Top Playoff Performers of Round Two

Round Two of the North Carolina high school playoffs were like nothing else, upsets were happening whichever way you looked.  We saw #1 seed Richmond fall to #16 Leesville Road. We saw #20 seed Rolesville beat #4 seed New Bern. We could go on and on naming the number of upsets that happened this weekend.  Instead, we are going to dive into the players that helped make these upsets turn into a reality.  This article is going to dive into the top performers, the players that showed out in the second round of the playoffs. <strong>DJ Scott, 5’10" 160, RB, Leesville Road High School</strong> <strong>Stats: </strong>28 carries, 110 yards, 1 touchdown One of the biggest upsets of round 2 was Leesville Road upsetting #1 Richmond High School.  Leesville came out with a game plan to run the ball as much as possible and play good defense.  This formula turned out to be a success as it kept Richmond’s high-powered offense off the field.  A big reason why this formula was a success was due to junior running back DJ Scott, and the performance he was able to put on.  Carrying the ball 28 times for 110 yards against a very stout Richmond defensive line.  Whether it was a 2 or 16 yard gain, Scott continually kept at it all night as Leesville knocked off Richmond. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28646" first="Beau" last="Atkinson"], 6’6" 235, DE, Leesville Road High School</strong> <strong>Stats: </strong>6 total tackles, 2 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles [player_tooltip player_id="28646" first="Beau" last="Atkinson"] was all over the place Thursday night.  He was the true definition of a "game-changer" as he led the team with 6 total tackles.  With Beau it’s not so much about the stats, it’s more about the presence that he brings.  He causes opposing coaches to have to game plan for him, which opens things up for other players on that defensive line. Beau is a top-tier elite talent, and he is a big reason why Leesville Road is moving on to the 3rd round of the playoffs. <strong>Maverick Shotwell,  6’1″ 178, WR, Cardinal Gibbons High School</strong> <strong>Stats: </strong>4 catches, 135 yards, 2 touchdowns Maverick put on an absolute show Thursday night as Cardinal Gibbons went on to beat Heritage 56-24.  Maverick only caught 4 passes, but he made sure to make the most of those passes, averaging 33.8 yards per catch.  Maverick is a good route runner that can get separation from his defender and gain yards after the catch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28635" first="Omarion" last="Hampton"], 6’1" 221, RB, Cleveland High School</strong> <strong>Stats: </strong>20 carries, 182 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 catch, 66 receiving yards, 1 touchdown [player_tooltip player_id="28635" first="Omarion" last="Hampton"], took home the MVP trophy of round 2, in my book.  The UNC commit was special Thursday night against Laney High.  He did it in many different ways too. Whether it was in the air or on the ground, Hampton was able to find the endzone 7 times.  Omarion is such a special player because of his versatility, and the number of things he can do once the football is in his hands.  Look for Omarion to take this Cleveland team deep into the playoffs. <strong>Danny Kennedy, 5’10" 145, WR, Porter Ridge High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 4 catches, 126 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 carries, 88 rushing yards Porter Ridge pulled off the upset of the week, taking out the defending state champions Grimsley High School.  Not only did they knock off Grimsley, but they did it in a dominating fashion.  Danny Kennedy was one of the stars of the game, doing it both on the ground and through the air.  Kennedy had a whooping 126 receiving yards off 4 catches to go along with 2 touchdowns.  It was evident early on in the game that Porter Ridge wanted to get the ball in Kennedy’s hands one way or another, and that game plan ended up working out.  Kennedy averaged 31.5 yards per catch, just lighting up Grimsley’s secondary all night. &nbsp;