Vote: Who Should be the Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week? - Dec. 22, 2025

Here are the nominations for Louisiana High School on SI's Athlete of the Week; scroll 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.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT Sunday, December 28. The winner will be announced in the following week's poll.

Please send nominations with stats before 4 P.M. on Sunday of each week to mikecoppage70@gmail.com

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Congrats to last week's winner: Jeremiah Bushnell of Iowa football!

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THIS WEEK'S CANDIDATES

Braylon Jones / Mike Coppage

Braylon Jones, Sr, Cecilia football

Jones' name was called as much as any defensive player in Team Heritage's 21-0 shutout of Team Legacy at the Acadiana Senior Bowl. He was constantly in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage making stops for a defense that held Northwest star running back Ke'Von Johnson to little more than two yards per carry.

Chavez Collins, Jr, A.J. Ellender boys basketball

Collins tossed in 14 points to pace the Patriots from Houma to a 47-42 win over David Thibodaux at the Southside Tournament. Ellender (5-6), which is No. 9 in the Division II nonselect power ratings, outscored the Bulldogs 14-4 in the final quarter and handed the Lafayette school only its second loss.

Montana Brown Facebook

Montana Brown, Sr, Eunice football

Brown was named one of the co-MVPs of the Acadiana Senior Bowl after he tossed touchdown passes to co-MVP Draylon August and Cameron Samuels in Team Heritage's 21-0 win over Team Legacy. "He had great command of the offense," bowl administrator Matt Standiford said of Brown.

Ernest Dugas, Fr, Mamou boys basketball

Dugas scored 17 points for the Green Demons in a 43-41 win over Comeaux at the Teurlings Catholic round-robin. He hit two 3-pointers for Mamou (10-2), which is on an eight-game winning streak and is No. 5 in the Division III nonselect power ratings.

Khyrie Francisco, St. Martinville QB / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Khyrie Francisco, Sr, St. Martinville football

Initially penciled in as a defensive back for the Acadiana Senior Bowl, Francisco led the quarterbacks in passing in a 21-0 win for Team Heritage. After a pad-popping run on the game's first play where he smashed into a defensive player at the end of an eight-yard gain, Francisco delivered a 60-yard TD pass to Kevin Faulk, completed 5 of his first 6 passes and finished with 170 yards through the air.

A.J. Price, Sr, Teurlings Catholic boys basketball

A 6-foot-3 forward who was a standout tight end for the 11-1 football team, Price has helped the Rebels to a 6-0 start (No. 3 in Division I select power ratings). He scored 22 points in a 61-46 win over Opelousas Catholic with two three-pointers.

Kendrick Cahee, Lafayette High / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kendrick Cahee, Sr, Lafayette High football

Cahee and his defensive cohorts on the Team Heritage defense made life miserable for Team Legacy in a 21-0 win at the Acadiana Senior Bowl. Cahee intercepted two passes for his team, which allowed two quarterbacks a combined 43 yards in passing.

Ja'Nathan Dalcour, Sr, David Thibodaux boys basketball

The senior scored 18 points to propel the Bulldogs to a 43-37 win over Plaquemine. David Thibodaux is 9-2 and No. 8 in the Division II select power ratings.

Madi Clark, Highland Baptist / Mike Coppage

Madi Clark, Sr, Highland Baptist girls basketball

The Lady Bears (5-5) won their third straight game by blowing out Delcambre in New Iberia, 52-16. Clark scored 15 points and was an all-around performer, gathering steals, rebounds and dishing off assists to teammates. Highland Baptist led 21-2 in the first quarter.

Ke'Shun Malcolm, Jr, Ruston boys basketball

Malcolm wasted no time in making an impact on the hardwood after transitioning from football, where the Bearcats finished as Division I runner up. He was named Player of the Game for Ruston's 73-56 win over Central High (Oregon) at the Capitol City Classic in Salem, Oregon. He scored 23 points and had 14 points and four rebounds in the first half of a 71-39 win over Wilsonville, according to Brian Trahan of The Ruston Daily Leader.

Laila Rousell, Fr, Westlake girls basketball

The Rams are 10-2 and No. 3 in the Division III nonselect power ratings after taking 54-35 wins over Merryville and 71-38 over Sam Houston. Rousell had a double double in both games, scoring 19 points with 10 rebounds, six blocks and three steals vs. Merryville and posting 33 points, 11 boards, four blocks and three steals vs. Sam Houston.

Graham Comeaux, LCA / Bryson Bernard

Graham Comeaux, Sr, Lafayette Christian boys basketball

The Knights, who lost three close games to begin the year without their football players, have won two straight with a complete roster. LCA topped Cecilia 54-44 behind 32 points and seven 3-pointers from Comeaux.

C.J. Charlot, Sr, Beau Chene boys basketball

Charlot averaged 32 points per game at the St. Landry Tournament for the Gators (8-7), who have won four of their last five games. In addition, the 6-foot-2 senior averaged six rebounds, four assists and three steals over the course of the event.

Kesonja Nelson, John Curtis / Mike Coppage

Ke'Sonja Nelson, Sr, John Curtis Christian girls basketball

The Patriots claimed a come-from-behind road win at Lafayette Christian on a mid-range jumper at the buzzer from Nelson, who scored 10 points with five rebounds, five assists and three steals in a Saturday win over Wossman - giving John Curtis consecutive wins over defending state champions. The Patriots, who are No. 1 in the Division I select power ratings, beat the Wildcats 52-49.

Jordan Scharnett, Soph, East Iberville boys basketball

East Iberville raced to a 24-7 lead over North Vermilion after one quarter and went on to win 53-38 as Scharnett scored 21 points. The Tigers are 9-3 and No. 2 in the Division IV nonselect power ratings behind undefeated Ferriday.

Ian Edmond, Zachary HS / Mike Coppage

Ian Edmond, Jr, Zachary boys basketball

The Broncos cruised to the championship of the Southside Tournament, playing their closest game in the finals (79-55 win over Captain Shreve). Edmond scored 15 points and made three consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter of a 67-31 win over St. Martinville in the opening round. Zachary (12-1) is No. 3 in the Division I nonselect power ratings.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting:
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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