Who should win PNJ Athlete of the Week for Feb. 6-11? Cast your vote!
Editor's Note: Apologies for the week off, was under the weather after a bout with COVID.
The Pensacola News Journal's Athlete of the Week poll is back! Vote early and often to determine the next prep athlete to be honored.
The polls are open until 11 a.m. Saturday at PNJ.com. Each weekly winner will be awarded a one-of-a-kind PNJ.com Athlete of the Week shirt provided by BSN SPORTS. Winners will be contacted within the next two weeks.
Cast your vote: Who should win PNJ Athlete of the Week for Feb. 13-18?
Boys Soccer: Booker T. Washington runs out of gas against American Heritage in state semis
Girls Weightlifting: Pace brings home first state title in program history
Note: Is your team or sport missing from Athlete of the Week? Be sure to file statistics with the PNJ staff or keep your MaxPreps page up to date.
Patrick Bernadeau can be reached at pbernadeau@gannett.com or 850-503-3828.
PNJ Athlete of the Week for Feb. 6-11
Boys Basketball: Ozell Purifoy and Joshua Whitehurst, Pine Forest - The senior duo led the Eagles to their second consecutive District 1-5A title. Following the team’s opening round win over Fort Walton Beach, Whitehurst poured in a game-high 24 points while Purifoy added 19 in Pine Forest’s semifinal win over Booker T. Washington. The leading scorer was reversed in the district title game as Purifoy had 23 points while Whitehurst added 20 in a triumph over Escambia.
Boys Soccer: Noah Toben, Booker T. Washington - The sophomore defender scored the game-winning goal with 40 seconds remaining to lift the Wildcats to a 3-2 win over Arnold, the top-ranked team in the state and the No. 2-ranked team nationally, according to MaxPreps.
Boys Wrestling: Tyler Green, Milton - Helping the Panthers to a 40-30 dual win over W.S. Neal, the senior collected his team’s fastest fall after pinning Jeremiah Dean in 17 seconds.
Girls Basketball: Niylia Wilkins, Pine Forest - The junior guard had a team-best 14 points to lead the Eagles to a 42-32 win over St. Augustine during a Region 1-5A quarterfinal.
Girls Soccer: Emma Fulford, Gulf Breeze - The sophomore midfielder made contributions in a pair of Dolphins victories. Fulford scored during the team’s regional quarterfinal triumph over Pace. She then had three assists during Gulf Breeze’s double overtime win over Chiles in the regional semifinals.
Girls Wrestling: Helena Alcantar and Camdyn Elliott, Gulf Breeze - The duo each earned first-place finishes during the District 1-1A tournament. At the 105-pound weight class, Alcantar pinned Milton Alexis Brown during the first-place match. Elliott captured a 6-2 decision over Lincoln’s Sayrui Caceres in the championship match at 100.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Vote for Pensacola News Journal's Athlete of the Week: Feb. 6-11
