Image Source: Melanie Laughman
Key Takeaways:
- The Cincinnati Enquirer/Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Athletes of the Week have been announced for high school sports action through January 11.
- Winners include teams and individual athletes from various sports such as basketball, bowling, wrestling, swimming, and more.
- Digital certificates are available for winners to print at home via a public Dropbox link.
- The Enquirer is no longer mailing certificates to schools, and families can access the PDFs through the Dropbox link.
Introduction to the Athletes of the Week
The Cincinnati Enquirer/Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Athletes of the Week have been announced, recognizing high school athletes for their outstanding performances through January 11. The winners were chosen through a vote by Cincinnati.com readers, which concluded on January 16. As stated in the article, "In a vote that ended Jan. 16, Cincinnati.com readers selected the 2025-2026 Cincinnati Enquirer/Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Athletes of the Week from high school sports action through Jan. 11." The winners include teams and individual athletes from various sports such as basketball, bowling, wrestling, swimming, and more.
Team Winners
The team winners include Princeton, which won the Ohio big-school boys basketball team award with a six-game winning streak, including a 49-45 win over Hamilton. As the article notes, "Ohio big-school boys basketball team: Princeton – The Vikings are riding a six-game winning streak with a 49-45 win over Hamilton." Eastern Brown won the Ohio small-school boys basketball team award, remaining undefeated at 10-0 after knocking off Peebles and cruising past Ripley. Ryle won the Northern Kentucky/Indiana boys basketball team award, with four wins in a row, including three wins last week against Beechwood, Boone County, and Newport Central Catholic. The Ohio big-school girls basketball team award went to Seton, which hit 10 straight wins last week, edging out Oak Hills, 46-44, and beating Mercy McAuley, 53-27.
Individual Winners
The individual winners include Blake Carrigan, Loveland, who won the Ohio big-school boys basketball award with 20 points, including three 3-pointers and four rebounds in a 59-50 league win over Kings. As Carrigan’s coach noted, "Blake had a great game, he’s been working hard and it’s paying off." Jack Huwel, Indian Hill, won the Ohio small-school boys basketball award with 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 57-54 win over Deer Park. Brady Bushman, Conner, won the Northern Kentucky/Indiana boys basketball award with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cougars a 70-69 win over Cooper in a district seeding game. Sami Wade, Kings, won the Ohio big-school girls basketball award with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in a win over Lebanon.
Winter Sports Winners
The winter sports winners include Sycamore swimming, which won the boys and girls winter team awards at the Princeton Invitational. As the article states, "Boys winter team: Sycamore swimming – At the Princeton Invitational, Sycamore took first place with 488 total team points." The Ohio boys swimming/diving award went to Sammy Silverman, Moeller, who took second place in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.5 seconds and fourth place in the 100-yard freestyle in 49.6 seconds at the Catholic Invitational. The Northern Kentucky/Indiana boys swimming/diving award went to Reed Spaulding, Highlands, who won the 200-yard freestyle in a season’s best time of 1:55.6 and took second place in the 100-yard butterfly in 56.37 seconds at the Scott Eagle Classic.
Other Winners
Other winners include Xander Loos, Harrison, who won the boys big-school bowling award with an average of 219 over six games in three wins for the Wildcats. Ziek Newton, Eastern, won the boys small-school bowling award with games of 223 and 203 in a win over Lynchburg-Clay. Abbie Lee, Ursuline, won the girls big-school bowling award with games of 166 and 133 in a win over Mason. Alex McDonald, Taylor, won the girls small-school bowling award with an average of 187 in three match wins for the team.
Accessing Certificates
As the article notes, "The Enquirer will no longer mail certificates to schools after getting feedback that families weren’t receiving them." Instead, digital certificates are available for winners to print at home via a public Dropbox link. Families can access the PDFs through the link and print their certificates at home. The Enquirer will make the digital copies available by 8 a.m. the Monday after the Friday win. Once printed, families can email a photo of the winners with their certificates for the Enquirer’s photo gallery. As Alex Harrison stated, "We’re excited to offer this new way for families to access their certificates and share their achievements with us."
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/high-school-sports/2026/01/16/cincinnati-enquirer-high-school-athletes-of-the-week-january-16/88212399007/