Naperville Central senior defender Bryce Dodsworth plays a position that requires a lot of grit.

Dodsworth has plenty of it, but that might not be his best attribute. He plays with joy and walks around with a smile plastered to his face.

“He’s an amazing player, and it’s fun to have him on the field,” Naperville Central senior forward Zakaria Sajjad said. “He cracks jokes and makes the energy come up a lot.

“Before games, he’s always the first one to come out and be like, ‘Oh, let’s go. Let’s get hyped. Let’s win this.’”

Dodsworth, a two-year starter at center back, was at it again Tuesday. He got the Redhawks fired up for their Class 3A Naperville Central Regional semifinal, and his teammates responded.

Sajjad scored twice, his first multigoal game, while junior midfielder Brady Stra

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