Rec Sports
Who do you think deserves the Athlete of the Week honor for April 21-26?
It was another big week of action in the spring sports’ world, and now it’s time to vote on who you believe deserves the Rockford Register Star’s high school Athlete of the Week honor by voting in our weekly poll for the week of April 21-26. You can go to rrstar.com or vote on the […]
It was another big week of action in the spring sports’ world, and now it’s time to vote on who you believe deserves the Rockford Register Star’s high school Athlete of the Week honor by voting in our weekly poll for the week of April 21-26.
You can go to rrstar.com or vote on the poll below, and we ask that you only vote once per day. This week’s poll will close at 5 p.m. Thursday.
To nominate someone for the Athlete of the Week, send an email to jtaft@rrstar.com before 10 a.m. on Mondays, with information on why they deserve the honor.
Here are this week’s nominees:
David Ballard, Lutheran track and field
Ballard ran a 50.92 in the 400-meter dash during last Friday’s Rock Falls Rocket Invitational, and that was the 10th fastest time in Class 1A all outdoor season long. That would have been the fourth fastest time indoors this year.
Brendan Greenfield, Forreston baseball
Greenfield was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and held Dakota to two runs, one earned, in six innings in a 5-2 victory that kept Forreston’s title hopes alive in the NUIC North. Greenfield struck out six, walked none and allowed seven hits in the win for Forreston (16-4, 3-2 NUIC North).
Amani Jones, Auburn volleyball
Jones had 16 kills, 2 blocks and 3 digs as Auburn rallied to beat Boylan 19-25, 25-21, 25-19. The Knights are now fourth in the NIC-10 at 7-3.
Jesse Kramer, Belvidere North track and field
Kramer, a senior, came in just behind Winnebago’s star senior Nicolai Martino in the boys mile run during the Distance Night Meet in Palatine on Saturday, taking fifth place with a PR time of 4:12.48.
Nicolai Martino, Winnebago track and field
Martino took third in the boys mile run during the Distance Night Meet in Palatine, posting a time of 4:11.54, a new PR for him, as well as a new school record for Winnebago, and the second fastest time in the mile this outdoor season in the state of Illinois. This is a track meet that is focused on just the 800-meter, one-mile and two-mile runs.
Natalya Razo, Boylan soccer
Razo earned her sixth shutout for Boylan (8-2-2, 5-0 NIC-10) as the Titans held off Belvidere North (9-1-2, 4-1) by a 1-0 tally last week. She had 11 saves, three while laying out in full dives.
Sam Sergeant and Parker Slattengren, Rochelle tennis
Sergeant and Slattengren pulled out a tight 6-3, 4-6, 12-10 win at No. 3 doubles to give Rochelle a 3-2 dual meet victory over Princeton. Mark Green was also instrumental in the win with a 6-4, 7-5 victory at No. 1 singles.
Brody Schwartz, Forreston track and field
Schwartz won the 200-meter dash on Saturday and he broke the Forreston school record that had stood since 1977, and that was after he had helped the Cardinals’ 4X100 relay squad set a school record earlier in the week. Schwartz also won the 100 dash and took third in the high jump during meets last week.
Cheyenna Wilkins, Polo softball
Polo earned its first two softball wins of the season last week, and Cheyenna Wilkins was a big reason why. The star senior hit .667 with 5 RBIs and 3 runs scored, and she pitched 12 2/3 innings over a three-game stretch, striking out 14 while walking just four, and only giving up two earned runs.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.