Vote: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (10/23/2023)?
Here are the candidates for SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week 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.
Mohamed Abdullahi, Mather boys cross country
The senior won the Class 3A Oak Park-River Forest Regional in 14:48.
Isaac Ackerman, Triad football
The junior quarterback threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns and added 47 yards rushing in a 36-35 win at Collinsville.
Preston Baker, Breese Central football
The junior passed for 347 yards and five touchdowns — both season bests – during a 42-17 comeback win over Herrin. He also ran for 31 yards.
Dominik Ball, Palatine football
The Tulane commit broke the program's career rushing record during a 42-22 victory over Schaumburg, running for 134 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries.
Wences Baumgartner, Beecher boys soccer
A sophomore, Baumgartner scored five goals and added one assist in wins over Grant Park, Manteno and Carver (in two OT). He's up to 53 goals and 15 assists for the Bobcats, who are 24-4.
William Beaman, Neuqua Valley football
In a 26-14 win over Naperville Central for the DuPage Valley Conference championship, the junior rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Griffen Becker, Breese Central football
The junior had five catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-17 come-from-behind victory at Herrin.
Brock Bowlby, Carbondale football
The senior threw four touchdown passes and ran for two scores in a 72-54 victory over Mascoutah.
Nevan Bufka, Lemont football
The junior had two key fourth-quarter interceptions in a 19-18 victory against T.F. North.
Aiden Crawley, Stevenson football
The sophomore ran for a touchdown and completed eight of 10 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 54 seconds left, in a 35-28 win against Libertyville.
Matt Crider, Wheaton-Warrenville South football
The senior rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-3 victory against St. Charles East.
Jake Curry, Edwardsville football
The Southern Illinois commit threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in a 29-12 win over previously undefeated DeSmet (Mo.).
Michael Dellumo, Maine South football
The junior ran nine times for 105 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-11 victory over Evanston.
Ian Dempsey, Triad football
In a 36-35 win at Collinsville, the junior caught six passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 18 yards.
Donovan Dey, Carmel football
In a 42-0 shutout of St. Patrick, the junior ran for 105 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
Jayden Ellington, Althoff football
The freshman ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for 155 yards and another two scores in a 41-18 win over the Du-Pec co-op.
Ryan Fitzgerald, Loyola football
The junior ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Ramblers beat Mount Carmel 23-21 in a matchup of unbeaten defending state champs.
Waleed Johnson, Plano football
The senior rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-21 win over Marengo.
Myson Johnson-Cook, Decatur MacArthur football
The freshman ran 15 times for 289 yards and three touchdowns – boosting his season total to 20 – in a 54-10 win over Bloomington.
Baruk Jonsson, Mascoutah football
The junior threw for a season-high 339 yards and three touchdowns, and ran nine times for 65 yards and two scores in a 72-54 loss at Carbondale.
William Korosec, Naperville North football
The senior returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and added a pick-six in a 28-7 win against Waubonsie Valley.
Nasir McKenzie, Hersey football
Playing just a half in a 63-14 win over Elk Grove, the senior rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
Alessio Milivojevic, St. Francis football
The Ball State commit threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-17 win against Nazareth.
Vincent Muci, West Chicago football
The senior rushed for five touchdowns in a 35-19 win over Larkin.
Tucker Murphy, Freeburg football
In a 33-0 shutout against Waterloo, the senior ran 35 times for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
Cameron Nickel, Metamora football
The junior linebacker had 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a key interception in the red zone in a 26-21 win over Dunlap.
Haris Sarajlilja, Lyons boys soccer
The senior had two goals in a 5-1 win over Downers Grove North in the Class 3A Lyons Regional final.
Nate Stempowski, Geneva football
The senior completed 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards and a score, and added 119 yards on 23 carries during a 20-10 win against St. Charles North.
Scout Storms, Barrington girls cross country
The junior won the Class 3A Grant Regional with a time of 17:33.
Jacob Swartz, Morris football
In a matchup of unbeatens, the senior ran 36 times for 230 yards and a TD during a 22-14 win against Sycamore.
Daniel Van Camp, Lake Forest football
The junior threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Sycamore.
For live updates and complete statewide results, bookmark our Illinois high school football scoreboard: STATEWIDE ILLINOIS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
You can also watch dozens of Illinois high school football games live on the NFHS Network: WATCH LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK
To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
- Mike Clark | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveIL
