28 victory over Guyer. The senior also ran for a score. 

7. Ladleigh Hargus, sr., Stonington (Connecticut) girls soccer

Hargus recorded a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Fitch.  

8. Dierre Hill, sr., Althoff Catholic (Illinois) football

Althoff running back Dierre Hill Jr. / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

Hill, an Oregon commit, needed just 11 carries to run for 311 yards and four touchdowns as Althoff Catholic rolled Belleville East, 49-21. 

9. Max Jones, jr., Bellevue (Washington) football

Jones rumbled for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-21 win over Lake Stevens. 

10. Nolan Keeney, sr., Tualatin (Oregon) football

Tualatin quarterback Nolan Keeney. / Photo by Dan Brood

Keeney, a BYU commit, threw three touchdowns and accounted for 408 yards of total offense in a 66-22 victory over South Salem. 

11. Mari King, sr., Trinity Christian Academy (Florida) volleyball

King surpassed the 2,000 career kills mark in a five-set win over Oakleaf. 

12. Melanie Laveriano, sr., Orange (New Jersey) girls soccer

Laveriano scored five goals as Orange shut out Technology, 9-0. 

13. Zander Lewis, jr., Ontario Christian (California) football

Lewis had 21 carries for 323 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a marathon 54-46 win over Santiago. The junior also had a 74-yard reception. 

14. Tareavion Mageo, sr., White Oak (North Carolina) football

Mageo piled up 194 rushing yards and four touchdowns as White Oak routed Northside, 48-6. 

15. John Manning, sr., Windsor (Connecticut) football

Manning ran for 302 yards and scored six total touchdowns — five rushing, one receiving — in a 53-26 win over East Hartford. 

16. Lola Pepper, jr., Warsaw (Indiana) girls soccer

Pepper netted three goals as Warsaw blanked Mishawaka, 8-0. 

17. Matt Sieg, sr., Fort Cherry (Pennsylvania) football

Matt Sieg of Fort Cherry. / Paul Burdick, SBLive Sports

Sieg had 13 carries for 225 yards and four touchdowns as Fort Cherry downed Chartiers-Houston, 42-6. 

18. Michael Taylor, sr., Pickerington North (Ohio) football

Taylor, an Ohio commit, had 27 carries for 204 yards and a Pickerington North single-game record five touchdowns in a 43-27 victory over Dublin Coffman.

19. Manase Tuatagaloa, jr., Fremont (Utah) football

Tuatagaloa completed 19 of 23 passes for 425 yards and six touchdowns in a 61-13 win over Hunter. 

20. Hunter Vaughn, jr., North Douglas (Oregon) football

Vaughn ran back four kickoffs for touchdowns and found the end zone three times on the ground in an 88-38 win over Country Christian. Incredibly, the junior did all of that damage in the first quarter. He also ran in a pair of two-point conversations and finished with 450 all-purpose yards in the eight-man football game. 

21. Frankie Villalvazo, sr., Bishop Amat (California) football

Villalvazo threw for 331 yards and six touchdowns in a 47-42 victory over Vista Murrieta. 

22. Andrew Washington, sr., Mary Star of the Sea (California) football

Washington had nine receptions for 235 yards and five touchdowns as Mary Star of the Sea downed South Gate, 35-6. 

23. Armirie Williams-Hall, sr., Kimball (Texas) football

Williams-Hall finished 24 of 33 passing for 449 yards and five touchdowns in a 36-33 loss to Midlothian. 

24. Reece Wright, sr., Milton (Georgia) volleyball

Wright had 21 kills, seven digs and a block in a four-set win over North Gwinnett. She surpassed the 1,000 career kills mark earlier this season. 

25. Reyse Zobel, sr., Northwest (Nebraska) softball

Zobel belted her 100th career high school home run in a 10-0 victory over Grand Island Central Catholic. 

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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports