Ten athletes from across the High Desert are in the running for the Joe Orthodontics High School Athlete of the Week.
Each week throughout the 2026-27 school year, the Daily Press will recognize one standout student-athlete from the High Desert as Athlete of the Week for their performance on the field, court, course or wherever they compete.
Athletes are selected for the ballot through nominations submitted by coaches, along with our own research. Nominations are limited to varsity athletes.
You can vote for your favorite high school athlete as often as you’d like. The poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
Here are this week’s nominees, based on performances from Oct. 12 through 17.
Meet last week's winner: Hesperia’s Kaydence Manjarrez is the Joe Orthodontics High School Athlete of the Week
- Aanyah Pickett, Oak Hills volleyball — Pickett recorded five kills, two aces, 11 blocks and a dig in a 3-1 victory over Hesperia on Oct. 12. She added nine kills, four aces, 12 blocks and a dig in a 3-2 victory over Apple Valley on Oct. 14.
- Alisson Gonzalez-Medina, Oak Hills girls tennis — Gonzalez-Medina won both of her sets, 6-1, 6-2, in a 16-2 victory over Serrano on Oct. 13. She followed with a three-set sweep, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1, in a 15-3 victory over Hesperia on Oct. 15.
- Aubrey Duran, Riverside Prep volleyball — Duran recorded 11 kills, a block and eight digs in a 3-0 loss to Academy for Academic Excellence on Oct. 12. She added 11 kills, three aces, a block, 11 digs and an assist in a 3-1 victory over University Prep on Oct. 14.
- Austin Koester, Hesperia Christian football — Koester completed eight passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns while rushing four times for 50 yards in a 28-24 victory over Lucerne Valley on Oct. 17. On defense, he recorded 11 tackles.
- Brin Bryant, Academy for Academic Excellence volleyball — Bryant recorded 19 kills, two aces and 14 digs in a 3-0 victory over Riverside Prep on Oct. 12. She added eight kills, a block and 12 digs in a 3-0 loss to Hesperia Christian on Oct. 14.
- Chase Higgs, Apple Valley football — Higgs rushed nine times for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-14 victory over Burroughs on Oct. 16.
- Darius Williams, Hesperia football — Williams completed 10 of 14 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 50 yards and another touchdown in a 28-27 victory over Serrano on Oct. 16.
- Nylah Easterling, Hesperia Christian volleyball — Easterling recorded 15 kills, a block and three digs in a 3-0 victory over University Prep on Oct. 12. She added 11 kills, two aces, a block and six digs in another 3-0 victory over AAE on Oct. 14.
- Quron Muhammad, Victor Valley football — Muhammad rushed six times for 104 yards and three touchdowns in a 64-6 victory over Adelanto on Oct. 15.
- Sean Maldonado, Silverado cross country — Maldonado placed 12th in the boys race at the 39th annual Bell Gardens Invitational with a time of 15 minutes, 28.1 seconds on Oct. 17.
You Can Vote Here
Nominations must be received for consideration by Sunday morning following that week’s games. Anyone can nominate an Athlete of the Week for every varsity sport.
Be sure to nominate next week’s ballot through email to sports reporter Jose Quintero at JQuintero@VVDailyPress.com. Feel free to also reach out to him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @J0seQuintero, or on Instagram at @760Varsity. Please include a player’s statistics and a photo if possible.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: The polls are open! Vote for the Joe Orthodontics High School Athlete of the Week