VOTE for the Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Week for Jan. 5-10

Each week The Herald-Tribune staff will select nominees for the Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Week poll sponsored by Central Florida Behavioral Network, Inc. Nominees are derived from scores and stats emailed in by Sarasota and Manatee county coaches during the week to [email protected]. Readers can then vote in the online poll to determine the Boys Athlete of the Week.

The Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Week sponsored by Central Florida Behavioral Health Network for Dec. 15, 2025-Jan. 3, 2026, was Sarasota High basketball player Johnny Lackaff, who won the poll with 84.2% of the vote. Lackaff led Sarasota to a win over Garfield Heights (OH) with 23 points in the City of Palms Classic on Dec. 23.

A poll will be posted at heraldtribune.com each Monday, and voting will end at 10 a.m. Friday each week.

To vote, scroll to the bottom or CLICK HERE.

The nominees for the Boys Athlete of the Week for Jan. 5-10, 2026 are:

Basketball

Malakai Cuffy, Cardinal Mooney

Cuffy scored 11 points with 9 assists in a blowout win over Riverview (Tampa) and then followed that up with 11 points in a one-point win over Clearwater Central Catholic.

Carter Evans, Riverview

Evans scored 26 points with 9 rebounds in a loss to Sarasota and also scored 28 points with 7 rebounds in a win over Venice.

Gavin Henderson, Lakewood Ranch Prep Academy

Henderson scored 30 points in a win over Sarasota Military Academy and followed that up with 39 points in a double-overtime win over Lemon Bay.

Zahmir Jackson, Imagine School at North Port

Jackson scored 11 points with 6 rebounds in a win over Sarasota Christian and scored 12 points with 5 rebounds in a two-point win over Evangelical Christian.

Colton Lynch, Venice

Lynch scored 16 points with 9 rebounds in a win over IMG Academy White and scored 14 points with 16 rebounds in a close loss to Riverview.

Nathanael Mazon, Sarasota

Mazon scored a game-high 21 points in a nine-point win over Cardinal Mooney in a matchup of the area's two best boys basketball teams.

Stephen Morrison, Booker

Morrison scored 22 points in a win over Port Charlotte and scored 8 points in a loss to St. Petersburg Gibbs.

Soccer

Sean Mejia-Aponte, Braden River

Mejia-Aponte scored the deciding goal in a 1-0 win over Riverview.

Jackson Nuckols, Out-of-Door Academy

Nuckols scored 2 goals in a 3-0 win over Duval Charter and assisted on a goal in wins over Sarasota Christian and Bishop McLaughlin Catholic.

Noah Ovalle, Sarasota Christian

Ovalle scored a goal in back-to-back games, a loss to Bell Creek Academy and a win over First Academy.

Editor's Note: We reserve the right to disqualify a candidate or declare a vote "no contest" if tampering such as bots or offering to pay for voting is evident. Please respect the integrity of the vote the way these athletes respect the integrity of the game.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Vote for the Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Week for Jan. 5-10