Vote: Who Should be Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week? - Oct. 6, 2025

Here are the candidates for Louisiana High School On SI's Athlete of the Week; read 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, October 12. The winner will be announced in the following week's poll.

Congrats to last week's winner: Damien Thomas of Westminster Christian football!

THIS WEEK'S CANDIDATES

Greg Chambers, Sr., Benton football

The Tigers outscored Leesville 42-35 in a non-district clash. Chambers rushed for 141 yards on 24 carries with four touchdowns. The senior leads the team in rushing yards and touchdowns (eight). He also has 15 catches for 138 yards and a score.

Isaiah Thomas, Jr., Kinder football

Kinder is thriving with Thomas under center. The Yellow Jackets moved to 5-0 with a 42-30 win over Logansport as Thomas showed off his dual-threat capabilities. He rushed for 229 yards on 18 carries and passed for 169 with four touchdowns. Kinder is No. 6 in the Division III nonselect power ratings.

Jayden Obiekwe, Sr., Riverside Academy football

The Rebels are red-hot, winning four straight games after a loss to Class 5A Terrebonne in Week One. Riverside downed defending Division IV select state champion Vermilion Catholic last week 42-19. Obiekwe ran for 285 yards on 27 carries with four touchdowns for Riverside, which is No. 4 in the Division IV select power ratings.

Kollin Francois / Mike Coppage

Kollen Francois, Jr., Southside football

The Sharks have their own version of thunder & lightning with Francois and fullback Justin Williams running outside and inside. Francois averaged 31 yards per carry in a 39-28 win over Barbe, rushing five times for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Southside (4-1) has won four straight and is No. 5 in the Division I nonselect power ratings. Francois covered distances of 61 and 71 yards on the scoring scampers.

R'lon Porter, Jr., Washington-Marion football

Porter rushed for 192 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns in the Charging Indians' 44-26 win over Peabody Magnet. Washington-Marion (2-3) scored 30 points in the first quarter.

Branon Mitchell / Mike Coppage

Branon Mitchell, Sr., Ascension Episcopal football

Mitchell averaged nine yards per carry with two touchdowns and passed for 59 yards on three completions in the Class 1A Blue Gators' second win over a Class 4A opponent. Ascension Episcopal (5-0) defeated North Vermilion 28-3 and is No. 1 in the Division IV select power ratings under new head coach Jay Domengeaux.

JaJuan Jackson, Soph., St. James football

All St. Charles Catholic needed to do was keep the Wildcats out of the end zone on the final play, but Jackson had other ideas, firing a 12-yard pass to Jakias Villaneuva for the winning score in a 34-28 classic. The sophomore completed 16-of-21 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 27 yards on six attempts. St. James (4-1) is No. 2 in the Division III nonselect power ratings behind Sterlington. The Wildcats and Panthers met in last year's championship.

Owen Morris / Mike Coppage

Owen Morris, Sr., Catholic New Iberia football

The Panthers went on the road to collect a 49-42 win over Lake Charles College Prep in a showdown of top 10 teams in Class 2A and 3A. Morris has been battling injures, but you'd never know it from his performance Friday. The senior amassed over 300 scrimmage yards, carrying 26 times for 246 yards and three touchdowns with a two-point conversion. In addition, he hauled in two passes for 61 yards and a touchdown for Catholic NI (4-1), the defending Division III select champions.

Cameron Bonin, Sr., Lake Arthur football

Bonin has directed the Tigers to a 5-0 start. The quarterback and kicker passed for 215 yards on only six completions with four touchdowns in a 47-8 win over Rosepine. He also ran for a score and converted five extra points. Lake Arthur will try to stay undefeated as District 6-2A action begins against Notre Dame.

David Gonzales, Jr., Chalmette football

The Owls have been rugged on defense while picking up wins the last two weeks, holding each foe to single digits. Gonzales collected 13 tackles (10 solo) with three sacks and five tackles for loss in a 20-6 win over Pearl River.

Taylor Weathersby, Jr., Haughton football

The Buccaneers dropped a 42-32 contest to Natchitoches-Central in a typical high-scoring District 1-5A affair. Weathersby completed 22-of-31 passes for 403 yards and four touchdowns, according to Lee Hiller of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate.

Terin Jones, Jr., Hammond football

Jones connected on 9-of-13 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns in Hammond's 35-28 win over Slidell. The win marked the Tornadoes' fourth straight since a Week One loss to Denham Springs. Jones added 23 yards rushing for Hammond, which is No. 15 in the Division I select power ratings.

Da'John Howard, Jr., Salmen football

A 6-foot-2, 170-pound quarterback, Howard rang up 222 yards passing on eight completions with two touchdowns and rushed for 18 yards and a score in a 35-28 win over undefeated Lakeshore, according to Joseph Halm of The New Orleans Advocate. The Spartans have won three straight and are No. 15 in the Division I nonselect power ratings.

Jai Joseph / Mike Coppage

Jai Joseph, Sr., Northside football

The Vikings improved to 4-1 with a District 4-4A win over Rayne. Joseph gathered four receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Kaleb Joseph in the 49-43 shootout. Northside is No. 13 in the Division II select power ratings.

Royce Butler, Sr., Opelousas Catholic football

The Vikings traveled to Eunice and handed St. Edmund its first loss. Butler ran for 194 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns and caught a 24-yard pass from Kross Gillen, who threw for five touchdowns. Opelousas Catholic (4-1) is No. 9 in the Division IV select power ratings.

Da'Jean Golmond, Sr., Denham Springs football

Golmond accounted for six touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets' 41-14 road win over Southern Lab, according to Jackson Reyes of The Baton Rouge Advocate. He completed 20-of-26 passes for five scores and 239 yards for Denham Springs, 3-2 and No. 7 in the Division I nonselect power ratings. Golmond (6-1, 200) was a starter on the basketball team that reached the state tournament.

Tony Miles, Sr., East Ascension football

The linebacker was a menace in the Spartans' District 5-5A win over Live Oak, tallying three sacks and a fumble recovery for a defense that forced six turnovers, according to Charles Salzer of The Baton Rouge Advocate. The Spartans (4-1), winners of four straight since a loss to Brother Martin, are No. 4 in the Division I nonselect power ratings.

Landen DeRouen / Mike Coppage

Landen DeRouen, Jr., Erath football

DeRouen is an exceptional all-around athlete. He was a star player on the state runner-up Erath baseball team as a sophomore. In football, he plays tight end for the undefeated Bobcats, who are No. 4 in the Division III nonselect power ratings. DeRouen caught four passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Jack Landry in a 43-15 win over Westlake.

Owen Fletcher, Jr., Dutchtown football

The Griffins, who haven't lost since a track meet in Week 1 vs. Madison Prep, knocked St. Amant from the unbeaten ranks on the road. Fletcher, a quarterback, rushed for 240 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns and completed 10-of-16 passes for 74 yards, per Jackson Reyes of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Dutchtown is No. 12 in the Division I nonselect power ratings.

Trinton Bennett, Sr., Woodlawn-Baton Rouge football

The big play wideout snagged three catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 road win at St. Martinville. Woodlawn won its second straight game and third in the last four weeks.

Jackson Gaskin, Sr., Captain Shreve football

According to 318Preps, Gaskin passed for the second-most yards in school history in a 66-56 win over Airline. He averaged 32 yards per completion, connecting on 13-of-17 passes for 416 yards and four touchdowns. Shreve, which won its fourth straight game, is sitting at No. 13 in the Division I select power ratings.

Joachim Bourgeois / Mike Coppage

Joachim Bourgeois, Sr., Notre Dame football

Bourgeois is among the area's leading rushers, but the tailback in Notre Dame's I-formation had never crossed the 200-yard mark in a game until he went for 230 on 20 carries in a 45-35 win over defending Division II champ Cecilia. He went off the left tackle for 80 yards on the first play for Notre Dame, 4-1 and No. 2 in the Division III select power ratings.

Ava Hebert / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ava Hebert, Sr., Teurlings Catholic volleyball

In front of a hostile crowd, Hebert put down 26 kills to lead the Rebels to a five-set win over Division V No. 1 Westminster Christian. She also had seven digs and three blocks for coach Terry Hebert. The Rebels have four Hebert's on the roster - five counting the coach.

Malachi Dabney, Jr., Destrehan football

Coach Marcus Scottl's Wildcats have found their footing after a couple of early close losses. Destrehan knocked off unbeaten Terrebonne in a district game 41-28 for their second straight win. Dabney rushed for 146 yards and finished with four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving).

Luke Baudoin, Sr., Church Point football

The Bears (4-1, No. 7 in Division III nonselect) downed Iota in a league contest 35-10. Baudoin completed 15-of-21 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Jarrison Reese, a previous Athlete of the Week winner for basketball, was on the receiving end of 12 aerials for 247 yards and two scores.

Zion Lee, Sr., Bunkie football

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Navy commit broke the school record with six rushing touchdowns in a win over Winnfield. Lee ran for 179 yards on 30 carries for Bunkie, which went undefeated in the 2024 regular season and is halfway there in 2025.

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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