This week's Seacoast high school Athlete of the Week honors brought plenty of excitement, as the boys poll ended in a thrilling first-place tie. Oyster River baseball standout James Saunders and Spaulding track star Caleb Plante shared top billing, while Traip Academy girls lacrosse player Sam Latchaw took home the girls title for the May 4-9 voting period.
Latchaw joins an impressive lineup of spring winners, including Spaulding softball's Meagan Uraskevich, Winnacunnet softball's Lucy Gelbstein, and Exeter girls lacrosse's Riley Benevides. For the boys, Saunders and Plante follow earlier winners like Spaulding baseball's Garrett Truax, Winnacunnet baseball's Harvey Reynoso, and Exeter baseball's Ethan Battles.
Latchaw dominated the online poll with nearly 29% of the vote, racking up 254 tallies. Portsmouth track athlete Leiana Cory finished a strong second with 209 votes. The rest of the field included St. Thomas Aquinas girls lacrosse's Charlotte De Tolla (168 votes), Oyster River softball's Laura Boughton (157 votes), and Portsmouth Christian Academy softball's Lexi Jordan (95 votes).
On the field, Latchaw delivered a standout week. She scored three goals in Traip's 7-4 Class C win over Waynflete on Monday, then followed it up with four goals in a 14-0 rout of Lincoln Academy on Saturday. Traip head coach Norm Wilkinson praised her impact: "Sam has been a key contributor since she was a freshman, but she's really come into her own this season. Our offense runs best when it flows through her at X. She sees the field well, feeds teammates brilliantly, and has the quickness and stick skills to beat any defender one-on-one. She's also tremendous on the ride—the ideal teammate, always hustling and positive."
In the boys race, Saunders and Plante each earned 34.86% of the vote, totaling 457 votes apiece. Marshwood boys lacrosse's Rogan Boisvert followed with 173 votes, and Dover tennis player Diego rounded out the top contenders. The weekly polls run Monday through midnight Thursday on seacoastonline.com and fosters.com, presented by York County Community College.