Vote: Who Should be the Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week? - Jan. 26, 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, February 1. The winner will be announced in the following week's poll.

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Congrats to last week's winner, Luke Finley of St. Thomas More boys soccer!

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This Week's Candidates

Colby Payton, Destrehan / Nick Campbell

Colby Payton, Sr, Destrehan boys basketball

Peyton spurred the Division I nonselect No. 10 Wildcats to their sixth straight win, a 65-55 victory over Division I select No. 8 Jesuit, with 12 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks and seven assists, according to Nick Campbell. Destrehan has a 15-8 record.

Kade Boatman, Soph, West St. Mary boys basketball

Boatman averaged a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) with three blocks for the Division IV nonselect No. 4 Wolfpack (17-4), who split games with Houma
Christian and Franklin and will try to hand Catholic New Iberia its first district loss at home in Baldwin this week.

Mathew Gordon, Sr, Lafayette Renaissance boys basketball

Gordon, whose nickname is "Turbo," totaled 25 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 75-74 triple overtime win over 17-5 David Thibodaux, according to AC Comeaux. He had a three-pointer at the end of an overtime period for Lafayette Renaissance (15-4), which is No. 5 in the Division III select power ratings.

Kingston Jarrell, Sr, Woodlawn-Baton Rouge boys basketball

The 6-foot-5 senior recorded a career-high 34 points to accompany 11 rebounds, five steals and three assists in a 65-59 win over Franklinton. Woodlawn is 13-10 and No. 17 in the Division I select power ratings. Jarrell was a key player two years ago for Liberty Magnet's state championship team.

Courtlon Young, Northwest / Mike Coppage

Courtlon Young, Sr, Northwest boys basketball

Young scored 17 points, including a 3-point play that put the Raiders ahead to stay, in a 72-68 double overtime win over David Thibodaux. "It was a good win overall," Young told High School on SI. "A good team effort." Northwest (15-6) has won eight of its last nine games and is No. 4 in the Division II nonselect power ratings. Young has been averaging in the neighborhood of 25 points and seven assists per game, coach Mark Cassimere said.

Jaden White, Jr, Woodlawn-Shreveport boys basketball

The 6-foot-4 junior poured in 25 points for the Knights in a district win over MInden, according to Lee Hiller of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. Woodlawn (12-7) is on a four-game winning streak.

Joab Trosclair, Catholic New Iberia / Mike Coppage

Joab Trosclair, Sr, Catholic New Iberia boys basketball

The 6-foot-10 forward broke the Panthers' single-game scoring record with 45 points in an 82-22 win over Delcambre. Catholic (10-7) is undefeated in district play and No. 7 in the Division III select power ratings. Trosclair - also listed as a center - has been playing the high post for coach Dylan Vincent, who has twin towers in Trosclair and 6-foot-8 senior Jacob Minvielle.

Addison McDowell, Sr, Airline girls basketball

McDowell paced the Vikings to a district win over Captain Shreve with 24 points and four 3-pointers, according to Lee Hiller of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. Airline (10-9) has won six straight games and is undefeated in District 1-5A.

Trevor Miller, Soph, Southside boys soccer

Miller, who leads the team in goals, scored two in a 3-1 win over Lafayette High that kept the Sharks perfect in district. "We expect that from him," Southside coach Zak Elagamy said of Miller. Southside is 8-5-4 and No. 10 in the Division I power ratings.

Cooper Nelson, Sterlington / Johnna Nelson

Cooper Nelson, Sr, Sterlington boys basketball

Nelson averaged 28.5 points, eight assists, four rebounds, two steals, 1.5 blocks and shot 60% from the floor as the 16-7 Panthers, who are looking to get locked in for a first-round Division II nonselect playoff game at No. 14 in the power ratings, split games with Simsboro and Richwood. The top 16 seeds either host or get a bye in the bi-district round.

Ella Gisclar, Soph, St. Joseph's Academy girls basketball

Led the Redstickers with 14 points in a 66-48 win over Division II select No. 4 De La Salle, according to Charles Salzer of The Baton Rouge Advocate. St Joseph's, which is No. 3 in the Division I select power ratings, has won 18 games since an 0-2 start.

Izzy Ledet, Fr, Acadiana girls basketball

The Rams spotted Sam Houston a 20-2 lead after one quarter before engineering a comeback for the ages to win the district game 38-36. Ledet scored 11 points for Acadiana (24-2), which outscored the Broncos 14-4 in the fourth quarter.

Ben Andress, WCA-Lafayette / Westminster Christian Lafayette Athletics

Ben Andress, Sr, Westminster Christian-Lafayette boys basketball

Andress set a new school scoring record with 34 points in a win over Lake Arthur for the 17-5 Chargers, who are No. 5 in the Division IV select power ratings and are a young program with a young up-and-coming coach in Lorenzo Neville. Andress, who can be deadly from the perimeter, added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

George Perkins, Sr, Baton Rouge High boys soccer

Baton Rouge (11-3), which is No. 5 in the Division I power ratings, downed Zachary 6-0 as Perkins scored two goals, according to Jackson Reyes of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

Chayson Gray, Jr, Abbeville boys basketball

Gray scored 17 points for the Wildcats in a 40-32 district win over St. Martinville. Abbeville (14-9) is No. 13 in the Division II nonselect power ratings and is unbeaten in league play.

Rhian Comery / Prairieville Girls Basketball Facebook

Rhian Comery, Sr, Prairieville girls basketball

The Hurricanes are the story of the 2025-26 season as one of the state's newest programs that are No. 1 in the Division I nonselect power ratings at 20-3 overall. Comery, a UNO signee, scored 32 points with 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a district win over St. Amant.

Aubrey Hopton, Sr, Acadiana Renaissance Charter girls soccer

The Eagles shutout Kaplan and David Thiobdaux by scores of 4-0 and 8-0 and extended their winning streak to four games - all shutouts. Hopton entered the week with a team-high 12 goals for ARCA (11-4-3), which is No. 6 in the Division II power ratings.

Ashton Ruffin, Jr, Cecilia boys basketball

The Bulldogs downed Breaux Bridge 39-39 in a defensive struggle and have won three straight games. Ruffin only scored three points, but he grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded six steals and three blocks.

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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