Jadeveon Clowney, Tavius Robinson visit Edgewood football's 32-12 win over Joppatowne in Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown

Sep. 29—Edgewood and Joppatowne football were treated with a scaled-down version of an NFL team introduction Friday night as part of the Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown. Players huddled under inflatable tents in the corner of the end zone before being collectively announced through a mirage of smoke machines with the pro team's logo as a backdrop in the far end zone.

Captains then approached midfield for the coin toss beside two honorary visitors, Ravens linebackers Jadeveon Clowney (walking with Edgewood) and Tavius Robinson (with Joppatowne). Even Poe, the mascot, was on hand.

"Definitely had to remind them to calm down 'cause guys were excited," Mariners coach Albert Goode III said. "We had some guys who were worn out, to tell you the truth, from the pregame festivities. I had to tell a few guys to just calm down, enjoy it and let the game come to you. Seeing the players, adrenaline is rushing."

Clowney, who graduated from South Pointe High in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Robinson, an alumnus of Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute in Ontario, Canada, addressed the teams prior to Edgewood's dominant 32-12 win Friday night.

Clowney reminisced on his high school days, telling players to hit the field and give their best. He played more of a pregame motivational role. Robinson complemented those sentiments, reminding players to enjoy their time in high school. "There's nothing like those Friday night lights," he said.

"It was a cool experience knowing they came up through high school ball [like us] before college and the pros," Edgewood senior quarterback Caesar Travers said. "It was definitely a cool experience. ... [They said], 'Just ball out. No talking, no nothing. Just play ball.' ... One kid cried he was so happy."

Goode noticed the same impact for many of his Ravens-fan players.

"To be honest, I thought [our guys] were gonna try to play it cool and act like it wasn't a big deal," he said. "When they finally showed up to the sideline, they were like, 'Oh, my God, I can't believe he plays my position and he's this big.' They were definitely in awe a little bit."

Once the ball was kicked, the two offenses embarked on opposite trajectories.

Edgewood kickstarted the scoring during its first drive after a well-placed pass from Travers set up a rushing score from junior Darius Flemming. Travers tacked on another rushing touchdown early. The Mariners, meanwhile, weren't able to manufacture such early success, fumbling twice, including on a 4th-and-1 faulty snap during the game's opening drive.

Still, despite controlling most of the half, Edgewood only held a 20-6 halftime lead.

"We didn't put our foot on the gas," Edgewood coach Keith Rawlings said. "We were committed to stopping the run and they didn't run the ball, so we're happy about that. We gotta clean some things up, but overall we came in, we saw how they ran the ball last week against Harford Tech. We said we gotta stop and the run and we stopped the run."

Joppatowne had chances to cut into the deficit but struggled to capitalize. After Edgewood's Jahmir Torres bolted 66 yards for a touchdown to open the second half, the Mariners responded, marching toward an eventual Damien Brooks touchdown, catching a slant route over the middle.

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When Edgewood fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Mariners junior Dezmin Benjamin recovered, Joppatowne couldn't convert that mistake into points, punting the ball back to Edgewood.

Mekhi Belton, a physical Mariners safety, jumped a route snatching a goal-line interception a few plays later. But again, Joppatowne's offense couldn't hold up its end of the bargain, going three-and-out on the ensuing drive.

Torres put the final nail in the coffin, breaking through multiple tacklers en route to a 15-yard rushing touchdown. That put Edgewood up by three scores with just outside five minutes remaining.

And when senior wide receiver Dabreon Richardson toe-tapped along the left sideline for a 40-yard pickup, advancing Joppatowne into the red zone in the waning minutes, it was a sack and interception on the next two plays that again deflated the visiting Mariners.

"Football is the ultimate team sport," Goode said. "You need 11 guys doing the right thing. A couple times we had eight guys doing the right thing and three not. Or nine doing the right thing and two not. A couple situations where we tried to answer but just came up a little short. ... But we definitely didn't quit. I love the fight we had in the second half."

As part of the Ravens RISE festivities, a marketing team had a tent set up at the stadium's entryway. There they held a raffle for prizes including signed football from linebacker Patrick Queen and tight end Isaiah Likely.

Ravens representatives additionally had a nomination box for patrons to submit names of female student-athletes who exemplify leadership qualities on and off the field. A chosen winner will be the first Purple Rising Community Athlete Award recipient, awarded game tickets and a VIP experience at the Ravens' home game against the Rams on Dec. 10.