The Mount Vernon News sports department’s eighth group of ATHLETE OF THE WEEK nominations continues the established trend of spotlighting student-athletes’ skills and performances on the fields and courts of action.
Based on performances, we ask ADs, coaches and the community to nominate one boy and one girl from their athletic programs to compete against other schools’ nominations. We ask for a recap of their worthy performances and a picture. Please send your nominations to me, Mike Blake, MVN Sports Editor, at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com. Make sure YOUR school is represented.
This week, volleyball takes center stage for the ladies, and football is the focus for the guys. Highland has a nominee in each category,
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kendall Stover
The Highland Fighting Scots earned their way into the playoffs and then advanced to Round Two, after sweeps over Granville and Bloom-Carroll. They were led on the court by senior Kendall Stover, who starred in both games. In the District semifinal sweep versus Granville, Oct. 27, Stover had 12 emphatic, energy-giving kills, three aces and nine digs. On Oct. 30, against Bloom-Carroll in the District championship, Stover again led the sweep with an all-around display of 20 kills, nine digs, two blocks and three aces.
Mike Delaney, athletic director at Highland High School, said, "Kendall is a gifted athlete who has earned the recognition she has received by having a tremendous work ethic and having a fiercely competitive nature. She is one of the best all-around players in the state of Ohio. She is captain of the volleyball team and is a leader within our school. She has a 3.4 GPA and has committed to play volleyball at Grand Valley State University."
Rob Terrill, Stover’s Highland volleyball coach, said, "Kendall is a four-year letterman and two-year captain for the Fighting Scots. She led all of D2 in kills this year with 483 and is the Central District D2 Player of the Year. Kendall works extremely hard and is very aware on the court. She started playing club when she was in elementary school and is very comfortable in any situation. Her teammates know she is very focused and demands a lot of herself on the court.”
Audrey Brininger
Cardington-Lincoln is a volleyball playoff force and has been led all season by junior Audrey Brininger. In the Oct. 28 sweep over Fairbanks, she had 14 kills, 11 digs, two blocks and an ace. In the Mount Vernon District 2, Division playoff match versus Johnstown Northridge, Brininger led the 3-1 victory with an all-around performance of 23 kills, 14 digs, two blocks, an ace and nine serve receptions.
Cardington-Lincoln volleyball coach Ryan Teese said, “Audrey is a great teammate, leader and student in her own way … she is a quiet leader. She has a skill set that we haven’t seen in years here at Cardington. She has taken on a new role this year and is helping the younger players a lot. She also plays on one of the top club teams in the area. She has 393 kills this year, which is seventh in Division 3, and she is No. 2 in kills per set.”
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
For the boys, this week’s nominees come from two winning playoff teams. Both are running backs, and both led their teams with determination and skill.
Dane Nauman
Highland sophomore running back, Dane Nauman earned his third nomination this year, and really, he could have been nominated a half-dozen times this season.
In Friday’s playoff game versus Columbus Linden-McKinley, Nauman’s 304 rushing yards gave him a Highland team record of 2,412 yards for the season, and he led his Scots to a 41-6 victory in their Division IV regional first-round game. He has 25 touchdowns this year – 24 rushing and one on a fumble recovery and run.
Nauman scored on Highland’s first three drives of the game with runs of 13, 7 and 47 yards. He added a fourth touchdown late in the third quarter with a seven-yard run that became his final carry of the night. He said, “My linemen helped me out a lot. Without them, this (the record) would be impossible to do.”
Highland head football coach Ty Stover said, “Dane's ability to run the football and his yard total matches his character and team leadership ability. Our program is built around selfless guys like Dane Nauman, and that is why we are currently having success. Dane also has landed the title of Student of the Month for the month of November as his classroom work ethic also reflects his dedication to success in the classroom. In our program, we preach our student-athletes to be better than a rating of 10; when being ranked we want to be an '11,' and Dane Nauman is an '11.'"
Max Lower
Northmor’s ground game enabled it to beat Fredericktown in last Saturday’s playoff matchup. The rushing attack was led by junior Max Lower, who gained 205 yards on 32 attempts for the Golden Knights, returned a kick for 22 yards and played tough on defense.
Lower scored Northmor’s first three touchdowns – twice in the first half and once in the third quarter – to give the Golden Knights a 28-7 third-quarter lead. He had a 6-yard TD in the first, a 2-yarder in the second and a 1-yard run in the third as Northmor put the game away.
Blade Tackett, Northmor’s athletic director, said, “Max truly is deserving of the award based on his performance. On top of that, he is a phenomenal kid with great character, infectious personality and a persistent work ethic. As a student, he is vocal in the classroom and a true leader among his peers. He isn't nervous to speak up to answer questions and is quick to help when others need it. He has a personality that can change a classroom from dull to laughing at the flip of a switch.
“As a teammate, Max has truly leads by example," Tackett said. "While his success on the field has been outstanding this year, he will always give credit to his teammates before taking the credit himself. He practices hard, lifts hard and prepares hard. This type of attitude creates a standard that the rest of the team works to model while also teaching young players what is expected in the future”.
Congratulations to the nominees for exceptional performance and leadership. The two competitions went down to the finest of details before a winner was decided. In a race that was really too close to call, both volleyball stars were outstanding, their stats were close and their team leadership was above and beyond, By virtue of two sweeps (6-0) for one athlete’s team versus a 6-1 for the other, by the slimmest of margins, this week’s MOUNT VERNON NEWS FEMALE ATHLETE of the WEEK is Kendall Stover of Highland. On the boys side, two field leaders, two school leaders and two fine and deserving athletes went down to a historical team-record-setting performance. This week’s MOUNT VERNON NEWS MALE ATHLETE of the WEEK is Dane Nauman, and a sweep for Highland.
