Editor’s note: We prohibit the use of bots and any other artificial methods of voting. Suspicious activity could lead to the disqualification of candidates and a permanent suspension of the Athlete of the Week poll. No voting by email: Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.
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 Oct. 21-26.
Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.
Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.
Scroll to the bottom for the poll.
Winners are announced each Friday online and in the print edition of the Mercury News and East Bay Times sports sections.
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:
Malakai Dominguez, Oak Grove football: Dominguez led Oak Grove to its first win of the season, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries as the Eagles beat Lincoln-San Jose 36-30.
Qusai Drief, Liberty water polo: The senior scored five goals, dished out two assists, stole five passes and had two sprint wins to lead Liberty to a 17-4 win over Freedom. Liberty has won the Bay Valley Athletic League regular-season title.
Callum McBride, Albany cross country: The senior took first place in the 3-mile run at TCAL Center Meet, crossing the finish line in 16:15.3.
Javier Mendoza, Overfelt football: Mendoza rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in Overfelt’s 34-20 win over Del Mar. He also racked up 15 tackles as Overfelt improved to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in its league.
Damien Miles, Granada football: The junior caught five passes for 125 yards and a touchdown and was a standout on defense, finishing with five tackles, three pass breakups and a 50-yard pick-six to lead Granada to a 41-7 win over Foothill. Granada (4-4, 2-2) is in first place in the East Bay Athletic League Valley Division and hosts Dougherty Valley on Friday.
Alijah Murillo, Branham cross country: Murillo finished the 2.74-mile race in 14:11.1, good for first place at the BVAL Mt. Hamilton Dual No. 4.
Jeremiah Owens, Mt. Diablo football: Owens rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns and returned an interception 92 yards for a score in Mt. Diablo’s 49-0 win over Berean Christian. The Red Devils captured the Diablo Athletic League Mountain Division title – the first league crown the school has won since 1962.
Caleb Rollins, Oakland Tech football: Rollins had 256 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in Oakland Tech’s 45-0 blowout win over Skyline. Oakland Tech (5-3, 3-0) hosts Castlemont on Friday.
Brayden Rosa, Wilcox football: Rosa rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in Wilcox’s 35-7 win over Sacred Heart Prep. Wilcox (6-2, 3-0) travels to Los Gatos on Friday for a game that will likely decide the PAL Bay Division title.
Toby Torres, Piedmont Hills football: The junior completed 16 of 18 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns to lead Piedmont Hills to a 42-6 win over Silver Creek. Piedmont Hills (6-2, 3-0) sits in first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa-Valley Division.
