Vote now: Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week
Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) boys athlete of the week poll.
For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.
This week, we consider performances from Sept. 5-10.
Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Vote as many times as you’d like until then.
But please note: Votes by email are not counted.
Scroll to the bottom for the poll.
Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.
We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.
We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.
On to the nominees:
Luke Baker, San Ramon Valley football: The 5-10, 180-pound junior had himself a night in a 35-28 victory at home over Elk Grove, He completed 28 of 41 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolves improved to 2-0. In a season-opening 41-7 win over Vintage, he threw for 208 yards and two TDs on 14-of-17 passing.
Elijah Hodgers, Livermore football: The senior running back continued his hot start to the season with another big game on the ground. In a 27-6 victory over Gregori-Modesto, he rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries. A week earlier, he ran for 230 yards in a rout of Alhambra. He has rushed for 569 yards overall — averaging 10.9 yards per attempt — for a team that is 3-0.
Samuel Littlejohn, Evergreen Valley football: The 5-9, 165-pound senior ran for 224 yards and two touchdowns to lead Evergreen Valley to a 27-9 non-league victory on the road over Lynbrook. His 90-yard scoring run made it 21-7. The win improved Evergreen Valley’s record to 1-2.
Taeshaun Lyons, Tennyson football: The touted college prospect caught eight passes for a school-record 293 yards and three touchdowns to lead his team to a 48-6 rout of crosstown rival Mt. Eden. Lyons, who is 6-2 and 170 pounds, scored on receptions of 60, 81 and 20 yards. The senior has 19 college offers, including from Notre Dame, Washington, Michigan State, Oregon and Utah.
Tayden Phillips, Lincoln-San Jose football: Mr. Do Everything was at it again Friday, leading the Lions to a thrilling 32-28 victory at home over Aragon. The quarterback carried 15 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns and completed 5 of 8 passes for 110 yards. He also returned kicks and punts, played defensive back and punted.
Justin Pretre, Menlo School cross country: Finished first at the Lowell Invitational, covering the 2.73-mile course at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in 13:20.1. The senior’s brother, Menlo sophomore Landon Pretre, took second in 13:23.0.
Trevor Rogers, Acalanes football: Helped lead the Dons to a heart-pounding, come-from-behind 42-35 victory on the road over Sheldon-Sacramento, catching eight passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. With Acalanes trailing 35-27, the 6-3, 195-pound junior turned a bubble screen into a 68-yard TD that led to a two-point conversion to even the score. Acalanes improved to 3-0.
Wyatt Smith, St. Patrick-St. Vincent football: Accounted for five touchdowns in a 62-24 victory over Vacaville Christian as the Bruins improved to 3-0. He passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 69 yards and two TDs.
Preston Tchoi, Gunderson water polo: In a match that was tight most of the way, the sophomore led the Grizzlies with nine goals, five assists and four steals as they defeated Prospect 21-14 for their first victory of the season. He also had four goals earlier this season in a loss to Aragon.
King-Njhsanni Wilhite, Archbishop Riordan football: The basketball star who led Riordan to the Central Coast Section Open Division title last season also gets it done on the football field. In a 48-26 victory over Tamalpais on Saturday, the 6-1, 180-pound senior rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns in 11 carries. He scored on runs of 80, 13 and 38 yards as Riordan improved to 2-0.
Josiah Yeager, Hillsdale water polo: In five matches during the week, the 6-1, 170-pound junior had 36 goals and eight assists. He scored 16 times in a rout of Mills and eight times in a loss to Palo Alto. He also had seven goals in a win over Pioneer. Hillsdale began this week 4-4 on the season.