RAVENS RISE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SHOWDOWN & COACH OF THE WEEK
During each week of the 2017 regular season, the Baltimore Ravens will recognize one local high school football game as its Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown.
This week's Showdown features the Lansdowne (Baltimore, Md.) Vikings (0-1) at the Catonsville (Baltimore, Md.) Comets (0-1). Kickoff is scheduled for Friday evening (9/8) at 7 p.m. Catonsville looks to continue its home field advantage after last year's 26-9 victory over the Vikings, while Lansdowne aims to even its record following a season-opening loss to Western Tech, 20-14.
In conjunction with The Baltimore Sun, a voting poll will be established each week to help select a game that will receive a visit from Ravens Cheerleaders and mascot Poe, have the stadium outfitted in Ravens banners and flags and obtain Ravens giveaways for fans in attendance. Additionally, a $1,000 donation will be awarded to each participating school's respective athletic program, and following the matchup, each Showdown will be highlighted with a detailed game recap and photo gallery. Bonus prizes will also be awarded for games that reach a significant total in the voting poll.
Voting is now open for next weekend's Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown and will close Tuesday (9/12). The games available for Week 3 are:
- Wilde Lake @ Long Reach (9/15 @ 7 p.m.)
- Marriotts Ridge @ Glenelg (9/15 @ 7 p.m.)
- Howard @ Mount Hebron (9/15 @ 7 p.m.)
To vote, please visit www.BaltimoreRavens.com/Showdown.
Vince Ahearn, varsity head football coach of the Tuscarora (Frederick, Md.) Titans, has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Now in its 21st year of existence, Ahearn is the first recipient of the award in 2017.
Last Saturday, Tuscarora (1-0) traveled east to play the Milford Mill (Baltimore, Md.) Millers in a non-conference matchup to begin the 2017 season. Behind 396 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns from junior RB Aris Hilliard, the Titans notched their first victory (38-14) of the year over the perennial Baltimore County powerhouse.
Tuscarora scored early after a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown from Hilliard to open the game. He followed with two rushing touchdowns in the first half, helping the Titans to a 24-0 halftime lead.
"When you have an individual performance like Aris had last weekend, it's easy to overlook other individuals and position groups on the team," Ahearn explained. "Our defensive performance against Milford Mill was extremely satisfying, as those guys have improved tremendously from 2016. Our offensive line did a great job working as a unit this early in the season to open holes for the running game, too. This was definitely a team win from all three phases of the game."
Tuscarora hosts Archbishop Curley this Friday (9/8) at 7 p.m. This year's matchup marks the second-consecutive with the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association "B" Conference school.
Each week during the season, the Ravens honor a high school coach who has made a significant impact on his student-athletes. All 10 Coach of the Week winners receive a $2,000 donation to their school's football program and an award from Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. In addition, each coach will attend the Ravens-Colts game at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 23 for an opportunity to be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year.
These initiatives are just a piece of Ravens RISE, the team's football outreach initiative presented by Wendy's. The program impacts a range of area football players from youth to high school, providing them with a year-round opportunity to "Play Like A Raven" 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.
