NCHS Playoffs Best Performers: Part 2

The next article in this series focuses on the 4A, 5A, and 6A playoff brackets. Each of these players were crucial in guiding their team deep into the playoffs, though not all were able to win the state championship.    Holden has <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/12/best-players-of-the-top-ranked-teams-clinton-high-school/">appeared</a> three times before and could've easily appeared many more. His dazzling performances have cemented him as one of the top talents of his class throughout the entire state. His team was unlucky in falling so short of the final, but his performances were vital in allowing them to dream. With 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 playoff matches, he showed his desire to lead his team to greatness. Holden finishes his career as a high school prospect in great form and has an immense ceiling.     Jared is a very interesting prospect who primarily plays as a left-back but can also play as a defensive midfielder. Though he's a left-back, his main foot is his right. This doesn't faze him when needing to be effective, however. Defensively, he's solid. Whenever the opposition attacks in or near his flank, he'll go in to win the ball back. Brave and insistent, he proves to be annoying for the opposing attack. Offensively is where he thrives, though. As a full-back, you'd expect him to run up the flank. However, he serves as a very deep-lying playmaker/chance-creator. He sends balls up the field for the attack to bring down and capitalize on. These passes are difficult to defend too, causing chaos in the opposing box.     Carter is an exciting prospect striker who shines in the final third, especially inside the box. The way he gravitates towards open space, even if it's a small pocket, is fantastic. He creates the space for his teammates to find, in which he punishes the opposing defence for leaving him open. His insistence in looking for goal is impressive. When he receives the ball in tight spaces, he'll open up space for himself to leave him alone with the keeper. In these one-on-one instances with the keeper, he always has the upper hand. His finishing is clinical, focusing on placement over power. Keepers approach him with their minds racing while he remains calm.     Jude is an exciting prospect who can play both as an attacking midfielder and a winger on either flank. Though he gets his fair share of goals, it's his chance creation that impresses the most. The weight and accuracy of his passes are phenomenal. Regardless of whether he's playing them from out wide or centrally, he creates constant danger. His main way of creating chances is through floating in over-the-top passes, but that's not all he does. He's great at playing on-the-ground through balls that go straight into the path of his receiving teammate. All of these passing attributes are elevated thanks to his ambidexterity. You can only tell which foot is his preferred on set-pieces because otherwise, he'll create danger with whichever foot he feels like. His ball control in small spaces allows his team to create spaces to receive the ball, too, making him all the more effective.

The next article in this series focuses on the 4A, 5A, and 6A playoff brackets. Each of these players were crucial in guiding their team deep into the playoffs, though not all were able to win the state championship.