Southern California is known for its hotbed of high school sports talent. The CIF Southern, San Diego and LA City Sections provide thousands of future college athletes, hundreds of professional athletes, and dozens of future Olympians.
The region might be known for its football, basketball and baseball, but it's among the nation's best in niche sports like water polo, volleyball, and soccer — the list goes on.
Each week, High School On SI will put the previous week's top performers to a vote which allows fans, communities and supporters to choose which player is deserving of Athlete of the Week honors.
Here are the nominations for boys athlete of the week for action between Monday, October 5 though Saturday, October 10.
LAST WEEK'S WINNER
Congratulations to Ryder Bucy of Buena High, who set a school record with 492 passing yards in a 55-37 loss to Agoura in the Coastal 101 League opener last Friday, according to the Ventura County Star. The senior quarterback completed 24 of 49 passes with two touchdowns, breaking the previous record of 364 yards set by Cody Barber in 2017.
Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Oct. 18. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.
BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
Paul Goetze, Newbury Park, Cross country
Goetze placed 25th out of 119 runners in the boys championship race at Saturday’s 47th Asics Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park. The junior finished in 15:18.0 at the course that will host the CIF State Championships in November.
Ian Ditch, Mary Star, Football
Ditch completed 12 of 13 passes for 266 yards and six touchdowns, adding a rushing score in Mary Star’s 63-6 win over Bosco Tech.
Seamus Hoffman, Irvine, Football
Hoffman rushed for 253 yards and four touchdowns, leading Irvine to a 28-27 win over Beckman in a Foxtrot League game.
Jeron Johnson II, Long Beach Poly, Football
Long Beach Poly cruised to a 44-0 win over Wilson in a Moore League game Saturday, Oct. 10, behind four touchdowns from senior running back Johnson. He caught a 14-yard touchdown pass and converted a two-point attempt to give the Jackrabbits a 15-0 halftime lead before scoring on each of his final three carries in the second half.
Lataevious Hernandez, Elsinore, Football
Hernandez rushed for a career-high 177 yards and three touchdowns to power Elsinore to a 40-21 win over district rival Temescal Canyon in Mountain Pass League play. The senior carried the ball 22 times and scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter before adding touchdown runs of 16 and 17 yards in the third. Hernandez matched his career best with three touchdowns, surpassing his previous high of 153 yards against Liberty earlier this season.
Dima Rebenko, Buena, Water polo
Rebenko scored 30 goals in six games last week, leading the Bulldogs to their second straight tournament title. The sophomore netted six goals in a 22-9 win over rival Ventura on Tuesday and added two in a 9-8 victory over Mater Dei on Thursday. He scored nine goals in a 20-5 win over MLK and four in a 17-10 victory over San Juan Hills on the first day of the Ocean View Tournament. Rebenko added four goals in a 9-8 semifinal win over St. John Bosco before scoring five in a 13-5 championship victory over El Segundo on Saturday.
Gaige Weddle, Rancho Bernardo, Football
The junior accounted for four touchdowns, rushing for 129 yards and three scores on eight carries while throwing for 191 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 45-17 win over El Camino in an Avocado East League game.
George Hastings, Agoura, Football
Hastings rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, including the game-winning score in overtime, to lead Agoura to a 29-21 win over Oak Park. The standout also recorded eight tackles and deflected a pass on defense.
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