Summer is over. Fall sports are here. And San Joaquin County athletes are already showing that the time between seasons was anything but a break.
With the work now showing in competition, The Record will nominate several high school athletes for the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week award.
The rest is up to you, the readers.
The Martin Dentistry Award recognizes top performances from 209-area schools — excluding boys football, which has its own poll. This week’s ballot highlights athletes who made their mark from Aug. 31-Sept. 5.
Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week from any sport. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Dylan Ackermann at dackermann@gannett.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.
Because
of Labor Day, the poll at the bottom of this page closes at noon Friday, Sept. 11, instead of Thursday. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the Aug. 31-Sept. 5 nominees (athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Thiago Carneiro, boys cross country, Mountain House
Breaking school records is becoming routine for Thiago Carneiro. The Mountain House senior opened his season at the St. Mary’s Invitational on Sept. 5 by running a personal-best 10:59.18 in the 2-mile race, breaking his own school record of 11:02.10 set at the same event a year ago. Carneiro finished 47th among more than 200 runners in a field featuring 33 schools.
Eden Fry, flag football, Tracy
Three games. Three days. None of it seemed to matter to Eden Fry. The Tracy junior athlete opened with 90 receiving yards, two touchdowns, 10 flag pulls and an interception in a 7-6 win over Lathrop on Sept. 1, then had 30 receiving yards, 13 flag pulls, an interception and a sack in a 25-13 win over St. Ignatius on Sept. 2. Then came East Union on Sept. 3, and Fry went off for 147 rushing yards and a touchdown, 53 receiving yards and 72 passing yards while adding seven flag pulls and another interception.
Lila Harper, girls volleyball, Weston Ranch
Anything and everything asked of Lila Harper, she did — and more. After recording eight kills against Delhi on Sept. 1, the Weston Ranch senior jumped to 11 kills, three aces, five blocks and eight digs in a 3-2 win over McNair the next day. She saved her biggest defensive showing for Sept. 3, adding 11 kills and 22 digs in a 3-0 win over Lincoln that kept Weston Ranch unbeaten at 8-0. “She always has a smile on her face when playing and is invaluable to the team,” coach James Short said.
Aniston Hunt, girls volleyball, Escalon
If an Escalon teammate was putting away a kill last week, there was a good chance Aniston Hunt helped set it up. The senior setter dished out 34 assists in a 3-1 win over Gregori on Sept. 1 and 38 in a 3-1 win over Linden on Sept. 2 before piling up another 87 across 12 sets in the next six matches. Hunt helped Escalon survive the eight-match week with a 5-3 record.
Charlee LaCroix, flag football, Lodi
Big plays on offense and a presence on defense made Charlee LaCroix hard to miss. The Lodi sophomore wide receiver had five receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns, both longer than 30 yards, while adding eight flag pulls, one batted ball and an interception across a 19-13 loss to Rocklin on Sept. 1 and a 26-24 win over Pitman less than 24 hours later. “Charlee provided our team with a huge defensive presence on the outside, making it difficult for teams to throw over the top,” coach Trenton Meier said.
Adri Powers, flag football, Tracy
Yards, yards and more yards. That's what Adri Powers provided in a pair of wins. The Tracy junior quarterback went 12-of-21 for 196 yards, a touchdown and interceptions while adding 154 rushing yards on just eight carries in a 7-6 win over Lathrop on Sept. 1. A day later, Powers went 13-of-27 for 118 yards, a touchdown and an interception while rushing 10 times for 53 yards and another score in a 25-13 win over Saint Ignatius.
Ryan Sell, girls cross country, Lodi
One personal best wasn't enough for Ryan Sell. The Lodi sophomore won the 3-mile girls varsity race at TCAL No. 1 at Oak Grove Park in Stockton on Sept. 2 with a personal-best 19:07.6, then came back three days later and ran the 3,000 meters in a personal-best 11:43.50 at the Soiree at SWRA at Sunset Whitney Recreation Area, placing 18th out of 202 runners.
Braylen Ward, boys water polo, St. Mary's
Getting near the goal has continued to mean trouble for anyone trying to stop Braylen Ward. After scoring 46 times as a freshman, the St. Mary’s sophomore already has 16 goals through six games this season. His only game last week brought three more, as Ward recorded a hat trick in a 13-6 loss to Davis Sr. on Sept. 2.
VOTE HERE
This article originally appeared on The Record: Vote now for the SJ County Martin Dentistry AOTW for Aug. 31-Sept. 5
