HEAD OF THE CLASS: Amelburu’s arm rallies Gators by Palo Verde
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Erica Williams
Foothill
The junior won her third race of the season, posting a time of 20 minutes, 29.6 seconds for 3.1 miles, to win the junior-senior race at the Falcon Invitational at Foothill.
FOOTBALL
A.J. Amelburu
Green Valley
The junior quarterback threw five touchdown passes and had a 44-yard rushing TD as the Gators beat Palo Verde, 42-35. Amelburu, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 197 yards, passed for three scores in the fourth quarter, including a 14-yard strike to Christian Mayberry with 2:42 to play as the Gators rallied from a 35-20 deficit in the final 12 minutes.
David Walker
Cheyenne
The senior running back rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a 50-6 victory over Sierra Vista.
Shane Barnes
Eldorado
The senior receiver caught seven passes for 167 yards and a touchdown and completed a 41-yard TD pass to Dakota Lomasney as the Sundevils earned their first win, 28-6, over Bonanza.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Rachel Klopfer
Green Valley
The junior outside hitter set a school record with 35 kills in a 3-2 victory over Bonanza, breaking the previous mark of 34 set by Malia Koelliker on November 11, 1998 in the first round of the state tournament. Klopfer also had 11 kills, 11 digs and four aces in a 3-0 win over Palo Verde.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
BONANZA — Girls golfer Rebecca Oertel shot 2-over-par 74 at the Paiute Snow Course, tying for medalist honors in a Northwest League match.
DESERT OASIS — Girls tennis players Kirsten Mauban and Jolene Stewart teamed to go 5-1 in doubles in matches with Cimarron-Memorial and Centennial. Boys cross country runner Brien Hosier finished 16th out of 71 runners at the Lancer Classic in Riverside, Calif., with a time of 18 minutes, 15.6 seconds for 3.05 miles.
DURANGO — Girls cross country runner Leticia Salazar-Sandoval was second in the junior-senior race at the Falcon Invitational, with a personal-best time of 20 minutes, 53.2 seconds for 3.1 miles. Boys cross country runner Frankie Bisacky placed 13th in the junior-senior race at the Falcon Invitational, setting a personal record with a time of 17:39.6 for 3.1 miles.
FAITH LUTHERAN — Girls soccer defender Kayla Murai helped key the defense as the Crusaders posted two shutouts, beating Mojave 9-0 and Sierra Vista 4-0. Boys cross country runner Chase Wood placed second in the Foothill Invitational, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 15.7 seconds.
GREEN VALLEY — Boys cross country runner Austin Rogers won the junior-senior race at the Falcon Invitational at Foothill, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 8.1 seconds to help the Gators to the team title with 53 points.
MOJAVE — Girls volleyball libero Michelle Hernandez had seven digs against Clark and 14 digs against Cheyenne to help the Rattlers to a pair of victories.
PALO VERDE — Boys cross country runner Daniel Ziems finished eighth in the Division 2 junior race at the Dana Hills Invitational in Dana Point, Calif., with a time of 15 minutes, 53.5 seconds for 3 miles.
SHADOW RIDGE — Girls soccer player Taylore Simmons had two goals and two assists in an 8-0 win over Bonanza.
SPRING VALLEY — Boys tennis player Christopher Zimmerman went 3-0 in singles against Faith Lutheran.