Vote: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (11/27/2023)?
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.
Logan Abrams, Cary-Grove football
The sophomore ran 31 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 2-yarder with 1:19 left, in a 23-20 win against East St. Louis in the Class 6A final.
Sereniti Adams, Butler girls basketball
The senior forward had a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 59-49 win against Plainfield East in the Kenner Classic at Young.
Nick Allen, Bradley-Bourbonnais boys basketball
The 6-foot-11 junior averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for the week.
Lucas Austin, Sterling boys basketball
The senior hit five 3-pointers and scored 26 points in a 49-42 win over Burlington Central in the Strombom Tournament at Sycamore. Earlier in the week, he scored 28 vs. Belvidere North to go over 1,000 points for his career.
Noah Battle, Downers Grove North football
The senior had 114 all-purpose yards (60 rushing, 53 return, 1 receiving) on 23 touches in a 35-10 loss to Mount Carmel in the Class 7A final. He also had eight tackles and a pass breakup.
Jake Cestone, Nazareth Academy football
The sophomore had four receptions for 163 yards and a TD in a 38-20 win against Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A title game.
Giani Cobb, Homewood-Flossmoor boys basketball
The senior averaged 15 points as the Vikings went 4-0 to win the Chicago Heights Classic. He scored 16 in a 49-39 title-game win against Bloom.
Darrion Dupree, Mount Carmel football
The Wisconsin commit had 153 all-purpose yards (78 rushing, 60 receiving, 15 return) on 21 touches in a 35-10 win over Downers Grove North in the Class 7A final.
Jack Elliott, Mount Carmel football
The junior was 28-for-37 passing for 284 yards and two TDs in a 35-10 victory against Downers Grove North in the Class 7A state final.
Ryan Fitzgerald, Loyola Academy football
The junior quarterback completed 17 of 21 passes for 203 yards and two TDs in a 26-15 win against Lincoln-Way East in the Class 8A championship. He also ran 16 times for 89 yards and a score.
Kevin Gardner, Mount Carmel football
The senior caught five passes for 82 yards and two TDs in a 35-10 win over Downers Grove North for the Class 7A title.
HJ Grisgby, Joliet Catholic football
The senior ran 34 times for 278 yards and a TD in a 38-20 loss to Nazareth in the Class 5A state final.
Destiny Jackson, Whitney Young girls basketball
The junior scored 20 points in a 55-51 victory against Mother McAuley in the Kenner Classic at Young, passing 1,000 points for her career.
Gabe Kaminski, Nazareth Academy football
The junior had 15 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in a 38-20 win against Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A state final.
Zion Kostyra, Joliet Central boys basketball
The tourney MVP had 17 points and eight rebounds as the Steelmen beat Romeoville 63-60 in overtime to win the WJOL Thanksgiving Classic.
Elijah Lovemore, Bloom boys basketball
The junior had triple-doubles against Hillcrest and TF South at the Chicago Heights Classic.
Logan Malachuk, Nazareth Academy football
The junior was 23-for-34 passing for 414 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-20 victory against Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A state final.
Jack McGrath, Loyola Academy football
The senior had 12 tackles and a pass breakup in a 26-15 victory against Lincoln-Way East in the Class 8A state final.
Drew McPherson, Loyola Academy football
The junior ran 15 times for 117 yards and a TD in a 26-15 win against Lincoln-Way East in the Class 8A state final. He also caught three passes for 51 yards.
James Penley, Nazareth Academy football
The junior caught seven passes for 163 yards and two scores during a 38-20 win against Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A championship.
Andrew Prio, Cary-Grove football
The senior finished with 158 all-purpose yards (74 rushing, 19 receiving, 65 return) and a TD in a 23-20 win against East St. Louis in the Class 6A championship.
Josh Senica, LaSalle-Peru boys basketball
The senior had a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 64-60 title-game win over Pontiac in Ottawa's Dean Riley Shootin' the Rock Thanksgiving Tournament.
Kailey Starks, Evanston girls basketball
The senior had 20 points and seven rebounds in a 67-34 win against Hillcrest in the Kenner Classic at Young.
Braden Tischer, Lincoln-Way East football
The senior was 18-for-26 passing for 165 yards and two TDs in a 26-15 loss to Loyola in the Class 8A state final.
Larevious Woods, East St. Louis football
The junior ran 17 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 loss to Cary-Grove in the Class 6A state final.
• Check out our Illinois Athlete of the Week page
PREVIOUS WINNERS: Wilmington's Reid Juster (Nov. 6-12), Blue Island Eisenhower's AJ Abrams (Oct. 30-Nov. 5), Althoff's Antwan Strong (Oct. 23-29), Breese Central's Griffen Becker (Oct. 16-22), Mater Dei's Markus Kehrer (Oct. 9-15), Hersey's Thomas Mulder (Oct. 2-8), Dixon's Katie Drew (Sept. 25-Oct. 1), Barrington's Scout Storms (Sept. 18-24), Neuqua Valley's Andrew Hoffman (Sept. 11-17), Naperville North's Cole Arl (August 28-Sept. 3), Joliet Catholic's Patrick Durbin (August 28-Sept. 3), Waubonsie Valley's Tyler Threat (August 21-27).
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- Mike Clark | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveIL
