Gahanna's Clarke Jackson named Columbus area high school athlete of the week

In a vote that ended Jan. 27, Dispatch.com readers selected the Athlete of the Week for competitions that took place from before Jan. 22.

The winner is Gahanna basketball player Clarke Jackson.

Athlete of the Week:Here's how to nominate Columbus area high school sports athletes of the week in 2021-22

Jackson had 52 points, 16 rebounds, eight steals, and four assists in two games. She had 30 points, seven rebounds and four steals against Pickerington North, then 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals vs. Africentric at the Classic In The City to win game MVP honors. 

Jackson received 36% of the vote and was followed by Pickerington North bowler Jacob Neubauer, who got 27% of the vote, Olentangy Liberty hockey player Vincent Rengel (10.7%), Olentangy Liberty basketball player Gigi Bower (7.4%), Delaware Christian basketball player Addison Beard (6.8%) and Watkins Memorial basketball player Cameryn Wheeler (5.3%).

Neubauer, the runner-up, had games of 258, 244, and 233 for a 735 series in the Big Walnut Shootout. His series was the tournament high and earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. The Pickerington North Panthers were 7-1 after the event.

Previous winner: Dublin Jerome's Libby Grether named Columbus area high school athlete of the week

Rengel entered the week with 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) and plus-43 for Olentangy Liberty, the No. 2-ranked team in the state. He had four goals and two assists in the Walsh Jesuit MLK tournament.

Bower scored a game-high 23 points for Olentangy Liberty, all but two on 3-pointers, in a 76-44 win over Dublin Coffman 76-44, snapping the Shamrocks' 71-game winning streak in OCC-Central play.

Beard averaged 16.5 pts, 7.5 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block in two Delaware Christian wins.  

And Wheeler has broken two 20-year-old Watkins Memorial records this year with 12 steals in a game and 99 steals in a season.

How to nominate an athlete

The Athlete of the Week voting recognizes athletes across all sports. 

Nominations are due Monday mornings for competitions that took place the previous week. 

This year's winners: Who won Athlete of the week so far?

High school sports:Here's how to nominate Columbus area athletes of the week in 2022-23

Anyone can nominate an athlete through Twitter by tagging @BrianWhite13 or via email at bwhite1@dispatch.com.

Once athletes win during the regular season, they're not eligible to be back on the ballot until the postseason. Athletes who have not been a recipient of one of the weekly awards can be nominated more than once. 

Have any questions? Email sports editor Brian White at bwhite1@dispatch.com.