The San Joaquin County has spoken: Venture Academy girls basketball Kelyiana Neal is Martin Dentistry’s Athlete of the Week for Feb. 2-7.
In an online poll that closed Thursday, Neal earned just under 63% of the votes with 3,337 ballots cast. Millennium girls basketball Sarah Digiallonardo placed second with 1,781 votes.
Scoring 1,000 career points isn’t an accident. It’s the result of years of steady production, resilience and a player willing to carry responsibility.
Kelyiana Neal has done exactly that.
The Venture Academy standout reached the 1,000-point milestone this week, joining a group few high school players ever enter.
She didn’t ease into it, either. On Feb. 5, Neal delivered 29 points and nine steals in a 60-20 win over Turlock Christian, crossing the career mark in the process.
The performance reflected the traits that got her there — scoring touch, defensive pressure and a willingness to impact both ends of the floor.
Milestones like 1,000 points demand consistency over seasons, not just weeks. Neal has provided that, steadily building her totals game by game.
Already recognized as the Central California Athletic Alliance MVP a year ago, she has paired production with recognition, earning respect across the league.
But this achievement adds something different. It places her name in program history, connecting this season to the years of work that led up to it.
Neal’s scoring has never come from one dimension. She attacks in transition, pressures defensively and creates opportunities that extend beyond points.
Reaching 1,000 is a benchmark, not a finish line. And if this week showed anything, it’s that Neal isn’t slowing down simply because she’s reached it.
For Venture Academy, the milestone belongs to the program as well. But the consistency, durability and edge required to get there belong to Neal alone.
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 Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Galt and Oakdale.
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, Feb. 12. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the Feb. 2-7 nominees (Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Sarah Digiallonardo, Girls Basketball, Millennium
Judging by her presence on the glass, Sarah Digiallonardo appears to tower over the competition.
Instead, at 5-foot-8, the Millennium standout dominates through effort, timing and relentless pursuit.
She delivered again Feb. 3, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a 52-15 win over ALHA.
That control continued Feb. 5, when Digiallonardo pulled down 14 rebounds to go with seven points in a 33-17 win over RIHS.
The consistency has been striking. Digiallonardo is averaging 15 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, has not dipped below 11 rebounds in any contest and has recorded a double-double in all but four games — production that has Millennium two wins away from a CCAAL title.
Layla Garcia-Gonzalez, Girls Soccer, Oakdale
Something special is happening at Oakdale.
The Tigers are 17-2-2, and with every match, the case grows that this could be the best season in program history.
Even more impressive, the catalyst is a freshman. Layla Garcia-Gonzalez has taken over as the heartbeat of the team.
She delivered again with a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win over Mountain House, then poured in two goals in a 7-1 win over East Union two days later.
Oakdale hasn’t won the VOL since 2010-11, but that wait looks ready to end. Garcia-Gonzalez now has 21 goals and 16 assists, and with one match left, the Tigers are on track to run the table in league play.
Yandel Gutierrez, Boys Soccer, East Union
At this point, stopping Yandel Gutierrez feels impossible.
No matter the opponent or the moment, the East Union sophomore keeps finding the back of the net.
He added another goal Feb. 3 in a 2-2 draw against Sierra, a match that once again leaned on his finishing.
Then came Feb. 5. Against Central Catholic, Gutierrez exploded for five goals in a 12-0 win, making something extraordinary look routine. It marked his seventh match this season with three or more goals.
The jump is staggering — from nine goals a year ago to 44 and counting this season. And somehow, he’s still only a sophomore.
Kelyiana Neal, Girls Basketball, Venture Academy
Very few players ever reach 1,000 career points.
Doing so requires consistency, durability and a scoring edge that separates the best from everyone else.
This week, Kelyiana Neal joined that elite group — and she didn’t do it quietly.
On Feb. 5, Neal poured in 29 points and added nine steals in a 60-20 win over Turlock Christian, reaching the 1,000-point milestone in the process.
Already a Central California Athletic Alliance MVP a year ago, Neal has now paired individual dominance with lasting history.
Emily Portillo, Girls Soccer, Liberty Ranch
Some players need time. Emily Portillo didn’t.
As a freshman, she has already figured out how to score — and how to do it in bunches.
Portillo opened the week with a goal in a 3-0 win over Rosemont on Feb. 4. Two days later, she turned routine into remarkable, scoring four goals and adding an assist in a 10-0 win over BCHS on Feb. 6.
The numbers continue to grow. Portillo now sits at 31 goals and 16 assists on the season, setting a new bar for first-year players.
She’s doing it all for a Liberty Ranch squad that is 13-0 in SVC play, has already clinched the league title and is one game away from completing a perfect league run.
Siannah Rios, Girls Basketball, Bear Creek
Bear Creek’s surge has been impossible to miss since Jan. 6.
With Touraya Blakey in the lineup, the Bruins have ripped off 12 wins in their last 13 games and reshaped the season.
But while the headlines follow the newcomer, Siannah Rios keeps delivering. The four-year varsity guard has been a constant, blending experience with timely scoring.
She showed it Feb. 3, scoring 19 points in a 52-37 win over Stagg. Two days later, Rios added 16 points in a 60-34 win over McNair, clinching the No. 1 seed in the SJAA tournament.
Just a year removed from an ACL tear, Rios is now averaging 13.5 points per game and hasn’t missed a contest — a comeback that mirrors Bear Creek’s rise.
Kevin Soto, Boys Soccer, Merrill West
It had been a long wait for Merrill West.
The program hadn’t claimed an outright TCAL title since the 2011-12 season, and even after sharing one with St. Mary’s in 2023-24, there was still unfinished business.
This season, that wait ended — and Kevin Soto was at the center of it.
The junior midfielder opened the week by scoring the first hat trick of his career in a 6-2 win over Kimball on Feb. 3. Two days later, on Merrill West’s home field, Soto scored again in a 4-1 win over St. Mary’s on Feb. 5 to clinch the outright TCAL championship.
From a midfield position not typically associated with goal totals, Soto leads Merrill West with 14 goals and has added six assists, balancing scoring with the defensive and playmaking duties that define his role.
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This article originally appeared on The Record: Meet the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week Feb. 2-7
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
