Herald Fans’ Choice Player of the Week: Gavan Baxley

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

The votes are in, and this week’s Herald Fans’ Choice Player of the Week is Wetumpka cross county runner Gavan Baxley.

Baxley, a senior, earned 423 of the 723 votes, earning nearly 60 percent of the total vote. He beat out fellow classmate Dorion Jackson, a safety for the Wetumpka team, and Holtville running back Shawn Brackett in the vote.

Jackson earned 166 votes after his big performance against Stanhope Elmore while Brackett earned 134 votes after his 220yard performance against Jemison.

Baxley raced his best in the team’s biggest cross country race of the season. In the Jesse Owens Classic in Cullman, Baxley set a new personal record as he recorded the best time on the team.

He finished the 5k race with a total time of 16:42.05, and he was one of only two Wetumpka runners to record a sub-17 time.

Baxley has seen his time get better and better this season. On Sept. 11, he finished first on the team in the Chickasaw Trails Invite race with a time of 17:05.76.

Two weeks ago, he finished the 2022 Southern Showcase with a time of 17:01.41. He has steadily improved over the course of the cross county season.