The Post-Dispatch Athletes of the Week is compiled by Chris Gove based off stats reported to . Please send nominations to cgove@stltoday.com by noon each Monday.
A 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior running back, Ambrose rushed 21 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars opened the season with a 40-14 nonconference victory at Parkway West. Ambrose is a second-year starter in the backfield and was a first-team selection on the all-Suburban Conference Orange Pool team as a junior after rushing for 542 yards and seven TDs as Seckman won 10 games for the first time in program history. Ambrose scored on a 1-yard run late in the second quarter to give the Jaguars a 21-0 lead and closed the team’s scoring with an 80-yard run in the fourth.
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The Panthers got their season off to a roaring start with a 55-47 victory against 2023 Class 3A state semifinalist Roxana behind a masterful performance at quarterback from Brunaugh, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior who last season was a second-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference selection at receiver. He completed 21 of 23 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns, two to Aiden Chandler and one to Jude Jones, while also rushing 19 times for 39 yards and three TDs. It was Jerseyville’s first victory against Roxana since 1991 in a series that resumed last season for the first time since 1996. Brunaugh also was a first team all-conference basketball selection last season.
A 5-foot-11 sophomore middle blocker, Freesmeier helped lead the Wildcats to an unbeaten opening weekend of the season, including the championship of the Visitation Tournament. Freesmeier had five kills and four blocks as the Wildcats opened the season with a 21-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-12 victory against Lutheran St. Charles. At Visitation, Freesmeier attacked at a .382 percentage while totaling 29 kills, six blocks and six aces across five matches, including a three-set semifinal win over Oakville and a 25-17, 25-19 sweep of Francis Howell Central in the title match. As a freshman last season, she had 123 kills and a team-leading 54 blocks.
The Bronchos beat Dupo 44-12 as Jones ran for 275 yards, the top single-game rushing performance in program history. Jones’ game also was the top rushing performance in the area the opening week of the season, and he also leads the area scoring race with 28 points after running for four touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions. A 5-foot-9, 160-pound junior running back, Jones helped Bayless snap a 10-game losing streak dating to the 2022 season. His rushing output, which came on 26 carries, went to the top of the program record books over a 210-yard effort in the 2020 spring season by Mark Patton, who is the Bronchos’ all-time rushing leader with 2,563 yards.
Keller scored two goals, including the game-winner, as the Explorers won 4-1 against the host Redbirds in the title game of the Alton Tournament. A senior midfielder and four-year starter, Keller also had an assist in a 2-0 victory against Belleville West in the semifinal round of the weather-altered event. He added one goal and one assist Monday in a 4-0 nonconference victory at Roxana. Keller was an all-Gateway Metro Conference selection as a junior after scoring 18 goals and providing five assists for the Explorers during a 16-5-1 campaign. He has scored 36 goals in his career.
A senior wing who is his first season of high school soccer after previously playing in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ City Academy system, Leonard made a quick impression over the weekend with four goals and two assists while helping the Greyhounds to three victories in the Quincy Notre Dame Tournament. Leonard debuted with one goal in a 2-0 victory against Quincy Notre Dame, then had one goal and one assist in a 5-0 win over Quincy High. In Clayton’s tournament finale, Leonard had two goals and one assist as the Greyhounds topped Jacksonville 4-0. With 10 points, Leonard ranks among the area’s leading scorers.
The 5-foot-9 junior setter was named the most valuable player after helping lead the Knights to the MICDS Brace for Impact tournament championship for the second consecutive season. Nenninger had 88 assists, 10 kills and 24 digs across five victories as Mater Dei pushed its winning streak to 17 matches dating to last season’s Class 2A championship season. She had 24 assists to go along with four kills in a semifinal victory against St. Joseph’s, then had 22 assists and three kills in the title match against St. Pius X. Nenninger was the Class 2A state tournament MVP last season and was a first team All-Metro selection. In the St. Pius victory, she eclipsed 1,000 assists for her career.