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 each week 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 Sept. 7-12.
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.
The
poll at the bottom of this page closes at noon Thursday, Sept. 17. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the Sept. 7-12 nominees (athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Skylar Arellano, flag football, Kimball
Five interceptions in one game is hard to ignore, no matter the final score. Kimball senior Skylar Arellano added seven flag pulls and took one of those interceptions back for a touchdown in an 18-7 loss to Liberty on Sept. 8. “Skylar has great instincts in the pass and run defending and is an excellent flag puller,” coach David Rios said. “She has become a difference maker on defense.”
David Avila, boys cross country, Millennium
Top five in the section. Second out of 188 runners. Still not a personal best. That's the kind of season David Avila is putting together. The Millennium junior ran the 5,000 meters in 16:02.0 at the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational on Sept. 12, shaving four-tenths of a second off his previous season best of 16:02.4 from the Flame Invite on Aug. 21. With his personal-best 15:31.7 from last year still out there to chase, Avila is already closing the gap.
Sophia Ferdin, flag football, Weston Ranch
Stagg had little answer once the ball found its way into Sophia Ferdin’s hands. The Weston Ranch junior piled up 171 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in a 28-0 shutout while contributing five flag pulls on defense. It was the latest big performance in a five-game stretch that has seen Ferdin rush 57 times for 574 yards and five touchdowns.
Ricardo Guzman, boys cross country, Edison
The best part about Ricardo Guzman finishing fifth might be knowing he has gone even faster. The Edison senior clocked a 16:12.0 in the 5,000 meters at the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational on Sept. 12, placing fifth among 238 runners in the Large School race. Guzman owns a personal best of 15:10.0 from his freshman season, but his latest time topped anything he ran as a sophomore or junior, giving him plenty of room to keep trending upward.
Elias Hensel, boys water polo, Tokay
Give Elias Hensel an opening and chances are the ball is ending up in the back of the net. The Tokay junior made that clear with 20 goals in just two games, pouring in nine with one assist in a 19-7 win over Laguna Creek on Sept. 8 and another 11 with two assists in a 22-6 win over Monterey Trail two days later. Crazy numbers, but hardly a fluke for someone who scored 106 goals in only 19 games last season.
Hailie Kim, girls tennis, Manteca
A set. That's all anyone is trying to take from Hailie Kim at this point, and no one has done it yet. The Manteca sophomore No. 1 singles player swept Patterson 6-0, 6-0 on Sept. 8, Oakdale 6-3, 6-1 the next day and Oak Creek 6-2, 6-2 on Sept. 11. Kim remains unbeaten at 9-0 this season and has outscored her opponents 104-20 in games, with no one coming within three games of her.
Emy Sinclair, girls volleyball, Venture Academy
Emy Sinclair doesn't need to fill just one role to make an impact. The Venture Academy senior setter and opposite recorded six kills, three aces and seven assists in a 3-1 win over Riverbank on Sept. 9 before contributing four kills, two aces, two blocks and eight assists in a 3-0 loss to Galt two days later. That versatility has shown throughout the season with 43 kills, 32 aces and 96 assists across 32 sets.
Taimane Tu’uga, girls volleyball, Manteca
Match after match, Taimane Tu’uga keeps finding her way into double figures. The Ripon Christian senior outside hitter posted 15 kills and 15 digs to go with 14 service points and two aces in a straight-set win over Linden on Sept. 9. Less than 24 hours later, she was at it again with 14 kills, 10 digs and five service points in another sweep, giving her a double-double in kills and digs in each of her last five matches.
VOTE HERE
This article originally appeared on The Record: Vote now for the SJ County Martin Dentistry AOTW for Sept. 7-12
