Vote: Who Should be the Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week? - Dec. 29, 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, January 4. 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: Montana Brown of Eunice High football!

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THIS WEEK'S CANDIDATES

Armonii Benjamin / Mike Coppage

Armonii Benjamin, Sr, Marksville boys basketball

Benjamin earned MVP honors of the Coca-Cola Classic hosted by Lafayette Renaissance. The Tigers (11-1), who are No. 1 in the Division III nonselect power ratings, defeated Westgate in the finals. Benjamin scored 15 points. "He's just a winner," coach O'Kie Benjamin said of his son, who also landed on the Class 3A football all-state team.

Kynnedi Ware, Soph, Pine Prairie girls basketball

The star pitcher for the Pine Prairie softball team is in her first year playing basketball, and she's a natual. Ware tossed in 40 points with 14 rebounds and five steals in a 73-53 win over DeRidder.

Urijah Carmouche, Sr, Southside girls basketball

Carmouche averaged 23.3 points per contest in wins over Kaplan, Basile and H.L. Bourgeois at the Yuletide Tournament hosted by Vermilion Catholic. The Sharks (10-7) are on a four-game winning streak entering the finals against Vermilion Catholic on Tuesday.

Bryston Sledge, Jr, David Thibodaux boys basketball

Sledge dropped 21 points for the Bulldogs in a 46-38 win over Frederick Douglass at the Northwest Tournament. David Thibodaux (10-3) is No. 9 in the Division II select power ratings.

Matthew Cook, STM basketball / Mike Coppage

Matthew Cook, Jr, St. Thomas More boys basketball

Cook was on fire from the perimeter in a 59-39 win over Ellender at the Sunkist Shootout, burying 7 of 8 three-pointers for 29 points. He was 6-of-6 from beyond the arc in the second half for STM (8-4), which takes on district rival Westgate in the finals. Cook also scored 18 points in a 71-47 win over Terrebonne.

Beau Hellmers, Sr, Jesuit boys soccer

The Blue Jays' team captain scored two goals in a 4-0 win over Holy Cross, according to Christopher Dabe of The New Orleans Advocate. Jesuit is 8-0-1 and No. 1 in the Division I power ratings.

Dakylon Joseph / Mike Coppage

Dakylon Joseph, Soph, Westgate boys basketball

Early last week, Joseph was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Coca-Cola Classic hosted by Lafayette Renaissance. The Tigers (6-2) placed second at that event and coasted into the finals of the Sunkist Shootout with a 79-58 win over Lafayette Renaissance on Sunday. Joseph scored 21 points with five 3-pointers.

Ethan Ballard, Jr, St. Paul's boys basketball

Ballard led the Wolves with 15 points in a 59-47 win over Salmen where St. Paul's erased a nine-point deficit in the second half, according to Joseph Halm of The New Orleans Advocate. The 7-5 Wolves have won four straight games.

Liam Rountree / Mike Coppage

Liam Rountree, Jr, Lafayette boys basketball

A 6-foot-3 junior with a 38-inch vertical, Rountree was responsible for a team-high 19 points in the Mighty Lions' 74-36 win over host St. Martinville at the Darrel Mitchell Sr. Holiday Classic. Lafayette is 10-3 on the season.

Elijah Garner, Jr, Madison Prep boys basketball

The Chargers clobbered Northeast 92-54 in the quarterfinals of the Bob Petit East Baton Rouge boys basketball tourney. Garner totaled 14 points and dished out five assists for the No. 1 team in the Division II select power ratings, according to Jackson Reyes of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Madison Prep (9-3) has only one loss to an in-state opponent (John Curtis).

Charles Lee, Comeaux HS / Mike Coppage

Charles Lee, Jr, Comeaux boys basketball

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound power forward posted 13 points and was a physical presence in a hard-fought 53-45 win over Breaux Bridge that saw 40 fouls whistled. Comeaux is 6-5 on the season with all of its losses by 10-or-fewer points.

A.J. Olivier, Sr, Dunham boys basketball

Olivier scored his 1,000th point while powering the Tigers to a 72-33 win over Lutcher, according to Willliam Weathers of The Baton Rouge Advocate. The senior canned six 3-pointers in the win for Dunham, which reached the Division III state tournament last year.

Jayden Coleman, Sr, Vandebilt Catholic boys basketball

Coleman scored 13 points to accompany seven rebounds and five assists in a 45-39 win over Sulphur at the Sunkist Shootout.

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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