James McCormick, head coach of the North Caroline (Ridgely, Md.) varsity football team, has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week for the second week of the 2009 season. Presented by Toyota, this is the 13th year of the Ravens' award program.
McCormick takes his first Coach of the Week honor after a nail-biting 20-19 victory over Stephen Decatur on Friday (9/18) night. He has led the Bulldogs to a 3-0 start, its first in more than 30 years, and the team sits atop the Bayside Conference in a three-way tie with Kent Island and Queen Anne's County. Decatur fell to 2-1.
Decatur took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs bounced back and took control, rattling off 20 straight points on QB Rich Blosser's two touchdowns (11-yard strike to WR Herbert Dennis Jr. and 12-yard run) and a RB Romont Fletcher 19-yard score. The undefeated Seahawks would not go quietly, however, and scored twice early in the fourth quarter to make it a close game.
The Seahawks were foiled on an attempt to tie the game with an extra point, as North Caroline's Jake Waltrup blocked the try to maintain the lead. The defense followed suit on Decatur's final possession, forcing a fumble and recovering the pigskin to seal the victory.
The win puts the Bulldogs at the top of the Class 2A East standings, and McCormick has his team primed early for a playoff run.
Well known throughout the vastly rural Caroline County as a volunteer for local Pop Warner teams running free clinics, James is the son of Terry McCormick, the last coach to lead North Caroline into a 3-0 start, doing so in 1978.
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 Ravens–Lions home game on Dec. 13, 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 John Harbaugh and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
- A specially-designed hat
2009 Ravens HS Coach of the Week Recipients
Week 1: Corey Johnson Patterson
Week 2: James McCormick North Caroline
