During each week of the 2016 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 will feature the Western Tech (Catonsville, Md.) Wolverines (4-3) at the Eastern Tech (Baltimore, Md.) Mavericks (3-5). Kickoff is scheduled for Friday (10/28) at 7:00 p.m. at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex. In last year's matchup, the Mavericks bested their Baltimore County rival with a 46-7 win over the Wolverines.
Fan voting for this week's Showdown set a program record with all three games combining for over 750,000 total votes through the six-day poll.
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 the stands. Additionally, a $1,000 donation will be awarded to each participating school's respective athletic program. Following the matchup, each Showdown will be highlighted with a detailed game recap and photo gallery.
Voting is now open for this year's final Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown and will close Tuesday (11/1). The games available for Week 10 are:
- Northwestern at Benjamin Franklin (11/4 @ 2:30 p.m.)
- Patterson at Carver Vo-Tech (11/4 @ 2:30 p.m.)
- Southwestern at New Era (11/4 @ 2:30 p.m.)
To vote, please visit www.BaltimoreRavens.com/RavensRISEShowdown.
Steve Lurz, varsity head football coach of the Patterson Mill (Bel Air, Md.) Huskies, has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Now in its 20th year of existence, Lurz is the eighth recipient of the award in 2016.
Last Thursday, Patterson Mill defeated the Rising Sun (North East, Md.) Tigers 45-26 in an emotional victory over their Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference foe. With a narrow 31-26 lead in the third quarter, the Huskies scored twice to pull away from the host Tigers and secure the win. The winning scores came on the ground with a 36-yard touchdown run by senior running back Pierce Monroe and through the air on a 54-yard touchdown toss from senior quarterback Jordan Reid to senior wide receiver Brendan Bandy.
Four days prior to this game, Patterson Mill's junior offensive guard Isaac Pfarr passed away suddenly. On the team's first offensive play without their teammate, Lurz sent only 10 players onto the field (one short of the standard 11 players allowed) to honor a friend gone, but not forgotten. Pfarr was laid to rest last Saturday in his #57 Patterson Mill jersey.
"Isaac was a great teammate because you knew he was going to give you his all every day – whether that was in practice or a game – and we will miss him dearly," Lurz explained. "The kids had one goal in mind last Thursday – win for Isaac. We didn't do anything special, but the boys were ultra-focused and filled with extra emotion this week."
Patterson Mill hosts Elkton (7-1) this Friday (10/28) in its last home game of the 2016 season.
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 for the Ravens vs. Eagles game at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 18 for an opportunity to be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year. In addition, each coach receives a $2,000 donation to the school's football program and an award from Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
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, please visit www.BaltimoreRavens.com/RISE.
2016 Ravens High School Coach of the Week Recipients:
|
Week 1 |
Carlos Dunmoodie |
Centennial High School |
|
Week 2 |
Matt Miller |
Winters Mill High School |
|
Week 3 |
Ray Wright |
Randallstown High School |
|
Week 4 |
Justin Payne |
Parkville High School |
|
Week 5 |
Kyle Schmitt |
Archbishop Spalding High School |
|
Week 6 |
Anthony Burgos |
Franklin High School |
|
Week 7 |
Daryl Wade |
Baltimore City College |
|
Week 8 |
Steve Lurz |
Patterson Mill High School |
