Vote: Who should be Louisiana high school Athlete of the Week? (5/19/2025)

Here are the candidates for High School On SI's Louisiana Athlete of the Week; read through the nominations and make your pick!

AoTW

Who was the top athlete in all of Louisiana high school sports last week?

Each week, High School On SI scours The Pelican State and corrals the top performers across all high school sports from the past week.

Congratulations to last week's winner: Cole Tolar of Weston baseball!

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT Sunday, May 25. The winner will be announced in the following week's poll.

Below are this week's nominees.

Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

THIS WEEK'S CANDIDATES

Cole Cartinez, fr, Ebarb baseball

The fourth-seeded Rebels swept No. 1 Family Christian and No. 2 Harrisonburg at the state tournament to win the Class C title. In the 18-8 win over Family Christian in the semifinals, Cartinez finished with four hits, three runs scored and an RBI while batting out of the three-hole and playing second base. He also pitched a scoreless final inning. He was the starting pitcher in the final, an 8-3 win, throwing four innings with four strikeouts. At the plate, Cartinez contributed an RBI and scored.

Tate Tiffee, jr, Harrisonburg baseball

Rallying from a 9-0 deficit to No. 3-seeded Maurepas in the Class C semifinals, the second-seeded Bulldogs got a spectacular long relief appearance from Tiffee, who allowed two nuns over six innings with five strikeouts as Harrisonburg won, 15-10. Offensively, he chipped in a hit, RBI and scored twice. The Bulldogs finished the season with an 18-3 record.

Gavin Holt, fr, Pitkin baseball

A left fielder, Holt collected two hits with a run and an RBI in the top-seeded Tigers' 4-1 win over No. 4 Hicks in the Class B semifinals. In the final, a 9-6 win over No. 3 Family Community, Holt totaled three hits with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored. He was named Outstanding Player.

Kyler Roberts, sr, Family Community baseball

Roberts had two hits, drove in a run, collected a walk and scored three times in third-seeded Family Community's 6-2 win over No. 2 Weston in the Class B semifinals. Summoned in relief early, the Millsaps College recruit threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts. He added a hit and RBI in the finals as the Warriors finished as runner-up to Pitkin.

Jackson Trahan, sr, Vermilion Catholic baseball

Trahan came up big in both games at the state tournament for the Eagles, who won their first championship by defeating No. 11 Riverside Academy 9-8 and No. 12 Ouachita Christian, 4-1. He had two hits and two RBIs with a home run in the final. Trahan drove in two runs on two hits and scored in the semifinals.

Reed Smalling, jr, Ouachita Christian baseball

The shortstop drove in four runs on four hits in a 12-7 win over top-seeded Covenant Christian in the Division IV select semifinals. Hitting second in the order, Smalling's double extended the 12th-seeded Eagles' lead to 8-1 in the third inning. Smalling also had a hit in the championship loss to Vermilion Catholic.

Tanner Duff, sr, Oak Grove baseball

The LBCA home-run derby champion helped the top-seeded Tigers win their fifth straight championship by homering in both games at the Division IV nonselect state tournament. Duff doubled and homered, driving in three runs in a 4-2 win over No. 4 Mangham in the semifinals. He homered and scored four runs in the 10-0 championship win over No. 2 Welsh.

Brecken Haydel, sr, Welsh baseball

The second-seeded Greyhounds (23-11) defeated No. 3 DeQuincy in the Division IV nonselect semifinals, 7-6. Haydel, who drove in two runs with a hit, tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning. The senior had a hit in the championship loss to Oak Grove.

JohnDavid Hidalgo, sr, Catholic New Iberia baseball

With the Panthers holding a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning against defending state champion University Lab, Hidalgo ripped a three-run homer as Catholic New Iberia won Game 3 of the Division III select championship series, 7-4. Hidalgo had two hits and stole two bases. He was the winning pitcher in Game 2, an 8-1 victory, throwing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. At the plate, he notched two hits (double) and drove in a run. The senior doubled and scored a run in a 2-1 loss in Game 1 to the second-seeded Cubs.

Grant Sunstrom, jr, University Lab baseball

The 6-foot-4 pitcher threw a complete game five-hitter with four strikeouts and one walk as the No. 2 Cubs took Game 1 of their Division III select state championship series against No. 4-seeded Catholic New Iberia, 2-1.

Devyn Downs, soph, Sterlington baseball

The top-seeded Panthers trailed No. 2 Erath in Game 1 of the Division III nonselect championship series until Downs' triple with the bases loaded tied the game at 4-4. He scored the winning run on a walk with the bases full. Downs doubled and finished with two hits in the 5-3 win in Game 3.

Brennan Broussard, sr, Erath baseball

Broussard's two-run triple accounted for the winning runs in the second-seeded Bobcats' 7-6 win over Sterlington in Game 2 of the Division III nonselect championship series. Broussard, who handled a great pitching staff led by Seth Leger, Landen Derouen and Talan Landry, had two hits in Game 2. Erath finished as runner-up, its best season ever.

Kaden Chavis, soph, Teurlings Catholic baseball

The Division II select state champs, who repeated, got huge offensive contributions from many players while scoring 28 runs in their three-game series against No. 7 E.D. White. You can't overestimate how valuable it is to get off to a great start, and Chavis sparked the top-seeded Rebels to a 11-1 win in Game 1 with three hits, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base from the leadoff spot. The centerfielder had two hits in a 4-3 loss in Game 2.

Grant Barbera, jr, ED. White baseball

The Cardinals' closer secured a 4-3 win over top-seeded Teurlings Catholic in Game 2 of the Division II select championship series, throwing 1.2 innings of shutout relief with a strikeout and no walks.

Miller Warren, soph, North DeSoto

The power-hitting Griffins unleashed several home runs during their Division II nonselect championship series win over top-seeded Brusly. Warren hit a grand slam in the 7-4 win in Game 3, finishing with two hits and two runs scored.

Coy Purpera, jr, Brusly baseball

The No. 1-seeded Panthers forced a third game by blowing out North DeSoto in Game 2 of the Division II nonselect championship series. Purpera, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound right fielder, doubled twice and homered, driving in three runs and scoring one in the 15-0 win. He had two hits (double) and scored in Game 1 with three hits (triple) and two RBIs in Game 3.

Owen Galley, soph, Sam Houston baseball

Galley had a hit and drove in a run in Game 3 of the Division I nonselect championship series, a 4-2 win over top-seeded Live Oak. The sophomore had three hits and two RBIs, including a walk-off single, in a 4-3 win in Game 2 for the Broncos. Sam Houston won Games 2 and 3 after dropping Game 1, 3-1. Galley pitched a complete game in the opener and made several nice plays at first base during the remainder of the weekend.

Bennett Smith, sr, Catholic Baton Rouge baseball

Smith was a cool customer in the top-seeded Bears' 2-0 win over No. 3 Brother Martin in Game 1 of the Division I select state championship series. The senior allowed four hits (all singles) and walked none for Catholic BR which won back-to-back titles with a sweep of the Crusaders.

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