Haughton’s Tazavian Sweeney secured enough votes this week to win the Times online poll for Football Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission.
A standout linebacker for the Buccaneers, Sweeney becomes the first Haughton football winner of the 2022-23 school year. He joins Captain Shreve's Jayden Edwards, Evangel's Jacob Carpenter and Byrd's Jackson Dufrene as winners.
Sweeney and his supporters amassed 22,475 votes, a solid 34.3% of the 65,535 votes cast in the weekly online recognition. Those numbers allowed Sweeney to top a field of 11 additional candidates, including second-place Isiah Washington of Haynesville, who totaled an impressive 22,026 votes (33.6%).
Sweeney will receive a duffel bag, a boxed lunch combo and some additional swag courtesy of Raising Cane’s.
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“Zay is one of the hardest workers in our program,” Haughton coach Jason Brotherton said. “He’s an undersized linebacker who makes up for his lack of size with heart, determination and toughness. He may be the toughest kid on our team.”
Others on the fifth ballot of the 2022-23 school year were Gray Walters, Benton; Ray Mayweather, Parkway; Kaleb Tucker, Huntington; Jaxon Terry, North DeSoto; Ta'Derius Collins, Northwood; Jamey Payton, North Caddo; Cade Bedgood, Calvary; Walteze Champ, Homer; Hayden Rolfe, Logansport and Christian Davis, Ruston.
They were chosen because of their performance the previous week or because their names were submitted by their coach. The Times poll is posted each Monday at shreveporttimes.com with a new slate of student-athletes who play football.
The Times online only poll runs through Thursday night.
Jimmy Watson covers Shreveport-Bossier area sports. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
Week 1: Jayden Edwards, Captain ShreveWeek 2: Jacob Carpenter, EvangelWeek 3: Jackson Dufrene, ByrdWeek 4: Barrett Newman, ParkwayWeek 5: Tazavian Sweeney, Haughton