Douglasville (Ga.) area boys players to watch

With local high school getting their seasons underway late last week in the cold, we will take a look at some of the top boys players in the Metro Atlanta area. Today, we take a look at some of the top boys players in Paulding and Douglas Counties. <strong>GK Jacob Tucker, Alexander (Class of 2022)</strong> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Jacob is an athletic goalkeeper that does a great job of keeping his defense focused and organized. As a shot-stopper, he covers his goal very well, and he is extremely difficult to beat from outside the box. With good height, he is great at claiming crosses on set plays and the run of play around his goal area. His long distribution, with his punts and drop kicks, allows his team to quickly counterattack often. He is also very good coming off his line, which allows his team to press higher up the field.  </span> <strong>D [player_tooltip player_id="10702" first="Jack" last="Andrist"], South Paulding (Class of 2024)</strong> <img class="wp-image-38348 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/01/Jack-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Jack is a very powerful and quick player that can play either down the right or the left because he is very versatile. His best position if right back, but he can also play left back or down either wing, depending on what the particular match needs. Technically, he is smooth with the ball and calmly is able to play out from the back with his other defenders as well as interior balls into midfield. He also has a great ability to hit longer-driven passes to target his striker, as well as play is winger in behind. He scores goals from distance as well, so he provides much for his team going forward. Defensively, he is a very strong 1v1 defender who tracks his players well, and he is strong defending the far post in the air with a great heading ability. </span> <strong style="font-size: 1rem;">M Rabon Latham, South Paulding (Class of 2024)</strong> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">He is a very strong presence in the center of midfield. Although he can play anywhere in midfield, his strongest area is defensive midfield which allows him to break up the opposition attack as well as the link between his defense and attack. He can be used as a focal point in the attack to switch play and create quick overloads, which his team uses to great effect to score goals. He is a good striker of the ball, so he can pop up for goals from distance as well as be a threat on set plays in the air. His heading ability allows him to deny the opponent territory and squeezes his team further up the field at opportune times.  </span> <strong style="font-size: 1rem;">M Aidan Ayala, Alexander (Class of 2022)</strong> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">He is an extremely hard-working and technically gifted player in the center of midfield. He can play anywhere in the center of midfield, which allows him to keep the other team pinned because his pressing of the opposition midfield his quick. He tackles extremely well, which allows his team to score many goals from quick counter attacks. When his team is in possession, his forward passing is high quality, linking with his front players easily and allowing them time and space to create and score goals. He covers a great amount of ground in every match that he plays. </span> <strong style="font-size: 1rem;">F Broc Norman, Alexander (Class of 2025)</strong> A very athletic player that puts his pace and quickness on display every match, he is able to cause loads of havoc on the opposition defense with his great ability to get behind. He drives past his defender often, which allows him to both get many crosses into the box for his team as well as shift the opponent’s defense to create space to score goals. He tracks up and down the wing, which is his strongest position, so he is a very complete winger. He also has a great ability to score goals himself, which is an increasingly necessary skill in wingers with how the game is evolving. &nbsp;