John Walter, varsity head football coach of the Hereford Bulls (Parkton, MD), has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Now in its 26th year of existence, Walter is the ninth and final recipient of the award in 2022.
Last Saturday (10/29), the Bulls defeated the Dulaney Lions, 32-6, to finish the regular season with an 8-1 record. Leading by a narrow 3-0 margin at halftime, junior RB Chris Makowy returned the opening kickoff of the second half 85 yards for a touchdown, en route to Hereford scoring 22 unanswered points in the third quarter. Tacking on a 10-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Grayson Ayres to Makowy in the final period, the Bulls' victory clinched the Baltimore County school the second seed in the "Class 2A North" bracket of the upcoming Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) state football playoffs.
"At halftime, we looked at what the Dulaney defense was giving us and realized we were trying to force things to the outside," Walter stated. "In the second half, we changed our gameplan and went right at them to drive them off the ball."
Serving as an assistant on Hereford's state championship winning squads in 1997, 2001 and 2002, Walter coached in the Bulls program for 22 seasons before his appointment as the varsity head coach in 2020. Their 8-1 record this year marks Hereford's first 8-plus win season since 2017.
"The Hereford football program is another life for me," Walter said. "I have five sons who have gone or are going through the program, but I feel like all the players are my children. It's been a great ride at Hereford for me and my family."
This week, Hereford hosts the Patterson Clippers (Baltimore, MD) on Friday (11/4) for a 7 p.m. kickoff in the opening round of the MPSSAA "Class 2A" state football playoffs. The Bulls last played Patterson in 2019 and defeated the Clippers, 57-22.
Throughout this season, the Ravens honored nine high school coaches who made a significant impact on their student-athletes. Each Coach of the Week winner received a $2,000 donation to their school's football program and will be invited to the Ravens-Falcons game (12/24) at M&T Bank Stadium for an opportunity to be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year.
This initiative is just one piece of Ravens RISE, the team's football outreach program presented by MedStar Sports Medicine. Ravens RISE 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, please visit www.BaltimoreRavens.com/RISE.
2022 Ravens High School Coach of the Week Recipients:
| Week | Recipient | School |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Messay Hailemariam | St. Frances Academy |
| Week 2 | Chris Bassler | Westminster High School |
| Week 3 | Todd Sommerville | Crofton High School |
| Week 4 | Keith Rawlings | Edgewood High School |
| Week 5 | Larry Hurd, Jr. | Walter Johnson High School |
| Week 6 | Eric Woodson | Atholton High School |
| Week 7 | Darrell Alt | Green Street Academy |
| Week 8 | Eric Siegel | Bel Air High School |
| Week 9 | John Walter | Hereford High School |
