Vote: Who should be Texas high school Athlete of the Week? (9/30/2024)

We narrowed down the top fall sports performers of last week. Now, we want to hear from you

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Which Texas high school athlete had the best week?

Each week, SBLive scoured the Lone Star State for the top fall sports performers, from cross country to volleyball - all sports except football, which is highlighted separately.

Scroll down, read up on the nominees and cast your vote for your winner. Due to technical difficulties with the poll, the voting window has been extended Sunday, Oct. 13 at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email andy@scorebooklive.com.

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll are 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 who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES

Samuel Ackerman, San Antonio Reagan boys cross country

The sophomore posted a career-best 16:28.52 to take first place at the Alamo Heights Invitational on Saturday. It also marked his first varsity victory. 

Ja’Juan Allison, Humble Summer Creek boys cross country

Racing on Friday, the sophomore posted a 1-second win over his brother, Da’Juan, at the Aldine ISD Larry Gnatzig Invitational in Houston. The time of 15:41 was 22 seconds faster than Ja’Juan ran on the same course last year and was a new personal best. 

Adeline Bennett, Flower Mound girls cross country 

The sophomore helped the Jaguars to a 1-2 finish by running 17:54.40, just ahead of teammate Ava Cole, at the Nike South Invitational on Sept.2 8 in The Woodlands.

Megan Fitch, San Antonio Cornerstone Christian volleyball

Facing Austin Westlake on Friday, the Texas A&M pledge had 12 kills, 10 digs and 2 blocks in a 3-0 victory. The Warriors improved to 29-2 with the win.

Victoria Flores, Fabens volleyball 

The fourth-year starter had 16 kills, 13 assists and 6 digs in a 3-0 sweep by the Wildcats against Mountain View on Tuesday. 

Rocio Garza, Fort Worth South Hills girls cross country

The sophomore posted her first win of the season and the second in her career for the Scorpions by running 22:17.84 at the Lee Williams Invitational on Saturday in Fort Worth.

Jaiden Harris, Frisco Liberty volleyball 

The outside hitter for the Redhawks had a triple-double in a game against Frisco Wakeland on Friday with 15 kills, 11 digs and 12 assists. In a victory over Frisco Heritage on Tuesday, she had 20 kills, 11 assists and 7 digs.

Bexon Harrison, Bourne-Champion boys water polo 

The senior helped the Chargers improve to 19-4 on the year with a 23-12 win over San Antonio Clark and San Antonio Marshall, 17-9, on Saturday. He had 11 total goals and 2 assists in the two games. 

Andrew Hicks, Eastland boys cross country

At the Dublin Dash Invitational, the senior ran a personal best of 15:16.95 and secured his third straight victory in 2024. He posted a winning margin of 23 seconds in the race on Wednesday. 

Caden Johnson, Nacogdoches boys water polo 

The junior had 8 goals and chipped in an assist as well to help the Dragons post a 19-10 win over Forney Saturday. He now has 54 goals on the season.

Juan Lazaro, Magnolia boys cross country 

The senior posted a 10-second win at the Crabs On The Bay Cross Country Invitational on Saturday at Magnolia Beach in Port Lavaca. It was also a personal best, besting his previous best time of 17:27.

Jagger Lo, Cypress Ranch boys water polo 

He helped No. 13 Cypress Ranch upset No. 11-ranked Cypress Creek, 12-8, on Saturday with 5 goals. Earlier in the day, the senior had 7 goals in a 27-6 win over Cypress Lakes. 

Ella Magallan, Burleson Centennial girls cross country

At the Ken Gaston "Race at the Lake" Invitational, the senior won her fourth race of the year by running 18:00.30 — a second off her personal record — on Friday in Grand Prairie.

Benjamin Montgomery, Cypress Bridgeland boys cross country 

The senior ran 15:23.20 to win at the Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday at Oklahoma State University, helping the Bears win the team title. It was his third win of the year in three races and this one came in a field of 448 runners.

Sophia Ontiveros, El Paso Canutillo volleyball

The junior setter had 49 assists, 14 digs and 2 aces in a five-set match against El Paso Burger.

Sosa Paloma, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo girls water polo

In a win over rival Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial on Saturday, the Bears improved to 20-0-1 with a resounding 21-0 win. The junior had 5 goals, 5 assists and 12 steals.

Rhema Rose, San Antonio Harlan girl water polo 

The No. 15-ranked Hawks secured a 14-10 win over No. 6-ranked San Antonio Brennan on Saturday. The senior had 6 goals and two assists in the upset.

Jacob Sandoval, San Antonio Taft boys water polo 

The senior outscored the San Antonio Warren by himself in a 21-8 win over Saturday by tallying 11 goals, while also dishing out two assists for the Raiders. In another game on Saturday, he posted 10 goals and 1 assist in a 14-10 win over San Antonio Harlan.

Casey Scherpereel, Katy Taylor girls cross country

In a 3-mile race at the Aldine ISD Larry Gnatzig Invitational, the junior ran a school record 19:09 on Friday in Houston. Scherpereel posted the win by a 31-second margin. She also owns the school record in the 5K.

Ashlyn Seay, Trophy Club Byron Nelson volleyball 

The Bobcats beat L.D. Bell and Keller Central to run their winning streak to 22 in a row. The junior had 17 kills, 16 digs, 7 service points vs. Keller Central. The Rice commit posted 13 kills, 2 aces, 5 service points and 4 digs against Bell.

Gracie Trulson, Decatur volleyball 

The West Texas A&M pledge recorded her career kill No. 1,000 during a win against Lake Worth on Tuesday.

Parker Tuttle, Southlake Carroll volleyball 

The senior setter had 24 assists in a 3-2 loss to Keller Central on Tuesday and in the process surpassed the 1,500 assist mark in her career. 

Aurellia Watson, Klein Collins girls water polo 

In a 23-1 win over Bryan on Friday, the sophomore accounted for 9 points — 5 goals and 4 assists. The performance gave her 50 goals this season.

Christa Wilburn, Dripping Springs volleyball 

The Tigers posted a 3-1 win over Austin Lake Travis on Tuesday. The junior had 10 digs, 11 service points and 17 kills helping Dripping Springs improve to 35-2 on the year.

Macy Wingard, Denton Braswell girls cross country

Running at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the junior picked up her third win of the year by running 18:02.

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx