Vote: Who should be SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week? (2/26/2024)
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Feb. 19-25. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email nate@scorebooklive.com.
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.
Gavin Anderson, Clear Lake boys basketball
The senior hit 8 of 11 shots and scored a team-high 19 points for the Lions in a 72-51 Class 3A substate victory over North Polk.
Emiliano Barrantes, Grand View Christian boys basketball
The 6-foot-9 junior had a dominant 30 points and 21 rebounds for the Thunder in a 68-47 victory over Des Moines Christian in a Class 2A substate semifinal.
Emmi Bartolo, Algona Garrigan girls basketball
Bartolo, a 5-5 sophomore, nailed six 3-pointers and finished with 21 points in the defending Class 1A state champion Golden Bears’ 62-44 regional final victory over Riceville. Senior Abbie Capesius had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Joe Bean, Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys basketball
The senior had 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals for the top-ranked and unbeaten Cougars in a 91-42 Class 4A substate win over Waterloo East. Bean hit eight of his 10 shots.
Mason Bechen, North Linn boys basketball
The 6-1 junior guard tossed in 27 points for the top-ranked Lynx in a 92-40 Class 1A substate semifinal win over Waterloo Christian. Bechen tacked on five rebounds and five assists.
Kendall Bell, Council Bluffs Jefferson boys bowling
Bell rolled his way to the Class 2A state championship with a 203-176 victory over Jake Fink of Denison-Schleswig in the title match. He also bowled rounds of 220 in the semifinals and 224 in the quarterfinals.
Vanessa Bickford, Dallas Center-Grimes girls basketball
The senior registered 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Mustangs punched their ticket to the state tournament with a 58-45 Class 4A regional win over Pella. The 5-10 guard was 7-for-9 from the field.
Tyme Boettcher, Panorama girls basketball
The senior scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, helping the 23-1 Panthers advance to the state tournament with a 59-55 overtime win over Denver in a Class 2A regional final. Boettcher was 6-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Redek Born, Norwalk boys basketball
The senior charted 27 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Warriors in a 69-52 Class 4A substate victory over Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson. Born was 13-for-15 from the free throw line.
Divine Bourrage, Davenport North girls basketball
The junior contributed 17 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the 22-2 Wildcats in a 53-40 Class 5A regional final victory over Cedar Rapids Washington. The 6-footer also had four steals and two blocked shots.
Michael Boyd, Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys basketball
The 6-5 junior had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Rebels in a 67-62 Class 1A substate win over previously unbeaten Keota. Boyd was 11 of 15 from the field and handed out four assists.
Brody Buck, Madrid boys basketball
The 6-foot senior guard hit for 29 points, helping the Tigers down Coon Rapids-Bayard, 55-41, in a Class 1A substate. Buck was 12-for-15 from the floor.
Mason Costello, Waukee boys basketball
Costello tossed in a game-high 23 points, leading the Warriors to an 81-49 Class 4A substate victory over Southeast Polk.
Cade Courbat, Cedar Falls boys basketball
The junior scored 23 points and grabbed four rebounds, leading the Tigers to a 94-43 Class 4A substate win over Ottumwa. Courbat was 10-for-14 from the field.
Aiden Cowan, Marshalltown boys bowling
Cowan was crowned Class 3A state champion after rolling a fabulous 268 to best Waterloo West’s Rush Steen’s score of 215. Cowan earlier rolled scores of 195 in the quarterfinals and 225 in the semifinals.
Mya Crawford, Ankeny Centennial girls basketball
The junior led Centennial with 22 points for the Jaguars in a 53-25 Class 5A regional final win over Sioux City East.
Cayde Ebberling, West Fork boys basketball
The senior hit 8 of 11 shots and nailed six 3-pointers for 26 points in the Warhawks’ 65-51 Class 2A substate victory over Ankeny Christian.
Noah Frazell, Waverly-Shell Rock boys basketball
The senior tossed in a game-high 26 points, leading the Go-Hawks to an 80-73 Class 3A substate victory over Gilbert. Frazell made four 3-pointers and added three rebounds and two blocks.
Dane Geetings, Pella Christian boys basketball
The senior contributed 22 points and seven assists for the Eagles in a 67-41 Class 2A substate win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
Tye Hardin, Maquoketa boys basketball
The senior poured in 45 points in a losing cause for the Cardinals in a 97-95 Class 3A substate loss in four overtimes to Marion. Hardin made 19 of 36 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with five steals and four assists.
Luke Hellige, Holy Trinity Catholic boys basketball
Hellige, a junior, had 24 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Crusaders in a 70-66 Class 2A substate win over North Mahaska. Hellige flipped in three 3-pointers and converted 9 of 12 free throws.
Sam Hensley, Winterset boys basketball
The senior just missed a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds for the Huskies in a 62-46 Class 3A substate win over Newton.
Kahlie Hill, Calamus-Wheatland girls basketball
The senior had 20 points, four rebounds and three assists and the 24-1 Warriors made the state tournament for the first time in school history with a 56-51 victory over Danville in a Class 1A regional final. Hill was 7 of 10 from the field and made all six of her free throw attempts.
Kinzee Hinders, Newell-Fonda girls basketball
The junior hit 10 of 11 shots and finished with 22 points as the Mustangs rolled past Coon Rapids-Bayard, 80-33, in a Class 1A regional final. Hinders also five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots and Newell-Fonda made its seventh straight state tournament.
Danika Hoogendoorn, Central Lyon girls basketball
The 5-7 sophomore tossed in 25 points, leading last year’s 2A state runners-up to a return trip to the state tournament with a 51-43 win over Hinton in a regional final. Central Lyon rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit.
Carson Hoogeveen, West Lyon boys basketball
The 5-11 junior guard tossed in 28 points, leading the 22-1 Wildcats to a 65-45 Class 2A substate semifinal win over Spirit Lake. Hoogeveen nailed five 3-pointers and added five rebounds, five steals and five assists.
Damyen Jackson, Davenport Assumption boys basketball
The junior finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Knights in a 61-37 Class 3A substate win over Mount Vernon.
Addy Johnson, Westwood girls basketball
The senior scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, leading the Rebels to a 55-35 victory over Exira-EHK in a Class 2A regional final. Johnson also had three blocked shots and two steals.
Carson Johnson, Ankeny boys basketball
The 6-foot senior poured in 36 points for the Hawks in a 73-55 Class 4A substate win over Iowa City Liberty. Johnson splashed eight 3-pointers in 12 attempts, adding five rebounds and five assists.
Jaliyah Kinnetz, Johnston girls basketball
On a team filled with stars, sophomore Kinnetz was the star in the top-ranked Dragons’ 93-51 pasting of Sioux City West in a 5A regional final. The 5-6 guard was 7-for-8 from the field with four 3-pointers, finishing with a team-high 18 points.
Kamryn Kurt, North Linn girls basketball
The senior fired in 24 points on 10 of 16 shooting as the top-ranked Lynx earned their sixth straight state tournament trip with a 66-34 Class 1A regional final triumph over Edgewood-Colesburg. Kurt hit four 3-pointers and handed out four assists to go along with five steals and four rebounds.
Brooke Larsen, Council Bluffs Lewis Central girls basketball
The 5-11 junior had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Titans to a 53-49 Class 4A regional final victory over Norwalk. Larsen also dished out four assists.
Vaan Lessig, Vinton-Shellsburg boys bowling
Lessig rolled a 262 to win the Class 1A state championship over Charles City’s Noah White, who had a score of 212. Vann Lessig earlier had scores of 244 in the quarterfinals and 223 in the semifinals.
Ava Locklear, Clear Creek-Amana girls basketball
The senior standout finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots and four assists as the top-ranked and unbeaten Clippers rolled into the state tournament with a 68-35 Class 4A regional final victory over Keokuk. Bliss Beck had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Karlee Lynch, Grundy Center girls basketball
The 5-6 sophomore scored a game-high 17 points for the Spartans in a 55-48 Class 4A regional final win over Nodaway Valley. Lynch made 7 of 8 free throws and tacked on five rebounds.
Tanner Michael, Hudson boys basketball
The senior made all but one of his 10 shots, finishing with 22 points in the Pirates’ 80-54 Class 2A substate victory over Jesup. Hudson takes a 22-2 record into a go-to-state contest.
Katelynn Muller, West Des Moines Dowling girls basketball
Muller, a freshman, hit six 3-pointers and scored a team-high 20 points for the Maroons in a 73-26 rout of Des Moines Roosevelt in a Class 5A regional final.
Reagan Pagniano, Pleasant Valley girls basketball
The junior led the defending Class 5A state champion Spartans with a game-high 21 points in a come-from-behind 52-43 win over Waukee Northwest in a Class 5A regional final. Pleasant Valley trailed 34-30 heading into the fourth quarter.
Jadyn Petersen, Dike-New Hartford girls basketball
The senior helped two-time defending Class 2A state champion Dike-New Hartford return to the state tournament with 14 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and four assists in an 83-35 regional final win over Aplington-Parkersburg.
Spencer Roeder, Bellevue Marquette boys basketball
The junior contributed 24 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for 24-1 Marquette in a 70-42 Class 2A substate win over Bellevue.
Mollie Schnormeier, Gilbert girls basketball
The junior had 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Tigers in a 60-57 overtime win over Cedar Rapids Xavier in a 4A regional final. Ella Henningsen finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Molly Shafer, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont girls basketball
The junior tallied 23 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, two blocked shots and two assists for the 23-1 Rockets in a 61-41 victory over North Mahaska in a Class 2A regional final. It’s the second straight trip to state for EBF.
Jadyn Sharer, Montezuma girls basketball
The 5-6 senior collected 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists, leading the Bravettes to a 60-47 win over CAM in a Class 1A regional final. All six of Sharer’s baskets were 3-pointers.
Melina Snoozy, Sioux City Bishop Heelan girls basketball
The freshman had 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Crusaders in a 50-21 Class 4A regional final victory over Winterset. Heelan clinched its third straight state tournament berth.
Maryne Szalo, Waukee girls basketball
The 5-10 sophomore hit 10 of 12 shots and was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, scoring a game-high 24 points in the Warriors’ 83-58 Class 5A regional final victory over Iowa City West.
Jace Tams, Treynor boys basketball
The senior tallied a game-high 27 points, leading the Cardinals past Van Meter, 73-63, in a Class 2A substate. Tams had five 3-pointers and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Abby Tuttle, North Polk girls basketball
The junior scored a game-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists for the Comets in a 59-52 Class 4A regional final win over Maquoketa. Becca Aagard, a 6-foot-3 junior, contributed nine points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots for the state tournament-bound Comets.
Ryland Ubben, South Hamilton boys basketball
Ubben, a 6-4 senior guard, scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, leading the Hawks past Pleasantville, 65-57, in a Class 2A substate semifinal.
Makailyn Vander Waal, Sioux Center girls basketball
The 5-10 junior made 11 of 15 shots and scored 25 points for the Warriors in a 61-45 Class 4A regional final win over Humboldt. Freshman Maryn Franken raked down 17 rebounds and scored nine points for Sioux Center, which won the 3A state title last season.
Jesse Van Kalsbeek, MOC-Floyd Valley boys basketball
The senior accounted for 30 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Dutch in an 83-54 Class 3A substate win over Glenwood. Van Kalsbeek was 11-for-15 from the field with four 3-pointers.
Kaden Van Regenmorter, Hull Western Christian boys basketball
The junior standout had a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists for the Wolfpack in an 89-60 over defending Class 2A state champion Central Lyon in a substate semifinal. Van Regenmorter also had four rebounds and four steals.
Tylee Weite, West Des Moines Valley girls basketball
The freshman scored a team-high 19 points for the Tigers in a hard-fought 39-36 Class 5A regional final win over Ankeny. Weite had four 3-pointers, including one early in the game that gave Valley its first lead and it went on to win and get to the state tournament.
Kylar Whitman, Marion boys basketball
The 6-foot-6 Whitman powered his way to 33 points as the Wolves outlasted Maquoketa 97-95 in an epic four-overtime Class 3A substate semifinal. Whitman was 15-for-20 from the field.
-- Chris Short | @SBLiveIA
