After a strong showing in their respective polls, Farmington’s Alayna Keefer and East Peoria’s Dalton Oakman were the latest winners of CSM Fall Athletes of the Week Presented by Dominos.
Keefer had multiple strong performances in Farmington’s trip to a tournament at ROWVA/Williamsfield where the Farmers went 3-1 while Oakman’s massive game against Canton helped East Peoria win 33-30 for the Raiders’ fourth victory of the season.
Read more about our winners and get to know them in a Q and A below:
Keefer won CSM Girls Athlete of the Week after receiving 47 percent of the vote total in the girls poll. The Farmington standout led the team in at least one statistical category in each of the Farmers’ four games at a tournament at ROWVA/Williamsfield on Sept. 21. She posted eight kills, six assists in three aces to help Farmington win its third-place game in a sweep over Annawan and had 10 digs, seven assists and three aces in a three-set win over Stark County. Earlier in the day, Keefer dished out 10 assists and six kills in a three-set loss to ROWVA/Williamsfield plus an 8-assist, 5-dig game against Quad Cities Christian. Recently, Keefer and the Farmers won the Fulton County Tournament on Saturday.
Get to know Keefer in a Q and A here:
What’s been your favorite memory of the season/offseason so far?
“My favorite memory of the season so far is when we won the Fulton County [Tournament] and got to share the night with my friends at homecoming.”
If you had to be stranded on an island with a teammate, who would it be and why?
“If I was stranded on an island with one teammate, it would be Claire Hanlin because she would definitely keep me entertained and we used to make cooking videos together so survival would be easy.”
Favorite music artist?
“That’s a tough question, I would say PARTYNEXTDOOR, Lucki and G Herbo.”
Favorite food?
“A go-to food for me is shrimp but I also love chocolate ice cream.”
Do you have any pregame routines/rituals?
“Before every game, our team goes into the locker room and listens to music (we always play Hit the Quan) and I always drink a C4 energy drink.”
Who’s your favorite college or professional athlete?
“My favorite professional athlete is either Skylar Fields or Stephen Curry.”
Do you have any hidden talents?
“I can do a backflip.”
Who’s your role model and why?
“My role model is my dad because he has taught me hard work and determination and I can do anything I put my mind to.”
Oakman won CSM Boys Athlete of the Week after a top-notch performance in a 33-30 win against Canton, which included leading his team on a long scoring drive to take the lead in the final minutes. The junior quarterback completed 60 percent of his passes (21-for-35) for 358 yards and five touchdowns, the game-winning one of which went to Aidin Hindert. The win was East Peoria’s fourth in a row to start the season and led the Raiders to receive votes in last week’s AP statewide poll.
Get to know Oakman in a Q and A here:
What’s been your favorite memory of the season/offseason so far?
“My favorite memory has to be the team dinners [and] just bonding with the team outside of football.”
If you had to be stranded on an island with a teammate, who would it be and why?
“Alec Del Toro because he knows how to do everything to survive and most likely has already done it already.”
Favorite music artist?
“Definitely Gavin Adcock but Adele is close.”
Favorite food?
“Breakfast skillet.”
Do you have any pregame routines/rituals?
“My pregame routine is pray and talk to God.”
Who’s your favorite college or professional athlete?
“My favorite NFL player is Adrian Peterson.”
Do you have any hidden talents?
“I did martial arts for eight years and became a black belt and I’ve wrestled for 11 years.”
Who’s your role model and why?
“My role model is Phil Johns, he’s always pushed me to do my best and help me overcome a lot in my life.”
Comments