‘Rines ‘rise’ up on Ravens field in halftime competition

Jade Pinkowitz, Editor-in-Chief|November 19, 2019

Jamaly Allen

Watkins Mill varsity football players Baebaa Sayeh, Kyle Wingate, Demetrius Rush, Alfred Koiwood Jr, Darrious Ellis, and coach Charles Miller with ravens defensive back Anthony Levine Sr.

Five varsity football players won the Rise Halftime Combine program on Sunday, November 17 during the Baltimore Ravens halftime show, bringing home a $500 gift card.

Coaches Charles Miller Jamaly Allen accompanied senior Demetrius Rush, sophomore Darrius Ellis, and juniors Kyle Wingate, Alfred Koiwood Jr, and Baebaa Sayeh to the Ravens game for this challenge.

“I was proud to be there with them,” Miller said.

The Rise Halftime Combine program is a relay-style competition of football drills where two high schools compete against each other for the lowest time. The winning team takes home a $500 Under Armour gift card for their football team. Watkins Mill had a time of 37.9 seconds, beating St. Vincent Pallotti High School’s 44.5 seconds.

“[The boys] had a lot of fun and got to experience an NFL game up close. I had a lot of fun watching them and their reactions,” Miller added. “It was a really good experience for them in a lot of ways.” In addition to winning the gift card, the boys received commemorative shirts and got to be on the field for pregame warmups.

For the relay race, Ellis flipped a tire from the goal line to the 10-yard line. Then, Koiwood Jr. weaved through cones to the 40-yard line and handed the ball to Sayeh who backpedaled from the sideline to the middle of the field. Sayeh gave Wingate the ball and Rush ran from the 30-yard line to the endzone to catch Wingate’s throw.

“It was a great opportunity to check out football at the pro level, especially on the field. Not very many people get to see that,” Sayeh added.

“The best part was seeing your kids, who you’ve been raising for the past four years, compete against a school that they didn’t even know and succeed,” Allen said.

The combines happen during halftime of each regular season Ravens home game. The school with the lowest time of the overall season wins new Under Armour jerseys for the varsity football team.

“Meeting the players was probably the best part,” Ellis said. The boys got to meet retired wide receiver Jacoby Jones and wide receiver Marquise Brown among others.