McDonogh plans to retire McNair’s jersey
Long Reach’s Willis named coach of week by Ravens; city schedule in doubt
McDonogh will retire Jordan McNair’s No. 70 jersey during a ceremony before the Eagles’ Sept. 14 game against Malvern (Pa.) Prep.
McNair, an offensive lineman at Maryland, suffered heatstroke during a Terps conditioning test May 29 and died 15 days later. A two-time All-Metro player for the Eagles, he graduated from McDonogh in 2017.
“As a school community, Jordan McNair was one of our own, a special student whose life impacted everyone he met during his four years here,” McDonogh co-athletic director Mickey Deegan said.
“Hewasanimportant part of our football program during those years when we were very successful. His strength and stature on the line just matched the largess of his heart, so we don’t want to forget. In life, you never want to forget someone and this is our small way of honoring him by celebrating his life and his legacy.”
The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. just before kickoff, she said. McNair’s parents will be presented with the orange No. 70 home jersey he wore during his Eagles career.
McNair’s gray away jersey will be displayed in McDonogh’s Rollins-Luetkemeyer Athletic Center, Deegan said, “as a daily reminder when you walk down the hallways that Jordan’s spirit is still with us.”
The Eagles will wear No. 70 stickers on their helmets this season to honor McNair’s legacy as one of the best offensive linemen in their history. Ravens Coach of Week: Long Reach’s Jamie Willis has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week after leading the Lightning to a 26-20 football win over Atholton in last weekend’s season opener.
The game started Friday night, but persistent lightning postponed the second half until Saturday with the score tied at 13. On Saturday night, running back Julius Saunders ran for two touchdowns, includ- ing the 4-yard game-winner with about seven minutes left.
Each week during the season, the Ravens honor one high school football coach who receives a $2,000 donation to his school’s football program and an award from Ravens coach John Harbaugh. All of the winners will be invited to the RavensTampa Bay Buccaneers game at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 16, where one will be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year.
Harford Tech coach Tim Palmer was last year’s Coach of the Year. Schedule changes: Three days of extreme heat through the middle of this week continue to force changes in the Baltimore City football schedule even though the heat wave was expected to end today.
Baltimore City Schools announced Thursday night that its non-air-conditioned schools will close early Friday for the fourth straight day. That includes 12 high schools and 10 with football teams. City, Poly, Edmondson, Douglass, New Era, Patterson, Lewis and Ben Franklin are scheduled to play today. Mervo was already scheduled to play at William Penn in New Castle, Del., on Saturday. National Academy Foundation did not have a game scheduled this weekend.
Edmondson coach Corey Johnson, whose team is supposed to play Caravel, from Bear, Del., tonight at Poly, said he was told Thursday night that a decision will come in the morning about whether today’s games can be played. Baltimore City policy requires that all after-school activities be canceled when schools close early for any reason.
After three days of temperatures in the 90s and heat indices over100 in the city, the forecast called for temperatures in the lowto mid-80s Friday, but the temperature doesn’t fall inside the school buildings that fast.
Douglass had already moved its game with Digital Harbor to Saturday at 10 a.m. at Dunbar’s William “Sugar” Cain Field.
Although Dunbar has air conditioning and did not close early, coach Lawrence Smith moved the Poets’ game against Potomac, originally scheduled for Friday night, to Monday at 5 p.m. at the Poets’ home field.