Anthony Burgos, head coach of the Franklin (Reisterstown, Md.) varsity football team, has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week for the sixth week of the 2008 season. Presented by Toyota, this is the 12th year of the Ravens' award program.
Franklin upended Perry Hall last Friday night (10/10), 45-41. Burgos' Indians (4-2) were down to the Gators 20-10 in the second quarter, but overcame the deficit to give Perry Hall (5-1) its first loss of the season.
With a strong second quarter, the Indians took a 24-20 halftime lead, but the Gators would not go down easily. The teams traded scores, and a Brandon Sophia 2-yard TD run and successful 2-point conversion brought Perry Hall to within three at the end of the third quarter (31-28).
Franklin senior RB/DB Carl Fleming put his team on his back with an impressive performance. The University of Pittsburgh-bound Fleming rushed for 201 yards on 19 carries and had three TDs of 6, 18, and 69 yards. Offensive double-threat Navassa Brown shared the load with nine rushes for 59 yards and two TD catches of 55 and 92 yards.
Franklin is fighting hard this year. A season-opening loss at Meade left the Indians with a bad taste in their mouth, as they bounced back to win three straight. The team's only other loss came at the hands of Hereford (4-2).
"We want to put ourselves on the next level, as a program," Burgos said. "Over the last three years, we've been able to put ourselves up with the class of the best in Baltimore County."
Burgos played lacrosse and football at nearby Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College). The former cornerback was a midfielder in lacrosse, and won the NJCAA National Championship at Nassau Community College in 1997. He is in his sixth year as head coach at Franklin. This is his first Ravens High School Coach of the Week honor.
"The funds will help contribute to what we're doing – equipment, scouting, recruiting," Burgos acknowledged. "We've had two kids accept Division I-A scholarships, and we want to expose our program as much as possible."
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 – Steelers home game on Dec. 14, 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, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Gene Washington, the NFL's Director of Football Development
- A specially-designed hat
2008 Ravens HS Coach of the Week Recipients
Week 1 Chuck Markiewicz Arundel
Week 2 Lance Clelland Meade
Week 3 Tony Shermeyer Century
Week 4 Keith Robinson Perry Hall
Week 5 Reggie White Milford Mill
Week 6 Anthony Burgos Franklin
