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Year that end with the number five have been good to the Ravenwood Raptors this century.
In 2005 the Raptors won their first football state championship beating Oak Ridge by seven. A decade later they upset unbeaten Maryville for their second gold ball.
If trends are to be continued, 2025 could be that next golden step forward. On Friday night they moved one step closer to that goal beating Southwind 28-25 to advance to their first state finals appearance since 2019.
“It’s a great feeling,” senior quarterback and Navy commitment Maverick Chance Maverick said following the win. “Just getting that done and heading to state, it’s an amazing feeling. We fought through some adversity right there and came away with the win.”
Friday night was Chance’s time to shine.
It was fellow Raptors quarterback Femi Babalola that got things going with a long touchdown run in the first quarter. Babalola twisted his ankle early in the game and that could have spelled doom for the Raptors facing Kelvin Perkins and a potent Southwind offense.
Already with a receiving touchdown to his name, Chance connected with a wide-open Cy Longley in the waning seconds of the first half to give Ravenwood an eight-point lead at the break.
The second half saw Southwind Perkins get the Jaguars offense going a bit but the play of the game came late in the third quarter courtesy of the Ravenwood defense.
On a play that looked dead, Ravenwood senior defensive back Jaylen Pollard emerged from the scrum and streaked down the field for an easy touchdown.
The Raptors defense rose up in the final frame getting the stops they needed and a late conversion by Chance sealed the deal for the Raptors empending showdown with unbeaten Oakland for the 6A title.
Surrounded by the Ravenwood faithful following the win, head coach Ricky Rodriguez had one message for his squad.
“I will see you guys every day at 5 a.m. until December 6th.”
