Record Athlete of the Week: Linden's Dax Weber
The votes are in and the Record/Recordnet.com Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 30- Nov. 5 is Dax Weber of Linden football. In an online poll that closed on Friday, Weber received over 75% of votes cast for a total of 18,268 votes.
The junior two-way player was like Superman for the Lions in their first-round playoff matchup against Golden Valley on Nov. 3. After both teams went scoreless in the first half Weber did everything he could to help get points on the board for his team. In the fourth quarter, Weber secured Linden's victory on a five-yard rushing touchdown to give his team a 10-0 victory over the Cougars.
Defensively, Weber was just as effective snagging a season-high three interceptions off of Golden Valley's quarterback. Standing at 5-foot-10 he has been a go-to for the Lions all season long as their second-leading rusher and wide receiver. So far this season Weber has rushed for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns and caught for 340 yards and three touchdowns. He will look to continue his success in Linden's quarterfinal game against Grant on Nov. 10.
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
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 Record is back on the search for the Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 30-Nov. 5.
Fall sports teams in the 209 are embarking on their playoff journeys, all with the hopes of bringing a Sac-Joaquin Section blue banner back home. Throughout these high-intensity matchups, athletes have kept their composure to pull out clutch wins giving the Record plenty of options.
This week’s poll will include athletes from the following fall sports: football, girls' tennis, girls' volleyball and girls’ water polo. The poll closes on Friday.
Here are the candidates for Oct. 30-Nov. 5 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):
Kiaza Calhoun, football, Edison: The Vikings had their way in their first-round playoff game against Gregori on Nov. 3. Calhoun broke out for two long rushing touchdowns from 70 and 90 yards out as Edison would win in a 48-6 blowout victory. Once the junior running back got going no Jaguar defender could keep up with him.
Emily Engle, girl’s water polo, Lodi: In Lodi’s SJS D1 first-round match against Edison, Engle and the Flames were clicking offensively. Engle finished with three goals to help her team beat the Vikings 20-2. The Flames have advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to Engle and the rest of their offensive contributors.
Julio Garcia, football, Lathrop: Garcia helped kickstart Lathrop’s historic SJS Division 5 first-round playoff win over Foothill. The senior running back rushed for two touchdowns in the Spartans' 47-0 win marking the program’s first-ever playoff win in school history. Lathrop will take on the No. 2 seed Casa Roble next week in the quarterfinals.
Parker Orlando, girls’ tennis, St. Mary’s: All season long Orlando has been near unstoppable on the court for St. Mary’s. She ended the season with a perfect 12-0 singles record and won the Tri-City Athletic League Championship. This stellar performance earned Orlando a spot in the Sac-Joaquin Section Individual Tournament which was held from Nov. 2-3.
Jordan Vander Veen, girls’ volleyball, Ripon Christian: Vander Veen played an essential role in the Knights semifinals vs. El Dorado on Oct. 31. The 5-foot-9 outside hitter led her team offensively with 13 kills. She also added six digs and a block on the defensive side of the game. Ripon Christian went on to sweep the Cougars to advance to the SJS Division 4 championship game against Ripon on Nov. 4.
Dax Weber, football, Linden: It was a defensive battle between Linden and Golden Valley in the SJS Division 3 first-round game. Weber who plays both sides of the ball for the Lions came away with the game-winning pass deflection to secure the 10-0 victory over the Cougars. The junior also scored his team’s lone touchdown a three-yard rush and racked up three interceptions.
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: Record Athlete of the Week: Linden's Dax Weber
