Athlete of the Week: Bolingbrook Defensive Back Parker Westphal

By the voting deadline for this week's Athlete of the Week (9 p.m., Nov. 30), Bolingbrook's Parker Westphal had 73 percent of the votes, making him the clear winner.

What a week for Parker Westphal.

Who?

Westphal, Parker, sophomore defensive back for Bolingbrook's varsity football team. Check that—.

No slight to Westphal, but the playmaker doesn't pop up much in Patch archives or Google search results prior to the Class 8A title game, during which he recorded four tackles and two sacks in the .

Westphal helped anchor a defense that forced two turnovers, had three sacks and held Loyola to 182 yards of total offense, a new IHSA 8A record.

And now this on the rising star, from college football recruiting guru, "Edgy" Tim O'Halloran:

The Raiders already have two standout seniors committed in LB Antonio Morrison (Florida) and lineman Robbie Bain (Illinois).

Expect colleges to take a closer look at senior DE Greg Gordon, senior safety Tevin Teamer and senior WR Xavier Perkins.

The Raiders also have a solid group of underclassmen led by junior QB Aaron Bailey. Also keep an eye on sophomore DB Parker Westphal, junior TE Chandler Piekarski, sophomore RB Jaden Huff and junior RB Omar Stover.

While the season has just ended for the Raiders, things are really just getting going for Westphal.

Here are the other Patch Athlete of the Week nominees:

: Greg Garro, senior, basketball center: Garro thrived late in the Mustangs’ 58-52 win over St. Charles North on Friday at the St. Charles East Thanksgiving Tournament. With 2 minutes, 35 seconds to play and the score tied, Garro rebounded and scored on back-to-back possessions to seal the win.

: Uzo Okoro, senior, center: Okoro scored 18 points and recorded nine rebounds in a 48-36 win over rival Hinsdale Central, during the Hinsdale South Tip-Off Tournament. South held Central without a basket for six and a half minutes in the third quarter.

: Courtney Toth, junior, wing: Toth scored 17 points against Plainfield Central, which finished the Romeoville Thanksgiving Tournament 4-0. Toth's production kept the Indians in the game but eventually fell 38-34. She remains a scoring threat for the Indians.

Metea Valley: Boys basketball team: The Mustangs are state-ranked (24th) right out of the gate this year. Keep an eye on the Upstate Eight's latest team making an early splash.

: Girls basketball team: Romeoville won a holiday girls basketball tournament for the first time since 1984 by beating Lockport 44-14 in the final game of its own Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 21 in Romeoville. The Spartans and Plainfield Central each went 4-0 in the six-team tournament. The Spartans were awarded the championship trophy based on differential.