Each week, our HomeTeam staffers will nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover, then we turn the voting over to our readers. These nominations span Saturday, Aug. 31 through Friday, Sept. 6. The winners get a free T-shirt and bragging rights over every other school in the area. Read up on what made our nominees stand out, then vote until noon Monday.
Boys
Michael Ford, Tarpon Springs football: The powerful back rushed for a career-high 242 yards and scored twice, including the go-ahead touchdown on a 39-yard run in the fourth quarter to lead the Spongers to a 21-17 victory over Osceola.
Travis Hempstead, Newsome football: The senior running back had 207 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolves' 38-7 win against Gaither on Friday night at Cowboy Stadium.
Dwayne Lawson, Hillsborough football: The junior quarterback had almost 400 total yards and three touchdowns, including a pile-moving TD sneak on fourth and goal from his own 1. He also had 53-yard TD pass with seven seconds to play in the 28-23 loss to Jefferson.
Artavis Scott, East Lake football: The playmaker showed off his versatility with 98 yards rushing, 54 receiving and a touchdown in a 22-0 victory over Largo, the Eagles’ first victory over their North County nemesis in three years.
Anthony Swinford, Mitchell golf: His 2-under 34 was the low result in a three-team match against Wiregrass Ranch and Gulf. His success helped the Mustangs shoot 149 while winning their 29th straight match – both school records.
Daniel Wright, Springstead football: His 223-yard rushing night paved the way for the Eagles' 14-0 win over new Hernando County rival Weeki Wachee. That was the most rushing yards by a Springstead player in at least 12 seasons.
Girls
Victoria Alexander, St. Petersburg volleyball: In a thrilling five game win over new district rival Palm Harbor University on Tuesday, the senior outside hitter had 15 kills, three aces and six digs.
Caroline Condon, Northeast cross country: The Vikings’ No. 1 runner is off to a strong start with individual titles in her first two big meets, including the Green Devil Invitational, which she won in 20 minutes, 25 seconds.
Tyra Long, Land O’Lakes volleyball: Her 16 kills, including three in a key third-game stand, helped her Gators sweep Ridgewood. Land O’Lakes’ second victory of the season also matched the Gators’ win total for all of last season.
Emmy Martin, Academy of the Holy Names golf: In Tuesday's 28-stroke win against Northside Christian at Bardmoor, the TCU-bound senior shot 3-under-par 33 for nine holes. Two days later at Westchase, Martin fired 37 to lead the Jaguars to a 25-stroke victory against Tampa Prep.
Alexis Rose, Anclote swimming: Her Sharks had never earned a swimming victory until the opening week of the season. Rose kept the program heading in the right direction, winning two individual and two relay events to help Anclote beat River Ridge and Fivay this week.
Kaitlyn Sibson, Plant volleyball: The senior had nine kills in the Panthers' 3-0 win against Wharton on Tuesday. She and libero Mei Stalder combined for 27 digs.