Vote now: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (Feb. 20-25)?

Here are the candidates for SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week for Feb. 20-25 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff.

Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced the following week. If you would like to nominate an athlete in the future, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.

THIS WEEK’S SBLIVE ILLINOIS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:

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.

Niko Abusara, Benet Academy boys basketball

Abusara has been the leader for one of the top ranked teams in Illinois and he continued his impressive senior campaign during the Redwings' 4A Regional Championship game against Bartlett on Friday. The Dartmouth-bound senior finished with 16 points and seven rebounds as Benet ran away with a 62-38 victory.

Aidan Bardic, Stevenson boys basketball

A sophomore, Bardic starred during the Lake Zurich Class 4A Regional Championship game against Hersey on Friday. Bardic scored a team-high 18 points including four straight fourth-quarter baskets to open up a 12-point lead for the Patriots with 1:28 left to play. Stevenson won 50-36.

Joshua Bey, Hinsdale Central boys swimming

A sophomore, Bey had an impressive showing at the state final meet in Westmont. He took home first in the 100 breaststroke, second in the 200 individual medley, and was a part of Central’s 200-medley relay team that set a state record.

Matas Castillo, Lemont boys basketball

In a Regional Championship matchup with Tinley Park, the senior scored 22 points to help his squad to a 43-41 victory. With the win, Lemont secured its first back-to-back regional championships in program history.

Sam Cooper, Grayslake Central boys basketball

A 6-2 senior guard for the Rams, Cooper had the hot hand in a win-or-go-home matchup with Lakes on Friday. Cooper tallied a game-high 18 points (including 12 from 3-point range) as he helped Grayslake Central to a 48-38 victory and a Class 3A Regional Championship trophy.

Gabriella Gomez, Glenbard North girls wrestling

A sophomore, Gomez capped off a phenomenal season with a victory in the 115-pound weight class in the IHSA Girls State Wrestling Championships in Bloomington on Saturday for her second straight state title. Gomez finished her season with a perfect 33-0 record.

Harlee Hiller, Loyola Academy girls wrestling

Entering the weekend as the top seed in the 105-pound weight class at the IHSA meet in Bloomington, Hiller went undefeated through her bracket – two wins by fall, a pin, and an 8-1 victory in the championship match – to secure the state title, Loyola’s first girls wrestling title in program history.

Jeffery Hou, Hinsdale Central boys swimming

Hou had a great individual performance at the IHSA meet while also helping Hinsdale Central win the state team title. The junior won the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:47.49 and he also brought home a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly.

Brady Johnson, West Chicago boys swimming

A junior, Johnson had an impressive showing at the IHSA boys swimming and diving meet in Westmont on Saturday. Johnson won the 100 backstroke with a time of 48.08 seconds while also taking home second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.5 seconds, just .16 seconds off the first-place time.

Morez Johnson, St. Rita boys basketball

A 6-foot-9 senior forward headed to Illinois, Johnson had an impressive performance in the Class 4A Stagg Regional Championship game on Friday. He recorded 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals to lead the way for St. Rita as they beat Homewood-Flossmoor 71-41. 

Ryan Johnson, Oswego East boys basketball

Johnson had a big performance in the 4A Lockport Regional Championship against West Aurora. The 6-7 senior forward and team captain scored nine of his 16 points in the critical fourth quarter to help the Wolves bring home the Regional Championship with a 56-43 victory.

Cooper LePage, Crystal Lake South boys basketball

A senior guard, LePage scored a game-high 22 points during the Gators 69-58 3A Belvidere Regional Championship victory over Freeport on Saturday. The senior's scoring output helped pave the way for Crystal Lake South's first regional title in 21 years.

Kevin Obochi, Highland Park boys swimming

A senior, Obochi won the 50-yard freestyle at the state meet in Westmont on Saturday. His time of 20.34 seconds was good enough to narrowly finish ahead of four other swimmers who touched the wall within .2 seconds of his winning time.

Sydney Perry, Batavia girls wrestling

A nationally-ranked wrestler, Perry captured her second straight state title after a dominating performance in the 145-pound weight class at the girls state meet in Bloomington on Saturday. Perry won her championship match 7-4 to finish the season with a perfect 34-0 record.

Jimmy Rasmussen, Geneva boys basketball

Rasmussen had a memorable night for Geneva in their regional championship matchup with defending champion Glenbard West on Friday. The senior led all scorers with 17 points and hit the biggest shot of the night with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Geneva a 43-42 victory.

Ian Ravagnie, Huntley boys basketball

In Huntley’s Class 4A Hononegah regional championship game against Rockford East, Ravagnie scored a game-high 20 points including all of his team's eight third-quarter points. Huntley, the top seed in the regional, was able to hang on for a 49-48 victory.

Drew Scharnowski, Burlington Central boys basketball

A 6-9 Belmont commit, Scharnowski had a monster effort on both ends of the court to help Burlington Central to a 68-54 victory over Wauconda in their 3A Regional Championship game on Friday. The senior scored a game-high 35 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and blocked eight shots.

Tyler Smith, Kenwood boys basketball

During Kenwood’s Friday matchup with Oak Lawn, Smith had an outstanding all-around performance. The 6-1 senior guard erupted for 30 points to go along with five rebounds, five steals and four assists. His effort paved the way for a 79-56 victory.

Collin Wainscott, Marmion boys basketball

A four-year starter for Marmion, Wainscott had a sensational shooting performance that helped the Cadets to a 87-61 victory over Kaneland. The senior made his first five 3-point attempts and was 16 of 18 from the free throw line to finish with 35 points. Marmion’s victory marked their first regional title since 1977.

Matthew Yuan, Glenbrook North boys swimming and diving

At the IHSA swimming and diving state finals in Westmont, Yuan brought home a first-place finish in the diving event with a score of 538.30. With the first-place medal, Yuan, a sophomore, became the first state diving champion in school history.

Aurora Central Catholic's Riley Cwinski voted SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (Feb. 13-18)

Previous winners: Geneva's Leah Palmer (Feb. 6-11), Kennedy's Brett Gomez (Jan. 30-Feb. 4), Oswego East's Bryce Shoto (Jan. 23-28), Benet Academy's Brady Kunka (Jan. 16-21), Lincoln-Way East's Lilly Dockemeyer (Jan. 9-14), St. Francis' Tea Rubino (Jan. 2-7), Libertyville's Will Buchert (Dec. 26-31), Rich Township's Diondre Henry (Dec. 19-24), Montini Catholic's Shannon Blacher (Dec. 12-17), East St. Louis' Macaleab Rich (Dec. 5-10), Butler's Xamiya Walton (Nov. 21-26), East St. Louis' TaRyan Martin (Nov. 14-20), Lake Zurich's Tyler Erkman (No. 7-12), St. Rita's DJ Stewart (Oct. 31-Nov. 5), Stevenson's Matt Projansky (Oct. 17-22), Prospect's Brad Vierneisel (Oct. 10-15), Brother Rice's Owen Lyons (Oct. 3-8), Bolingbrook's Jonas Williams (Sept. 19-24), Benet Academy's Aniya Warren (Sept. 12-17), Bolingbrook's I'Marion Stewart (Sept. 4-10), Lemont's Nate Wrublik (Aug. 29-Sept. 3) and Highland's Travis Porter (Aug. 22-28).

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