Vote: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (12/11/2023)?
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.
Jurrell Baldwin, Hyde Park boys basketball
The senior scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 58-49 win against Leo in the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel. He also had 25 points and 15 rebounds in a 58-52 win against Lindblom.
Jalen Bealer, East Aurora boys basketball
The senior had 34 points in a 77-71 loss to Bartlett.
Davis Bynum, East St. Louis boys basketball
The Cal State Fullerton recruit scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had three steals and blocked three shots in a 60-55 loss to North Kansas City (Mo.) at the Norm Stewart Classic in Columbia, Mo.
Cam Cerese, Lake Park boys basketball
The senior scored 28 points, passing the 1,000-mark for his career, in a 62-34 win against St. Charles East.
AJ Demirov, Crystal Lake South boys basketball
The junior had 21 points, six assists and five steals in a 77-34 victory against Woodstock North.
Ty Edwards, Yorkville Christian boys wrestling
The Gardner-Webb recruit was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at Plano's Reaper Classic after pinning his way to the 132-pound championship with three falls.
Addi Fair, Gardner-South Wilmington girls basketball
The senior passed 1,500 points for her career, scoring 28 in a 58-35 win against Clifton Central and 14 in a 45-28 victory over Milford at the Iroquois West Holiday Hoops Tournament.
Mia Gaines, Hyde Park girls basketball
The Southern Illinois recruit had 28 points and 25 rebounds in a 54-26 victory against De La Salle in the Showcase in the Park at Kenwood. She also had 22 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks in an 80-23 win against Morgan Park.
Davon Grant, DeKalb boys basketball
The sophomore had 30 points, 14 rebounds and four dunks in a 63-53 win against Naperville North. He also scored 12 in a 57-54 win over United Township.
Ariella Henigan, Kenwood girls basketball
The junior guard scored 34 points in a 61-58 loss to South Bend Washington (Ind.) at the Showcase in the Park.
Drelyn Jones, Leyden boys basketball
The senior scored 32 points in a 69-63 win against Hinsdale South.
Bradley Longcor III, Quincy boys basketball
The junior guard scored a game-high 22 points in a 62-54 win over Chaminade (Mo.) at the Norm Stewart Classic in Columbia, Mo.
Jake Lowitzki, Prairie Ridge boys wrestling
The junior had a 15-second fall in the final to wrap up the 113-pound title in Prospect's Mudge-McMorrow Invitational.
Caidan Ronning, Plano boys wrestling
The junior had three falls and a 12-5 decision en route to winning the 150-pound title at Plano's Reaper Classic.
Annabella Simpson, DeKalb-Sycamore co-op girls gymnastics
The senior won three individual events and had a 36.7 to win the all-around title as DeKalb-Sycamore took first in its own invitational.
Gavvin Surmo, Oregon boys bowling
The junior rolled a perfect game and won the individual title with a six-game pinfall of 1,404 as Oregon won the LaSalle-Peru Tournament.
Camryn Veltrop, Morrison girls basketball
The junior scored 21 points, passing the 1,000-point mark for her career, in a 52-44 win against Ashton-Franklin Center at the Pearl City Holiday Tournament. She also had 19 points in a 38-33 victory over Lena-Winslow.
Je'Shawn Washington, Lindblom boys basketball
The senior guard had 34 points, five rebounds and six steals in a 76-65 win against Lincoln-Way East in the Team Rose Classic at Mount Carmel. He also had 32 points in a 58-52 loss to Hyde Park and contributed 19 points, four assists and three steals in a 61-60 victory against Kenwood.
Larenz Walters, Kankakee boys basketball
The senior hit 6-for-12 from 3-point range and 11-for-12 from the foul line, scoring a game-high 37 points in a 74-72 overtime win against Battle (Mo.) at the Norm Stewart Classic in Columbia, Mo.
Xamiya Walton, Butler girls basketball
The Northwestern recruit hit seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points in a 69-29 victory against LaLumiere (Ind.) in the Showcase in the Park at Kenwood.
• Check out our Illinois Athlete of the Week page
PREVIOUS WINNERS: Bloom's Elijah Lovemore (Nov. 20-26), Joliet Catholic's Andres Munoz (Nov. 13-19), 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
