Playoffs Round 3 East's Best Players

<p>Round 3 of the playoffs in the East region gave us great performances across the state. With the finals looming closer, the players needed to step up to the occasion. Unfortunately, only the 2A and 4A levels provided any visibility for their talents in this round. However, the ones that were presented with the opportunity to shine shone.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2A Level</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Sofia is a fantastic and versatile talent who can play as an attacking midfielder, second striker, and as a right midfielder. Shifty and agile, she gets out of pressure fantastically, opening up spaces for her and her teammate. This, alongside being very skillful, makes her a complete headache for the opposing defenders. In the box, she proves to be deadly, with her fantastic shooting making her a goalscorer. Even if she isn't playing as a forward, she pulls off some incredible shots. Flashy goals or not, she knows how to put the ball in the back of the net. Besides her long shots, outside of the box, she also makes plays happen. Her passing is top class, always looking to advance play as quickly as possible. When she plays one-twos, play moves forward in an electric manner, making her team incredibly dangerous.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Amara is a midfielder who has a magnificent work rate while also being polyfunctional. Able to play as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder, or even a left midfielder, she looks comfortable in any position she's asked to play in. A duel winner, she locks down whatever area she is defending. She doesn't shy away from them either, always looking to win the ball back wherever she is. She's also a tough but clean tackler, winning the ball constantly if an opponent is progressing dangerously. On the ball, she's both a progressive passer and carrier. She looks to advance plays as quickly and effectively as possible, making her a nuisance for every line on the opposition. Another welcome attribute is her eye for goal, getting great shots off, including a few crucial goals.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4A Level</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Landry once again showcases her brilliant talent, as well as proving how she rises to the occasion when she's needed the most. Her profile as a striker is one that instills calm in her teammates and fear into her opponents. Whether it be dropping back to help in build-up or being the target player for the final pass, she excels in any aspect of attack. Her passes always look to benefit the team, either tactically opening up spaces or quickly getting the ball forward. Though it's not her main task, her chance creation is great for a striker. Her dribbling is fantastic, proving to be an immensely technically gifted and skillful player. She beats defenders wherever she is on the pitch. Her long shots continue to dazzle, scoring wonder-goals in back-to-back rounds. In the box, she demonstrates composure to beat the keeper easily as well.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Emmerson plays as a defensive midfielder for her school and shows how much of a talent she is when she does. Best described as a destroyer, she makes finalizing attacks a difficult task for the opposing team. Going in for duels is her specialty, forcing the opposition to reroute their attacks if they don't want to lose possession. Another fantastic attribute of hers is her tackles, going in strong to win most, if not all, of them. Her interceptions and anticipation are also great, proving to be a certified possession winner all game long.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Annaka wing back/full back who excels in both defensive and offensive duties. Her main attribute is her interceptions, winning the ball out wide constantly. Frustrating wing play for the opposition makes her a wonderful player in both possession recovery and build-up. Because of where she recovers the ball, she is always in great positions to advance play effectively. This helps her showcase another one of her great attributes, which is her projection. She typically plays the ball quickly into the center so that she can overlap and exploit the wide spaces. Once she receives the ball back, she is like an arrow, bossing her flank. This leaves her in great positions to send in crosses or low-driven balls that cause danger in the box.</p>

Round 3 of the playoffs in the East region gave us great performances across the state. With the finals looming closer, the players needed to step up to the occasion. Unfortunately, only the 2A and 4A levels provided any visibility for their talents in this round. However, the ones that were presented with the opportunity to shine shone.