The high school sports season is now almost two months in, as many local teams and athletes are beginning to emerge ahead of their competition. 

Last week was full of action with games and events taking place all over the county. This week’s Athlete of the Week winners stepped up, regardless of whether it was a region, non-region or tournament game.

Voting for Athlete of the Week runs from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Monday each week at lexingtonchronicle.com/athleteoftheweek. To submit a nominee for consideration, email a photo and short bio to sports@lexingtonchronicle.com.

Amadre Wooden

Batesburg-Leesville running back Amadre Wooden is back for his senior season and looking to have the biggest year of his high school career. 

Wooden ran for over 1,500 yards and about 20 touchdowns in 2024. He also earned a 2A All-State nod after helping the Panthers go undefeated in the regular season. 

His start to the 2025 season has Wooden on pace to have another big year. The Panthers’ lead back had a huge performance last week against Mid-Carolina, rushing for two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score. 

The Panthers have five games left on their schedule this season. The team will begin region games this week against Strom Thurmond. 

Another big performance from Wooden would go a long way in helping Batesburg-Leesville defend its title. 

Karis Kettering

River Bluff volleyball’s Karis Kettering is in her freshman season and has already established herself as a consistent contributor. 

The Gators were kept busy last week playing nine matches in five days. The team went 6-3 in that stretch with Kettering putting up key numbers. 

Kettering had multiple double-digit kill games during that stretch and led the team in their wins over Cardinal Newman and Dutch Fork. She has 12 double-digit kill games so far this season. 

River Bluff began this week in first place in the fight for the region championship. Kettering’s play down the final stretch will be a crucial piece of a larger puzzle.