RAVENS RISE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SHOWDOWN & COACH OF THE WEEK
During each week of the 2017 regular season, the Baltimore Ravens recognized one local high school football game as its Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown.
After receiving 70 percent of a total 367,980 votes, the final Showdown of the year features the Chesapeake-AA (Pasadena, Md.) Cougars (6-3) at the Northeast-AA (Pasadena, Md.) Eagles (4-5). Kickoff is scheduled for Friday (11/3) at 6:30 p.m. for the 41st meeting in the rivalry game dubbed "The Dena Bowl." The Cougars currently lead the all-time series, 22-18.
In conjunction with The Baltimore Sun, a voting poll was established each week to help select a game that received a visit from Ravens Cheerleaders and mascot Poe, had the stadium outfitted in Ravens banners and flags and obtained Ravens giveaways for fans in attendance. Additionally, a $1,000 donation was awarded to each participating school's respective athletic program, and following the matchup, each Showdown was highlighted with a detailed game recap and photo gallery. Bonus prizes were also awarded for games that reached a significant total in the voting poll.
2017 COACH OF THE WEEK
Lawrence Smith, varsity head football coach of the Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) Poets, has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Now in its 21st year of existence, Smith is the ninth recipient of the award in 2017. He receives the honor for the third time, including once in 2009 and again in 2012.
Last Friday, Dunbar visited the Edmondson-Westside (Baltimore, Md.) Red Storm and secured a victory (42-18) to clinch at least a share of the Baltimore City Division I title for the first time since 2014. Deadlocked at 6-6 through two quarters, the Poets emphatically disposed of the hosts with five second-half touchdowns, including three-consecutive scores from senior RB/DB Alphonso Graham.
"At halftime, we talked through some fixes and settled the guys down, and our team came out and executed in the second half to get the win," Smith explained. "This team is special, because they play together and they don't care who gets the credit – it's a total team effort."
Dunbar hosts Patterson this Friday (11/3) at 3 p.m., as the Poets look to extend their two-game winning streak over the Clippers.
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 program 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, please go to www.BaltimoreRavens.com/RISE.
2017 Ravens High School Coach of the Week Recipients:
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| Week 1 | Vince Ahearn | Tuscarora High School |
| Week 2 | Albert Jones | Meade High School |
| Week 3 | Ryan Pittillo | Towson High School |
| Week 4 | Tim Palmer | Harford Technical High School |
| Week 5 | Brian Van Deusen | River Hill High School |
| Week 6 | Biff Poggi & Henry Russell | St. Frances Academy |
| Week 7 | Reggie White | Milford Mill Academy |
| Week 8 | Josh Rutter | Francis Scott Key High School |
| Week 9 | Lawrence Smith | Dunbar High School |
