Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week: Linden's Mario Rodriguez
The final Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week poll was fueled by the Linden High School community as it earned soccer player Mario Rodriguez the title of Athlete of the Week for Dec. 11-17. In an online poll that closed on Friday, Rodriguez received over 90% of the votes cast for a total of 10,358 votes.
The junior forward has been the guy for the Lions so far this season helping them to a two-game winning streak. On Dec. 12 he lead Linden to an impressive 6-1 victory over McNair finding the back of the net two times. Rodriguez continued to shine on the pitch for his team in the Lions' next match against Calaveras.
He matched every one of the Red Hawks' goals in a back-and-forth dogfight. The 5-foot-8 junior ended the match with a season-high four goals outscoring Calaveras 4-3. Linden would go on to win 5-3 and Rodriguez added an assist to round out his stellar night. The forward is currently ranked third in the Sac-Joaquin Section in total goals.
Here’s a look at the past winners:
Aug. 26: Samson Hunkin, St. Mary's football
Sept. 2: Eliana Williams, St. Mary's girls' volleyball
Sept. 9: Landen Ly, Linden, football
Sept. 6: McKenna McIntosh, St. Mary's girls' volleyball
Sept. 23: Matthew Schallberger, Linden, football
Sept. 30: Sophia Martin, Escalon, girls' volleyball
Oct. 7: Keely Hummel, St. Mary's, girl's volleyball
Oct. 14: Taylor Zalunardo, Sierra, girls' flag football
Oct. 21: Katie Martin, Ripon, girls' golf
Oct. 29: Kaydence Bispo, St. Mary's, girls' volleyball
Nov. 5: Dax Weber, Linden, football
Nov. 12: Reyna Biedermann, Ripon, girls' water polo
Nov. 19: Asante Carter, St. Mary's, football
Nov. 26: Emma Gilmore, Sierra, girls' basketball
Dec. 3: Nylah Dyson, East Union, girls' basketball
Dec. 10: Ricardo Velasquez, Weston Ranch, boys' soccer
Editor's Note: Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot through email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.
Original story: The polls are once again open for the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week for the week of Dec. 11-17.
Christmas break is just around the corner and athletes are playing in their final games of the year for winter sports. Some teams are playing in local tournaments while others are traveling out of state for big-name tournaments.
No matter where they are, the athletes from the 209 continue to shine. This week’s poll will include athletes from the following winter sports: girls' basketball, boys' basketball, girls’ soccer, and boys’ soccer. The poll can be found at the bottom of the story and closes on Friday.
Here are the candidates for Dec. 11-17 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):
Emma Coronado, girls basketball, Kimball: There was no stopping Coronado. When the Jaguars took on Stagg in the Delta Queens Classic, the sophomore guard scored bucket after bucket. She ended the game with 29 points thrusting her team past the tournament host for a 56-50 victory. Kimball holds a 5-2 record with losses to Lathrop and Clayton Valley Charter.
Daniel Huerta, boys’ basketball, St. Mary’s: The Rams had their way against Strake Jesuit and Huerta was a big reason why. The senior guard caught a hot hand scoring 25 points while shooting 79% from the field. He also snagged seven rebounds and added five assists. St. Mary’s went on to beat the Fighting Crusaders 78-47.
Darrion Lilly, boys’ basketball, Weston Ranch: Lilly has been a go-to for the current No. 9 ranked Cougars. The 6-foot-5 junior is averaging 19.3 points and seven rebounds per game leading his team in both categories. Weston Ranch holds a 3-1 record with a recent big-time win over Mission College blowing out the Royals 100-48. Lilly scored 18 points on 70% field goal range in that game.
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Jameelah Pharms, girls’ basketball, Stagg: The Delta Queens do-it-all star is back for her final season and she is already making some noise. Pharms is currently averaging 25.2 points and close to five assists per game helping Stagg to a 5-3 record. She dropped 33 points against Kimball doing all she could to keep her team in the game. Stagg ended up losing that matchup 56-50.
Joanna Roa, girls’ soccer, Manteca: As just a sophomore, Roa has played a leading role in the Buffaloes' 11-0 start to the season. She finished with six points, two goals and two assists to help her team beat Galt 6-1 on Dec. 13. Roa has found the back of the net 18 times so far this season the most in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Mario Rodriguez, boys’ soccer, Linden: Rodriguez is lighting opponents up as one of the top strikers in the SJS. He is currently ranked second in the section in total points with 40. In Linden’s most recent victory on Dec. 13 against Calaveras, the junior finished the game with a team-high four goals and one assist. The Lions would go on to win 5-3.
Athlete of the Week nominations are based on information available to The Record about all high school varsity players from San Joaquin County. Nominations must be received for consideration by Monday morning following that week's games.
Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot via email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week: Linden's Mario Rodriguez
