Vote now for The Herald’s high school sports athlete of the week
Below are the nominees for The Herald’s high school athlete of the week.
You may vote as often as you like. Poll results may not always be shown.
Ayona Alexander, Andrew Jackson girls’ basketball: The 6-foot sophomore scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three assists to help lead Andrew Jackson to a 78-60 win over Landrum to claim the S.C. 2A state championship in Florence, March 1.
Alexander accomplished this in her first game back in five weeks from a broken foot, and was put in after the first media timeout and was “a force,” according to Andrew Jackson basketball coach, Steven Fair.
Alexander averaged 18.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for an Andrew Jackson team (27-4) that won 21 straight games to end the season with their first state title since 1983.
Catherine Barhorst, Nation Ford girls’ lacrosse: The Falcons’ senior scored three goals, had three groundballs, one caused turnover and two draw controls in a 10-7 loss at Clover, Feb. 26.
Barhorst also had nine goals, three assists, three groundballs, one caused turnover and 12 draw controls in a 21-8 victory over Blythewood, Feb. 29.
Barhorst has 18 goals, seven assists, nine groundballs, three caused turnovers and 20 draw controls for Nation Ford (2-1) this season.
Kyleen Bents, Catawba Ridge girls’ soccer: The Copperheads’ senior scored the game- winning goal in a 2-1 win over Blythewood, March 1.
Catawba Ridge (4-2) also lost 3-1 at Providence Day, March 27.
Bents is an East Carolina University commit.
De’Ashaj Crawford, Rock Hill girls’ basketball: The 5-foot-6 senior scored 14 points, had four assists and three steals as Rock Hill lost to Sumter, 60-42, in the S.C. 5A state championship game in Florence, March 1.
Crawford, an all-state selection, averaged 17.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game for Rock Hill (27-4) this season.
Drew Fikis, Catawba Ridge boys’ lacrosse: The Copperheads’ senior scored three goals in a 12-4 loss to Mauldin, Feb. 29.
Fikis had four goals and one assist in a 12-4 win over Wade Hampton, Feb. 29.
Fikis finished off the week with three more goals in an 11-7 loss at A.C. Flora, March 2.
Fikis has 11 goals for Catawba Ridge (1-3) this season.
Ashlyn Goforth, Clover girls’ lacrosse: The Blue Eagles’ junior midfielder had four goals and 11 groundballs in a 24-1 win over Spring Valley, Feb. 26.
Goforth also had three goals and seven groundballs in an 11-8 loss to Riverside, March 2.
Goforth has 48 groundballs and 15 goals for Clover (3-1) this season.
Aiden Hawkins, Legion Collegiate boys’ lacrosse: The Lancers’ sophomore scored four goals and had two assists to lead Legion Collegiate to an 11-10 win over South Mecklenburg, Feb. 26.
Legion Collegiate (2-1) also lost 14-1 at Providence Day, Feb. 28.
Hawkins has eight goals and two assists for the Lancers this season.
Ashlyn Kahre, Nation Ford girls’ soccer: The Falcons’ senior midfielder had an assist in a 3-0 win over White Knoll, Feb. 27.
Kahre scored two goals in a 3-1 victory at Myrtle Beach, March 1.
Kahre also scored a goal in a 7-0 win at Socastee, March 2.
Kahre has four goals and two assists for Nation Ford (4-2) this season.
Kailyn Kirsch, South Pointe girls’ soccer: The Stallions’ senior scored two goals and had one assist in a 5-2 season-opening win at Rock Hill, Feb. 27.
Marilia Nieves, Clover girls’ soccer: The Blue Eagles’ scored two goals in a 4-0 win over Belmont South Point, Feb. 28.
Nieves also scored a goal in a 3-0 victory at Covenant Day, March 2.
Nieves, a University of Kentucky signee and a member of the Puerto Rican national team, leads Clover (4-1) with seven goals this season.
Jordan Williams, Legion Collegiate boys’ golf: The Legion Collegiate senior shot a team best, 74 (two-over par) to lead his team to victory at the Lancers’ Invite at Rock Hill Country Club, Feb. 26.
Williams, who traveled with the Steph Curry Golf Tour this past summer, is a Southern University commit.
** Information published today includes statistics through March 2.
If you want to nominate an athlete: Athletes of the week highlights high school players with outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes in all sports, both the most accomplished and the underrated or underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the Athletes of the week column, send email to Jay Edwards at edwardswork23@gmail.com. Please include the athletes’ name, school, class, photos and applicable game performance statistics. Coaches must be willing to verify information.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 12:06 PM.