Spring sports had a great week last week, and here are this week’s Magazine Star high school boys athlete nominees for January 5-10.
Go to pjstar.com/sports to vote. Voting closes at noon on Friday. Information about the nominees is below.
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If you have a nominee for this honor, please email sports@pjstar.com or tag us on Twitter @pjstarsports. Last week, Illini Central basketball’s Brody Folkes was named the JS Boys Athlete of the Week.
Dylan Nowaski, Olympia Basketball
The senior held a grading clinic last week. Nowaski averaged 31.3 points in three games and scored his 1,000th career point in the process. Last Tuesday, he scored 42 points in an 86-85 loss to Midwest Central at the final buzzer in overtime. The 6-foot-3 guard scored 25 points in Thursday’s 79-65 loss to Champaign St. Thomas More. However, Nowaski scored a landmark score in that game. Nowaski recorded a double-double (27 points, 11 rebounds) in a 70-58 victory over Moweaqua Central A&M in the Taylorville shootout on Saturday, earning player of the game honors.
Orlando Edwards Jr., Peoria High School Basketball Team
The sophomore helped the Lions win 2-0 last week. He ended the week Saturday with 18 points in a 75-55 victory over Mt. Zion in the Christie Clinic Shootout hosted by St. Joseph-Ogden. Edwards Jr. did all of his damage from the three-point line, hitting six three-pointers, including a 21-point three-pointer in the second quarter. Edwards Jr. was one of four players to score in double figures, finishing with 14 points in Friday’s 75-43 victory over Big 12 conference rival Danville.
Peoria High School’s Orlando Edwards (left) shoots past Morton’s Alex McGee during the second half of a high school basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at Peoria High School. The Lions defeated the Porters 71-60.
Alec Del Toro, East Peoria Wrestling
The senior worked his way to the championship on Saturday. The 215-pounder had three pins and a technical fall at the Bob and Liz Schnarr Invitational in Morton. He defeated Plainfield South’s Mason Bucon by a 16-1 decision in the title match. Del Toro, the No. 1 seed, easily advanced to the semifinals in 2:47 after defeating his opponent in 2:26 in the quarterfinals. He opened the match with a 44-second fall. EP is the top-ranked team in the Peoria area at No. 5 (153 points), beating out Morton (147, sixth) and Peoria Notre Dame (141, seventh).
Washington State’s Josh Hofer (top) faces off against East Peoria’s Alec Del Toro during the Class 2A wrestling regional 215-pound championship match Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at Morton High School. Hofer won the match by technical fall 21-5.
Drake Shepherdson, Washington Co-op Swimming and Diving
The Morton junior’s performance last week was impressive. Shepardson won the four-game championship last Tuesday with a 147-35 victory over Notre Dame in Peoria. He won the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.29) and 100-yard backstroke (57.64 seconds) while also participating in two winning relays. In the 200-yard freestyle, Shepherdson swam from the lead and Washington won in 1 minute, 32.18 seconds. He then won the 400-yard freestyle relay title with a time of 3 minutes, 31.87 seconds.
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Adam Duvall is a sports reporter for the Journal Star. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared in the Magazine Star: Vote for the Magazine Star Boys High School Athlete of the Week
