Vote: Who should be SBLive's Missouri High School Athlete of the Week (2/26/2024)?
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.
Nikki Adams, Scott County Central girls basketball
The junior post player had a game-high 30 points in a 74-8 win over Crossroads College Prep in a Class 1 District 1 game on Monday in Sikeston.
Eddie Ahearn, Parkway South boys basketball
The 6-foot-3 senior became the school’s fifth 1,000-point scorer after tallying 33 points in a 55-38 win over Riverview Gardens on Friday.
Sevi Aumua, Grain Valley girls wrestling
The senior won her third state championship for the Lady Eagles thanks to a 6-3 win in the 140-pound finals in Class 2. She was a perfect 40-0 this year
Brooklyn Alivernia, Hancock girls basketball
The senior did a little bit of everything and carried her team to a 37-30 win over Bishop DuBourg on Feb. 21. She had 31 points and hit 10 of 15 free throws.
Mallary Barks, Woodland girls basketball
The 5-8 junior had 28 points to help the Cardinals pick up a 55-33 over Bloomfield in a Class 3 District 2 game on Feb. 19.
Ryan Barnhart, Winnetonka boys basketball
The junior had a game-high 22 points, one of three Griffins in double figures, to help Minnetonka pick up a 99-69 win over Kansas City Ruskin on Feb. 20.
Hank Benter, Columbia Hickman boys wrestling
The junior has set himself up for a chance to be a four-time state champion. He went 47-0 this year and won the 113-pound title in Class 4. The Mizzou pledge is 134-1 in high school. The Kewpies took fourth in Class 4, the first team trophy since 1937.
Grace Billington, Moberly girls basketball
The Lady Spartans beat Mexico, 68-50, on Feb. 19 and clinched the NCMC league title. She surpassed the 2,000-point mark in the contest.
Brenya Crahan, Nixa girls wrestling
The senior capped off her career as a three-time state champion for the Lady Eagles. She won the 145-pound championship in Class 2. She was 52-0 this year and was 186-5 in her career.
Charlie Dykes, Lee’s Summit North boys wrestling
The senior capped off his final season with a 41-0 record and won the Class 4 126-pound championship. He’s the first-ever state wrestling championship for the Broncos.
Kayden Gabbard, Maysville boys basketball
His bucket with 9 seconds left was the difference as the Wolverines beat Gallatin, 53-50, on Saturday. It was Maysville’s first district title since the 1964-65 season.
Justin Hayes, Holt boys basketball
A 3-pointer — the only 3-pointer he made – gave Hayes his 1,000th career point in a 62-46 win over Fort Zumwalt West on Feb. 20. Hayes had 21 points in the victory.
Isaia Howard, Plattsburg boys basketball
The Tigers won the Class 2 District 15 championship and the North Dakota State signee had 45 points in the 79-53 win over West Platte on Feb. 24.
Kolton Johnson, Cape Notre Dame boys basketball
The junior had six 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line to finish with 39 points in a 69-59 win over Kelly in a Class 3 District 2 game on Thursday.
Jessa Joiner, Lebanon girls wrestling
The junior won her second state title and went 48-0 this year by winning the Class 2 115-pound bracket. She had two pins among her four wins.
Gavin Linsman, Liberty boys wrestling
He secured his fourth individual state championship with a win in the Class 4 150-pound bracket on Saturday. He won two titles at Liberty and two titles at Whitfield and all four of his teams were state champions as well.
Jordan Martin, Jefferson City boys basketball
The Jays knocked off Columbia Battle, 78-69, on Tuesday. The junior was honored for becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer and then went out and put up a double-double with 35 points and 10 rebounds.
Porter Matecki, Whitfield boys wrestling
The senior capped off his career with four state championships when he won the Class 3 126-pound finals. He’s the fifth wrestler in Whitfield’s history to accomplish that feat.
Blair McHenry, West Platte girls basketball
In the semifinals of the Class 2 District 15 tournament, McHenry hit the game-winner at the buzzer to help the Bluejays beat No. 1-seed University Academy, 44-42, on Feb. 21.
Kaitlyn Morgan, Lathrop girls basketball
The senior had a game-high 23 points to help Lathrop pick up a 51-27 win over St. Joseph Bishop LeBlond on Friday. It was Lathrop’s first girls district title since 1987 — when Morgan’s mom LaDonna was on that team.
Peyton Parn, Brookfield boys wrestling
The junior won the Class 1 132-pound championship with a victory over Grant Anderson from Father Tolton on Thursday. He went 43-1 this season and secured his third straight state title.
Isabella Renfro, Seneca girls wrestling
She secured her second state title and did so with a perfect 47-0 mark for the Lady Indians at the 190-pound bracket in Class 1. She had pins in all four of her matches.
Trace Sadler, Sikeston boys basketball
The 7-foot junior scored a team-high 17 points and hit eight of nine shot attempts in a 123-54 win over Doniphan on Tuesday.
Logan Sanders, Greenwood Laboratory boys basketball
In a 74-60 win over Conway on Tuesday, Sanders had 30 points and eight rebounds.
Avery Simmons, Park Hill South girls basketball
The Loyola Maryland signee became the third Lady Panther to score 1,000 career points on a layup inside the paint in a win against Liberty on Feb. 21.
Gannon Sowell, Bishop Leblond boys basketball
The junior guard hit a buzzer-beater to help the Golden Eagles post a 46-44 win over Mid-Buchanan on Tuesday in the Class 3 District 15 Tournament.
Molly Stanton, Mid-Buchanan girls wrestling
While an arm injury knocked her out of the Class 1 girls bracket, Stanton picked up her 100th win at the state finals on Thursday.
Sampson Stillwell, St. Michael the Archangel boys wrestling
He became a three-time state champion with a pin in the 285-pound finals in only 47 seconds on Thursday. Stillwell, who has committed to Missouri, went 45-1 this year for the Guardians.
Hunter Taylor, Liberty boys wrestling
The Oregon State signee won his third state title with a convincing 16-1 tech fall victory in the Class 4 120-pound bracket. Taylor was 39-1 this season.
Luke Walsh, Vianney boys basketball
The junior became the Griffins’ all-time scoring leader after tallying 22 points in a 79-30 win over SLUH on Wednesday. He had 1,568 career points after the win.
Amare Witham, Glendale boys basketball
The Falcons' standout became the school’s and Springfield Public School’s all-time leader in points in a single game when he dropped 54 on Tuesday. Glendale lost 102-93 to Springfield Parkview in overtime.
Exavier Wilson, Father Tolton boys basketball
The 6-foot-1 junior had a game-high 38 points to help the Trailblazers knock off No. 1-ranked Sikeston, 79-72, in double overtime, on Thursday in Columbia.
Vote for the SBLive Sports Athlete of the Week
• Check out our Missouri Athlete of the Week page
PREVIOUS WINNERS: Versailles' Ryder Williams (Feb. 5-11), Springfield Central's Tyrique Brooks (Jan. 29-Feb. 4), Versailles' Ryder Williams (Jan. 22-28), Lee’s Summit West's Logan Bishop (Jan. 15-21), Liberty North's Kennedy Herrig (Jan. 8-14), Smithville's Noellie Parrott (Jan. 1-7), Blue Springs' Jayla Cornelius (Dec. 25-31), Laquey's Alexis Shelton (Dec. 11-17), Pembroke Hill's Holly Woods (Dec. 4-10), Raytown South's Jayla McClinton (Nov. 27-Dec. 3), Kearney's Casey Rooney (Nov. 20-26), Hillsboro's Payton Brown (Nov. 13-19), Logan-Rogersville's Stewart McDonald (Nov. 6-12), Marquette's Robert Williams (Oct. 30-Nov. 5), St. Pius X's Justin Lehn (Oct. 23-29), Portageville's Jamarion Smith (Oct. 16-22), Lutheran North's James Bryant (Oct. 9-Oct. 15), Incarnate Word Academy's Sammi Bergjans (Oct. 2-Oct. 8), St. Joseph’s Academy's Paige Jackson (Sept. 25-Oct. 1), Oakville's Nina Cillo (Sept. 18-24), Grain Valley's Ty Williams (Sept. 11-17), Oakville's Amelia Wiesler (Sept. 4-10), Christian Brothers' Cole McKey (August 28-Sept. 3), St. Pius X'sElena Ruble (August 21-27).
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- Cody Thorn | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveMiz
