Donald Davis, head coach of the Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.) varsity football team, has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week for the fifth week of the 2009 season. Presented by Toyota, this is the 13th year of the Ravens' award program.
The Cardinals upset powerhouse Gilman at home, 21-12, on Saturday (10/11), earning Davis the honor. It was Calvert Hall's first defeat of the Greyhounds since 2003. A power running game and stalwart defense were keys, as the Cardinals rushed for more than 250 yards, while also forcing a fumble, registering an interception and foiling two Gilman 2-point conversion attempts. The Greyhounds, who had previously scored an average 40 points per game, were held to their fewest points this season.
The Cardinals led 14-12 in the third quarter, but Gilman threatened to take the lead after recovering a fumble on a kickoff at the Cardinals' 13-yard line. The Greyhounds were primed to move the ball into the end zone, but Calvert Hall returned the favor by forcing and recovering a fumble inside their own 5. The Cardinals went on to score and seal the victory.
Calvert Hall sophomore RB Brandon Neverdon rushed for 11-yard and 4-yard touchdowns, but it was teammate C.J. Williams who put the Cardinals in position each time, finishing with 204 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries.
Calvert Hall (5-2) has reeled off five straight wins, after losing its first two games of the season. Gilman dropped to 4-3.
A Calvert Hall alum (1996), Davis is in his third year as head coach of the Cardinals and his ninth year of coaching overall. He formerly earned Ravens High School Coach of the Year honors in 2003, as the head football coach at Cardinal Gibbons. Davis was recently one of two Maryland coaches chosen to represent the state in the ninth annual Youth Football Summit in Canton, Ohio. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, he also teaches English at Calvert Hall.
Each week during the season, the Ravens honor a high school coach who has made a significant impact on his athletes. Each of the season's weekly winners will be present at the Ravens–Lions home game on Dec. 13, for the naming of the Ravens' High School Coach of the Year.
A panel of area high school experts selects the coach of the week. The recipients receive:
- A $2,000 donation to the school's football program
- An award certificate signed by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
- A specially-designed hat
2009 Ravens HS Coach of the Week Recipients
Week 1: Corey Johnson Patterson
Week 2: James McCormick North Caroline
Week 3: Kyle Schmitt Atholton
Week 4: Lawrence Smith Dunbar
Week 5: Donald Davis Calvert Hall
