The fall sports season is hitting a fever pitch, and that means another round of the Gainesville Sun’s Athlete of the Week poll!
As always, we are asking for your help with the nomination process. Please click here to see how to nominate. Nominations are due Monday morning, and they can be sent in by anyone — coaches, administrators, friends, family. It’s imperative to send in nominations so we can continue to honor the best! Please send nominations to Gainesville Sun Preps Reporter Noah Ram at nram@gannett.com.
We are relying solely on this process for nominations for the 2026-27 season, so if names are not sent in, we will not be able to conduct athlete of the week polls and honor the best in the area.
This week, we’re honoring the best from October 27-November 2. Voting closes at noon Saturday, November 7, and you can vote as many times as you’d like, so please share this poll with friends and family.
Last week’s winner was Addison Barnes from the Branford football team, who tallied 48 assists and 19 digs in the Buccaneers’ 3-2 Rural-Region 3 semifinal win over Union County.
Congratulations to all those selected!
Amari Green, Columbia football
19-of-24 passing for 333 yards passing and five touchdowns in the Tigers 48-0 win over Suwannee.
Ari Bentley, Hawthorne football
Five carries for 52 yards and three rushing touchdowns, along with eight total tackles in the Hornets 34-12 win over Dunnellon to complete a perfect season.
Ava Alcorn, Branford volleyball
24 digs in the Buccaneers 3-0 region final win over Aucilla Christian.
Ben Aguayo, Interlachen football
10-12 for 300 yards with three touchdowns in the Rams 40-23 win over Bell.
Emma Stripling, Gainesville High girls swim and dive
First place in the one meter diving at the Class 3A-Region 1 meet.
Estella Fugate, Williston volleyball
29 assists and 10 digs in the Red Devils 3-1 region final win over Crescent City.
Gavin Lawton, Santa Fe football
A punt block in the Raiders 49-0 win over Weeki Wachee.
Holdyn Moore, Santa Fe volleyball
21 digs and 24 assists in the Raiders open division game at Miami-Gulliver Prep.
Isaac Rick, Buchholz boys swim and dive
First place in the boys 200 yard IM at Class 4A-Region 1 meet.
Josh Menefee, Buchholz football
15 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the Bobcats 31-28 loss to Bolles.
Keishawn Chatman, P.K. Yonge football
Two interceptions in the Blue Wave’s 20-0 win over True Institute.
Keydran Teague, Dixie County football
10 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown in the Bears 42-38 win over Sneads.
Kylee Fernandez, Branford volleyball
24 digs in the Buccaneers 3-0 state semifinal win Monday over Liberty County.
Peyton Brooks, Buchholz girls swim and dive
Second place in the 100 yard fly and 100 yard back at Class 4A-Region 1 meet.
Ricky Barr, Union County football
26 carries for 285 yards and three touchdowns in the Fightin’ Tigers 53-38 win over Cottondale.
Trent Land, Branford football
13 carries for 101 yards for one touchdown in the 36-0 win over Sneads.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter, Facebook Noah Ram – Reporter and TikTok @ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Vote for Gainesville-area Athlete of the Week for October 27-November 2
