The Most Outstanding Player of Each Position In Round 3

One week following an upset-crazy second round of the North Carolina high school football playoffs, the third round provided a good balance of more upsets and competitive games between evenly matched teams.  We were gifted with a mix of offensive showdowns and defensive battles, which created a ton of top-tier player performances.  This article will be acknowledging the players that we feel were the most valuable at their position during round 3 of the playoffs.  It does need to be noted that you can still be the most outstanding player even if your team did not get the win.  Now, enough of me talking, let’s get started! <strong>Quarterback: [player_tooltip player_id="203888" first="Mason" last="Fortune"] (Millbrook High School)</strong> Stats: 27 of 44 for 404 yards and 4 passing touchdowns. Passer Rating of 121.8 This is one of those instances where the most outstanding player ended up being on the losing team, and sometimes that will happen.  Mason’s performance was incredible and it needs to be highlighted.  The sophomore quarterback was dialed in Friday night, throwing for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns.  The best part of that stat line through is that he had 0 turnovers.  He didn’t hurt his team but turning over the football, he kept Millbrook in the game throughout the entire night.  Mason is an accurate quarterback and if given time he will shred a defense all night long. <strong>Running Back: Donovan Shepard (Cardinal Gibbons High School)</strong> Stats: 32 carries for 195 yards and 1 touchdown Cardinal Gibbons went into their third-round matchup against #3 Cleveland with a specific game plan in mind; give Donovan Shepard the football.  That is exactly what happened on Friday night, Donovan touched the ball 32 times, grinding out the clock and controlling the game for Gibbons.  It was a great game plan that was executed perfectly by the senior running back.  Shepard averaged over 6 yards per carry, and to do that with a high number of touches is outstanding.  It goes to show the confidence and belief the Gibbons coaches have in Shepard.  Look for Shepard to continue to be the focal point in this offense moving forward. <strong>Wide Receiver: [player_tooltip player_id="109146" first="Wesley" last="Grimes"] (Millbrook High School)</strong> Stats: 12 catches for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns Did anyone else have to wipe their eyes and double-check that stat line?? I mean, 12 catches for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns, WOW!! It was even more incredible if you watched the game.  Grimes is the definition of unstoppable.  He is a wide receiver with an arsenal of weapons, from his strong hands to his impeccable route-running.  The 6’4" senior will be showing out on Saturdays come next fall! <strong>Linebacker: Tyler Lassiter (Leesville Road High School)</strong> Stats: 10 total tackles, 5 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss Tyler was a linebacker on the prow Friday night, going sideline to sideline, busting up anything Knightdale tried to do offensively.  Leesville’s defense was the story of the game as they held Knightdale to a measly 7 points.  Tyler is a 6’3" 215-pound versatile linebacker that fits in with the modern linebackers that we see today.  He is a quick sideline to sideline, sharp instincts type of linebacker that can also drop in coverage as well.  Leesville’s defense is one of the best in the country and they are going to need Tyler to continue his dominance if they want to tackle that elusive state championship trophy. <strong>Defensive End: Nick Martin (East Forsyth High School)</strong> Stats: 8 total tackles, 4 solo tackles, 5 sacks, 3 QB hurries Nick Martin had a game for the ages Friday night.  The quarterback for Glenn High School probably went to sleep that night still seeing Nick Martin sack him, that is how often Martin was in the opposing backfield on Friday.  Every time I looked up, Martin was either sacking the QB or causing enough pressure to force a throw-away.  This was an old-school defensive battle on Friday and the pressure that Martin and this East Forsyth defense was able to create was the difference in the game.  Martin is a relentless pass rusher that does not give up on the play and we saw that a couple of times on Friday as well. &nbsp;