The State of Maryland has been painted purple, with employees allowed to wear Ravens gear to support our home team, the Baltimore Ravens in their playoff run.

SO, HAPPY FESTIVUS, Baltimore!

Let’s keep up the big support and cheer our boys onto FESTIVUS MAXIMUS!

GO RAVENS!

The first game will be Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 7 pm between Franklin High School in Reisterstown in Baltimore County and Wilde High School in Columbia, MD.

Friday night showcases Urbana High School from Frederick County against Henry A Wise in Prince George’s County.

Saturday is a double header with the first game at noon for the Class 1A title with Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore City taking on Havre de Grace in Harford County. The second game is at 3:30 pm with Middletown High School in Frederick taking on McDonough from Charles County.

The MPSSAA is excited for this weekend, which culminates in the Sunday night Ravens game versus The Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a huge football week here in Baltimore!

So head to Federal Hill and M&T Bank Stadium in Downtown Baltimore for a half week of great football. Support the young men playing in the championships and then the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night!

This Sunday is another home game,  and M&T Bank Stadium on the edge of Federal Hill in Downtown Baltimore is the place to be. Beginning around 8:30 am Parking lot H will open for tailgating — and there will be a line to get in to get prime spots.

If you don’t have a tailgate of your own to attend, you can visit the Baltimore Ravens sponsored Ravens Walk across from the Johnny Unitas statue where there are games, food, and drink — much of it under cover.

Another pre-game specialty is held at Mothers Federal Hill Grille, where they have a Purple Patio perfect for tailgaiting fun. Their doors open game days at 8 am.

Gametime is 1 pm. Our Ravens have not been playing up to their potential, and they need their fans to be a strong 12th man.

Downtown Baltimore Sundays — where you will be engulfed in a sea of purple, excitement, and fun!

The tailgating lots opened at 3:20 pm and many enjoyed the warm, gorgeous afternoon hanging out with friends and watching the earlier games on TV’s brought in their cars!

We didn’t head down until about 4:30, but it was a beautiful night, and the excitement was palpable. I was happy to see a friend who I haven’t seen in over 5 years since he moved to California, but was home and came to see the game with us.

We entered the stadium around 7:30 and many were already in their seats. There were quite a few Steelers fans around, and some Baltimore Ravens fans were a bit heated with them already.

Luckily everyone settled down at gametime, which began with spectacular fireworks set off from the tops of the lights on the stadium as the players ran out, and again after the National Anthem was finished.

We began our game on a great note, taking our first drive all the way downfield and scoring a touchdown!

Then, things got tough from there.

Dixon, the rookie 3rd string Quarterback on the Steelers is a fantastic player. He is smart and very fast. Once seasoned, he will be a tough opponent to beat!

The Steelers, though down two important players from their team, were there to win.

Luckily for the Baltimore Ravens, so were they. Going into overtime, Paul Kruger intercepted a pass, and they scored a field goal (thank you, new kicker Billy Cundiff!), creating the late night win over the Steelers, and leaving happy fans to disburse in Federal Hill.

Thank goodness for the rain holding off, and the beautiful night, and the Ravens WIN! Now onto Green Bay. GO RAVENS!

Pittsburgh is only a few hours away so this is always an exciting game with fans from both sides cheering their teams on.

Neither team has been playing up to their potential, and there is no lock on who could possibly capture the wildcard spot, so this promises to be a great game. This is always a tough game for our Ravens, and we, the fans, need to be a strong 12th man for them!

Parking lots open for tailgaiting about 5 hours prior to gametime at M&T Bank Stadium on the edge of Federal Hill in Downtown Baltimore .

Expect  Baltimore to be electric for SNF and look for a sea of purple all day long.

So join in & wear your purple – and come cheer on our home team!