Vote now: Who is the Rockford area's Athlete of the Week for Aug. 26-31?

The fall sports seasons have kicked in around the state of Illinois, which means it's time for the first Athlete of the Week poll of the new school year for the Rockford area.

You can vote on the Rockford Register Star high school Athlete of the Week poll for the week of Aug. 26-31 at rrstar.com all week until it closes at noon Friday.

E-mail Jay Taft at jtaft@rrstar.com by 9 a.m. each Monday to submit a potential nominee who can be placed on the ballot.

Some Week 1 football highlights: Belvidere North runs first and runs last — but can still break off big plays this year

Here is a list of this week's nominees:

Joseph Fiorenza, Boylan cross country

Fiorenza ran a 10:29.6 in the first big cross country meet of the season Saturday, edging Harlem's Leo Ramos for first in the Jefferson J-Hawk Invitational. Harlem took first in the boys' team standings.

Cooper Hoffman, Durand/Pecatonica football

Hoffman, now Du/Pec's senior quarterback, tucked it and ran for 78 yards on eight carries and he also completed 16 of 20 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns to lead Du/Pec to a 32-26 win over Stockton.

Reese Kohnle, Boylan cross country

Kohnle dominated the Jefferson J-Hawk Invitational on Saturday, running a 12:15.02 to win the individual title by almost 30 seconds. She also led Boylan to the girls team title with a perfect 15-point score.

Dylan Manning, Rochelle football

Manning ran for 107 yards and a TD on only five carries in Rochelle’s 39-20 win over Woodstock.

Emma Pierson, Belvidere golf

Pierson, last year's Girls Golfer of the Year, was a medalist in Belvidere co-op's first two golf tournaments of the year.

Reese Schlichting, Boylan soccer

Schlichting scored both of Boylan's goals in the Titans' 2-0 win over Crystal Lake South last Wednesday. Boylan is already off to a 2-0 start and opens NIC-10 play at Jefferson next Tuesday.

Gavin Sanders, Lutheran football

Sanders rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns in Lutheran's 49-6 win over Winnebago.

Mica Toms, Milledgeville football

Toms returned three kicks for touchdowns during the Missiles’ 80-8 win over Ashton-Franklin Center in 8-man football last week. He scored on punt returns of 73 and 70 yards and on an 87-yard kickoff return.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft . Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com . Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Vote now: Who is the Rockford area's Athlete of the Week for Aug. 26-31?