SPORTS

Ortner nominated for on SI National Boys athlete of the week

Annie Donnelly, Content Creator • September 16, 2025

Luke Ortner has been nominated as an SI high school athlete of the week

Junior Luke Ortner has been nominated for Sports Illustrated High School’s National Boys Athlete of the Week.

Jesuit’s Varsity football running back is currently up against 16 other high school varsity athletes from 15 different states. All for playing exceptionally well the week of Sept. 8-14.

This comes as no surprise, as he has been dominating this football season. Only two games in, Ortner has already secured his spot as a key leader on the team, consistently running the ball and scoring touchdowns. In last week’s 34-21 win over Tigard, he had 38 carries for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns, coming up just one yard short of Jesuit’s single-game rushing record.

Varsity linebacker and Ortner’s good friend, Luke Hanifan, is not surprised by Ortner’s success.

“He’s a great teammate. Always uplifting and will always hold you accountable. No one works harder than him in the state.”

Ortner’s monster performance on the field led him to secure his nomination for High School Boys Athlete of the Week on Sports Illustrated.

High School On SI is a digital branch of famous sports magazine, Sports Illustrated, dedicated to high school sports at the national level. This particular recognition is given every week to a new high school boys athlete with the help of the countless votes of fans, readers, and staff of SI.

Yes, that’s right. You can vote for our very own Luke Ortner to get acknowledged.

“I feel really good about it. It just shows that all my hard work is really paying off,” Ortner said. “This year, I’m really starting to have better chemistry with my team. [I want to] keep this momentum going, keep rushing for a lot of yards, and hopefully make it to state.”

If you want to learn more about this recognition and vote for the athlete of the week, click this link:

https://www.si.com/high-school/national/vote-who-should-be-high-school-on-si-national-boys-athlete-of-the-week-9-15-2025

Voting closes on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time).

About the Contributor

Annie Donnelly, Content Creator

Annie Donnelly is a hardworking senior at Jesuit High School and a first year Advanced Media student. Interested in pursuing a career in journalism, Annie is thrilled to be able to learn more about the inner workings of the media field. She is an avid writer and is excited to share her opinions with the rest of Jesuit through the Jesuit Chronicle. She is also looking forward to learning how to use the equipment to be able to take photos and film videos around Jesuit. She plans to focus on writing about interesting Jesuit news as well as turn her attention to athletics by commentating on games, interviewing players and coaches, and media day shoots to understand the ins and outs of Jesuit sports. She also wants to use Advanced Media as a way to talk to the people at Jesuit and listen to their voices and opinions. Outside of the media classroom, Annie is active in many extracurricular activities in and outside of Jesuit. She currently is one of the lead costumers in the Jesuit Drama Department, designing and sewing all the costumes for their seasonal shows. She is also part of the mock trial team and is planning to go with them to Chicago for the world competition. In her free time she volunteers at Abby’s Closet, an organization that provides free prom dresses for all. She also likes to stay active by playing pickleball, attending hot yoga, and spin class, as well as hanging out with family, friends, and her dog, Bowie. She is excited to be joining the Advanced Media class and can’t wait to share her ideas with the Jesuit community.