Friday nights are back, and so is The Record's weekly search for the top high school football performance in San Joaquin County.
Each week during the 2026 season, one standout player will be voted the Martin Dentistry Football Athlete of the Week.
The choice belongs to you, the readers.
This week's ballot features 10 nominees from Stockton, Lathrop, Escalon, Manteca and Linden after their Week 5 performances
.Everyone is encouraged to submit nominations for the upcoming week by emailing dackermann@gannett.com.
The poll at the bottom of this page closes at noon Thursday, Oct. 8. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the Week 5 nominees (athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Dylan Ball, wide receiver/safety,
Escalon
Dylan Ball gave Escalon just about everything he had in an attempt to knock off TVL favorite Hilmar. The junior ran for a career-high 209 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries while recording an interception and five tackles in a 36-32 loss. It marked his fifth straight game with at least 115 rushing yards after not reaching that mark once last year.
Jackson Batch, wide receiver, Chavez
Facing the school where he spent his freshman year gave Jackson Batch a little extra motivation. The Oregon State commit made it count, piling up 105 receiving yards and three touchdowns with one spectacular catch after another in Chavez's 49-14 win over Tokay.
Kailan Beaver, wide receiver, Edison
Wilcox tried to contain Kailan Beaver. Nothing seemed to work. The Edison senior turned eight catches into career highs of 191 yards and four touchdowns in a 36-29 win, giving him 620 yards and nine scores through five games — already more receiving yards and as many touchdowns as he had all of last season.
Roman Duvernay, running back, Lathrop
Three years at Manteca produced minus-1 career rushing yards. Roman Duvernay's first opportunity at Lathrop produced quite the opposite. Finally cleared to play, the senior erupted for 152 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in a 39-6 rout of Pacheco, helping Lathrop respond to its first league loss since 2023.
Jayden Harris, wide receiver/cornerback, Manteca
Manteca scored 63 points, but Jayden Harris helped make sure Mountain House never scored one. The Washington State commit and three-star safety picked off two passes and made two tackles in the 63-0 win, then added a 43-yard touchdown reception on offense. Harris now has 12 career interceptions.
Devin Hunger, quarterback, Linden
The yards had been there. The touchdowns had been there. Against Bret Harte, Devin Hunger finally put them together. The Linden sophomore went 19-of-24 for 211 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 40-6 win, his best performance since taking over at quarterback this season.
Darnell Holmes, running back, Stagg
Stagg needed Darnell Holmes to carry the load against Merrill West, something he's become plenty familiar with throughout his career. The senior delivered 174 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries in a 28-0 win, leaving him 12 yards shy of 3,000 career rushing yards and two touchdowns away from 50 total.
Presley Prince, wide receiver, River Island
One evening was all it took for Presley Prince to rewrite nearly every career high. The River Island junior turned 10 carries into 103 yards and two touchdowns while adding two catches for 25 yards in a 37-17 win over Summerville. Before the breakout, he had just 66 rushing yards this season, had never topped 21 receiving yards in a game and had only one career touchdown.
Shawn San, quarterback, McNair
Tokay finally found a way to slow Shawn San down. Franklin wasn't so lucky. One week after throwing for a season-low 227 yards, one touchdown and his first interception, the McNair junior fired four touchdowns and 243 yards on 8-of-15 passing in a 48-20 win, pushing his season totals to 1,680 yards, 20 touchdowns and just one interception.
Elijah Walker, quarterback, Chavez
Elijah Walker's time at Chavez has been filled with firsts and records. A first league title. The program's first undefeated regular season. Now, the junior has topped 6,000 career passing yards and 80 touchdowns after throwing for 311 yards and five scores on 20-of-25 passing in a 49-14 win over Tokay.
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This article originally appeared on The Record: VOTE: SJ County Martin Dentistry's Football Week 5 Athlete of the Week
