Each week, the sports crew at King FM and KSTC shuffles through the stack of stats we get form all our area schools high schools and NJC sports programs and find the best performances of the week. Then, you get to vote for the performance you think should be dubbed “King of the Week” presented by Ertle Brothers Discount Auto. Then, each Saturday morning we announce the player you voted as simply the best!

Here’s the 411 on the rules…

1. A player can be nominated as many times during a sports season as he/she can. Once players have been nominated for the “King of the Week” honor, your votes and your votes alone in the poll on the right-hand sidebar will choose which one was the best. In the event of a tie, the sports crew reserves the right to break the tie as they see fit.
2. Please limit yourself to one vote per week. The sports crew should not need to consume their time in eliminating votes due to abuse. If the player you have the intense desire to vote for over and over truly had the best performance of the week, others will vote for that performance. (Note: Nowhere in the rules does it state you cannot encourage others to vote for a given performance). Please have respect for those who follow the rules and those who put on this process. Please do not require drastic changes to be made to this process.
3. Once a player has been named “King of the Week” they do not become eligible to be nominated for “King of the Week” again until the postseason of their current sports season or the next sports season (whichever occurs first).
4. And finally, I didn't think I needed to put this out there but apparently I do. King of the Week voting is for entertainment purposes only! This is not a prize-winning contest with trophies, plaques, scholarships, or anything else. This is merely internet public opinion of which performance was better. It bears no weight in any other venue.

Get it? Good. Now take a look at this week’s crop of nominees and vote in the poll on the sidebar for the one you would like chosen as “King of the Week” presented by Ertle Brothers Discount Auto:

Austin Vandenbark (Fleming) - The Wildcats have centered themselves squarely in the 1A District IV race, and it's thanks in large part to one of their senior leaders.  Austin scored 29 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and had 6 steals against Pawnee and Briggsdale this past week putting Fleming in a solid position to finish second behind Peetz in the North Central League, or take over first with another Bulldog slip.

Brianna Bard (Wray) - The Eagles are among three teams vying for the Lower Platte League regular season crown and Brianna is no small part of that.  Against Haxtun and Dayspring Christian this past weekend, she tallied a collective 35 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists and 9 steals.  Wray went 2-0.

Danielle Rinaldo (Merino) - The Rams, like the Eagles, are hoping for a regular season crown out of the LPAA.  Making yet another appearance in the nominees category is the super-soph, who was spectacular against Weldon Valley and Wiggins.  Danielle was all over the scorebooks scoring 39 points in the two wins.  Wray and Merino (and their two king nomiees) square off next Thursday.

Jenna Vickers (Caliche) - On a teams with little size, Jenna has become a force on the boards.  In a 3-game week, Jenna notched two double-doubles as her team went 2-1.  Against Peetz, Sedgwick County and Weldon Valley, she tallied 49 points and 22 rebounds, an average of 16 points and 7 rebounds per game.

LaRona Mondt (Briggsdale) - The North Central League was blown wide open by a pair of Weld County teams Friday and Saturday when both Pawnee and Briggsdale topped Fleming.  LaRona was the instigator in the second game of the week, scoring 18 points and using 9 rebounds and 6 steals to keep Fleming at-bay 45-44.  Thanks to the performance, Briggsdale controls their own destiny with two games remaming against Pawnee, and one more against Fleming.

Sabelle Diata (NJC) - On a week when you face arch-rivals Western Nebraska and start sub-region play against Lamar, big players must step up in big ways.  Sabelle did just that nearly recording a triple-double in both games.  Wednesday against WNCC, she had 21 points, 13 rebounds and 9 blocks and followed that performance up with 19 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocks against Lamar on Saturday.  Most importantly she took out the key offensive player with her defense in both games.

Tuff Gibson (Merino) - Individual wrestling performances are sometimes a bit difficult to track.  But Tuff's performance in southern Colorado stood out this past weekend.  He went 7-0 for the Merino Rams, winning a gold medal.  More importantly, the #3 ranked wrestler at his weight, he showed his dominance beating the #5, #7 and #12 ranked wrestlers in the weekend tournament.  He may have topped the #1 wrestler he was so hot, but that individual wasn't wrestling at the tournament.

Widgett Washington (NJC) - Needing a win, one doesn't often turn to a freshman.  But Widgett made that decision pay dividends against Western Nebraska on Wednesday night.  Down 83-82 with 8 seconds left in OT, Widgett drove into the lane connecting on a layup and drawing the foul which gave NJC an 85-83 OT triumph against their arch-rivals.  On the week, Widgett led the team in scoring collecting 43 points in 3 games.

Congratulations to Fleming's Austin Vandenbark named this week's King of the Week!