Vote now: Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week
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 April 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:
Alonzo Alvarez, Heritage baseball: Alvarez was 4 for 4 with a home run and five RBIs to lead Heritage to a 19-4 win over Pittsburg. Heritage (14-4) hosts Freedom on Tuesday.
Spencer Bartlinski, Willow Glen baseball: Bartlinski, a senior, struck out three and allowed two hits and no earned runs across four innings in Willow Glen’s 3-1 win over Branham. Willow Glen is 13-6 and is scheduled to play Christopher at home on Wednesday.
Roman Bartosh, De La Salle baseball: The junior allowed one hit and struck out 11 in De La Salle’s 2-0 win over San Ramon Valley. De La Salle is 15-3 this season.
Giovanni Bernal, South San Francisco baseball: Bernal went 3 for 3 and knocked in six runs to lead South City to a 14-0 win over Priory. Bernal also struck out five and allowed just two hits for South San Francisco, which is 15-4.
Crusoe Buzzard, Lincoln-San Jose track and field: The senior crossed the finish line in 40.87 to take first place in the 300-meter hurdles at the Clash of Titans meet at Skyline High.
Kyle Cooke, Encinal baseball: Cooke, a junior, pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out eight and giving up six hits to lead Encinal to a 5-0 win over Alameda. Encinal (13-6) hosts Castro Valley on Wednesday.
Brennan DeCoite, Foothill track and field: DeCoite, a senior, took first place in the 400-meter race at the Foothill-Granada-Livermore meet with a time of 52.75.
Estevan Duarte, Granada baseball: The senior knocked in the go-ahead run to lead Granada to a 1-0 victory over Foothill. Granada (16-4, 8-1) sits in first place in the East Bay Athletic League.
Andre Valdespino, Pioneer baseball: The senior struck out three, allowed just one hit and one earned run to lead Pioneer to a 4-1 win over Leigh. Pioneer (8-9, 5-3) handed Leigh its first Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division loss.
Darrion Wesley, Los Altos baseball: Wesley’s two-run RBI single in the top of the fifth inning helped lift Los Altos over Bellarmine in a 4-3 win. Los Altos is 15-4 this season.