Vote for the first Winter High School Sports Boys Athlete of the Week

It’s one way to keep warm this winter. Here’s our first (super sized) list of candidates for the Winter Daily New Boys High School Athlete of the Week.

They’ve scored in bunches, stonewalled opponents and stopped the clock.

Find out more about the 26 candidates in action from December 11-28 here:

Justice Cesar, Keefe Tech basketball: Scored 26 points with four 3-pointers against Norfolk Aggie.

Ben Clarkin, Lincoln-Sudbury basketball: Had three double-doubles including 19 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks vs. Medfield;10 points, 10 rebounds vs. Natick and18 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks vs. Doherty.

Matheus Dasilva, Milford basketball: Scored a school-record 51 points against Burncoat and added three rebounds and two assists.

Jason Drake, Medway hockey: Had hat trick vs. Grafton and two goals and an assist vs. Bellingham.

Conor Foley, Wellesley hockey: Made 25 saves vs. North Attleborough.

Rex Friedholm, Lincoln-Sudbury hockey: Accumulated five points on two goals and three assists vs. Andover.

Hudson sophomore alternate captain Timmy O'Malley takes a shot on DS/Weston junior goalkeeper William Goldstein (Weston) during the game at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Feb. 17, 2025. The Raiders defeated the Hawks, 7-2. — Hudson sophomore alternate captain Timmy O’Malley takes a shot on DS/Weston junior goalkeeper William Goldstein (Weston) during the game at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Feb. 17, 2025. The Raiders defeated the Hawks, 7-2.

Will Goldstein, Dover-Sherborn/Weston hockey: Stopped 24 shots in a shutout vs. Norton.

Peter Gubka, Franklin indoor track & field: Won 55-meter hurdles at the Winter Warrior Invitational in 7.87 seconds and placed second in 55 dash (6.66) and sixth in high jump (5 feet, 10 inches).

Wayland High’s Nathan Hartunian (top) pins Ashland’s Andrew Quiet, in their heavyweight match during the meet in Wayland, Jan. 16, 2025.

Nathan Hartunian, Wayland wrestling: Won Anthony Lisitano Memorial Tournament championship at 285 pounds, leading the Warriors to the team title. Helped Warriors win Framingham’s Dan Balboni Classic for the first time in program history.

Andrew Karaban, Hudson basketball: Scored 27 points against Quabbin, including 19 in the second half.

Kaiwan Kimble, Marlborough basketball: Dropped 31 points against Assabet Valley and added 11 points vs. Fitchburg.

Simon Linden, Algonquin boys swimming: Won the 100-yard butterfly and 100 breaststroke against Tantasqua and touched first in the 50 and 100 freestyle vs. Nashoba.

Kings of the pool: 16 MetroWest high school boys swimmers & divers to watch this winter

Derek Marcolini, Milford wrestling: Won the 123-pound championship at Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament. Notched three pins in under 42 seconds.

Connor Merkle, Hopkinton hockey: Named the Island Creek Oyster Cup MVP after scoring the winning goal in overtime in the championships game vs. Dcuxbury and adding an assist. Also notched a goal and an assist against Barnstable.

Keigan Murphy, Hopedale basketball: Posted double-double with 26 points, 10 assists vs. Excel academy. Scored 12 points against Blackstone Millville.

Ricky Nashawty, Hopedale hockey: Distributed four assists against Grafton.

Timmy O’Malley, Hudson hockey: Earned Mark Bushnoe Tournament MVP after accumulating four assists and three goals in two games. Also had a hat trick and two assists against Gardner and a goal against Blackstone Valley Tech.

Max Pilkington, Blackstone Valley Tech hockey: Piled up four goals and an assist against Fitchburg-Monty Tech.

Dylan Poirier, Algonquin basketball: Dropped 29 points against Wachusett and 21 to beat Westborough.

Charged up: A new energy helped Algonquin boys basketball last season

Axel Rydberg, Marlborough hockey: Brick wall posted 31 saves vs. Dracut, 20 saves against Algonquin and 21 saves in a shutout to beat Haverhill.

Framingham High School sophomore Blessed Tenthani competes in the 55 meters at the MIAA Div. 1 Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Reggie Lewis Center, Feb. 12, 2025.

Blessed Tenthani, Framingham indoor track: Won 55-meter dash in 6.72 seconds and was on winning 4×200 relay in the Flyers’ opener against Wellesley.

Brody Whalen, Natick hockey: Made 24 saves to shut out Andover.

Jacob White, Medway basketball: Drained a game-winning 3 with 2.3 seconds left in OT to beat Milford and scored17 points. Also had 22 points against Dover-Sherborn.

Finn Walker, Westborough boys swimming: Was first in the 50-yard freestyle and 100 free against Gardner and won the 50 free and 100 butterfly vs. Nashoba.

Colin Walsh, Framingham hockey: Notched two goals and two assists vs. Marshfield and scored a hat tick against Natick.

John Woodall, Franklin wrestling: Won 113-pound championship at Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament to continue dominant start to career.

The poll will remain open for a week until noon Monday, January 5. Vote below:

Our player of the week stories are meant as a way to highlight local high school athletes in the area. Making the list is an achievement in itself. Congratulations to all our athletes.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Vote for the first Winter High School Sports Boys Athlete of the Week