From staff Reports

The Austin Sports Journal has partnered with Covert Ford to honor the top high school athletes in the Austin-San Antonio region each week during the high school sports season,

The Austin Sports Journal will gather the top performances across our 13-county coverage area with the help of readers, coaches and staff. Then let our readers decide the top athlete for the week.

Voting is open from noon, Mondays through 5 p.m., Tuesdays. The Austin Sports journal will announce the winner each week on our website and present the athlete of the week with a certificate.

Coaches are encouraged to nominate athletes no later than 5 p.m., Sundays each week. Nominate players by emailing Michael Adams at madams@austinsportsjournal.com.

Here are this week’s nominees:

Kaden Stefek, senior, Hutto football: The quarterback threw for 443 yards and six touchdowns in a 63–49 shootout win over Cedar Ridge, leading the Hippos’ explosive offense against a tough 6A opponent.

Jayelen House, senior, LBJ football: The quarterback threw for 385 yards and five touchdowns on 26-of-36 passing with no interceptions, powering the Jaguars to a dramatic 34–33 win over Wimberley.

Romelo Boykin, senior, Hendrickson football: The wide receiver caught nine passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, sparking the Hawks’ incredible 42–41 comeback victory over Hays after trailing by 24.

Kate Leakey, senior, Anderson volleyball: The senior had two matches last week with double digit kills to lead the Trojans to victories in both matches. She finished the week with 26 kills, 7 digs an ace and a block.

Riley Malloy, senior, Austin High volleyball: The senior had two matches with double digit kills, including Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Dripping Springs. The USC pledge has had six straight games with 10 or more kills.