With the 2025 Texas high school football and volleyball seasons in full swing, the Big Country’s top fall sports athletes shined across the Lone Star State last week.
Several athletes had standout performances during the last week and have been nominated for this week’s edition of the Abilene Reporter-News’ City National Bank High School Athlete of the Week.
The Reporter-News is taking weekly nominations and will release a list of finalists for the City National Bank Athlete of the Week at the beginning of each week.
Please include statistics from the week’s games and any pertinent information or honors.
Students in all varsity sports are eligible and can only be named Athlete of the Week one time per season, per sport, and athletes from one school cannot win more than three consecutive weeks.
The poll will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday and the winner will be announced Thursday morning.
Nominations are due by 7 p.m. Saturday and can be submitted through email at sports@reporternews.com or Andrew.McCulloch@reporternews.com.
Take a look at this week’s candidates and cast your vote.
Candidates for the Abilene Reporter-News’ High School Athlete of the Week are listed in alphabetical order below.
Tayden Bender, Abilene Cooper
Bender hauled in six catches for a team-high 120 receiving yards and a touchdown in Cooper’s 77-35 loss to Argyle in the area round of the 5A DII UIL Playoffs.
Bryce Burkeen, De Leon
Burkeen secured five catches for 164 receiving yards – both game highs – and two touchdown grabs offensively and added four tackles and a forced fumble defensively in the Bearcats’ decisive 74-46 win over Frankston in the area round of the 2A DI playoffs.
Jaden Carrillo, Abilene Cooper
Carrillo threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-36 passing in the Cougars’ 77-35 loss to Argyle in the area round of the 5A DII Texas high school football playoffs.
Clay Chapman, Albany
Chapman led the Lions to a dominant 35-15 victory over Quanah in the area round of the 2A DII UIL Playoffs after throwing for 187 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-8 passing and scrambling for a team-high 105 rushing yards and a pair of touchdown runs on 10 carries.
Judson Coalson, Brownwood
Coalson threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 13-of-20 passing to lead the Lions offensively in a bitterly close 31-28 loss to Canyon in the area round of the 4A DI playoffs.
Tayvious Collier, Abilene Cooper
Collier caught two passes for 38 yards and a receiving touchdown and also scored on an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown in Abilene Cooper’s 77-35 loss to Argyle in the area round of the 5A DII UIL Playoffs.
Aiden Ellis, Tuscola Jim Ned
Ellis’ power running paved the way for the Indians’ potent offense in a 24-20 win over Bushland in the area round of the 3A DI Texas high school football playoffs. He finished a strong night on the ground with 96 rushing yards and a touchdown run on a game-high 17 carries.
Miles Follis, Stamford
Follis shined in the area round of the 2A DI UIL Playoffs, as the Bulldogs’ sophomore signal caller threw for a career-high 305 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing in Stamford’s 21-20 loss to New Home.
Stone Griffon, Tuscola Jim Ned
Griffon ran for 21 rushing yards offensively and snagged the game-clinching interception for the Indians defensively in their 24-20 area round victory over Bushland in the 3A DI UIL Playoffs.
Cash Gwinn, Tuscola Jim Ned
Gwinn racked up a team-high 109 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground off nine carries and tallied 110 yards and a touchdown through the air on 7-of-14 passing to lead Jim Ned to a 24-20 area round win over Bushland in the 3A DI playoffs.
Heston Jobe, De Leon
Jobe had his best game of the year through the air, throwing for 379 yards and eight touchdowns – including a 98-yard touchdown pass – on 20-of-24 passing as the Bearcats mauled previously undefeated Frankston 74-46 in the area round of the 2A DI UIL Playoffs.
Max Jones, De Leon
Jones tallied four receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns offensively as well as two tackles and two pass deflections defensively to help De Leon overwhelm previously unbeaten Frankston in a 74-46 victory in the area round of the 2A DI UIL Playoffs.
Trot Jordan, Stephenville
Jordan diced up Dumas’ defense through the air, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing in Stephenville’s dominant 55-7 area round victory against the Demons in the 4A DI UIL Playoffs.
Austin Joslin, Coahoma
Joslin racked up 314 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 56-27 area round loss to Canadian in the 3A DII Texas high school football playoffs.
Easton Malone, Merkel
Malone made plays all over the field in the Badgers’ bitterly close 43-36 loss to Slaton in the area round of the 3A DII playoffs. He caught a 15-yard touchdown reception, threw for 163 yards on 14-of-20 passing and ran for 94 yards and a rushing touchdown on 12 carries.
Zyler McClendon, Stephenville
McClendon ran wild in the Yellow Jackets’ runaway 55-7 win over Dumas in the area round of the 4A DI playoffs, racking up 100 yards and three rushing touchdowns on just 11 carries.
Colby McIlroy, Cisco
McIlroy threw for 163 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-9 passing and also ran for a team-high 98 rushing yards and a touchdown run on 12 carries to power the Loboes to a 21-20 victory against Panhandle in the area round of the 2A DI UIL Playoffs.
Caden Monk, Stephenville
Monk hauled in five catches for 145 receiving yards – both game highs – and a touchdown grab in Stephenville’s 55-7 victory against Dumas in the area round of the 4A DI Texas high school football playoffs.
Carson Noe, Brownwood
Noe hauled in a game-high eight catches for a team-high 175 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Brownwood’s 31-28 area round loss to Canyon in the 4A DI playoffs.
Aiden Romo, Hawley
Romo tallied 114 passing yards, 92 rushing yards and four total touchdowns in the Bearcats’ 30-26 loss to Stinnett West Texas in the area round of the 2A DI playoffs.
Adan Salinas, De Leon
Salinas racked up 152 rushing yards and two touchdown runs on 26 carries to power De Leon to a dominant 74-46 win against Frankston in the area round of the 2A DI Texas high school football playoffs.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Who should be the City National Bank Athlete of the Week? (Nov. 17-23)
