Biff Poggi, head coach of the Gilman (Baltimore, Md.) varsity football team, has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week for the second week of the 2010 NFL season.
Poggi led his Greyhounds to a decisive 33-10 win over The Washington Post's No.1-ranked DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) Saturday (9/18) night, as the two teams clashed at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium. Gilman, the defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A champion, advanced to a 3-1 record.
The win comes only a week after Gilman's disappointing 33-6 loss to Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), which dropped the Greyhounds from the national rankings.
With a convincing victory over DeMatha Saturday night, Poggi's squad jumped back on track, displaying its ability to overcome standout teams.
Despite being ranked No.1 in The Baltimore Sun's prep polls, Saturday's game marked the second time in just three weeks that the Greyhounds played underdog to a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opponent. But it was also the second time in three weeks that the Greyhounds came out on top of a WCAC foe. In Week 1, Poggi and Co. played spoiler to *The Post's *then-No. 1 Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) with a 28-7 victory.
Led by QB Darius Jennings and a vicious ground attack, Gilman defeated the DeMatha Stags with another convincing win.
With no hesitation, the Greyhounds' offense scored a touchdown on each of its first two possessions, posting a 14-0 advantage. Toward the end of the first half – with just eight seconds remaining – DeMatha put up its first points with a 41-yard field goal, cutting Gilman's lead to 14-3.
But Gilman answered on its first possession of the second half, as the offense marched 56 yards before capping the drive off with a 24-yard touchdown run from Jennings. The Greyhounds never looked back.
This week, Poggi takes his team to Georgetown Prep, where they look to stay on path towards another conference championship. Now in his 14th year as the Greyhounds' head coach, Poggi has led his team to an impressive nine MIAA A Conference titles.
Each week during the season, the Ravens honor a high school coach who has made a significant impact on his athletes. Each winner will be present at the Ravens vs. Saints home game on Dec. 19 for the naming of the Ravens' High School Coach of the Year.
Each weekly recipient receives:
A $2,000 donation to the school's football program
An award certificate signed by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh
A specially-designed Coach of the Week hat
