Vote: Who Should be the Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week? - Jan. 19, 2026

Here are the nominations for Louisiana High School on SI 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 25. 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.

---

Congrats to last week's winner, Omar Guillory of Westminster Christian (Opelousas) boys basketball!

---

THIS WEEK'S CANDIDATES

Maya Karim, Sr, Westminster Christian-Lafayette girls basketball

The Chargers edged Ascension Episcopal on the road in a district game, 21-20, and have picked up their first two wins of the season recently. "She has done a great job all four years," coach Jason Hebert said of Karim. "To see her get the victory was awesome." Karim led the Chargers to their first victory over Ascension Episcopal in any varsity sport.

DJ Kelly, Ascension Episcopal / Mike Coppage

DJ Kelly, Jr, Ascension Episcopal boys basketball

Ascension Episcopal knocked off Division IV select No. 5 Westminster Christian Lafayette in a district game 59-47. Kelly scored 23 points for the Blue Gators (14-6, 3-0), who are No. 10 in the D4 power ratings. "We fed off his energy," coach John Tanner said of the 6-foot-1 Kelly.

Taylar Wright, Jr, Wossman girls basketball

Wossman, which has won four straight games and eight of its last nine, opened district with a 67-38 win at Tioga (17-6), the No. 8 team in Division I select. The Wildcats (11-8), who are No. 3 in Division II nonselect, got 22 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, three steals and an assist from Wright.

Shanna Simien, Jr, Lafayette Christian girls basketball

In a showdown of teams that are No. 1 in their Class/Division - Pitkin and LCA - the Knights prevailed 58-44 as Simien scored 21 points. She didn't miss a shot in the third quarter - draining all fve field goal attempts - and helped offset the loss of Logan Boutte (eight points), who left the game with an injury in the first quarter.

Carley Meynard, Menard girls basketball / HSM Athletics

Carly Meynard, Sr, Holy Savior Menard girls basketball

The Loyola New Orleans signee scored her 2,000th career point in a 61-36 win over district rival Rapides Parish. The Eagles are 12-4 and No. 7 in the Division III select power ratings.

Luke Finley, Sr, St. Thomas More boys soccer

Finley broke his school's 32-year record for both single-season (31) and career (59) goals in a win over North Vermilion. His totals stand at 35 and 63 goals with four regular season games remaining for the Cougars (14-2-3), who are No. 4 in the Division II power ratings.

De'Von Warren, Teurlings Catholic / Mike Coppage

De'Von Warren, Sr, Teurlings Catholic boys basketball

Warren was honored for scoring his 1,000th point for the surging Rebels, who have won six of their last seven games and are 13-4 (No. 10 in the Division I select power ratings). Teurlings Catholic has recent wins over St. Thomas More, Carencro and Division III nonselect No. 5 Mamou (15-4). Warren scored 15 points in the win over Mamou.

Mia Romero, Soph, Byrd girls soccer

No. 5 Byrd and No. 7 Benton squared off in a matchup of Northeast Louisiana soccer teams ranked in the Division I top 10. Romero had the only goal in the 1-0 win, according to Roy Lang of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. The Yellow Jackets are 12-6-3.

Krisian Batiste, Sr, St. Martinville boys basketball

The Tigers earned their third straight win - all on the road - with a 57-51 victory over Eunice. Batiste scored 19 points for St. Martinville, which outscored Eunice 20-11 in the fourth quarter and will try to gain some major power points on Monday at home vs. Class 5A New Iberia.

Kaitlyn Brady, Sr, Archbishop Hannan girls soccer

Brady scored her 100th goal in a 3-0 win over defending Division I champion Mount Carmel, according to Joseph Halm of The New Orleans Advocate. The Hawks (13-0-1) are No. 1 in the Division III power ratings.

Jose Sotomayor, Jr, North Vermilion boys basketball

Scored 15 points in the Patriots' 62-38 win over Erath in a parish rivalry game. North Vermilion (9-8) outscored the Bobcats 21-8 in the third quarter for their third straight win.

Billy Edmonston, Sr, Live Oak boys wrestling

Edmonston won the Louisiana Classic in the 215-pound division after previously reaching the semifinals three straight times, according to Jackson Reyes of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

Jamaria Senegal, Northside girls basketball / Mike Coppage

Jamaria Senegal, Soph, Northside girls basketball

The Vikings' point guard scored 12 points in a Lafayette metro area directional battle vs. Southside. Northside (11-6), which is No. 9 in the Division II select power ratings, is in its first year under coach Erin Rogers. The Vikings won the game 54-43.

Tyanna Stewart, Sr, Vandebilt Catholic girls basketball

On a night where the Terriers celebrated their Division II select state championship, Stewart topped the 1,000-point career threshold with 23 in a win over Division I nonselect area rival Terrebonne, according to Chris Singleton. The Terriers (9-5) are No. 7 in the D2 power ratings. Vandebilt Catholic is No. 1 in By-U Sports' area rankings.

Case James, Rosepine girls basketball / Case James X

Case James, Jr, Rosepine girls basketball

The Eagles defeated Vinton in a district game 80-13 as James scored 25 points with seven steals and two assists. The Eagles (16-7), who are No. 2 in the Division III select power ratings behind Lafayette Christian, have won seven straight games (nine of last 10).

Evan Burns, Sr, Lake Charles College Prep boys basketball

Burns totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 43-29 win over LaGrange in a city rivalry game, according to Rodrick Anderson of The American Press. The Trailblazers (14-4) have won nine of their last 10 with only a one-point loss to St. Thomas More. Coach Sean Andrus' squad is No. 4 in the Division II select power ratings.

Skylar Branch, Sr, Haughton girls basketball

Branch's 19 points led the way in a district opening 49-41 win over Natchitoches-Central, according to Lee Hiller of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. The Buccaneers are 19-5 and No. 8 in the Division I nonselect power ratings. Haughton took a commanding 26-9 halftime lead over the No. 7 Chiefs (14-6).

Carter Rivet, Soph, Alexandria boys track & field

Rivet, who plays offensive tackle on the football team, threw the best distance in the nation for any sophomore in the shot put (59-8.25.). That throw is more than four feet further than any competitor in Louisiana has thrown this season.

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.

---

Signup Today for our FREE High School Football Newsletter

More Louisiana High School Sports News

feed