Shaw snaps losing streak by taking out Kendrick

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of their last victory, the Shaw Raiders found a new reason to celebrate.

The Raiders overcame a slow start in its game against Kendrick to top the Cherokees 21-12. Even though the performance was far from sound, it was enough to give Shaw (1-1, 0-0) its first win since September 2, 2016.

Shaw first-year head coach Al Pellegrino fielded a team that had already lost six starters after one game. The win may not have been picture perfect, but considering the circumstances, it was one he would take.

“It was frustrating because we’re just inconsistent,” Pellegrino said. “The turnovers really put us in a bad situation, but I feel like our defense really played well. The defensive staff did a good job of laying out the game plan, and I felt like they executed pretty well.”

Shaw took a lead it never surrendered thanks to quarterback Andrew Lacy. In his first start this season for the Raiders, Lacy got the job done on a second-and-goal play with 8:20 left before halftime, bulldozing his way through the line for the score.

For a while, it looked like the 7-6 contest would hold steady. That is, until the Raiders got rolling in the second half.

Raiders running back Marcus Newsome padded the lead with 8:36 to go in the third quarter, finding the end zone on a 5-yard run. Rodney Kincheon got in on the fun, too, putting up a 5-yard touchdown run nearly two minutes later.

Kendrick (0-2, 0-0) scored the first points of the game on Adayus Robertson’s 7-yard touchdown run with 11:31 to go in the second quarter. Robertson ultimately had the last points of the contest as well, reaching the end zone on a five-yard run with 3:17 left in the fourth.

The Cherokees threatened to ruin the Raiders’ night as the time wound down but in the end couldn’t make it happen. Though his team finally put a ‘W’ in the column, Pellegrino made it clear the Raiders have a long way to go.

“Our kids don’t know how to win yet, and that’s going to come with time,” Pellegrino said. “My thing is you have to go back to the basics. It all comes down to blocking and tackling.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 11:46 PM with the headline "Shaw snaps losing streak by taking out Kendrick."