Vote: Who should be SBLive's Minnesota High School Athlete of the Week? (10/10/2023)

Read through the candidates and cast your vote

Here are the candidates for SBLive's Minnesota High School Athlete of the Week as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.

Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced Monday.

If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com with “MNHSAW Nomination” in the subject line.

Editor’s 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 that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

Minnesota Athlete of the Week

Audrey Garton, Academy of Holy Angels

The senior committed to Minnesota State-Mankato assisted on both goals scored in a 2-0 win at Breck on Oct. 2 and had four assists and two goals in an 11-0 rout of Fridley on Oct. 3. Her 28 assists are the most in Minnesota.

Avery Sames, St. Croix Lutheran

The senior had three goals and an assist in a 5-1 win at St. Agnes, Oct. 5, and scored all four goals in a shutout of St. Paul Como Park, Oct. 3. She also had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss at Hiawatha Collegiate, Oct. 2. Her eight-goal week propelled her into second place for goals scored in the state (37).

Claire Acker, St. Paul Highland Park

The junior goalkeeper had 14 saves on 16 shots in a 3-2 win over Tartan on Oct. 3. She stopped all 18 shots on frame in a 0-0 draw at St. Paul Central on Oct. 6, and had 22 saves on 24 shots in a 2-0 loss at Simley on Oct. 7. Her 158 saves are seventh-most in Minnesota.

Jack Stang, St. Cloud Cathedral

The junior forward played a part in four of five goals scored in a shutout at Fergus Falls, Oct. 2. He scored twice and assisted on two more goals. He also had two goals in a 7-0 win at Little Falls the next day. He’s tied for sixth in the state with 23 goals scored. 

Lance Siegel, Spectrum

The senior goalkeeper had 15 saves to earn a 2-2 draw at West Lutheran on Oct. 7 and another 14 saves to preserve a 0-0 draw with Princeton on Oct. 5. He had another 15 saves on 18 shots in a 3-1 loss at Becker on Oct. 3, lifting him into first place in Minnesota with 241 saves. 

Maddy Benka, Minnehaha Academy

The senior outside hitter had 33 kills, five aces and a block in a 3-2 win at Mounds Park Academy, Oct. 2. She had 23 kills and 13 digs in a 3-0 win at Blake, Oct. 4, and 28 kills and seven digs in a 3-1 win at Hill-Murray, Oct. 5. She’s second in the state with 380 kills.

Kailani Schroeder, Byron

The junior setter had 22 or more assists in four of five matches last week, leading her team to a 3-1-1 record. She had 25 assists in a draw at River Falls, 23 assists and 12 digs in a 2-1 win at Annandale, 22 assists in a 2-0 win at Grand Rapids, and another 22 assists and three aces in a 2-1 win over St. Michael-Albertville. She leads all of Minnesota with 630 assists.

Delaney Nelson, Two Harbors

The sophomore had 22 blocks over six matches last week, with seven coming in a 3-1 loss to Floodwood on Oct. 3. She had five blocks and four aces in a 2-1 win over Hinckley-Finlayson on Oct. 7, and she logged 10 digs and three blocks in a 3-0 win over McGregor on Oct. 5. She leads the state with 73 blocks

Anya Schmidt, Rogers

In six matches last week, the junior had 87 kills, 53 digs, 24 aces, nine blocks and eight assists to pace Rogers to a 5-1 record. She had nine aces in a 3-0 win at Andover, Oct. 3, four blocks in a 3-0 win over Spring Lake Park, Oct. 5, and 19 kills in a 2-1 win at Willmar the next day. Her 316 kills are fifth-most in Minnesota, and she’s alone in first with 93 service aces. 

Cora Bicknese, Chatfield

The freshman libero had 37 digs in a 3-1 win over Rushford Peterson on Oct. 3, and another 34 digs in a 3-0 win at Caledonia two days later. She’s fifth in the state with 317 digs.

Jakob Nachreiner, Springfield

In a 52-28 drubbing of St. James, Oct. 6, the senior completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 322 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 15.3 yards per attempt and posting a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He leads all of Minnesota with 30 passing touchdowns and 1,784 passing yards. 

Jeret Ankrum, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton

The senior caught 10 passes for 231 yards and five touchdowns, had two interceptions on defense, and kicked eight of his nine extra-point attempts through the uprights in a 69-0 shutout at Murray County Central on Oct. 6. He leads the state with 780 receiving yards. 

Parker Johnson, Kingsland

The junior had 11 total tackles (seven solo), five tackles for loss, and four sacks in a 54-21 win at LeRoy-Ostrander, Oct. 7. His 10.5 sacks are the most in Minnesota.

Ryan Meagher, Minneota

The junior carried the ball 10 times for 212 yards and four touchdowns and assisted on five tackles in a 63-8 rout of Lakeview on Oct. 6. He’s tied for third in the state with 19 rushing touchdowns and is fifth in rushing yards (1,076).

Ray Beiningen, Mound Westonka

The junior running back had 35 carries for 212 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-28 win at Delano, Oct. 6. He leads all of Minnesota with 171 carries. 

Nick Kinsey, Stillwater

In a 38-14 win at White Bear Lake, the sophomore quarterback completed 20 of 36 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns, averaging a season-high 9.6 yards per pass attempt. His 110 completions are tied for second-most in Minnesota.

Mason West, Edina

With 1:16 remaining and the score tied at 20, the sophomore tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to beat Shakopee on Oct. 6. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He also punted the ball twice, averaging 35 yards per punt. He’s fourth in the state with 109 completions and eighth in passing yards (1,373).

Quinn Power, Lakeville North

The senior had two interceptions, one of which he returned 30 yards for a touchdown. He also logged two solo tackles in a 51-23 win over Rochester Mayo on Oct. 6. 

Shaun Walrath, Sauk Rapids-Rice

The senior rushed 26 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns, caught six passes for 119 yards, and made four tackles (three solo) in a 24-12 victory over Cambridge-Isanti, Oct. 6. 

Kellen Little, Roseville

Little threw three touchdown passes in Roseville's 30-0 victory over Hopkins. The win snapped Roseville's 24-game losing streak.

Owen Ringen, Centennial

Ringen had a team-high 13 tackles in a 33-15 win over Anoka. Ringen also had an interception in the win. The senior is second on the team in total tackles with 51.

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Jack Butler contributed to this article.

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