Eric Woodson, head coach of the Northwestern High School (Baltimore, Md.) varsity football team, has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week for the eighth week of the 2008 season. Presented by Toyota, this is the 12th year of the Ravens' award program.
Northwestern (7-1) kept its win streak rolling against Reginald F. Lewis last Friday (10/24), shutting down the Falcons 36-0. The Wildcats spoiled Reginald F. Lewis' homecoming and continued its climb to the top of the Class 2A North standings as the state playoffs loom. The Falcons, on their own quest for the playoffs, suffered only its second loss of the season.
This is the fourth consecutive game in which the Wildcats scored 30-plus points. An impressive feat, considering Reginald F. Lewis has shut out three of its opponents this season.
QB Devin Shaw and RB Terrance West were a force to be reckoned with. West had four TDs and ran for 240 yards on 22 carries. But the game was won in the trenches. The Wildcats' offensive line took control, allowed Shaw time to throw and held their blocks for West's four touchdowns on 20-, 40-, 45- and 1-yard runs. Northwestern's defensive line was not to be outdone, putting pressure on the Falcons' quarterbacks and forcing three interceptions and a fumble.
In his fourth year as head coach at Northwestern, Woodson has spent his tenure turning around a team that had won only five games in the three years prior to his arrival.
"It's more than just football," Woodson recognized. "It's study hall, it's camps, it's 7-on-7 drills over the summer. We've taken baby steps. Some of the kids that I have right now have been with me since ninth grade.
"We try and stress that football is like life. The experiences that we share, everything we do – it goes back to what you'll deal with in the course of daily life. We're blessed to have a great season. I feel for my kids, and I want it for them. I'm trying to get them to be young men that will be positive young men in society. It's sinking in."
This is Woodson's first honor as Ravens High School Coach of the Week. He is in his 13th year in coaching and was a former assistant at both Edmondson-Westside and Arundel High Schools.
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
Week 7 Johnny Brooks Havre de Grace
Week 8 Eric Woodson Northwestern
