W5 Coach of the Week

Jeff Oeming, head coach of the North Carroll (Hampstead, Md.) varsity football team, has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week for the fifth week of the 2007 season. Presented by Toyota, this is the 11th year of the Ravens’ award program.

A first-time honoree, Oeming earned the nod after North Carroll’s 14-3 defeat of Century High School on Friday (10/5) night. The Panthers’ following was strong, as their fans made up a large contingent in the stands at Century.

Oeming has coached the Panthers to 5-0.

The Panthers improve their record to 5-0, while Century drops to 2-3. This is the first 5-0 start for North Carroll in 10-plus years. The offensive effort was helped by an outstanding offensive line that protected QB Stefan Mitchell and allowed RB Eric Kunz to run for 89 yards and 1 TD on 21 carries.

North Carroll took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Knights tried to make it a game in the first half with a blocked punt and an ensuing field goal. That would be their only score of the evening.

In the second half, the Panthers took time off the clock with 83- and 69-yard drives, the latter extending the lead to the final 14-3 on a Kunz’ 1-yard TD run with 5:58 left in the game.

“We try to keep our offense with a great balance,” Oeming noted about the effort. “We want to be able to throw the ball as well as run the ball. We have an outstanding offensive line, and the long drives wore their defense down with the no-huddle and a passing attack the defense has to respect. When it comes time to finish the offensive series, we can trust our running back and offensive line to finish with a score.”

Posting a 4-6 season in 2006, and just one winning season in 20 years, the turnaround is welcomed and overdue. With the current 5-0 record, North Carroll remains the only unbeaten team in Carroll County.

“I think it’s a culminating effort from a whole lot of people,” Oeming continued. “We started out with a lot of people - the parents, administration, assistant coaches, all realizing that we could only achieve our goals if we put this all together. This award is attributed to a tremendous amount of work that’s gone into the team, with the people involved.”

This is the first Ravens High School Coach of the Week honor for Oeming. He is in his 31st season coaching overall, including this, his second stint as head coach at North Carroll. He coached the Panthers to a 6-4 season in 1986.

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 Colts vs. Ravens home game on Dec. 9, 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 Brian Billick, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Gene Washington, the NFL’s Director of Football Development
- A specially-designed hat

2007 Ravens HS Coach of the Week Recipients

Week 1 Lawrence Smith Dunbar
Week 2 Doug DuVall Wilde Lake
Week 3 Brian Abbott Loyola Blakefield
Week 4 Steve Turnbaugh Hereford
Week 5 Jeff Oeming North Carroll