The fall season is in the books.
Winter is here — and that means basketball, wrestling and soccer are ready to take over.
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, Mountain House 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. 4. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the Nov. 24-29 nominees (Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Michael Balderrama, Boys Soccer, Weston Ranch
A hat trick is one of soccer’s toughest accomplishments.
Weston Ranch senior Michael Balderrama made it look easy.
In a 3-1 win over Mountain House on Nov. 24, he struck three times in the opening half, seizing momentum and never letting it go.
“After a poor start to our season Michael Balderrama took it upon himself to be a game changer,” coach Francisco Cisneros said. “He started off by playing aggressive defense and intercepting a pass to score his first goal. His second goal was a ‘banger’ assisted by teammate Alejandro Aguilar. He secured his hat trick in the first half by converting on a penalty kick.”
Kaliyah Byrd, Girls Basketball, Merrill West
When The Record named Kaliyah Byrd one of its top 20 marquee girls basketball players, expectations came with the recognition.
In the first week of her junior season, she met every one of them.
Across three games — a 74-33 win over Chavez on Nov. 24, a 70-39 loss at Escalon on Nov. 25 and a 54-23 win at Burbank on Nov. 29 — Byrd averaged 12.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks, impacting the game at every level.
“She is a force on defense and a 3-level threat on offense,” coach Darryl Hallman said.
Isabellah Crabb, Girls Basketball, Sierra
It’s rare for a player to handle positions one through four on offense and then turn around and guard those same spots on defense.
That versatility is every coach’s dream, and Sierra has it in Isabellah Crabb — a walking double-double who impacts every part of the game.
In a 58-20 win over Pitman on Nov. 22, Crabb posted 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and nine steals, finishing one takeaway short of a triple-double built on defense.
Three days later, in a 58-36 loss to Gregori, she nearly carried Sierra’s entire scoring load with 22 points, adding 10 rebounds and four steals.
Matalie Floyd, Girls Basketball, Kimball
Sixteen points. Fifteen rebounds. Ten blocks. The numbers alone can stop anyone cold.
A double-double is hard enough. A triple-double is even tougher. Reaching double digits in blocks is almost unheard of. Doing all three in the same game is something else entirely.
Kimball center Matalie Floyd delivered that triple-double in a 47-38 loss to Lathrop on Nov. 25.
And it wasn’t an isolated performance. Three days earlier, in a 74-30 win over Stagg, she stacked eight points, 12 rebounds, five steals and an astonishing 15 blocks — yes, 15 blocks.
Yasmin Naweed, Girls Basketball, Mountain House
First varsity games don’t often look this calm — or this polished.
But Mountain House sophomore Yasmin Naweed stepped onto the floor on Nov. 25 and played like she’d been doing it for years.
She poured in 23 points against Riverbank in a 54-50 loss, outscoring every player on the court and keeping the Mustangs within reach throughout.
“She played good, solid defense and kept her team in the game with her outside shooting and drives to the goal,” coach Katrina Foster said.
For a debut, it was the kind of performance that hints at a major role ahead — one built on confidence, two-way play and scoring touch.
Rachel Prasad, Girls Wrestling, Mountain House
Match after match, Mountain House senior Rachel Prasad delivers results that reflect her skill, discipline and experience on the mat.
She started with an 18-2 technical fall over Lathrop at a dual meet on Nov. 24. At Tokay’s Goddess of War Tournament, entering as the No. 4 seed, she advanced with a win by fall in the opener and a 12-3 decision in the quarterfinals.
Her run was halted only by top-seeded Abigail English-Reed of Will C. Wood, the preseason No. 7 wrestler in California, in a narrow 2-1 semifinal. Prasad came back strong to pin No. 2 seed Bianca Nucamendi of Placer for third place.
“Rachel is being nominated because she currently has a record of 4-1 and lost only to the seventh-ranked wrestler in the state by Cal Grappler,” coach Jose Nunez said. “Also, three of her four wins have been by technical fall, and all five of her matches were this week.”
Siannnah Rios, Girls Basketball, Bear Creek
Just days after being named the SJAA’s 2025 Girls Flag Football MVP, Siannah Rios swapped cleats for sneakers — and made it look like she never missed a beat.
Her 17-point outing against Johansen on Nov. 22 served as the warm-up. The real reveal came in a 67-31 win over Central Valley on Nov. 25, where Rios erupted for 24 points and seven field goals.
Six of those makes came from beyond the arc, a reminder of how quickly she can change the rhythm of a game with her shooting. But her game doesn’t stop there.
Rios is Bear Creek’s captain, its tone-setter, and through two games she has averaged six steals — proof that her defensive presence matches her offensive firepower.
VOTE HERE
This article originally appeared on The Record: Vote now for the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week for Nov. 24-29
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
