The San Joaquin County has spoken: Tokay girls wrestler Zoe Mireles is Martin Dentistry’s Athlete of the Week for Dec. 1-6.
In an online poll that closed Thursday, Mireles earned just under 56% of the votes with 16,121 ballots cast. Lathrop boys soccer Andres Hurtado Garcia placed second with 11,461 votes.
Consistency isn’t common in wrestling — and it’s even rarer for a freshman. But Tokay’s Zoe Mireles has stepped into her first high school season with the composure of someone far beyond her years.
Every time she stepped onto the mat these past two weekends, she delivered the same result: a controlled, confident win that never wavered.
Her run began at the Goddess of War on Nov. 29, where the freshman went 4-0 and handled her bracket from start to finish. She wrestled with poise, dictated pace and never let a match slip into scramble mode.
A week later, at the Lady Royal Tournament at Overfelt High, she matched the performance exactly — another 4-0 sweep, another tournament title and another day where she looked unfazed by older, more experienced opponents.
The quality of those opponents makes her start even stronger. Across the two tournaments, Mireles recorded victories over three state qualifiers and four Masters placers, stacking high-level wins in rapid succession.
Those matchups weren’t routine tests. They were wrestlers accustomed to deep postseason runs — and Mireles beat them with the same calm approach she carried into every round.
Her style has become a problem for opponents. She’s patient without giving up pressure, disciplined in her positioning and sharp in her technique, traits that aren’t common for most underclassmen.
That blend is part of what fuels her early momentum. Mireles doesn’t rely on a single move or burst; she wins through control, decision-making and a maturity well beyond her freshman status.
Two tournaments, two titles and an undefeated week paint a clear picture of where her ceiling might be. And for a ninth-grader just beginning her high school career, the foundation she’s building is already impressive.
With a start like this, Mireles isn’t simply winning — she’s announcing herself as one of the county’s top young wrestlers to watch.
Here’s a look at the past winners:
Original story: The Record will nominate several high school athletes in San Joaquin County for the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week award.
It’s up to you, the readers, to choose the winner.
The Martin Dentistry Award highlights top performances from 209-area schools — excluding boys basketball, which has its own poll. This week’s ballot features seven nominees from Stockon, Tracy, Lathrop, Mountain House, Lodi, Galt and Manteca.
Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Dylan Ackermann at dackermann@gannett.com. Please include the player’s stats and a photo if possible.
The poll at the bottom of this page closes at noon on Thursday, Dec. 11. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the Dec. 1-6 nominees (Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Andres Hurtado Garcia, Boys Soccer, Lathrop
If Lathrop needed a spark this week, Andres Hurtado Garcia brought a whole box of matches. The forward tore through six straight games, piling up goals and assists while powering the Spartans to win after win.
He set the tone early with two goals and an assist in a 4–0 shutout of St. Mary’s on Dec. 1. By Dec. 3, he was at it again, dropping an assist in a 3–2 win over East Union.
Then came the Mendiola Classico on Dec. 5–6, where he stayed hot. Hurtado Garcia posted a goal and an assist in a 4–0 win over Sierra, added another goal and assist in a 2–1 victory over Patterson, and recorded an assist in a 1–0 win over Turlock. He closed the event with a goal in a 3–0 win over Downey.
His seven goals now sit tied for the most in San Joaquin County — a number fueled by how dangerous he has been in every phase of the attack.
“Andres is just dominating versus tough competition,” Lathrop coach Alfredo Reynaga said. “Great player but an outstanding, respectful young man. He’s a great leader.”
Madelyn Hernandez, Girls Soccer, Kimball
Some strikers wait for chances. Madelyn Hernandez went out and found them — over and over — in Kimball’s Dec. 3 match against Millennium.
Wherever the open space appeared, she beat the defense to it.
Playing at center forward, Hernandez slipped into pockets most players don’t even notice, turning six shots into a three-goal performance. Each finish came from a smooth first touch and the calm that follows when a forward knows exactly what she wants to do next.
She stayed on the pitch all 80 minutes, constantly shifting, checking and showing for the ball. Her movement never stopped, and neither did the pressure she put on the back line.
By the end, her hat trick had defined the match, powering Kimball through a strong, confident win.
Zoe Mireles, Girls Wrestling, Tokay
Over the past two weekends, Zoe Mireles has been nothing but steady.
Every time she stepped on the mat, she delivered the same result — a clean, confident win.
Her run began at the Goddess of War on Nov. 29, where she finished 4-0 and controlled her bracket from start to finish. A week later, at the Lady Royal Tournament at Overfelt High, she matched it with another perfect 4-0 showing.
What stands out are the opponents she moved past. Mireles recorded victories over three state qualifiers and four Masters placers, stacking quality wins one after another.
With two straight tournament titles and an undefeated week, she has quickly put together a start that speaks for itself.
Anjulie Navarro, Girls Basketball, McNair
If buckets were falling anywhere on the court, chances are Anjulie Navarro put them there.
After dropping 37 points on Nov. 24 against Riverbank, she returned a week later and pushed past that number with a career-best 39 in McNair’s 68–44 win over Merrill West.
Her efficiency was just as striking as the total. Navarro hit 68% of her shots, relying less on long-range attempts and more on carving out space inside the arc. Only nine of her points came from threes, and just two from the line.
Instead, she feasted in the mid-range and at the rim, going 14 of 17 on two-pointers — a reminder that there’s still room in today’s game for players who dominate inside the arc with touch and control.
Even in an 84–38 loss to Woodcreek on Dec. 3, she stayed steady, adding 21 more points to finish off a week defined by consistent scoring at every level.
Luis Gabriel Reynoso, Boys Soccer, Mountain House
Six goals in one match? Most players only pull that off in video games.
But Luis Gabriel Reynoso made it real on Dec. 2, firing a double hat trick in Mountain House’s 10–2 win over Kimball.
On Dec. 2 against Kimball, he turned a routine night into something rare, scoring a double hat trick in Mountain House’s 10–2 win.
What made the performance stand out wasn’t just how many times he scored — it was how he made each chance appear. Reynoso weaved through defenders with ease, using an array of dribble moves to carve open lanes that didn’t look open at all.
Once he stepped into open space, the ball stayed glued to his feet. His touch kept him balanced, calm and ready to strike from any angle. And the moment he spotted daylight, he let it fly. One shot after another, each hammered home with the confidence of a forward who knew exactly where the ball was going.
Kaylee Rodriguez, Girls Soccer, Sierra
The way Sierra has played lately, “domination” might be the only word that fits — and at the center of it all sits Kaylee Rodriguez.
Her week began on Dec. 3 with two goals in a 7–0 win over Lathrop, setting the tone for what came next.
When the Timberwolves reached the Ervin Mendiola Memorial Classico at Woodward Park, they didn’t slow down. Instead, they tore through Lathrop, Downey, RIHS and East Union by a combined 21–1 over two days on Dec. 5-6.
Rodriguez kept finding the net along the way: two goals in the opener, two more in the next match and another in their third game as Sierra stamped its authority on the tournament.
The championship against East Union ended 1–1 and headed to penalty kicks. When it was her turn, Rodriguez stepped up and drilled a shot that nearly ripped through the net — one that pushed Sierra toward the title.
Haley Smith, Girls Basketball, Liberty Ranch
At Liberty Ranch, the nickname “the G.O.A.T.” gets tossed around exactly once — whenever Haley Smith checks in.
She broke the school’s career rebounding record as a sophomore and topped the all-time scoring list as a junior.
Now a senior, she’s putting more distance between herself and everyone who came before her. And Liberty Ranch’s 4–0 start has her fingerprints all over it.
She came into the week off two strong games — 15 points and six steals against Riverbank, then 30 points and 15 rebounds against Manteca. That momentum carried straight into Dec. 2, when she delivered 18 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 68–55 win over Pioneer.
She stayed busy two days later, adding 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 62–44 win over Sierra as the Hawks stayed unbeaten.
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This article originally appeared on The Record: Meet the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week for December 1-6
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
