Get to know the Daily Press High School Athlete of the Week

There were 28,778 votes cast in the race for the Daily Press High School Athlete of the Week poll.

Academy for Academic Excellence tennis players Emy Riddle and Reu Gustilo ended with 43.45% of total votes cast by Daily Press readers.

The doubles players received 12,504 votes, beating out 11 other high school athletes from across the High Desert.

To earn a spot on the ballot, Gustilo and Riddle did not drop a set as the Knights scored a pair of victories in the CIF-SS playoffs last week. In the first round on Nov. 5 against La Puente, the pair swept with scores of 6-2, 6-0, 6-1. On Nov. 7, they also swept in a 12-6 victory over Hueneme with scores of 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

In the voting, Gustilo and Riddle beat Hesperia cross country runner Kaydence Manjarrez, who received 34.96% at 10,061 total votes.

The nominees were selected based on performances between Nov. 3 to Nov. 8.

More: See our CIF-SS football playoffs picks for 4 semifinal games

Nominations are based on information available to the Daily Press. All high school varsity players from the High Desert can be considered for the ballot.

Nominations must be received for consideration by Sunday morning following that week's games. Anyone can nominate an Athlete of the Week for every varsity sport.

Want to get to know our winner a little better? Check out what Gustilo and Riddle had to say.

Reu Gustilo

• How long have you been playing tennis and how did you get started: I’ve been playing for two years. I started because I was inspired by my dad’s old footage of him playing college tennis singles.

• What do you like most about tennis: The mental aspect of the game, it really tests how strong your mind is, your body follows your mind.

• Do you have a pregame ritual: Listen to my favorite 2014-2019 music on Spotify.

• What’s your most memorable sports moment: Towards the end of the season, my shoes slowly had ginormous holes in them. I literally felt the ground every time I played.

• If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why: I would want to be the first person that ever existed in the world, because I would want to see what the Earth was like in the beginning.

• Someone hands you $1 million, how would you spend it: I would split my money for my family, and my family in the Philippines. Then save the rest for my future kids/family so we are financially stable.

• Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world and why: Portofino, Italy because they have tennis courts with beautiful views. And I love the slow-paced days in Italy, just enjoying the environment.

• If you had an extra hour every day, how would you spend it: Having a self-care hour to journal, meditate, do yoga and skincare

• Do you have any hobbies: Cooking, painting on canvas, pilates, visiting new beaches every week, when my family has time.

• What superpower do you wish you had: Gaining all the knowledge in the world.

• Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Lakers

• Favorite athlete: Rafa Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams and Kobe Bryant

• Favorite superhero: Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy

• Favorite show: “The O.C.”

• Favorite movie: “20th Century Girl”

• Favorite song: “Dream Girl” by Kolohe Kai

• Favorite meal: Vietnamese Pho

• Favorite restaurant: Bahay Kubo

• Favorite app: Netflix

Emy Riddle

• How long have you been playing tennis and how did you get started: I’ve been playing tennis for about 3 years. I first got into it because it sounded fun, and I wanted to try a new hobby.

• What do you like most about tennis: I love getting to play one-on-one with my partner and cheering on my teammates from the sidelines.

• Do you have a pregame ritual: Listening to hype music to get in the zone.

• What’s your most memorable sports moment: Definitely when Reu’s shoes had holes in them.

• If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why: Catarina Mello, because I’d love to spend a day traveling the world like she does.

• Someone hands you $1 million, how would you spend it: I’d save most of it and use the rest to give back to the people who’ve helped me throughout my life.

• Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world and why: The Bahamas because it’s gorgeous and I’ve always wanted to go.

• If you had an extra hour every day, how would you spend it: Relaxing at home or spending time playing with my dogs.

• Do you have any hobbies: Horseback riding, off-roading, camping and photography.

• What superpower do you wish you had: Teleportation

• Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Dodgers

• Favorite athlete: Anna Frey

• Favorite superhero: Superman

• Favorite show: “Outer Banks”

• Favorite movie: “A Dog’s Purpose”

• Favorite song: “Maui Wowie” by Kid Cudi

• Favorite meal: Chicken Alfredo

• Favorite restaurant: Texas Roadhouse

• Favorite app: TikTok

Be sure to nominate athletes for next school week’s ballot through email to sports reporter Jose Quintero at [email protected]. Feel free to also reach out to him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @J0seQuintero, or on Instagram at @760Varsity. Please include a player’s statistics and a photo if possible.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Get to know the Daily Press High School Athlete of the Week