Summer break is officially over for all, and that means the most anticipated of them all: the Gainesville Sun’s Athlete of the Week poll!
Once again, 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 Oct. 12-19. Voting closes at noon Saturday, 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 Ajha Graddy from the Santa Fe volleyball team, who had 17 kills in the Raiders' 3-1 win over The Rock.
Congratulations to all those selected!
Amari Green, Columbia football
12-of-15 passing for 227 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in the Tigers district title winning 42-22 win over Ed White.
Annabella Dicks, Branford volleyball
25 kills and 17 digs in the Buccaneers 3-1 district title win over Union County.
Brandon Robinson, Fort White football
Three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Indians 34-32 loss to Baker County.
Brayden Hankins, Chiefland football
12 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown in the Indians 20-6 win over Moore Haven.
Carson Long, St. Francis Catholic football
Seven carries for 186 yards and four touchdowns, along with seven tackles, in the Wolves 57-6 win over Calvary Chapel.
Charlotte Judge, Gainesville High volleyball
35 assists in the Hurricanes 3-1 district tournament win over Clay.
Conzada Russ, Bronson volleyball
18 kills and 12 digs in the Eagles 3-2 district tournament win over Fort White.
Darius Debose, Newberry football
Five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss along with seven carries for 31 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers 13-7 win over Palatka.
Darius Medley, Oak Hall football
22 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles 21-14 win over St. Joseph’s Academy.
Deon Long, Williston football
10 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Red Devils 56-21 win over Hamilton County.
Drew Simmons, Bradford football
Nine carries for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Tornadoes 27-24 win over University Christian.
Julia Almond, Buchholz volleyball
20 assists in the Bobcats 3-0 district tournament win over Mainland.
Kinsley Harvey, Newberry volleyball
26 asissts in the Panthers district tournament win over Palatka.
Maverick Jones, Hawthorne football
Punt return touchdown, plus a fumble recovery, in the Hornets 38-3 win over Hardee.
Morgan Smith, Union County volleyball
20 kills and 22 digs in the Fightin’ Tigers 3-1 district tournament win over Trenton.
Olivia Williams, St. Francis Catholic volleyball
30 assists in the Wolves 3-1 district title win over Countryside Christian.
RJ Leffler, Bell football
Nine carries for 162 yards and a rushing touchdown, along with 53 yards passing and a touchdown, in the Bulldogs 56-20 win over P.K. Yonge.
Taylor Sembower, Santa Fe volleyball
Seven kills, 11 digs and 12 assists in the Raiders 3-0 district title win over Newberry.
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 and Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Vote for Gainesville-area Athlete of the Week for October 12-19