DESIGN NOTE: Please BOLD athletes' names on first reference and in congratulatory paragraph
The Mount Vernon News sports department’s 24th ATHLETE OF THE WEEK nominations continue the established procedure 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, we have a clean sweep for Danville with two basketball leaders, one who only needed the first half to shine in victory and the other who did his damage in the second half to perform valiantly in defeat.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Brooklynn Hess
Earning her second ATHLETE of the WEEK nomination, Danville’s Brooklynn Hess set the tone for the Blue Devils’ blowout of Pataskala Liberty Christian in the first-round playoff matchup Feb. 19. Spearheading her team into the second round with an 89-16 win, Hess pumped in 10 points early and played only the first half in the runaway victory, putting up 20 points in the half before Danville coach Matt Proper emptied his bench.
The Blue Devils amassed 74 points in the half, allowing only four points to Liberty. Hess’ stat line for the half was 20 points, 9-for-12 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3-point range, three steals and eight assists. Worthy of a full-game honor.
Proper said, “Brooklynn jump-started our team from the tip, scoring 10 quick points and serving as a disruptive force on the defensive end. She played a very aggressive game on both ends of the floor in helping us secure our ninth straight sectional championship.”
Her coach added, “Brooklynn is one of our leaders on the floor. She leads by example and has had an amazing career as a Danville Lady Blue Devil.”
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Walker Weckesser
Giving it all you have is all you can do. When you do that, even if your team doesn’t win the game, you deserve recognition. In a playoff tune-up for the Danville boys, Northside Christian played the ’Devils tough and came away with a 75-65 victory. Danville’s Walker Weckesser didn’t let the game go without a fight … a big fight. Weckesser was held to four points in the first half but went to work in the second half and scored 21 points. His 16 points in the third (of 20 Danville points in the quarter) kept the Blue Devils in the game. He scored a dozen more than any other Danville player.
In the end, Northside’s balanced offense was too much for Danville, but Weckesser kept firing until an injury prevented him from adding to his total.
Weckesser shot 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, 6-for-8 from the free throw line, and ended up with 25 points, six rebounds and two assists. Danville coach Matt Moore said, “Walker had a great game going before he got injured halfway through the fourth quarter. Walker has done a great job this season getting to the rim and scoring or making passes to open teammates. Walker will continue to be a great contributor to our team for our tournament run and for the next couple years.”
Congratulations on a great week by our ATHLETES of the WEEK, Brooklynn Hess and Walker Weckesser, and congratulations to all local athletes for solid efforts.
To all local schools: Send us your athlete nominations for next week and show them and the community how much they mean to their schools.
