Ravens RISE High School Coach & Game of the Week
Brad Wilson, varsity head football coach of the Westminster Owls, has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Now in the award's 18th year of existence, Wilson is the first recipient of the honor in 2014.
Last Friday (9/5), Westminster (1-0) earned a thrilling 21-19 victory over the defending Maryland Class 3A State Champion Middletown Knights. Behind a stalwart defensive effort, the Owls' winning score came on a 22-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior Chad Patterson with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Defensive lineman Matt Nichols secured a fumble shortly thereafter to secure Westminster's exciting win.
The Owls' victory snapped Middletown's 36-game winning streak, which was the state's longest active streak, dating back to Oct. 4, 2011.
"As we graduated quite a few offensive players after last season, we knew our defense was going to be the strength of our team early this season," Wilson explained. "The defense, along with our special teams, were fantastic Friday night. We knew if we hung around in the game and were able to make a few big plays at the end, we'd have a good chance at winning this football game, and that's exactly what we did."
The Owls travel to Linganore (Frederick, Md.) this Friday (9/12) and look to avenge last year's 41-20 defeat to Lancers.
Each week during the season, the Ravens honor a high school coach who has made a significant impact on his student-athletes. Each winner will be in attendance at the Ravens-Jaguars home game on Dec. 14 for an opportunity to be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year. In addition, each coach receives a donation to the school's football program and an award from head coach John Harbaugh.
In addition to the Ravens Coach of the Week, the Baltimore Ravens and The Baltimore Sun will recognize one local high school football game each week as their "Ravens RISE High School Game of the Week." A preview of the game will be featured in the paper and online each Friday, with a photo gallery from the game posted following the matchup. (The Baltimore Sun will host a poll for fans and schools to vote for their favorite game.) The chosen matchup will also receive a visit to the game from the Ravens Cheerleaders and team mascot, Poe, and both participating schools will be awarded a donation to their respective athletic programs.
This week, the Old Mill (Millersville, Md.) Patriots travel to the Arundel (Gambrills, Md.) Wildcats for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday (9/12). The visiting Patriots look for their first Anne Arundel County win in 2014 following a 25-22 loss to Broadneck (Annapolis, Md.), while the Wildcats hope to continue their winning ways after a 46-0 victory over the Severna Park Falcons.
These initiatives are just a piece of the Ravens' new football outreach program, Ravens RISE. With programs for all football players in Maryland, from youth to high school, Ravens RISE provides an opportunity to "Play Like A Raven" all year long through clinics, tournaments, grants, ticket donations, and exclusive opportunities to play at M&T Bank Stadium and interact with Ravens players and coaches. To learn more about Ravens RISE, go to www.BaltimoreRavens.com/RISE.
