Six Standouts from GHSA Boys Playoffs - Clarkston vs Wayne County

The first round of the GHSA Playoffs have begun this week, and Wednesday evening featured a clash of two elite teams battling it out to stay alive. The Clarkston Angoras took down the Wayne County Yellow Jackets in a 2-0 contest which had it all. Here are six standout performances from this matchup.    The man of the match for me, Swayibu was absolutely locking it down defensively for the Angoras in the match. The center back and captain was shutting off all the long balls the Yellow Jackets were looking to play over the top to their prolific striker. He brings the ball down well and uses his body to win physical battles on the pitch. He scored a penalty late in the second half as well, showing the confidence his team has in his abilities. He also thrives in the air winning lots of aerial challenges and gets rid when he needs to.     Shafi is a dominant right midfielder that possesses multiple facets to his game. The midfield can play with the ball at his feet, using his frame and skills to get past defenders and look for either shots on goal or quick passes. Where he really makes his money though are from his runs in behind. A very fast player, Shafi makes these quicks runs in behind defenders don't seem to see coming, always a step behind. Even when he doesn't receive the long ball, the runs he makes can pull defenders away, leaving space open in other areas of the field.     Elyse is a classy, composed center mid who dictates and facilitates the game with his vision and composure on the ball. He is very calm in possession, and uses his superb vision to pick out open teammates making runs down the pitch. He possesses some nice dribbling and skill moves, often juking out defenders with some simple yet effective skills. He is not afraid to unleash a shot from distance, and made the keeper work a few times from long range efforts and some set pieces.     Almasi is a striker who can finish from multiple areas on the pitch. He scored the first goal of the game for the Angoras with a nice turn and shot with his right that went in to the far corner. He is efficient with both his right and left foot, making the keeping work firing off shots with both feet. He possesses some nice dribbling skills up top as well, getting past defenders by using his ball control and playing with his head up looking for goal.     A controlled center mid, Thang was moving the ball around the midfield making the defenders chase and tire out. His best quality is how he passes and moves when off the ball, finding an open teammate then finding open space to receive the ball, and repeat. His vision to pick out some of the passes he made was on point, playing some nice switch balls across the field, as well as knocking it around playing some tiki-taka soccer with his fellow midfielders. He is very quick as well, allowing him to drift into space quicker than defenders can cover him.     It could've been a lot more than just 2-0 if it wasn't for Gavin in goal for the Yellow Jackets. The keeper made some other worldy saves to keep his team in the contest up until the end. He made some great diving stops to both his left and right, and even had a couple good saves with his foot stretching out in one-on-one scenarios. He made a superb double stop on back to back one-on-one opportunities in a really impressive manner. He also was frequently coming out to claim crosses and long balls played over the top.

The first round of the GHSA Playoffs have begun this week, and Wednesday evening featured a clash of two elite teams battling it out to stay alive. The Clarkston Angoras took down the Wayne County Yellow Jackets in a 2-0 contest which had it all. Here are six standout performances from this matchup.