{"id":8718246,"date":"2023-01-17T11:10:52","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T19:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8718246&preview=true&preview_id=8718246"},"modified":"2023-01-17T12:31:50","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T20:31:50","slug":"vote-now-bay-area-news-group-boys-athlete-of-the-week-64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2023\/01\/17\/vote-now-bay-area-news-group-boys-athlete-of-the-week-64\/","title":{"rendered":"Vote now: Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/i><\/b> We prohibit the use of bots and any other artificial methods of voting. Suspicious activity could lead to the disqualification of candidates and a permanent suspension of the Athlete of the Week poll.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (<\/span>Mercury News<\/span><\/a> & <\/span>East Bay Times<\/span><\/a>) <\/span>boys Athlete of the Week poll.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, we consider performances from Jan. 9-14.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, polls close at 5 p.m. Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vote as many times as you\u2019d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Votes by email are not counted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scroll to the bottom for the poll.<\/span><\/p>\n

Winners are announced each Friday online and, starting Sept. 30, in the print edition of the Mercury News and East Bay Times sports sections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at <\/span>highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also review stats submitted to <\/span>MaxPreps<\/span><\/a> by coaches\/team statisticians.<\/span><\/p>\n

On to the nominees:<\/span><\/p>\n

Alec Balica, Castro Valley soccer:<\/strong> The junior had himself a game against Encinal, scoring four goals to lead the Trojans to a 7-1 victory in West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division play. Balica continued his torrid play to open this week, scoring two goals Monday in a 4-0 win over San Leandro, which improved Castro Valley’s record to 6-2-3 overall and 4-1-1 in the league.<\/p>\n

Josh Clark, Oakland basketball:<\/strong> The senior scored in double figures in both of the Wildcats’ victories in Oakland Athletic League play last week. He had 11 points in a 56-48 victory over Fremont-Oakland and 12 in an 81-43 rout of Skyline. Clark shot a combined 50% (8 of 16) from the field.<\/p>\n

Andre Gonzalez Lombera, Menlo School soccer:<\/strong> The junior scored in the 75th minute as Menlo defeated The King’s Academy 3-2. He also scored twice in a 3-2 win over Crystal Springs and had a goal in a 3-0 win over Harker as the Knights improved to 3-0 in West Bay Athletic League play.<\/p>\n

Max Houghton, Los Gatos basketball:<\/strong> Led the way with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Wildcats defeated Los Altos 52-33 on Friday. Two days earlier, he had 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting — and 6 for 6 free-throw shooting — in a 60-41 victory over Palo Alto. Los Gatos ended the week 11-4 overall and 3-0 in its league.<\/p>\n

Braddock Kjellesvig, Christopher basketball:<\/strong> The 6-foot-6 sophomore finished with 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds as Christopher defeated Oak Grove 59-50 in a BVAL Mt. Hamilton East Division opener. The forward\/center followed that game with 26 points and 15 rebounds on 13-of-15 shooting in a 67-42 rout of Santa Teresa on Friday as Christopher improved to 11-3, 2-0.<\/p>\n

Samir O\u2019Brien, Berkeley basketball:<\/strong> Coming off a tough loss to Alameda in league play on Friday, Berkeley bounced back on Saturday at its MLK Classic with a stunning 52-34 victory over seventh-ranked California as O\u2019Brien led the Yellowjackets in scoring with 14 points. The result improved Berkeley’s record to 12-5.<\/p>\n