Help us select our high school Athletes of the Week
Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) boys and girls 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 from Feb. 13-18.
Polls close at 5p.m. Wednesday. Vote as many times as you'd like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting. Votes by email are not counted.
Winners are announced each Friday. Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com. We accept nominations until 11a.m. each Monday.
Here are the nominees:
GIRLS Luana Dennison, Aragon soccer:
The top seed in CCS Division II held off the upset bid from No. 8Burlingame thanks to a stellar effort from goalkeeper Dennison and a stingy Dons defense. The sophomore goalie had five saves in the 1-0 shutout.
Natalie Dance, Mt. Diablo basketball:
The 5-1 sophomore led the eighth-seeded Red Devils to a stunning 47-44 upset over Berean Christian, the top seed in the NCS's Division V. Dance scored a team-high 27 points.
Karena Eberts, Miramonte basketball:
Eberts, a junior, surpassed the 1,000-point total for her high school career during a 64-56NCS Division II quarterfinal win over Redwood. Eberts, who averages over 17 points-per-game this season, scored 24 points to lead all players.
Mikayla Garcia, James Logan wrestling:
For the second year in a row, Garcia won her division's NCS championship. Now in the 111-pound class, Garcia had won the 106class in 2022. She pinned her opponent in 3:51.
Mary Jane Porter, Gilroy wrestling:
Porter won the 131-pound title for Gilroy, and was one of four wrestlers from the school to finish as a division champion. Porter won her matchup by a score of 2-0. Katianna Martinez, Evergreen Valley wrestling: Martinez won the 189-pound title at the CCS Championship Masters meet in Watsonville on Saturday. Martinez, one of Evergreen Valley's seven finalists, pinned her opponent in 1:18.
Ava Mathieson, Las Lomas soccer:
The junior attacker had a role in both of Las Lomas' goals during the upset of No. 1 seed Acalanes. She scored once and assisted Paige Thompson's goal. Las Lomas, the No. 9 seed in Division II, defeated Tamalpais in the first round.
Lauren Nguyen, Granada wrestling:
Nguyen won the NCS's 101-pound division and defeated her opponent 6-4. At the Napa Valley Classic in January, Nguyen finished fourth in the 103-pound division.
Mialani Talalele, Santa Clara basketball: The sophomore did it all for the Bruins in their 61-32 victory over Homestead in the first round of the CCS Division I playoffs. The younger sister of USC-bound football player Amos Talalele scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Juno Winegar, Mountain View soccer:
The junior's two goals helped the CCS Open Division's No. 3 seed stave off No. 6 Menlo School by a score of 3-1in the first round. Mountain View will travel to Menlo-Atherton on Wednesday.
BOYS David Calkins Jr., Liberty wrestling:
The freshman pinned four opponents to reach the North Coast Section final at 195pounds, then beat Kennedy-Fremont's Jayden Tadeo Gosal to win the title. When the match ended, Calkins celebrated by jumping into his father's arms.
Jeremiah Collins, Pittsburg basketball:
Led 12th-seeded Pittsburg into the semifinals of the NCS Division I playoffs, scoring 18 points in a 47-44 opening-round upset victory at fifth-seeded Berkeley and 26 in an 87-72 quarterfinal win at home over 13th-seeded James Logan.
Elijah Cortez, Gilroy wrestling:
In an epic match against St. Francis standout Bryce Luna, Cortez won the triple-overtime battle 2-1 to capture the Central Coast Section championship at 126 pounds. Cortez, a sophomore, is ranked No. 1in the state by the California Wrestler. Luna is ranked fourth. Gilroy won the team crown for the 20th year in a row.
Atri Feizi, De La Salle wrestling:
The senior won the NCS championship match at 138 pounds, edging Granada's Jayson Victoria 3-2 in double overtime. Feizi finished second at 132pounds last season. The victory helped De La Salle capture the team title.
Tommy Lewit, Prospect basketball:
The junior scored 32 points on 13-of-17shooting -- including 3 for 5 from beyond the 3-point arc -- and five assists as Prospect defeated Westmoor 77-61in the second round of the CCS Division III playoffs. Earlier in the week, he had 27points, five steals and five rebounds in a 45-33 win over Willow Glen to close out the regular season.
Andrew McKeever, Granada basketball:
The Saint Mary'sbound 7-footer had 33 points and 15rebounds to lead Granada past Dublin 72-64in the first round of the NCS Open Division playoffs. The fourth-seeded Matadors advance to play top-seeded Dougherty Valley in the semifinals Wednesday.
Clarence Moore, Branham wrestling:
The senior captured the CCS championship at 106pounds, toppling Gilroy's Dominic Bozanic in the final. Moore, ranked seventh in the state by the California Wrestler, improved to 16-0. He has 13 wins by pin and another by technical fall.
Daniel Schembri, Sequoia soccer:
The senior scored the only goal off an assist from Leimana Makasini as third-seeded Sequoia edged sixth-seeded Hollister 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the CCS Division I playoffs. Schembri has 11 goals and seven assists this season.
Keyan Shaughnessy, Dougherty Valley soccer:
The senior scored a goal as second-seeded Dougherty Valley edged seventh-seeded Pittsburg 2-1to reach the NCS Division I semifinals. Shaughnessy also had an assist in a 5-0quarterfinal victory over Granada.
Aden Valencia, Sobrato wrestling:
In what could be a preview of this weekend's state championship match, the junior edged Gilroy's Daniel Zepeda 1-0 to win the CCS title at 132pounds. Valencia, a Stanford commit, is ranked No. 1 in the state by the California Wrestler. Zepeda is ranked No. 2.