Junior Brandon Lewis never imagined that he would be standing in the middle of an NFL stadium packed with thousands of fans. Lewis, JC’s varsity football quarterback, and his receivers, juniors Montell Martin and Austin Markley, participated in the Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Challenge. JC lost by one yard, but athletic director Larry Dukes was not convinced that the results were entirely accurate.

“The River Hill quarterback cheated. He stepped over the line on both passes,” Dukes said.

Two high school football teams in Maryland are selected for every Ravens home game to compete against each other in the Quarterback Challenge to showcase their quarterbacks. Each quarterback has two chances to complete a pass with both of his receivers, and the one who completes the longest pass wins.

“At first [being in front of the fans] was overwhelming, but I had been on that field to play two games already for another team. Also, being with Montell and Austin really calmed me down,” Lewis said.

The first prize winner receives a $500 Russell Athletic gift card for the school’s athletic department. Both schools receive tickets to the game and both quarterbacks receive a football autographed by a Ravens player. The school with the longest pass completion
throughout the entire Ravens season wins new football uniforms.

Lewis led the competition off by throwing for 40 yards, while the River Hill receiver failed to catch the pass. Lewis’ lead remained the same when he completed another 40-yard pass, but River Hill pulled out the win when Altman completed a 41-yard pass. Even
though Lewis and his receivers lost the competition, Lewis said he had a great experience playing in front of the Ravens fans.

“The best thing about football is playing in front of the fans, especially when you make a big play and you hear them cheering,” Lewis said.

Miranda Ripken is a Sports Editor for the Patriot and jcpatriot.com.