Welcome back to another year of high school sports.
And that means the PNJ Athlete of the Week award returns. Be sure to vote early and vote often! Every week until the end of the 2024-25 athletics season, the PNJ will release a list of area athletes from every sport in-season, and that's where you come in: vote who you think should win the award.
The polls will be open until each Saturday at 11 a.m. of that week. Each weekly winner will be awarded a one-of-a-kind PNJ Athlete of the Week shirt provided by BSN SPORTS. The poll is exclusively on PNJ.com.
Winners will be contacted early next week after the poll closes.
Nominees are accepted via email or phone, but will be selected by staff in the absence of submission. The poll is decided by the PNJ sports staff and finalized the Sunday before the poll opens.
Note: Is your team or sport missing from Athlete of the Week? Be sure to file statistics with PNJ staff or keep your MaxPreps page up to date.
Ben Grieco can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) or via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
Football (offense), Christian Neptune (Tate): The Aggies posted their second shutout of the season with a 41-0 win over Gulf Breeze, and Christian Neptune had himself a night on offense. Neptune hauled in three touchdown receptions in the win (almost four, had it not been negated by a penalty) and had over 100 yards receiving to lead Tate. This is his second week in a row leading Tate in receiving yards, and has caught touchdowns in both games the Aggies have played so far.
Football (defense), Terius Mason (Pensacola Catholic): Part of a staunch defensive line for the Crusaders, Mason was a big part of the team's win on Friday against Pace, 34-20, as the defensive line was tasked with stopping the Patriots' strong run game. Mason finished the game with eight tackles (1 solo, 7 assisted). That's not all. As the first half expired, Mason leapt up and recorded an interception, returning it for 19 yards across midfield. That play led to a touchdown for Pensacola Catholic, which gave the team a 27-6 advantage at halftime.
Volleyball, Bella Satterwhite (Gulf Breeze): Bella Satterwhite hasn't missed a beat after starting her senior season with the Dolphins, coming off a 2023 PNJ Player of the Year campaign. Leading Gulf Breeze to an incredible 7-0 record during the week (with five tournament games in Alabama on Friday and Saturday), Satterwhite had a couple big games against Chiles and Bayside Academy during the week (stats from the weekend have not been reported yet). Against Chiles, Satterwhite led the team with 17 kills and four aces, tacking on 10 digs in the process. In the win over Bayside Academy (Ala.), Satterwhite posted eight kills, an ace, two blocks and 10 digs.
Boys swimming and diving, Max Little (Booker T. Washington): At the first Multi-Team Meet hosted by the Wildcats, Little continued off his momentum from a strong 2023 campaign and won two individual events, plus was part of two first-place relays for Booker T. Individually, Little won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 0.75 seconds, beating second place by nearly five seconds. Little also won the 100-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 1:00.41, beating out second place by 1 1/2 seconds. Little swam the breaststroke leg of the Wildcats' 200-yard medley relayed that posted an overall time of 1:41.12, and was the second leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay, which clocked in at 1:31.39, taking first place by more than 10 seconds.
Girls swimming and diving, Taylor Clements (West Florida): Also at the first Multi-Team Meet at Booker T. Washington, Clements cemented her spot as one of the area's top swimmers. Clements won two individual events and aided the Jaguars to two relay victories. Individually, Clements won the 50-yard freestyle, clocking in at 24.90 seconds. She also claimed the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:01.83. In the 200-yard medley relay, Clements was the backstroke leg of the squad, setting the tone early and pushing West Florida to a first-place finish with an overall time of 2:01.01. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Clements was the anchor (the fourth leg), helping secure a first-place finish with an overall time of 1:48.46.
Boys cross country, Carson Ohman (Pensacola Christian): The Warriors accomplished the perfect team finish, taking first through fifth place at the Pace Patriot Invitational on Saturday. Leading the way for Pensacola Christian was Carson Ohman, who completed the five-kilometer race in 16 minutes, 45 seconds, averaging a mile time of 5 minutes, 23 seconds. He finished first overall out of 138 runners.
Girls cross country, Jaimee Tutton (Pensacola Christian): The PCA girls also won the Pace Patriot Invitational, earning 19 points as a team on Saturday. The Warriors had runners in first, third, fifth, sixth and seventh place. Jaimee Tutton led the way for Pensacola Christian, claiming first place out of 103 runners with a time of 19 minutes, 11 seconds, averaging a mile time of 6 minutes, 10 seconds.
Boys golf, Hudson Mitchell (Pensacola Catholic): The Crusaders won their third match of the season on Thursday, beating rival Gulf Breeze at Tiger Point Golf Club, 151-156. Hudson Mitchell tied for low medalist honors (along with Gulf Breeze's Mark Piver), shooting a one-under par 35 for the Crusaders in the nine-hole round. Mitchell's birdie came on the par-four fifth hole at Tiger Point, which was a 370-yard hole.
Girls golf, Riley Bounds (Gulf Breeze): The Dolphins secured a tri-match victory over county foes Navarre and Milton on Thursday, totaling a team score of 177, as opposed to Navarre's 183 and Milton's 232, at The Club at Hidden Creek in Navarre. Junior Riley Bounds tied for low medalist honors, shooting a 41 (tying with teammate Michelle Burt), carding two birdies during the round on the par-four sixth hole and the par-three seventh hole.
