Voting continues for Breeze Athlete of the Month
Voting for the Cape Coral Breeze Athlete of the Month for September is now open.
The Breeze had countless top performances from student-athletes in its coverage area to start the new year and now it’s up to readers to decide who will earn top honors for the month.
Nominees for September include:
• Mackenzie De Lisle, sophomore, Bishop Verot Vikings: De Lisle opened the year as the top runner in the 5,000 meters at both the Lemon Bay invitational and Dunbar Tiger Jamboree, posting a sub-19 minute time at her most recent event among more than 100 runners.
• Carter Smith, sophomore, Bishop Verot Vikings: Smith played a major role in the Vikings’ 57-49 win to start the regular season. The quarterback threw for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns, while rushing for 85 yards and 3 additional touchdowns.
• Hannah Slutz, senior, Cape Coral Seahawks: The senior leader turned in a pair of solid performances in two Seahawk wins for the week. She compiled 26 kills, 27 digs, and 11 aces over the two games.
• Gervaris Leaphart, sophomore, Island Coast Gators: The second-year back rushed for 135 yards on 20 attempts, scoring three touchdowns including a 53-yard run to help the Gators to a 24-21 win over Everglades.
• Hailey Painter, junior, North Fort Myers Red Knights: Painter helped lead the Red Knights to a pair of victories for the week for a team off to a great start. The junior collected 43 total assists, 13 kills, 9 aces and 9 digs over the two contests.
• Declan Ziomek, senior, Cape Coral Seahawks: The senior set a personal best and was tops at the Fort Myers Cross Country Invitational, posting a time of 16:17.50. Ziomek also finished first at the DDD Sommer Invitational and second at the Dunbar Tigers Jamboree.
• Levontai “Bo” Summersett, senior, North Fort Myers Red Knights: The all-around athlete set a single-game school record for receptions, reeling in 8 passes for 122 yards. “Bo” also recorded two interceptions and a forced fumble.
• Bryce Duross, junior, North Fort Myers Red Knights: The junior quarterback was 12 of 22 through the air for 224 yards with 2 touchdowns and ran for another in the Red Knights’ shutout win over Lemon Bay.
• Jazlyn Forbes, freshman, Oasis High Sharks: Forbes finished second among 78 runners and ran a personal best 20:02.50 in the 5,000 meters at the 33rd Triton Invitational, where Oasis finished first. The freshman also finished second at the North Port Invitational the week prior — another first-place finish for the Sharks.
• Dustin Paladino, Senior, Island Coast Gators: The running back scored the game-winning touchdown from 5 yards out with just 22 seconds left to propel the Gators to a 20-17 come-from-behind win over East Lee County. Paladino totaled 101 yards on the ground via 19 carries.
Athlete of the Month nominees are comprised of the Breeze’s staff-selected Athletes of the Week for that respective month. To vote, visit www.capecoral breeze.com and click the Athlete of the Month Vote Now icon along the right-hand side.
To reach Breeze Staff Report , please email news@breezenewspapers.com