The Post-Dispatch Athletes of the Week is compiled by Chris Gove based off stats reported to . Please send nominations to cgove@stltoday.com by noon each Monday.
Maddy Bach, Parkway West volleyball
The Longhorns won five of six matches and ended a 19-year losing streak against two-time defending state champion Lafayette behind Bach, a 5-foot-9 senior setter who has committed to play at the NCAA Division I level for the University of Memphis. She had 35 assists, eight digs and two kills in West’s 25-18, 25-22, 25-19 win at Lafayette to tie for the Suburban Conference Yellow Pool title. It was the first victory in the series since 2004 for the Longhorns, who went 5-1 for the week including a runner-up finish in the Lutheran South tournament. Bach averaged 10.1 assists per set to help lead the charge (she is West’s all-time assists leader) and also eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career.
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Emma Bolden, Bayless softball
A sophomore infielder who was a first team all-South Central Activities Association selection last season, Bolden helped the Bronchos to a four-victory week as they improved to 11-3 on the eve of the postseason. In a 13-2 victory against SCAA rival Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Bolden was 4 for 4 with three RBI, five stolen bases, three runs, one double and one triple. She also had two hits and two RBI in victories against McCluer and Hancock and totaled 19 stolen bases over the four games. In a 25-15 win over University City, Bolden coaxed four walks and scored four runs. Bolden ranks among area leaders with a .634 batting average, 36 stolen bases and 33 runs scored with an on-base percentage of .732.
Jack Brown, Francis Howell Central football
A 6-foot-5, 205-pound sophomore tight end and outside linebacker who is one of the area’s top NCAA Division I recruits in his class, Brown had a breakout offensive game to help the Spartans beat Francis Howell North 59-14 for their second consecutive GAC South Division victory. A multi-sport athlete and second-year varsity football player, Brown had six receptions for 265 yards and three touchdowns to set a program record for single-game receiving yards. It also is the top single-game receiving yardage game in the area this season. For the season, Brown has 16 receptions for 527 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, he has 22 tackles with 10 tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery.
Michael Clark, Lutheran North football
A 5-foot-8 and 150-pound junior receiver and defensive back, Clark had the biggest single-game receiving performance of his career to help North beat Maryville 40-7 in Chillicothe. Clark caught five passes for 261 yards and three long touchdowns from Jonathan Moore, starting with a 96-yarder midway through the first quarter to open the scoring. Clark’s second TD reception went for 62 yards in the final minute of the first half, and he scored from 64 yards out less than a minute into the second half as North broke open a competitive game. For the season, he has 19 catches for 464 yards and seven total TDs. A standout track athlete, he won the Class 3 state championship last May in the 400 meters.
Cohenn Stark, Northwest Cedar Hill football
A senior quarterback and defensive back, Stark helped the Lions snap a four-game losing streak with a 35-14 victory against Hazelwood West in a Suburban Conference Orange Pool game. Stark led Week 7 area rushers with a career-high 265 yards on 25 carries, which included a 75-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to give the Lions a 28-14 lead. He completed five of 12 passes for 101 yards and a 36-yard TD pass to Omarion Frazier while also making an interception on defense and averaging 45 yards on two punts. A state-qualifying wrestler as a freshman who also competes in track and field, Stark has rushed for 722 yards and six touchdowns this season and has 37 tackles with three sacks.
Hayden Wolfe, Borgia football
The Knights improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2017 with a 21-7 victory against Holt as Wolfe turned in his third game of the season with more than 200 rushing yards. A 6-foot, 190-pound senior running back and safety, Wolfe ran for a career-high 230 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. He scored on a 29-yard run in the third quarter to give the Knights a 14-7 lead before scampering for an 80-yard score with 1:53 to play in the game to ice the result. Wolfe, who also had one interception, is second in the area in scoring (132 points), rushing yards (1,157) and total yards (1,265) this season. In Borgia career history, he ranks third with 2,866 rushing yards and has scored 52 total TDs, which ranks second.
Kindall Young, Summit football
The Falcons remained unbeaten in the Suburban Conference Red Pool standings with a 38-35 victory against Ladue behind a breakout game by Young, a 5-foot-8 and 145-pound sophomore running back and kick returner. Young had 32 carries for 193 yards, both career highs, and scored two rushing touchdowns — a 9-yarder for the first points of the game in the first quarter and a 3-yarder to give the Falcons a 35-28 lead early in the fourth. Young also returned four kickoffs for 76 yards, a 19-yard average. For the season, Young leads the conference with 682 rushing yards on 120 carries and has seven rushing TDs. He has four games with better than 100 rushing yards and three games with two touchdowns.