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. 24-30 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
Daniel Algeria, Senior, Independence - Setting new career-highs for both rushing yards and touchdowns in a game, Algeria had 11 carries for 179 yards and three touchdowns to help the Patriots defeat Maryvale 55-6.
Michael Anthony, Sophomore, Cortez - Despite a tough 56-36 loss for Cortez, Anthony still had an outstanding night for the Colts. He finished the game offensively with 13 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns, while defensively he had 16 tackles on the night, setting new career highs for both tackles and offensive yards.
Daylon Beck, Senior, Canyon del Oro - While he only had four receptions in Friday’s game against Vista Grande, the catches were at crucial times. In the 56-13 victory, Beck’s receptions were good for 117 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 29.3 yards per catch.
Navi Bruzon, Junior, Liberty - Completing 12 of his 15 pass attempts for 225 yards and four touchdowns, Bruzon helped the Lions cruise to a 53-0 shutout over Sandra Day O’Connor on Friday.
Brady Ferris, Senior, Willow Canyon - Helping the Wildcats pick up a huge 32-27 victory over the Apollo Hawks, Ferris had 25 carries for an insane 305 yards and four touchdowns on the night, setting a new career-high.
Quintyn Isabel, Senior, Arcadia - In Thursday’s 20-7 victory over Arizona College Prep, Isabel did a majority of the groundwork for the Titans, carrying the ball 33 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns on the night.
DJ Jaiman, Junior, Basha - Jaiman snagged the game-winning interception off of top-ranked 2024 QB Dylan Raiola in the 14-7 win over Chandler.
Benjamin Ley-Shipley, Senior, Nogales - Ley-Shipley was all over the field on Friday night for Nogales in the 31-13 win over Rincon/University. Offensively, he had 17 carries for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, he had seven tackles, and he had six kickoffs for special teams for a total of 302 yards.
David Lopez, Senior, Brophy College Prep - Carrying the ball 33 times for 242 yards and a touchdown, Lopez helped Brophy pick up a 33-26 road win over Desert Vista on Friday.
Jaedon Matthews, Junior, Saguaro - With seven carries on the night, Matthews racked up 119 yards and three touchdowns to help Saguaro defeat rival Chaparral 59-17.
Brady Mcdonough, Junior, Desert Mountain - It was an explosive night for the QB in Friday’s 40-21 victory over Gilbert. He completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and he carried the ball 16 times for 103 yards and a touchdown to pick up the win.
Wyatt Milkovic, Senior, Basha - On national TV, Milkovic had the game of his career with 19 tackles, two tackles for loss and two passes defended in the 14-7 victory over Chandler.
Cristian Pando, Senior, Willcox - Closing out the regular season with an absolute bang, Pando had 30 carries for 346 yards and six touchdowns in the 55-6 victory over Tanque Verde. Defensively, he had six tackles and a forced fumble.
Beckham Pellant, Junior, Hamilton - Completing 18 of his 22 pass attempts for a total of 269 yards and three touchdowns, along with eight carries of his own for 100 yards and a touchdown, Pellant had an outstanding game for the Huskies in Friday’s 44-14 victory over Casteel.
Manny Pino, Senior, Mesa - In Friday’s 65-21 victory over North, Pino completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 207 yards and three touchdowns.
Gabriel Rodriguez, Sophomore, Cactus - Helping Cactus defeat Millennium 27-20 on Thursday, Rodriguez had 11 tackles, one for a loss, one sack, two passes deflected and a forced fumble.
Jackson Sriro, Senior, Sunnyslope - Bringing the heat Friday night, Sriro had 26 carries for 217 yards to set a new career-high in the 48-30 victory over Cactus Shadows, along with a touchdown and two receptions for 14 yards.
Ethan Tovar, Senior, Valley Christian - In Valley Christian’s 73-14 rout of Fountain Hills on Thursday, Tovar had 18 carries for 136 yards and three touchdowns.
Gaven Thrower, Senior, Poston Butte - Returning to the list this week is Thrower, who had an outstanding 35 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns in Friday’s 39-11 win over Marcos de Niza.
Noah Trigueros, Junior, Notre Dame Prep - Completing 24 of his 31 pass attempts for 322 yards and three touchdowns, Trigueros helped lead the Saints to a 53-0 victory over Skyline on Friday.
Angel Vega, Senior, Paradise Valley - Helping the Trojans squeak past the Dragons on Friday with a 42-41 win, Vega had 12 total tackles, nine of them solo, along with two forced fumbles on the night.
Raiden Vines-Bright, Sophomore, Corona del Sol - With a new career-high of three touchdowns in Friday’s game, Vines-Bright helped lead the Aztecs to a 42-28 victory over Cesar Chavez with nine receptions for 137 yards.
Brodie Zamorano, Freshman, Horizon - It was an explosive night for the young back in the game against Campo Verde on Friday, where he had 33 carries for a total of 230 yards and three touchdowns in the 37-19 win.
VOLLEYBALL
Avery Burkes, Senior, Perry - On Wednesday, Burkes had 19 kills, a block and six digs while helping Perry pounce to a 3-0 victory over Chandler.
Raechelle Dykstra, Junior, Verrado - Closing out the last game of the regular season with an explosive performance, Dykstra had a career-high 35 kills, three blocks and 15 digs in the 3-2 victory over Cactus Shadows on Thursday.
Kamryn Gibadlo, Senior, Cactus Shadows - As her high school career is nearing the end, Gibadlo remains on fire as she helped lead Cactus Shadows to a 3-1 victory over Chaparral on Tuesday. She had 19 kills, two aces, three blocks and four digs.
Sam Gloria, Senior, Deer Valley - In a five-set push to the finish at St. Mary’s on Monday, Gloria helped Deer Valley pick up a 3-2 victory with 16 kills, four aces, a block and 24 digs.
Amanda Hardt, Senior, Deer Valley - Coming down to the fifth set, Hardt helped Deer Valley clinch a 3-2 victory over St. Mary’s on Monday with 28 kills, an ace and five blocks. Following it up on Thursday in a 3-2 road win at Peoria, she had 27 kills, six aces, three blocks and five digs to help the Skyhawks get the win.
April Hernandez, Senior, Glendale - Leading things for the Cardinals on the court in their 3-1 victory over the Washington Rams, Hernandez put down 13 kills, four aces, three blocks and five digs for an outstanding performance Monday.
Becca King, Senior, Gilbert - Going out with a bang, King helped Gilbert pick up a 3-1 win over rival Highland on Wednesday with 17 kills, an ace and 11 digs.
Maliyah Labrie, Senior, Williams Field - The senior had one of the strongest performances of her career Tuesday in the 3-0 win over Mountain Pointe, where she picked up 17 kills, two aces, one block and five digs.
Jennifer Morales Solis, Junior, Maryvale - Wednesday’s game against Trevor G. Browne was the best performance of her career so far. She finished the night with nine kills, 10 aces, a block and 25 digs while helping the Panthers to a 3-0 victory.
Livi Schneider, Junior, Snowflake - In Monday’s home conference game against Blue Ridge, Schneider helped the Lobos pick up a 3-0 win with 13 kills, an ace, three blocks and 13 digs.
Kaitlyn Smith, Sophomore, Buckeye - Racking up 19 kills, one ace, two blocks and three digs, Smith helped Buckeye pick up a 3-0 win over Copper Canyon on Tuesday.
Ryleigh Vollmer, Senior, Mesquite - Setting a new career-high for kills in Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Marcos de Niza, Vollmer had 18 kills in the final game of her career to go out with a bang while helping seal the win.
Ali Wiest, Senior, O’Connor - In Wednesday’s home game against Boulder Creek, Wiest led the attack for the Eagles with 15 kills, two blocks and three digs in the 3-0 win.
