Axel Mendez, a senior midfielder from Cathedral High School (Los Angeles, Calif.), and Destinney Duron, a senior forward from Hart High School (Newhall, Calif.), are the NSCAA/TopDrawerSoccer.com High School Players of the Week. 

It’d be hard to overstate Mendez’s impact for Cathedral over the course of his high school career. As a senior, he flourished into a creative attacking midfielder with the ability to take players on. This season, he led the Phantoms to the program’s first CIF championship and second appearance in the finals since 1969. He scored in a second-round 2-1 win over Malibu, the winner in a 1-0 win over Hart in the quarters, bagged a hat trick in a 4-1 semifinal win over Lakeside and had an assist in the final against Oak Hills. 

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Duron helped guide Hart through the minefield of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs from her spot atop the attack. Hart pieced together a 14-game unbeaten run toward the end of the season, which included a massive 5-4 penalty kick victory over highly touted Sunny Hills. One more win put Hart in the Division 2 title game against Chino Hills, where Duron shined by putting in a pair of goals. Unfortunately, Hart came up short in a 3-2 loss, but Duron put an emphatic capper to her distinguished high school career.

Other boys finalists include Spencer Wrobleski (McIntosh High School, Peachtree City, Ga.) and Tradd Specter (Hammond School, Columbia S.C.). Other girls finalists include Ashley Grant (Chestatee High School, Gainesville, Ga.) and Samah Aidah (Overland High School, Aurora, Colo.).

The NSCAA/TopDrawerSoccer.com High School Player of the Week honor is designed to highlight a selection of the nation's rising stars populating the high school ranks. Coaches are free to nominate a boys or girls player each week through our submission form that can be found here. Be sure to include the school and any relevant stats from the previous week. The selection process will take into account a slew of factors from contribution to team results to individual accolades. Honorees are announced each Wednesday.

The next submission deadline will be noon (CT) on March 24 before the Player of the Week announcement on March 26.

About the NSCAA

Founded in 1941 and based in Kansas City, Kan., the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to educate coaches, encourage excellence and serve the soccer community.

The NSCAA is the world’s largest soccer coaches’ organization with members at every level of the game. The membership is primarily made up of coaches, but also includes administrators, referees and others in the soccer industry. The NSCAA provides its members ways to enhance the game of soccer by providing a national education program, interaction and networking opportunities, and membership benefits.

For more information about the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, visit NSCAA.com.