Vote now: Who should be the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Athlete of the Week?
Here are the candidates for the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Athlete of the Week for Oct. 10-16 as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. We’ll send a free SBLive T-shirt to the winner of the poll! Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email brittanyabowyer@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @bbowyer07. You also can tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @sbliveaz.
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 who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
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FOOTBALL
Tae’Sean Allen, Senior, Dysart - Helping Dysart pick up a 40-30 victory over Arizona Lutheran Academy, Allen finished Friday night’s game with five receptions for a whopping 178 yards and and three touchdowns to help lead the Demons to victory.
Gage Baker, Senior, Paradise Honors - It was a lights-out kind of night offensively for Paradise Honors on Friday night in the 63-22 victory over Kingman. Baker led things for the Panthers, completing 13 of his 15 pass attempts for 376 yards and six touchdowns.
Michael Casillas, Junior, Morenci - In Morenci’s 49-6 victory over Miami on Friday, Casillas carried the ball 20 times for 194 yards and five touchdowns.
Darryl Coleman, Sophomore, Yuma Catholic - Averaging 22 yards per catch in Friday’s game against Buckeye, Coleman helped the Shamrocks edge the Hawks 48-45 with eight receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Christopher Cordero, Senor, Desert Edge - Cordero returns to the list this week for his grind on Friday night to help Desert Edge battle to a 23-21 victory over Verrado. Cordero did a majority of the offensive work, carrying the ball 26 times for 204 yards and a touchdown.
Anthony Estrella, Junior, Desert View - Helping Desert View to a 43-11 victory over Ironwood Ridge on Friday night, Estrella completed 10 of his 14 pass attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the team to a win.
Elante Fleming, Sophomore, Paradise Valley - With only three receptions on the night, Fleming came in clutch when it mattered most. Of his three receptions, two of them were for touchdowns while accumulating a total of 123 receiving yards, while also picking up three tackles on the night, too.
James Giggey, Junior, Bradshaw Mountain - Giggey was a key component for Bradshaw Mountain’s defense on Friday in the 41-0 victory over Mingus. Giggey finished the night with 14 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, three blocked punts and a blocked field goal.
Wyatt Horton, Sophomore, Pinnacle - The sophomore QB is back on the list again this week for helping Pinnacle storm past Chaparral 27-21 and advance to 5-1 on the season Friday. He completed 14 of his 16 pass attempts for 166 yards in the victory.
Elias Johnson, Sophomore, Tempe - It was an explosive Friday night for the young sophomore, rushing for a new career high of 260 yards and four touchdowns to lead Tempe past Palo Verde 49-0.
Austin Johnston, Senior, Eastmark - Johnston had a phenomenal game on Friday night in No. 3 Eastmark’s 56-19 victory over No. 6 Sabino, where he had 10 receptions for 226 yards and a touchdown, as well as a punt return for a touchdown in the win.
Elijah Joplin, Senior, Marana - Joplin returns to our list this week for his strong performance in Marana’s 77-16 win over Nogales on Friday. Joplin completed 15 of his 17 pass attempts for 314 yards and five touchdowns, and he carried the ball three times for an additional 31 yards and a touchdown.
Jamar Malone II, Sophomore, Higley - In a big road game for the Higley Knights, Malone II led the team to a 57-26 victory over the Northridge Knights of Layton, UT, by completing 24 of his 36 pass attempts for 340 yards and five touchdowns.
Kendre Pride, Junior, Carl Hayden - Pride has been a huge factor for the Falcons this year on the field, and he helped them pick up another big win Friday with his performance. Finishing the night with 11 carries for 124 yards and four touchdowns, he helped Carl Hayden pick up a 57-0 shutout win over Kofa.
Gabriel Ricketts, Junior, Bradshaw Mountain - Rickett was a workhorse Friday in Bradshaw Mountain’s 41-0 victory over Mingus. Carrying the ball 24 times, he had 157 total yards and two touchdowns on the night.
Dom Solano, Senior, Cactus - Cactus' defense came up big Friday night in the 49-14 victory over Sunrise Mountain. Solano had quite a few big plays for the Cobras, including six tackles, four of which were for a loss, as well as 2.5 sacks, two passes defended and a fumble recovery.
Adrian Soto, Sophomore, Flowing Wells - Soto had an outstanding night Friday in Flowing Wells’ 55-23 victory over Cholla. Completing all 10 of his pass attempts, he finished with 126 yards and three passing touchdowns in the victory. He carried the ball 13 times for an additional 112 yards and three touchdowns.
Jayden Thorenson, Sophomore, Mica Mountain - It was a strong night for Thorenson in Mica Mountain’s 48-6 win over Empire on Friday, where he completed 14 of his 17 pass attempts for 175 yards and five touchdowns.
Gavin Thrower, Senior, Poston Butte - Helping Poston Butte pick up a 28-14 win over Apache Junction on Friday, Thrower carried the ball 17 times for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Evan Weber, Junior, Cienega - Weber had an outstanding performance against Buena on Friday night, completing 12 of his 16 pass attempts for 159 yards and five touchdowns to lead Ciegena to a 49-19 victory.
VOLLEYBALL
Gillian Bachali, Senior, Campo Verde - Going the distance on Tuesday, Bachali helped Campo Verde rally to a 3-2 victory over Mountain Pointe with 19 kills, five aces, a block and 14 digs.
Neomi Beach, Senior, Hamilton - Beach has already had a phenomenal year, and she kept things going Wednesday in the 3-1 win against Mountain View - Mesa by setting a new career-high of 34 kills in the game, along with an ace and 14 digs.
Haylee Brown, Senior, Maricopa - Returning to our list again this week is Brown, who had an outstanding all-around performance Thursday night in the 3-0 victory over West Point. Brown finished with 14 kills, five aces and seven digs.
Trinity Foy, Junior, Benson - Helping Benson take down Morenci in a hard-fought 3-2 win Thursday, Foy finished the game with 17 kills, four blocks, two aces and nine digs.
Kamryn Gibadlo, Senior, Cactus Shadows - In a 3-2 win over Notre Dame Prep on Thursday, Gibadlo led the attack with 19 kills, two aces, a block and 10 digs.
Brooke Harwood, Freshman, Eastmark - The freshman returns to the list again this week after helping Eastmark to a 3-2 victory over Arizona College Prep on Tuesday. Harwood posted 18 kills, three aces, five blocks and four digs.
Tana Howard, Junior, ALA - Gilbert North - Finishing Wednesday’s game with 18 kills, an ace, seven blocks and four digs, she was able to set a new career high for blocks in a game in the 3-0 victory over ALA-QC.
Ella Lomigora, Senior, Corona del Sol - Helping the Aztecs remain at the top of the pack, Lomigora finished Thursday’s game against Desert Vista with 15 kills, two aces, four blocks and seven kills in Corona del Sol’s 3-0 victory.
Brianna Pino, Sophomore, Maricopa - Pino returns to the list this week after an explosive performance against Gila Ridge on Tuesday night. Posting 17 kills, seven aces, one block and eight digs, Pino helped Maricopa pick up a 3-0 victory.
Ellie Trimble, Junior, Liberty - In the Lions’ 3-0 victory over Boulder Creek on Thursday, Trimble finished the game with 15 kills and 11 digs to find her way back to our list.
Devyn Weist, Sophomore, O’Connor - In Tuesday’s game against Basha, Weist recorded 17 kills, four aces, a block and four digs to help the Eagles soar to an easy 3-0 victory. She followed it Thursday in the 3-1 victory over Pinnacle by leading the team in kills with 14, along with two aces, a block and nine digs.
