Baltimore Sun

Search the Baltimore County community newspaper archives

>> Click here to search for stories published AFTER 2011

>> Use this search box to find stories published prior to 2011.

Note: All Words is a more strict search. Implied operator is "AND."
Ex: Charles Dickens"

news

home

Helping Harford athletes get across the academic goal line

BY BRYNA ZUMER

Posted 4/01/11

A decade after the death of its namesake, the Bud Bitzer Scholarship Awards are still going strong and honoring unsung heroes in Harford County’s high school football programs.

Ravens Nest No. 1 held its ninth annual awards banquet last Thursday at Richlin Ballroom and gave away $9,700 in scholarships to 10 senior football players.

The top winner, with a $3,000 scholarship, was Christopher Wright from Joppatowne High School. Wright, 18, of Abingdon, will be the first in his family to attend college.

He has been playing football for Joppatowne since making varsity in his freshman year.

“This means a lot to me because they are giving unnoticed people that are under the radar to actually get the chance to be recognized for some of the things they do,” Wright said about the award.

Wright said he would like to go to Moravian College, in Bethlehem, Pa., and play football there, if he gets enough financial aid.

“It’s a great opportunity and it’s a tough sport, and I hope to play in college,” he said.

He said it would set an example for his younger brother and three sisters.

“Hopefully, my younger siblings will look up to me as, ‘Chris went to college,’ ” he said, adding his mother and stepfather made it to the banquet. “My family was pretty excited about it.”

Deen Wright, of Aberdeen High, also got a $1,500 scholarship and Ben Kenley, of North Harford High, got $1,000.

Other award recipients, each of whom got $600, were: Andy Thrasher, of Fallston; Stephan Hemmig, of Bel Air; Justin Crunkleton, of Patterson Mill; Kyle Miele, of John Carroll; Colt Hancock, of C. Milton Wright; Thomas Bise, of Harford Tech; and Paul Wright, of Edgewood.

Pat Skebeck, chair of the scholarship committee, said recognizing talented young men is what the program is all about.

“We are looking for that unsung hero, the kid who maybe didn’t get a lot of press or accolades throughout the season, but was one of the driving forces of the team,” she said.

Each school in Harford County is asked to submit an applicant, and they are judged on team spirit, commitment and community service, as well as an essay. The applicants are not required to play football once in college.

“Our schools have been really great about participating. Our coaches really enjoy the opportunity to come out and hear someone talk to the kids,” Skebeck said. “It’s not a typical scholarship; it’s not just for academics.”

About 150 people were at the banquet this year.

“That’s a pretty significant number of people,” she said.

Eric DeCosta, director of player personnel for the Ravens, was the guest speaker this year.

“I thought that was nice for the guys to hear,” Skebeck said. “He talked to the boys about what they look for when they are looking to recruit rookies out of college.”

The Bud Bitzer Scholarship Awards have grown impressively since their first year, when only three schools participated and $500 was given out.

And with 200 members, Ravens Nest No. 1 of Harford County is the largest of all Ravens Nests, Skebeck said.

“We get a lot of donations from the community and our own members,” she said.

As the group prepares to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the scholarship awards next year, it also prepares to remember the man they are named after.

“Bud was one of the original members of Ravens Nest No. 1. He was in the founding group... and he was quite a philanthropist. He always wanted to do something for the kids in Harford County, and he really loved football a lot,” Skebeck recalled. “He had always said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do some kind of scholarship for football in Harford County?’”

Jane Rutkowski, Bud Bitzer’s daughter, said she is glad to see how much the banquet has grown over the years.

“They have done more fundraisers and increased scholarships,” she said. “It’s just amazing, all the support that we get from all the Ravens and the community.”

Rutkowski said she expects next year, the 10th anniversary, to be even bigger.

Ravens Nest No. 1 is trying to get all the past award winners, and the coaches, lined up to talk about the kids who got the previous awards.

“It’s nice every year, just to see the kids faces — the excitement on their faces,” she said about the banquet.