The Mount Vernon News sports department’s Athlete of the Week is a feature that spotlights local student-athletes and their schools. To fuel it, we encourage every area high school coach to send us nominations, but if they don't, we'll find our own. We also encourage community members to send us their nominations. We take all nominations seriously and will consider all that we receive. An athlete can be nominated more than once, as a worthy student-athlete can gain recognition as often as he or she earns it.
Based on their performances, we will select an Athlete of the Week and recognize other outstanding athletic accomplishments. We will run a picture of the winner and their weekly stats or other information provided. We believe this program will help local student-athletes secure scholarships while gaining additional recognition for school athletic programs. If we do not receive nominations for both a boy and a girl in some weeks, we will spotlight only the winner from the group of nominations. These student athletes should be commended for their accomplishments. Help us do that and please send us your nominations.
Our Athlete of the Week winners for this week are Mount Vernon’s Peyja McCord for volleyball and Fredericktown’s Teegan Ruhl for football.
Female Athlete of the Week
Peyja McCord
The Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 2-0 mark in Ohio Cardinal Conference play with victories over Ashland and Mansfield, and both wins were inspired by the performance and court leadership of senior Peyja McCord.
In the season-opening 3-2 win over Ashland, McCord took the match over with 13 kills, two assists, two blocks and three digs.
In the Lady Jackets’ 3-0 victory over Mansfield on Aug. 25, McCord took command of the court with 10 kills, three service aces, one block and one dig.
Mount Vernon High School volleyball coach Lauren Townley said McCord is a leader through her work ethic and skills.
“Peyja is a first-time varsity player for us this season and has stepped in and filled the outside hitting position with ease," Townley said. "We are very proud of her dedication to the game.”
Honorable mention goes to three athletes, also from the volleyball courts. Cadie Long of Cardington-Lincoln amassed 47 digs in the three-game C-L Invite last week, and 20 of them came in the final loss vs. Newark. Against Bishop Ready, Long had 13 digs; against Worthington Christian, she had 14 digs and a service ace; and against Newark, Long counted her 20, nearly double any other player on the court.
Undefeated Highlands received notable play from sophomores Kameron Stover and Larsen Terrill in the Lady Scots’ five-set win over Jonathan Alder. Stover dominated with 27 kills, two service aces, three blocks and 17 digs. Terrill amassed seven kills, three aces, 21 digs and 42 assists.
Male Athlete of the Week
Teegan Ruhl
On the gridiron for Fredericktown, junior Teegan Ruhl was in the center of the action on both sides of the ball. Ruhl, who was MVN Athlete of the Week last year in basketball and a nominee for football, led the Freddies to a win over Northridge on Aug. 26. On offense, Ruhl carried the ball 18 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns and hauled down two receptions for 11 yards and a touchdown. He also returned two punts for 16 yards. On defense, he was in the mix with four tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception.
Freddies football coach Will Hartley relies on Ruhl’s leadership and work ethic.
“Teegan has worked really hard throughout the off-season to prepare himself to anchor our backfield," Hartley said. "As one of four captains, Teegan is a great example for our younger players to look up to.”
Honorable mention for above-and-beyond performances include the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets' pair of gridiron athletes, Jonny Askew and Joel Hubbard. In last week’s game vs. Newark, Askew was the game’s top rusher with nine carries for 123 yards and the team’s leading receiver with nine catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns, including a 55-yard catch-and-run. On defense, Askew garnered seven tackles. Hubbard, the Yellow Jackets' senior quarterback, went 16-for-19 with 224 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for a quarterback rating of 139.0, and on defense, he was in on six tackles.
“Joel and Jonny both played a tremendous game for us on the offensive side of the ball," Mount Vernon football coach Jay Campbell said. "It is hard to say enough about each guy. Joel is a phenomenal leader and competitor. He expects the best from his teammates and self day-in-and-day-out. Every time Jonny touches the football, he can make plays. He is electric and a kid that you try to get the ball to as much as possible in your offense.”
Nathan Streby, who earned two MVN Athlete of the Week nominations last school year, won this year’s Northmor Cross-Country Invite, Aug. 22, with a time of 17:02.38, more than 13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
We congratulate all of these local student-athletes on great character and performances as well as the many who did not make this week’s feature but who will be recognized in weeks to come.
To coaches and community members, join us in our award process. Send us your choices for MVN Athlete of the Week, a recap of their prowess in competition and a photo of them and give them the community recognition they deserve. Encourage your community members and coaches to contact us each week. Send your selections to mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
