Vote: Who should be SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week (9/18/2023)?
Here are the candidates for SBLive's Missouri 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 MISSOURI 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.
Aaron Ashley, Nixa boys cross country
He broke the school record for the Eagles by running 15:19.03 at the Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday. He placed second in the Green Division.
Avery Basler, St. Michael the Archangel girls golf
The senior set a school record for 18 holes by shooting a 77 and also set the individual record for the lowest nine-hole score at the Richmond Tournament on Monday. The Guardians also shot 358 as a team to take first and set a school record.
Charles Beaty, Oak Grove boys soccer
The senior forward became the Panthers’ all-time goal scoring leader with his 91st career goal on Sept. 14 in a 2-1 loss to Smithville. He broke the mark Pedro Ramirez held since 2011.
Connor Blackford, Maryville boys cross country
In his third race of the season, Blackford dropped nearly 25 seconds off his best time and finished in 16:15.29 on Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Missouri Southern Stampede. It was a new school record for the Spoofhounds.
See: Top Missouri high school football performances in Week 4
Taylor Brown, Washington softball
The Texas A&M pledge threw a 1-hitter and struck out 15 and hit home run for the only run in a 1-0 win over Lafayette on Wednesday.
Mateo Castillo, Fort Osage boys soccer
The Indians won both games last week with Castillo having big contributions in both. He had a hat track and an assist in an 8-0 win over Ruskin on Monday, Sept. 11. In a win against Truman on Wednesday, Sept. 13, he had a gaol and two assists in a 3-2 win.
Juliet Collins, Sikeston girls tennis
She picked up an 8-3 win in singles and then picked up an 8-6 win with Alanna Jones to help the Bulldogs pick up a 8-1 win over Charleston on Tuesday.
Kai Crowe, Jackson football
He accounted for four touchdowns in a 49-21 win over Poplar Bluff. Crowe took the first play of the game for a 65-yard score, then added a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and scores of 7 and 46 yards later in the game
Jaylee Cruickshank, Cameron girls golf
She took first place and shot a career-best 94 to help the Dragons take first place at the Benton Tournament in St. Joseph on Sept. 13. The Dragons also took first as a team.
Delton Davis, Maryville football
He was part of two school records broken in a 46-42 win over St. Pius X (KC) on Friday. Davis hauled in seven catches for 181 yards and scored four touchdowns. His 181 yards was a new single-game yardage record.
Kennedy Diggs, Sherwood softball
The right-handed hurler, who has committed to Kansas, recorded career strikeout No. 1,000 on Sept. 12, fanning 16 in a 2-1 win over North Platte. Diggs also hit a home run and a double in the victory. She followed that with a 14-strikeout showing against Nevada in a 2-1 win on Sept. 14 and fanned 13 against in a victory over Excelsior Springs and 14 in a win against Lawson on Sept. 16.
Sarah Ding, John Burroughs field hockey
She scored the game-winner for the Bombers in a 3-2 win over Villa Duchesne on Wednesday.
Keagan Enicks, Blue Springs boys cross country
After running 15:49 in the first two races of the year, he broke out for a 15:14.11 — a personal record — to take first place in the Green Division at the Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday.
Austin ‘A.J.’ Evans, Southern Boone football
The quarterback accounted for five touchdowns in a 44-26 win over visiting Boonville. He passed for four scores — two of them to Chase Morris — and ran for another.
Ian Everett, Liberty (KC) boys swimming and diving
He broke the 50-yard freestyle record twice for the Gladstone Community Center by swimming 21.39 in the prelims and then 20.84 in the finals on Saturday at the NKC Invitational. The Blue Jays standout also won the 100-yard backstroke and was part of the winning 400-freestyle relay.
Joseph Federer, Parkway West football
A senior, Federer completed 21 of 42 passes for a career-high 326 yards and four touchdowns (against one interception) and ran for 119 yards on 18 carries in a 30-14 win at McCluer on Thursday.
Mike Ford, Hannibal football
An out-of-state transfer from New Jersey, Ford made his debut for the Pirates and scored three touchdowns – on two receptions and a kickoff return – in a 77-6 win over Fulton.
Deacon Gutshall, Platte County boys swimming and diving
The junior broke broke a pair of records at the NKC Invitational on Saturday, setting a new mark in the 500-yard freestyle (4:48.86) and the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.50) for the Pirates.
Keeleigh Hankins, Festus softball
The freshman hit a home run — the first of her high school career — to help Festus pick up an 9-8 win over Desoto on Sept. 12.
Rohan Holiman, Centralia boys cross country
The senior continues to drop time and did so in the South Callaway Invitational on Saturday, running a new school-record 16:50.58, the first time breaking 17. The Panthers also won the team title in the event in Mokane.
Macie Hunolt, Troy Buchanan softball
The North Florida pledge delivered a two-run walk-off home run in the 11th inning in a 2-0 win over Francis Howell on Tuesday. She struck out 12 in 11 innings of work pitching. Followed up by fanning 10 in a 4-3 win over Francis Howell Central on Wednesday. Had a home run and 11 strikeouts in a win against Blue Springs on Friday. Struck out 12 in a 2-0 win over Eureka on Saturday.
Jenna Jeyaraj, Thomas Jefferson girls tennis
The No. 2 singles player went 3-0 and beat all three foes by 8-0 scores to take first place at the Monett Tournament on Sept. 13. The Cavaliers won the team title as well.
Marcie Keence, Union girls volleyball
The junior helped the Wildcats sweep Desoto, 3-0, on Sept. 13 and recorded her 1,000th career assist in the victory.
Logan Kuechler, Rockhurst football
The senior booted a 41-yard field goal as the clock expired to help the Hawklets pick up a 24-21 win against Bentonville (Ark.).
Richard McIntosh, Ladue football
McIntosh, a senior, stepped in at QB for the Rams' injured starter and accounted for five touchdowns – four passing, one rushing – as Ladue rallied for a 40-33 victory over visiting Oakville. The Rams trailed 33-7 in the first half.
Kayleigh Norris, Harrisonville girls cross country
The junior broke a school record and recorded the seventh fastest time in school history — boys and girls — by running a 17:43.42 during the Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday in Joplin. It was also the fourth fastest time in Class 4 since 2010, according to MoMileSplit database.
Derek Quinlin, Maryville football
In a shootout with St. Pius X (KC), the Spoofhounds passer threw for a school-record 409 yards in a 46-42 victory in a Midland Empire Conference game. He had four touchdown passes and added 75 yards rushing two scores.
Chase Sorrell, East Newton boys cross country
After taking 34th place last year at the Missouri Southern Stampede, he was 1st this year winning the Gold Division with a time of 15:40.52. It was the third time in his career he broke the 16-minute mark and his first win in 2023.
Elijah Stevens, Rockwood Summit football
Stevens set career highs for rushing yards and touchdowns in a 39-27 win over visiting Parkway North. The senior running back carried 35 times for 245 yards and five touchdowns, including three TDs in the second half. He now has 53 career touchdowns.
Kaiden Weisbrod, Jackson softball
The senior broke the Indians’ single-season stolen base record when she stole base No. 36 in a game against Naylor.
Kobe Westphal, Warrensburg football
Warrensburg came up short against Harrisonville, 54-48, but the junior quarterback had a career day with 331 yards and five touchdowns passing and 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Zora Whitt, East Buchanan girls volleyball
The senior libero had 39 digs in a 3-2 win over West Platte in a KCI Conference game on Sept. 14, which set a school record and moved into the top 15 in the MSHSAA online record book.
Abbie Wilhelm, Blue Springs South softball
The Missouri commit a pair home runs, while the team had four total, to pick up a 9-6 win over Lee’s Summit West in a Suburban Conference game on Sept. 13.
Ty Williams, Grain Valley football
The senior running back scored six touchdowns in a 45-21 win over Platte County in a battle of state-ranked foes. He ran 28 times for 335 yards and added 63 receiving yards.
Oakville softball player Amelia Wiesler voted SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week (Sept. 4-10)
Congratulations to Oakville softball player Amelia Wiesler, who was voted the SBLive Missouri high school Athlete of the Week for Sept. 4-10. She received more than 43 percent of the votes.
Wiesler hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs in a 9-6 win over Marquette on Sept. 6.
Liberty (KC) boys cross country runner Peyton Willbanks finished second in the voting after receiving more than 37 percent of the votes.
View the rest of the nominees here: Who should be SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week (Sept. 4-10)?
PREVIOUS WINNERS: Christian Brothers' Cole McKey (August 28-Sept. 3), St. Pius X's Elena Ruble (August 21-27)
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