With the winter sports season hitting full throttle while football playoffs roll on, Gulf Coast Media’s next Athlete of the Week poll is currently live on our website.

Four athletes from Baldwin County will be included in the voting each week, which will open at noon on Mondays and close at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Individuals can only vote for their chosen athlete once, with the winner being announced on GCM’s website and social media pages soon after polling concludes.

This week, we have a football phenom, a stellar swimmer, a big-time bowler and a remarkable runner making up the list of candidates.

To start out, fourth-seeded Orange Beach went on the road and stunned top-seeded Charles Henderson last Thursday to kick off its postseason run, and Lee Steele was a major reason why. 

The junior tight end/defensive lineman tallied a team-high nine total tackles and recorded three tackles for loss while also hauling in four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, showcasing why he holds offers from the likes of Florida, Auburn, Alabama and LSU. The 6-foot-7 Mako is currently rated a 4-star prospect by 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.

Meanwhile, Gulf Shores’ Ally Midkiff starred for the Dolphins at last Thursday’s Baldwin County Championships Swim Meet. The sophomore finished 1st in the girls 200-yard freestyle, 2nd in the 100-yard flystroke and swam for the first-place 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay teams.

Gulf Shores placed second overall at the event, with Midkiff and plenty of other local swimmers now gearing up for the AHSAA State Meet, which will be held Nov. 20-21 in Huntsville.

Gulf Shores' Ally Midkiff

@ally_swim1123

Elsewhere, Elberta’s Sawyer Morrow got his bowling season off to a hot start last Tuesday, as he recorded a personal-best of 240 points during the Warriors’ game against Dothan. The junior has been bowling for two years now, has a pair of cousins on the team and is also part of the school’s cross-country, track and football programs.

Elberta's Sawyer Morrow

Submitted

And lastly, the AHSAA held its state cross-country meets last week at Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Danville, and a plethora of local athletes tore up the trails. 

One of the headlining performances came from Bayshore Christian’s Henry Barber, as the junior placed 9th out of 115 runners at the Private Single-A level, recording a time of 16:38.40 in the 5K race.

Those are the four official nominees for this week, although another well-known name deserves a shoutout as well. Foley senior wide receiver Jaxson Dixon had notably tied program alum Julio Jones’ single-season receiving touchdown record with his 16th to close out October, and while he didn’t break that specific mark last week, he did come up with his 17th score of the campaign by housing a kickoff during his team’s 49-28 win over JAG. 

Thus, Dixon can now claim that he’s accounted for more total touchdowns in a season than any Lions receiver before, with him likely looking to break that receiving-touchdown record in the coming weeks.

Vote at the link below to support your favorite local athlete, and be sure to share the poll with family and friends!

And if you would like to nominate an athlete for this weekly polling, email parker@gulfcoastmedia.com or message our social media pages (@GCMSportsAL) with information on their accomplishments, applicable personal info (grade, position, etc.) and a photo(s).

With that being said, GCM is also always happy to share any other local sports content from Baldwin County. To any coach, parent or athlete, feel free to send over any written work, photos or videos through the same mediums.