Ravens RISE High School Coach & Game of the Week
Dom Damico, varsity head football coach of the McDonogh (Owings Mills) Eagles, has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Damico is the sixth recipient of the honor in 2014.
Last Friday (10/10), McDonogh (4-2) earned a convincing 35-7 victory over the Calvert Hall Cardinals (4-2). In their eighth consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association "A Conference" win, the Eagles held the host Cardinals to a stingy 38 yards of total offense. Additionally, led by RB Mylique McGriff's 193 yards rushing and two scores, the McDonogh offense used an imposing ground attack to control the game.
Opening the scoring with a 99-yard touchdown drive to give the Eagles a 7-0 first quarter lead, McDonogh carried a 20-0 advantage into halftime. While Calvert Hall was able to return a kickoff for a touchdown in the second half, McGriff answered with two more Eagle touchdowns to cap the win for the defending league champions.
"Our defense played at a very high level Friday night," Damico explained. "All year long, we've had a great linebacker corps, a secondary that can play man-to-man, and a defensive line that gets after the passer. And our running game has been effective for us, too. Mylique McGriff is a very talented running back, and the offensive line has been doing a great job of working together to create holes for our backs." The Eagles travel to Loyola (Towson) this Saturday (10/18), looking for their third-consecutive win over the Dons.
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 at the Ravens-Jaguars home game on Dec. 14 for an opportunity to be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year. In addition, each coach receives a donation to the school's football program and an award from head coach John Harbaugh.
In addition to the Ravens Coach of the Week, the Baltimore Ravens and The Baltimore Sun continue to recognize one local high school football game each week as their "Ravens RISE High School Game of the Week." A preview of the game is featured in the paper and online each Friday, with a photo gallery from the game posted following the matchup. (The Baltimore Sun hosts a poll for fans and schools to vote for their favorite game.) The chosen matchup also receives a visit to the game from the Ravens Cheerleaders and team mascot, Poe, and both participating schools are awarded a donation to their respective athletic programs.
This week, the Aberdeen Eagles host the Bel Air Bobcats for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Thursday (10/16). Both Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference teams enter the contest undefeated at 6-0 on the season.
These initiatives are just a piece of the Ravens' football outreach program, Ravens RISE. With programs for all football players in Maryland, from youth to high school, Ravens RISE provides an opportunity to "Play Like A Raven" all year long 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, go to www.BaltimoreRavens.com/RISE.
