Reservoir vs Long Reach: Who Caught the Eye?

Friday Night’s matchup was a tough-fought contest between Reservoir and Long Reach. Long Reach got out to a 7-0 lead, thanks to a 76-yard touchdown run by [player_tooltip player_id="90609" first="Julius" last="Saunders"]. The next score came on 4th down, at the 2-yard line on a QB-run by Alexander Coffey, making it 13-0 Long Reach going into halftime. Reservoir’s defense made it tough the rest of the way, holding Long Reach to zero points. [player_tooltip player_id="90390" first="Malcolm" last="Brown"] threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Justin Cotton to make it 13-7. Long Reach was able to hold on and win the game 13-7. Here are three players that caught the eye during this tight matchup! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="90609" first="Julius" last="Saunders"]</strong>, Long Reach, RB/Slot, 5’9" 195lbs, 2022 Julius is a well-rounded RB for Long Reach and an underrated player in the state of Maryland. Friday's best play came on the 76-yard touchdown run. He made a blitzer miss in the backfield, brushed off another would-be-tackler, and used his speed to pull away from the defense. He possesses very good reactions and instincts, which allow him to make the first man miss. Julius can maintain top speed, which lets him pull away from most defensive players on big plays. Between the tackles, he does a good job getting skinny and breaking through congestion. As a blocker, he meets defensive players and has good leverage to hold his ground. Overall, Julius has made the most of this restart and will be one to watch through the summer and next season. <strong>Chris Martin Jr.</strong>, Long Reach, WR, 5’9" 170lbs, 2021 Chris showed great reliability during Friday's game. He was a consistent target for Alexander Coffey and Long Reach's passing game. He has very good hands, consistently attacking the ball and not letting it get into his body. In jump ball situations he does a good job of high-pointing the ball and coming down with the catch. Chris was in the slot for the majority of the game and did a very good job of using the natural space being off-the-line created. His best play of the night came on a 37-yard fade route. He created space off-the-line with a quick juke step and used his speed to beat the corner. In the air, Chris adjusted well and made a twisting catch showing great concentration along the sideline. Chris has a good set of tools at WR and is putting them on full display during this restart. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="90390" first="Malcolm" last="Brown"]</strong>, Reservoir, QB, 6’4" 225lbs, 2021 The Morgan State commit put his tools on display during Friday's game. Malcolm has great size and a very good arm. What stood out was his ability to throw outside of the numbers with accuracy. Malcolm makes these throws with little difficulty. His best throw of the night came on the 18-yard touchdown throw to Justin Cotton. This was a throw from the far hash, to the back pylon on a corner route. He gets the ball easily behind the corner and in front of the safety for an easy touchdown catch. He has great composure in the pocket when under duress and does not rush his process. Along with his passing ability, Malcolm also has the ability to run when nothing is open. He is making the most of this restart and building momentum going into his opportunity with Morgan State.