Vote: Who should be High School Sports on SI National Boys Athlete of the Week? (12/2/2024)

Which athlete had the best performance in the nation from Nov. 25-Dec. 1?

Wilsonville quarterback Mark Wiepert. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

Each week during the high school sports season, SBLive/SI will gather the best 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 Boys Athlete of the Week for Nov. 25-Dec. 1. Voting closes on Monday, Dec. 9 at 11:59 p.m. (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 Boys Athlete of the Week candidates

1. Marley Alcantara, sr., Pittsburg (California) football

Pittsburg quarterback Marley Alcantara. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Alcantara threw for 432 yards and four touchdowns as Pittsburg downed San Ramon Valley, 35-28, for its fourth straight CIF North Coast Section Division 1 title. 

2. Maddox Archibald, sr., Andover Central (Kansas) football

Archibald ran for 341 yards and four touchdowns as Andover Central defeated Bishop Miege, 49-42, for the Class 4A state title. 

3. Talan Arnett, jr., Mountain View (Arizona) football

Arnett caught four passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns as Mountain View downed Brophy College, 28-27, in a Class 6A semifinal. Arnett has 23 touchdown receptions this fall, a new 6A single-season record. 

4. Luke Blackford, jr., Calvary Academy (Illinois) basketball

Blackford had 41 points as Calvary Academy edged Madison, 74-67. 

5. Aiden Bliss, jr., Port Allegany (Pennsylvania) football

Bliss had 35 carries for 294 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-8 romp over Fort Cherry. 

6. Amaree Burries, sr., Jacksonville (Illinois) basketball

Burries made 15 field goals and finished with 35 points in a 64-60 victory over West Hancock. 

7. Diggy Coleman, jr., Dothan (Alabama) basketball

Coleman filled up the box score with 25 points, five steals, four assists and four rebounds in a 60-55 win over Homewood. 

8. Demitrias Fletcher, sr., New London (Connecticut) football

Fletcher scored eight total touchdowns in a 52-21 win over Norwich Free Academy. The senior had 16 carries for 207 yards and six touchdowns while catching three passes for 101 yards and two TDs. 

9. Liam Goran, so., Keystone (Ohio) basketball

Goran scored a career-high 35 points as Keystone downed Midview, 64-55. 

10. Ben Hanks Jr., sr., Booker T. Washington (Florida) football

Ben Hanks Jr. / Ben Hanks Jr. Instagram

Hanks Jr. picked off his 13th pass of the season — a new Miami-Dade County single-season record — in a 41-6 victory over Immaculata-La Salle. Hanks Jr. is a four-star Florida commit. 

11. Keaton Hendricks, sr., Zeeland West (Michigan) football

Hendricks threw three touchdowns and ran for three more as Zeeland West downed Detroit Martin Luther King, 42-22, for the Division 3 championship. The six total touchdowns were a new Division 3 title game record. 

12. Dierre Hill Jr., sr., Althoff Catholic (Illinois) football

Hill Jr., a four-star Oregon commit, had 518 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns — six rushing, one receiving — as Althoff Catholic defeated Lena-Winslow, 57-14, in the Class 1A title game. 

13. Messiah Jackson, jr., South Florence (South Carolina) football

Jackson accounted for six total touchdowns — four passing, two rushing — in a 49-21 win over Hartsville. 

14. Preston Kempf, sr., Providence (Indiana) football

Kempf ran for 200 yards and four touchdowns and threw another TD as Providence claimed the Class 1A championship with a 35-20 win over North Judson-San Pierre. 

15. Logan Malachuk, sr., Nazareth Academy (Illinois) football

Malachuk threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns as Nazareth Academy defeated Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A title game, 29-27. 

16. Nate Miles III, jr., Emmanuel Christian (Ohio) basketball

Miles III netted his 1,000th career point in a 76-46 rout of Bowsher. The junior had 31 points and 13 rebounds in the win. 

17. Jaden O’Neal, jr., Narbonne (California) football

O’Neal, a four-star Oklahoma commit, passed for 396 yards and six touchdowns in a 75-31 win over San Pedro for the LA City Section title. O’Neal also ran for a TD. 

18. Matt Ponatoski, jr., Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) football

Matt Ponatoski. / Geoff Blankenship for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ponatoski completed 13 of 17 passes for 431 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-10 Division I state semifinal win over Elks. 

19. Brandon Quinn, sr., Mountain Heritage (North Carolina) football

Quinn had 19 carries for 186 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-14 victory over East Wilkes.

20. Dylan Rebura, sr., Nixa (Missouri) football

Rebura ran for 366 yards and six touchdowns as Nixa edged Kirkwood, 56-46. 

21. Cody Stoever, sr., Wimberley (Texas) football

Stoever accounted for seven total touchdowns in a 69-28 trouncing of Cuero. The senior threw for 268 yards and five touchdowns while running for 125 yards and two TDs on 19 carries. 

22. Jy’Aire Walls, sr., Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pennsylvania) football

Walls threw two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns as Pittsburgh Central Catholic defeated Harrisburg in a Class 6A semifinal, 38-33. 

23. Mark Wiepert, sr., Wilsonville (Oregon) football

Wiepert accounted for eight total touchdowns as Wilsonville defended its Class 5A title with a 56-35 win over Mountain View. The Oregon State baseball commit completed 17 of 26 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns while carrying it 18 times for 169 yards and five scores. 

24. Kadale Williams, sr., Lumen Christi (Michigan) football

Williams had 27 carries for 314 yards — a new Michigan state championship game record — and five touchdowns as Lumen Christi downed Lansing Catholic, 56-18, for the Division 6 title. 

25. Tyrese Woodgett, sr., Coffee (Georgia) football

Woodgett set a new Georgia single-game rushing record with 605 yards in a 72-48 victory over Sequoyah. The senior only needed 19 carries to run for 605 yards and seven touchdowns. 

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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports