Sophomores Ready To Soar: Northern Virginia

<span style="font-weight: 400">We’ve all heard the phrase “sophomore slump” when it comes to an athlete’s tendency to sometimes have a dip in their performance during their second season playing on a new team or level. For freshmen who make their varsity squads, they can often come under a different kind of microscope during their high school careers than other players, and their sophomore seasons can be very telling of how much potential they really have. Here are five sophomores who will have soaring seasons and bright, bright futures.</span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155510" first="Olivia" last="Brooks"] (Woodbridge, C)</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">Playing on a state title winning team as a freshman can have loads of benefits, and [player_tooltip player_id="155510" first="Olivia" last="Brooks"] is ready to become an important factor for Woodbridge to stay at the level they are at now. With the departure of Forward Aaliyah Pitts to Bishop McNamara, Brooks can take charge in the post and continue to build on solid numbers from her first season on the Vikings. Expect her to be responsible for many of the boards and points the paint Woodbridge has this year. </span> <strong>Annabeth Holsinger (Langley, G)</strong> Langley graduated five players last year, three of whom were guards. But they should have no worries about the running of their offense this winter. In her freshman season, Holsinger displayed much potential as a young point guard by playing smart, fundamentally sound, under control basketball. Her ability to attack the basket, draw contact, and create opportunities for her teammates should make Langley a fun team to watch this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="143131" first="Grace" last="Arnolie"] (Madison, F)</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="143131" first="Grace" last="Arnolie"] is going to be a problem on defense for years to come. Her good size and length allowed her to have multiple game with multiple steals as a freshman, but don’t forget about her on offense too. Her impressive first season with the Warhawks also included a 32-point performance against Stonewall Jackson in the regional tournament last February. An all-around stat stuffer, Arnolie will be an important part of any opponents scouting report this season and in seasons to come. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155508" first="Brooke" last="Reed"] (Westfield, F)</strong> [caption id="attachment_112205" align="alignnone" width="291"] Photo courtesy of Twitter[/caption] This almost six-foot power forward is going to be a force inside for Westfield this season. <span style="font-size: 1rem">A first team all-defense honoree in the district was appropriate, seeing as she can take the ball out of anyone’s hands if they aren’t careful. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem">While the Bulldogs may have struggled last season, Reed displayed promise of being a stellar post player for years to come, and will be stuffing the stat sheet for Westfield soon enough. </span> <strong>Elena Betrand (Patriot, G)</strong> Bertrand is the kind of team-first, contact-loving guard that every coach would love to have on their team. A display of great court awareness and decision making skills in her freshman season made Bertrand one of the most promising young guards in the Cedar Run district, in which she made second team all-district. An overall fun player to watch, the Pioneers have much to look forward to with her on the floor this season.