Most young football players yearn for a chance to sit in the stands and watch the Baltimore Ravens play at M&T Bank Stadium. But 22 boys on Hereford Recreation Council's under-13 football team actually got to play on the NFL field Oct. 22.
Before their game against a team from Fallston, the Hereford kids and their coaches toured the Ravens' locker rooms and got to see the inner workings of the stadium.
"It was cool to look at their locker room and see their jerseys, cleats and gloves just laying there," said Cody Hess, 13, of Monkton. The Hereford Middle School eighth-grader said the awe factor disappeared when the game began. "Once we were on the field, we were just playing football."
Hereford quarterback Parker Lenivy, who scored three touchdowns in the 32-0 win, thought the site improved his play.
"I was definitely more focused," he said. "It was so cool to walk onto the field using the same tunnel the Ravens use. It was awesome."
Matt Little, coordinator of Youth Football marketing for the Ravens, arranged for the Hereford-Fallston game to be played in Baltimore. It was one of six games that day. Admission and parking were free for spectators.
The teams were chosen based on points they earned by joining the Ravens Rookies Kids Club, Little said.
Hereford coach Mark Sassler found out about the game a week ahead of time.
"What a great chance for these kids to see and play in the stadium," Sassler said. "This is a hard-working team and they deserved to be picked."
The Fallston team, which was scheduled to play Hereford that day, was thrilled with the change of venue.
"It was the experience of a lifetime and the players will never forget it," Fallston coach Gary Petraglia said. "Mark and the Hereford team are a class act."
Most of Sassler's players are seventh- and eighth-graders at Hereford Middle School. He said all the players, five coaches and plenty of parents packed the stands for the game.
"The boys were all so excited," said, Lynn Wisner, whose son, Zach, is on the team. "They all wore ties and dress pants to the game before they got changed into uniforms. They needed to be respectful of where they were."