Shaw makes early touchdown stand up over Hardaway

The Hardaway Hawks and the Shaw Raiders squared off at Kinnett Stadium on Friday, homecoming night for the Hawks and a pivotal match as both teams looked for their first Region 1-AAAAA win.

The game didn't start as the Hawks planned, and their first play from scrimmage resulted in a lost fumble by running back Marco Lee into the hands of Datavious Burtin.

The Raiders, despite having good field position, couldn't punch it from the Hawks 23-yard line.

The lone score of the first half came off a 1-yard plunge by running back Sydarrian Cobb with 2:27 left in the first quarter. The point after attempt failed, putting the Raiders up 6-0.

After 9 straight drives in which neither team could muster any tallies on the scoreboard, the half ended with the Raiders up 6-0.

The second half didn't prove to be much better for either offense with only 3 more points being scored on a 40-yard field goal by Hardaway kicker Freddie Zamudio.

Shaw was limited to just 60 yards rushing and 50 yards passing in the second half, while Hardaway was held to 61 yards rushing and 9 yards passing.

"The defense came out and played well," said Shaw Defensive Coordinator Clinton Lawrence. "We had a couple key guys go down. Our starting defensive end broke his nose and the next guy came in and played well. We were banged up and out on the field quite a bit, but it's part of the game.

"A win is a win whether its 5-4 or 2-1, it doesn't matter, I was proud of our guys. They played hard and bought in this week. They let last week go and I couldn't be more proud to say that I coached those guys."

Leading the way for the Raiders were Cobb and quarterback BJ Knight.

Cobb rushed the ball 23 times for 125 yards and scored the lone touchdown of the game in the first quarter. Knight rushed for 17 yards and completed 8-of-18 passes for 139 yards and one interception.

The Hawks were led by running back Marco Lee, who spearheaded the Hardaway rushing attack.

Lee finished the night with 88 yards rushing on 21 carries. Defensively, Jaquan Daniels turned in a stellar night, recording both an interception and a recovered fumble, putting an end to two key Raider drives.

Hardaway takes on Harris County next Friday at home, while Shaw has Columbus High at home.

Friday at Kinnett

Shaw 6 0 0 0--6

Hardaway 0 0 3 0--3First Quarter

S--Sydarrian Cobb 1 run (kick failed), 2:27Third QuarterH--Freddie Zamudio 40 FG, 5:00

Team records: Shaw 3-3, 1-1 Region 1-AAAAA. Hardaway 1-5, 0-2. Next: Shaw, vs. Columbus, at Kinnett, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. Hardaway, vs. Harris County, Oct. 8, 7 p.m., at Kinnett.

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 11:48 PM with the headline "Shaw makes early touchdown stand up over Hardaway ."