SPRINGFIELD — The fall sports calendar is drawing to a close. The postseason is highlighting the best athletes in the Springfield-area. The high school athletes are putting together some top performances when they have been needed most.
It's now time to vote for the News-Leader's Athlete of the Week for Oct. 19-24. Voting closes at noon Friday, Oct. 30. Here are the nominees.
If an area player has made an impact, send nominees with stats to Liam Keating at lkeating@usatodayco.com or on X at @liamkeating7.
Sam Boster, Springfield Catholic football
The senior running back led the Irish to a 34-33 win over Strafford, clinching the Mid-Lakes Conference title outright and finishing the regular season undefeated. Boster scored three touchdowns in the win with a 66-yard scampering highlighting
all of them.
Lexi Burks, New Covenant Academy volleyball
The senior outside hitter led the Warriors to a district title over Blue Eye on Friday, Oct. 23. New Covenant Academy swept Blue Eye 3-0 (25-8, 25-6, 25-12) thanks to Burks’ efforts. Burks led the team with 14 kills in the title game. She also leads the team with 268 kills on the season.
Jonah Fields, Nixa football
The senior kicker drilled a 54-yard field goal in Nixa’s 59-14 win against Glendale on Thursday, Oct. 22. Fields’ kick was flawless and had room for a much longer kick. Fields’ kid was the eighth-longest field goal in Missouri high school history.
Hayes Porter, Republic football
For the first time since 1990, Republic won an outright conference title and secured an undefeated regular season. Porter played a pivotal role in Republic’s final regular season. He scored two touchdowns to lead the offense in the Tigers’ 42-15 win against Willard.
Adalyn Wilson, Willard golf
The freshman was one of the top golfers from the Springfield-area at the state championship. Wilson shot a two-day total of 152, 8-over par at the Class 3 state tournament. She finished in second-place to lead the area in the finale tournament.
Previous fall athlete of the week winners
Aug. 24-29: Alivia Arauz, Willard
Aug. 31-Sept. 5: Nolan Lashley, Republic
Sept. 7-12:Trevor Heman, Glendale
Sept. 14-19: Trenton Joplin, Kickapoo
Sept. 21-26: Trent Rosenthal, Marshfield
Sept. 28-Oct. 3: Jett Lewis, Springfield Catholic
Oct. 5-10: Braxton Bell, Ozark
Oct. 12-17: Hannah Schiman, Nixa
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Vote for Springfield area's high school Athlete of the Week for Oct. 19-24
