The polls are open! Vote for the Joe Orthodontics High School Athlete of the Week

Thirteen athletes from across the High Desert are in the running for the Joe Orthodontics High School Athlete of the Week.Each week throughout the 2026-27 school year, the Daily Press will recognize one standout student-athlete from the High Desert as Athlete of the Week for their performance on the field, court, course or wherever they compete.Athletes are selected for the ballot through nominations submitted by coaches, along with our own research. Nominations are limited to varsity athletes.You can vote for your favorite high school athlete as often as you’d like. The poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.Here are this week’s nominees, based on performances from Oct. 19 through 24.CIF-SS girls volleyball roundup: Barstow, Adelanto advance to quarterfinalsAndrea Mendoza, Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy girls golf — Mendoza finished second at the Cross Valley League individual championship at Apple Valley Golf Course on Oct. 21 with a two-round total of 166, finishing 11 strokes behind the league champion.Angelique Lealofi, Barstow volleyball — Lealofi led Barstow with 28 kills, five blocks and 18 digs in a 3-1 victory over the Webb Schools in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs on Oct. 24.Austin Koester, Hesperia Christian football — Koester passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score in a 54-20 victory over Academy of Careers & Exploration on Oct. 24. On defense, he recorded 10 tackles, two sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles.Belen Gonzalez, Oak Hills cross country — Gonzalez took first place in the girls 5,000-meter race at the Mojave River League meet at Cerro Coso College with a time of 19 minutes, 10.3 seconds on Oct. 20. She followed with a fourth-place finish in the Division 1&2 Individuals Sweepstakes Blue three-mile race at the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational with a time of 16 minutes, 52.9 seconds on Oct. 24.Brent Lanning, Apple Valley football — Lanning completed 17 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards and three more scores in a 56-28 victory over Serrano on Oct. 22, helping the Sun Devils clinch at least a share of the Mojave River League title.Davion Swan, Apple Valley football — Swan caught 10 passes for 124 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-28 victory over Serrano on Oct. 22.DJ Jackson, Oak Hills football — Jackson threw three touchdown passes as Oak Hills rallied from a 13-0 deficit to beat Burroughs 54-21 on Oct. 23. He completed all six of his pass attempts for 161 yards and three touchdowns, including scores of 25 and 60 yards to Ethan McLain. Gabriel Zamora, Hesperia cross country — Zamora took first place in the boys 5,000-meter race at the Mojave River League meet at Cerro Coso College with a time of 17 minutes, 4.7 seconds on Oct. 20. He followed with a 20th-place finish in the Division 1&2 Individuals Sweepstakes Yellow three-mile race at the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational with a time of 14 minutes, 58.4 seconds on Oct. 24.Madison Grounds, Academy of Careers & Exploration girls golf — Grounds captured the Cross Valley League individual championship at Apple Valley Golf Course on Oct. 21, shooting rounds of 79 and 76 for a two-day total of 155 to win by 11 strokes. The sophomore finished her final round with four birdies, including consecutive birdies on the final two holes, to add the tournament championship to her regular-season league title.Maurice Council, Oak Hills football — Council rushed 22 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns as Oak Hills beat Burroughs 54-21 on Oct. 23. Quron Muhammad, Victor Valley football — Muhammad rushed 22 times for 254 yards and four touchdowns, including scores of 18, 12 and 65 yards, in a 49-10 victory over Silverado on Oct. 22 that secured the outright Desert Sky League championship for the Jackrabbits.Rocky Balbuena, Hesperia football — Balbuena rushed 15 times for 240 yards and two touchdowns Hesperia beat Sultana 30-14 in the 31st annual Key Game on Oct. 23. On defense, he recorded nine tackles, including one for a loss, and an interception.Skyler Hamilton, Granite Hills football — Hamilton rushed for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, as Granite Hills upset Barstow 25-18 on Oct. 23 to move into second place in the Desert Sky League.You Can Vote HereNominations must be received for consideration by Sunday morning following that week’s games. Anyone can nominate an Athlete of the Week for every varsity sport. Be sure to nominate next week’s ballot through email to sports reporter Jose Quintero at JQuintero@VVDailyPress.com. Feel free to also reach out to him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @J0seQuintero, or on Instagram at @760Varsity. Please include a player’s statistics and a photo if possible.This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: The polls are open! Vote for the Joe Orthodontics High School Athlete of the Week