Two Division 1 Quarterback Commits, One Unbeaten Team

Ravenwood football has been taking Middle Tennessee by storm so far this football season, boasting an undefeated record and a unique approach on offense. Currently 7-0, the Raptors have beaten other strong local programs such as Lipscomb Academy and Christ Presbyterian Academy, while notching region wins over Summit, Franklin and Independence. 

Through each game, Ravenwood’s offense is spearheaded by not one, but two strong quarterbacks. Both Maverick Chance and Femi Babalola are seniors, and both are committed to Division I schools.

Instead of battling each other for the ability to lead the team as the starting quarterback, the two rotate throughout games. There’s no rivalry between them — in fact, the two are close friends.

“I’m spoiled as a coach,” Head Coach Ricky Rodriguez says after a 28-7 win over Independence last week. “When you have two unbelievable high-character kids like that, they make our job as coaches so easy. They never waver, even with the mistakes that were made tonight.”

Rodriguez says that the team rotates the two no matter what. “Basically, for us, how it works is whoever started the first series, the previous week, the next guy will start the next game,” he explains. “And then we rotate every single series regardless of the situation. We’ve been doing it for three years now, and we’ve won 20 out of our last 21 games, so something’s working.”

Both Chance and Babalola truly care about each other, and they each have a deep respect for the other quarterback. The two have known each other since they were in third grade, when they began playing peewee football together, and have grown closer together in the intervening years. 

“He’s one of my best friends,” says Babalola of Chance. “Mav’s such a dog. He’s a fighter; he’s a competitor. He’s been like that since he was a little kid.”

“He’s a super hard worker,” says Chance of Babalola. “He’s gotten so much better since middle school. He’s just resilient. Last year against Oakland, that was really clear, him coming out and winning that game for us was really good.”

Babalola is committed to Boston College, while Chance is headed to Navy. Both said it was the communities at their respective schools that had led them to commit.

“Just the feeling of home there, the family sense, [drew me],” Babalola says. “I really felt like I was home the first time I stepped on campus there, and all the coaches made me feel like I was family, so I really appreciated that.”

“When I went up on the visit, they were all treating me like family, and it was awesome,” Chance says. “And the scheme there really fits my playing style, and all the benefits there, it’s just awesome.”

Though the two will be graduating this year, they will leave behind a legacy for the school and the team. Rodriguez said that the two of them have brought a lot to the team and the community over the years.

“They make me a better husband, father, teacher and football coach,” Rodriguez said. “They’re just raised right. I mean, in this era of high school football with kids transferring and doing that, to have two guys that love playing for their school and love playing for their brothers, I’m just spoiled. I thank the good lord every day that those two young men are in my life because they make a difference not only to myself, but to this whole community. They’re special.”