T-Day Key Battle: Deonta Ramey-Doe vs. Armani Reeves

     For our Thanksgiving coverage, we will be taking an in-depth look at which match-ups will go a long way in deciding the outcomes of their rivalry games.  Here, we look at BC High's Deonta Ramey-Doe and Catholic Memorial's Armani Reeves.  We have both these guys as Top Five at their respective positions.  Thursday, they will go head to head in a battle of future FBS players.   Here is how we think they stack up to one another.

• Deep Routes - Reeves is a solid route runner who excels at deep routes.  He can swallow up the cushion that most defensive backs give him so quickly, they are left out of position before he makes his break, which essentially means he has won the battle.  He has absolutely abused quite a few corners on the post route.  His ability to "eat cushion" then quickly make his break creates space and makes it harder for defensive backs to stay in his pocket.  Ramey-Doe, however, has some of the best reaction time and hip movement of any corner in the state.  He did an excellent job with Brockton's wide receivers, showing a very good back pedal that keeps his cushion.  His ball skills are solid, and even the times he is beat, he is able to make up ground and take away the big play.  Furthermore, beating him on a "nine" route is very difficult.  
• Short Routes - Reeves is a monster on the slant route, making a vicious cut, that coupled with AJ Doyle's accuracy, makes it one of the prettiest things in Division 1 to watch.  He could use some work on his out route, where he has a tendency to telegraph where he is going with his shoulders.  Ramey-Doe has done well against underneath routes this year, but I expect the slant to give him some trouble.  However, if Reeves gets too lazy with his other underneath routes, don't be surprised if Ramey-Doe jumps one and takes it back.
• Open Field Abilities - Arguably CM's best play is their reverse/sweep to Reeves.  He has scored two punt return touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and one kick return touchdown.  He is in the same class as BC-bound Manny Asprilla at making people miss, and if he gets by you, forget about catching him.  Ramey-Doe is a solid tackler, especially when closing in on receivers, but he'll need to stay under control when trying to take down Reeves, as even one misstep can result in a big play.