The Ledger-Enquirer High School Boys Athlete of the Week poll winner is . . .
Riley Bowles is the Ledger-Enquirer High School Boys Athlete of the Week, based on our online poll.
As a senior on the Smiths Station High School cross country team, Riley finished first out of 102 runners in the Panther Invitational on his home course Sept. 27 with a time of 17:07.59 in the 5K race.
“Riley shows grit, determination and heart on our team,” SSHS cross country coach Ashley Kelso told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “He is not just fast; he’s relentless. Week after week, he leads the varsity boys with dedication, pushing himself daily in practice and inspiring his fellow teammates to rise to the challenge. Regardless of the toughest hill or the final sprint, Riley gives everything he’s got every single race.”
We invited the athletics director at each public and private high school in Muscogee County, Harris County, Chattahoochee County, Phenix City, Russell County and Smiths Station to nominate a male student for this poll.
Among this week’s five nominees, Riley received 79% of the 513 votes from our readers. Voting started Monday and ended at noon Friday. The poll has no limit on the number of times a person can vote. Here are the complete final results:
This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM.
