Here are the UTMB Athletes of the Week, as the Fall season continues to heat up.
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Tate Chisolm — Pearland Football
Some of the stars of 2024-25 Pearland Football
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
Following a narrow 19-12 defeat at the hands of Fulshear in the season opener, Pearland responded by claiming victories in each of their subsequent six matches — in dominating fashion.
Now, the Oilers (6-1) are poised atop the District 22-6A standings, tied only with Shadow Creek (6-1).
The defense has been playing lights out (10.4 points allowed/game), which is what we’ve come to expect. However, the offense is just as critical — contributing roughly 40 points per contest.
While the connection between Jake Westmoreland (Jr. QB) and Jordan Hernandez (Jr. WR) can give any opposing defensive coordinator a headache, the catalyst behind the team’s barrage comes from their ground game — led by Tate Chisolm.
The senior running back was a first-team, all-district selection a year ago, and now we know why.
In the absence of the, now, graduated LaDamion McDowell, Chisolm has accumulated 785 all-purpose yards and 10 scores entering the eighth week of the regular season.
As mentioned earlier, the Oilers are currently tied with Shadow Creek for the top spot in the district. The true test for them will be when the two face off next Friday on the Sharks’ home turf.
Mycah Whittemore — Deer Park Volleyball
Alex Hinson (VYPE)
It hasn’t always been easy-sledding for the Deer in 2024.
However, given the quality of opponents they’ve competed with throughout the first half of the year — namely Stratford, Seven Lakes, The Woodlands, Friendswood, College Park, etc. — you can’t fault them too much.
Despite that, coach Cortni Cox’s squad now maintains a 19-18 record, which includes a 7-3 start in district to put them 3rd overall.
Offense certainly hasn’t been an issue, with senior OH Mycah Whittemore headlining the relatively young group.
As it stands, Whittemore has tallied well over 400 kills, averaging 4 per set.
Paired with the talents of Erin Goodson (Jr. DS), Abi Woodson (Jr. S), and Alixandra Klein (So. OH), a trip to the playoffs should be well within the reach of Deer Park.
Chris Stewart — Shadow Creek Football
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Similar to their district counterpart Pearland, Shadow Creek dropped the first game of the season — although it was against 2023 State Finalist Summer Creek — before taking home the W in their next six contests.
This roster is clearly loaded with skill on both sides of the ball.
However, the brightest star for the Sharks this campaign has unquestionably been that of Chris Stewart (Jr. WR).
Stewart was named a unanimous first-teamer in 2023, before committing to Texas in July.
Throughout this season, though, he’s already brought in 34 receptions for nearly 600 yards (85 ypg) and 10 touchdowns. If that wasn’t enough, Stewart is also a force in the return game, adding on 332 extra yards, which includes two more scores off punts.
After resting up this week during their bye, Stewart and company will look to potentially seal a District 22-6A title when facing Pearland next Friday.
Taylor Ranney — Dawson Volleyball
Some of the stars of 2024-25 Dawson Volleyball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
It wasn’t a huge secret that Dawson was going to be among the top clubs in H-Town, entering this Fall.
While they’ve had their fair share of close battles, the Eagles are rapidly picking up speed at the perfect time, having won each of their last 10 games to bring their record to 28-10.
In the second round of district-play, they are coming off instrumental wins against Shadow Creek (3-2) and Pearland (3-0), which has ascended them into the top-10 of our weekly city-wide rankings.
We’ve talked about Kennedy Jones (Sr. MH). We’ve talked about Jenna Thedford (Jr. L). But one name that has flown quietly under the radar is none other than Taylor Ranney.
Dawson’s junior setter recently surpassed the 1,000-assist mark on the year, which is a remarkable achievement, in and of itself.
Furthermore, Ranney has contributed 245 digs and 83 kills, making her a key weapon in each phase of the game.
One thing has been made abundantly clear: these Eagles are going to be a feared opponent entering the the postseason.
Julian Salazar — Clear Springs Football
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
The Chargers have proven to be one of the most consistent teams in Houston as we approach the final stages of the 2024 season.
Under the direction of coach Anthony Renfro, Clear Springs improved to 5-1 with their most recent 50-21 thrashing of Brazoswood.
It was mentioned, not too long ago, that the connection between senior signal-caller Julian Salazar and Arizona-commit Muizz Tounkara (Sr. WR) would pay dividends for the offense, and that notion still stands today.
Salazar received District 24-6A Offensive MVP honors last Fall, and appears to be in the running for a full-on District MVP nod come November.
Before he moves on to Lamar next year, however, there is still a task at hand, with critical matchups against Clear Falls (10/18), Dickinson (10/25) and Deer Park (11/1) on the horizon, and a likely playoff appearance to follow.
