A spotlight on the Times’ bay area players of the week.
Female Hot Shot: Shelby Mahaz, Calvary Christian
Sport: Volleyball
Skinny: The junior was an outside hitter before being moved to setter midway through last season. She has been a big part of the Warriors’ success this season and was especially good in a five-game win over Academy of the Holy Names last week. She had 32 assists, 12 digs and two aces. “Last year she won our Hustle Award and that is the main thing a setter has to have,’’ Calvary Christian coach Caleb Sibert said. “You have to have heart and hustle. She has an ability to get to every ball. She works really hard and gives great effort, which rubs off on the team.’’
Male Hot Shot: Ben Perdomo, River Ridge
Sport: Football
Skinny: Perdomo’s Royal Knights had been outscored 57-0 entering a Week 3 matchup against a rebuilt Wiregrass Ranch team that had been the surprise of the North Suncoast. The 5-foot-9 senior helped turn River Ridge around immediately heading into district play. He scored his team’s only two offensive touchdowns of the season — a 61-yarder and a go-ahead 67-yarder in the fourth quarter — in a 21-14 upset victory over the Bulls. Perdomo rushed 24 times for a career-high 221 yards. That’s one of the highest single-game totals in Tampa Bay this season and is believed to be the most by a Royal Knight since at least 2007.