New Bern's K.J. Sampson is voted North Carolina Athlete of the Week

Congratulations to New Bern football player KJ Sampson the winner of SBLive North Carolina's Athlete of Week award as voted by North Carolina high school sports fans.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive tackle captured 50.67% of the more than 44,000 state-wide votes cast, after providing a dominating presence as the Bears held a good Jacksonville team to just 97 yards in a 45-0 victory. Sampson is committed to Florida State.

If you would like to nominate an athlete, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com or message us on Twitter or Instagram at @sblivenc.

Here are all the other athletes that were nominated for Sept. 18-24:

JyMikaah Wells, Salisbury, Football

Some players can be up for this every week. The senior tailback ran for a school-record six touchdowns as the Hornets routed West Davidson 55-7. Altogether, the big back dominated by carrying 15 times for 242 yards.

Jaylen Alexander-Raynor, East Forsyth, Football

Alexander-Raynor was just about perfect, completing 26 of 31 passes for 355 yards and 5 touchdowns in the undefeated Eagles 56-21 win over Davie County. Those Arte some eye-popping numbers for sure.

Caroline Farthing, Watauga, Volleyball

The 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter was simply dominating. She pounded 21 kills and got 9 digs in a 3-0 win over Alexander Central. Then the 2021 Northwest Conference player of the year had 20 kills, 5 aces and 5 digs in a 3-0 win over Hibriten.

Cuttler Adams, Robbinsville, Football

Adams had a huge night, running 17 times for 201 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Black Knights’ 40-7 win over Allegheny.

Josiah Hunter, Mooresville, Football

Talk about a shutdown corner. Hunter recorded 13 tackles and allowed no receptions while being targeted 4 times as the Blue Devils beat Hickory Ridge 40-22.

Brecken Snotherly, Eastern Randolph, Cross Country

Snotherly can play basketball with the best of them. She can run, too. The 5-foot-11 junior easily won the Piedmont Athletic 1-A/2-A Conference pre-conference meet in a time of 23:10. Her nearest competitor was nearly two minutes behind.

Brenon Austin, Chase, Football

It’s always good to have productive two-way players. A 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior, Austin ran for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 7 carries. He also made five tackles on defense.