Each week, publications from the Southern California News Group’s 11 properties (Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, Press-Enterprise, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Daily Bulletin, Redlands Daily Facts, Whittier Daily News and Pasadena-Star News) select the Athletes of the Week for their respective region.
Each athlete is then entered into the overall Southern California Athlete of the Week vote.
Click on the newspaper links below the athlete’s name to read about their performance from last week, and then vote for who you think deserves the top honor.
Readers are allowed to vote multiple times. Voting ends at midnight, but final totals aren’t always immediately reflected due to processing.
GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK VOTING
The overall winner will be announced on Friday, January 21.
Voting poll at bottom of the page.
Buckley DeJardin, St. Francis: DeJardin led the way as the Golden Knights went 4-1 last week. He scored 20 points with 10 rebounds in a 55-45 win over Crespi, posted 29 points and 15 rebounds in a 75-61 win over Windward, and had 15 points in wins over Grant and Chaminade. In the Golden Knights’ only loss last week to Loyola, DeJardin tallied 21 points.
Cole Jacobs, West Torrance: Jacobs had 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 47-42 win over South. He followed that with a 20-point, nine-rebound, seven-block performance in a 68-49 win over Torrance. Jacobs had 10 points and nine rebounds in a loss to St. Paul on Monday.
Shyheim Parm, Cajon: The senior guard averaged, 23.3 points per game in helping the Cowboys to three victories last week. He had 20 points and five rebounds in the team’s 46-31 win over Citrus Valley and added 20 points, six assists and four steals in an 87-61 win over Redlands East Valley that kept the Cowboys atop the Citrus Belt League standings. Parm capped the week with a 30-point effort against Indian Springs in a nonleague game.
Justin Rodriguez, Fountain Valley: Rodriguez was the champion at 126 pounds at the Five Counties tournament. Rodriguez, ranked No. 2 in the state by TheCaliforniaWrestler.com, won three matches by pin before getting a 7-0 victory in the final against St. John Bosco’s Grigor Cholakyan, ranked No. 8 in the state. Rodriguez finished third in the Doc Buchanan Invitational the previous week. “Justin doesn’t want to give up any points, doesn’t want anyone to score on him,” Fountain Valley coach Brad Woodbury said. “He’s very competitive like that.”
Oscar Aranda, St. John Bosco: The 160-pounder won his weight class to help lead the Braves to second place in the prestigious Five Counties tournament. The top-seeded Aranda topped Buchanan’s Mason Espinoza, 8-3, in the title bout after falls or major decisions in his first four bouts, pushing his season record to 22-3. He was one of three St. John Bosco champions, along with Nicco Ruiz (152) and Nicholas Sahakian (220). Aranda, who also won this season at Westminster’s tournament, is ranked third in California at his weight.
