Vote for Journal Star Boys Athlete of the Week for Aug. 17-22, presented by CEFCU

After plenty of solid high school sports performers over the last week, here are the Journal Star Boys Athlete of the Week nominees for Aug. 17-22, presented by CEFCU.

Head to www.pjstar.com/sports to vote. The poll closes at noon Friday. Information about the nominees is below.

If you have a nominee for the honor, email us at sports@pjstar.com or tag us on X @pjstarsports. This is the first JS Boys Athlete of the Week poll of the 2026-27 school year.

RJ Jackson, East Peoria football

Jackson became the program's all-time career rusher in a 55-30 win over Springfield Southeast on Friday, Aug. 21. The senior running back rushed for 269 yards with five touchdowns, averaging 11.2 yards per carry as EP (1-0) won its third straight season opener. He needed 61 yards to break the previous mark held by Michael Thompson (2,330 yards, 2010-13). Jackson sits at 2,539 career rushing yards and 31 TDs, one short of the career TD mark (Thompson, 32 TDs).

Caleb Jochums, Canton football

Jochums helped give the Little Giants a Week 1 victory for the first time since 2019 on Friday. The junior quarterback rushed 14 times for 86 yards and scored two TDs in leading Canton to a 30-28 win over Herscher. He also recorded 10 tackles on defense as Canton allowed 206 total yards, giving up seven points in each quarter.

Eli Carder, Richwoods football

Carder helped orchestrate a Week 1 upset in taking down Peoria High on Friday, Aug. 21. The junior quarterback threw for four touchdowns and 350 yards as Richwoods won 48-30 against the Class 5A sixth-ranked Lions. Carder found Josh Taylor for a pair of third-quarter scores, hooking up from 32 and 34 yards out, respectively. This gave Richwoods its first on-the-field win over Peoria High since Week 2 of 2017. The 48 points scored was also the Knights most since 2022.

Finn Hoffman, Eureka football

Hoffman was responsible for the game-winner score in Eureka's 14-7 win over Tremont on Friday. The junior running back scored the go-ahead TD on a 29-yard run with 3:04 left in the third quarter. He finished with 107 yards and 16 carries for the Hornets (1-0), who won in Week 1 for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

Drake May, Macomb football

May did a bit of everything in Macomb's 42-14 win over Knoxville on Friday. The senior running back/linebacker stuffed the stat sheet on both sides of the ball. He rushed for 125 yards and three TDs on only six carries, while recording 15 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Zaedin Hart, Bushnell-Prairie City football

Hart made an immediate impact in his 8-player varsity debut for the Spartans. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound freshman picked up three sacks to go with 13.5 tackles in a 72-24 loss to Polo on Friday. B-PC is looking for the program's first winning season since a 7-3 finish and a 2009 Class 1A playoff appearance.

Shane Cunningham, Richwoods golf

Cunningham won a three-man playoff to grab medalist honors at the Mickey Schallua Invite on Aug. 17. His career-low five-under 67 came with five birdies on the back 9 of Kellogg Golf Course. Cunningham's birdie on the second playoff hole secured the victory for the sophomore. He then took third place with a four-under 68 as Richwoods took fifth at the Mia Memorial Classic at The Den at Fox Creek on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Crew Fortin, Illini Bluffs golf

Fortin helped the Tigers start the season off with a school-record finish. The senior won the triangular with host Elmwood and ROWVA/Williamsfield at Maple Lane Country Club on Aug. 17. In shooting a 35, Fortin helped IB set a new program-record with a 152, beating out Elmwood (167) and R/W (233). He then earned medalist honors on Aug. 18 with a 36 to beat host Canton 164-182 at Wee-Ma-Tuk Golf Course.

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Vote for Journal Star Boys Athlete of the Week for Aug. 17-22, presented by CEFCU