Welcome back to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) boys athlete of the week poll.
For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.
This week, we consider performances between Jan. 31-Feb. 6.
Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Vote as many times as you’d like until then.
Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at [email protected]
We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.
On to the nominees:
Courtney Anderson Jr., Dublin basketball: In two overtime wins on the road that helped the Gaels clinch the No. 1 seed in this week’s East Bay Athletic League tournament, Anderson was on top of the scoring column. The junior had 26 points – 19 after halftime – as Dublin rallied from 16 down in the fourth quarter to beat Dougherty Valley 74-72. He then added 17 points in a 60-57 victory at Monte Vista.
Gabe Baima, Hillsdale soccer: With Balma leading the way, Hillsdale improved to 7-1 in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division with a 2-0 victory over Sequoia. Balma had a goal and an assist in the win, giving him 15 goals and two assists this season.
A.J. Harris, Piedmont basketball: Averaged 29.7 points for the week as Piedmont won three games to extend its winning streak to five. Scored 31 points when Piedmont rallied from 17 down to beat Alameda 68-62 in overtime. Earlier in the week, the junior scored 37 points in an 89-62 rout of Alameda. Also had 21 in a 69-52 win over St. Joseph Notre Dame. The Highlanders began this week with a 14-9 record.
Taylor Higgins, San Ramon Valley soccer: The senior had a hat trick (three goals) to lead the Wolves to a 3-0 victory over Dublin in East Bay Athletic League play. He also assisted on both of his team’s goals in a 2-1 win over Amador Valley. SRV began this week 8-8-5 on the season.
Ian Hutt, Branham soccer: In the Bruins’ 3-1 victory over Lincoln-San Jose, the senior scored one goal and assisted on another. He followed that up with a goal and an assist in a 2-2 tie against Prospect as Branham improved to 13-1-2 overall and 8-0-2 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division.
Ishaan Mantripragada, Harker soccer: The senior scored four goals to lead the Eagles to a 5-1 victory over The King’s Academy. Also scored a goal in a 3-0 win over Crystal Springs Uplands. Mantripragada began this week with 26 goals on the season, leading Harker to an 11-1-1 record.
Horacio Perez, Pinole Valley soccer: The senior scored twice and had an assist as the Spartans breezed to a 5-0 victory over Hercules. He then had two more goals to lead Pinole past De Anza 4-1. Though games played last week, Perez had 21 goals and three assists for a team that is 7-3 overall.
Jackson Steffen, Mountain View football: In the 47th Charlie Wedemeyer all-star game, Steffen led scoring drives in his team’s first and last possessions to lead the North to a 15-14 victory over the South in a matchup between seniors from Santa Clara County schools. Steffen threw a 66-yard TD pass to Wilcox’s Luther K. Glenn for a 7-0 lead, then scored the winning TD on an 11-yard keeper, sending Mountain View coach Shelley Smith into retirement with a win. Smith coached the North.
Aden Valencia, Sobrato wrestling: In the most recent California Wrestler rankings, the sophomore from the Morgan Hill school is ranked No. 1 in the state at 120 pounds. Valencia finished first at the Gilroy Mid-Cals and also placed first at the Willie Jones Jr. Memorial Tournament at Lincoln High of Lincoln.
Alessandro Velazquez, Menlo School soccer: The sophomore captain had six goals and two assists as Menlo blanked The King’s Academy (twice) and rival Sacred Heart Prep to take over the West Bay Athletic League lead. In the 3-0 win over SHP, Velazquez had two goals.
