Paloma Valley High Athletes of the Week: Feb. 24

Soccer standout Sophie Nicotero is among this week's honorees. Not pictured: Jaleela Caulk, Gabriel Ramos, Blake Bouman. Menifee 24/7 photo: Kristen Spoon

Each week, Menifee 24/7 honors top student-athletes at Paloma Valley High School. The coach of each varsity sport is allowed to select athletes based on the previous week's performances or on potential shown by the athlete. Here are this week's Paloma Valley High School Athletes of the Week:

Jaleela Caulk had a standout season for the inaugural girls wrestling team. She won two tournament titles (Queen of the Hill and Birmingham) as well as a regional championship. She advanced to the semifinals at the CIF Southern Section finals and finished in sixth place, earning a berth in the California Girls State Championships this weekend in Visalia.

Boys wrestler Gabriel Ramos also had an outstanding season, winning an individual league title and finishing as runner-up at the CIF finals. The Sunbelt League MVP, Ramos qualified for the CIF Southern Section Masters meet this weekend in Ontario.

Junior forward Sophie Nicotero had an impressive season for the girls soccer team, whose season ended in a 4-3 playoff loss on Tuesday.

"Sophie has grown leaps and bounds to the person she is today," said her coach, Marie Dillon. "She has overcome adversity and is such a fighter. What I love about Sophie is that she is a versatile player, extremely athletic, and plays with so much passion. I love that Sophie is ultra competitive and will do whatever it takes on the field. I'm also very proud of Sophie getting it done in the classroom. She currently has a 3.2 GPA."

Senior guard Blake Bouman had an outstanding season for the boys basketball team, which posted a 17-10 record and qualified for the CIF playoffs.

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