Shaw football seniors have had a tough 2020. Can they end the season with wins?
Shaw’s football team took the field in full pads for practice ahead of their Thursday night game last week against Kendrick.
Head coach Al Pellegrino’s voice echoed across the Raiders’ practice field, tucked behind the high school and its gymnasium. The team’s playoff hopes may be gone, but there still exists an opportunity to grab a few more wins and take steps toward closing the season on a high.
The Raiders’ senior quarterback watched from the sidelines.
Wason Davis Jr. injured his knee in a recent game. It’s swollen pretty badly, he said, sporting a jacket, jeans and a face mask. He didn’t play against Kendrick, but he’s hoping he can take the field again before the season ends.
“The goal is to finish strong,” Davis Jr. said. “And to fight through the adversity we’ve been going through. To keep our heads held high.”
A difficult season
Shaw started the season 0-4, with losses to non-region foes ChattCo and Northside.
The Raiders actually led Carver at one point but lost that game 56-12. They didn’t pick up a win until Oct. 16, a 37-8 win over Jordan at home.
There’s talent on this Shaw team; it just hasn’t materialized this year: The Raiders gave Troup all it could handle in a 16-12 loss, a game that they nearly pulled off a comeback sparked by a 37-yard touchdown run by running back Derrick Kelley. They lost to 5A Northside by just two points and 1A public ChattCo, a team that’s poised to make a deep playoff run, by 10.
“This season wasn’t the season we were expecting to have,” Davis Jr. said. “But it builds our character.”
Finishing strong
There have been positives to the season: The fight the Raiders showed against Troup was enough to carry them to a win over Kendrick and should be enough to get them past Spencer.
And they’ve got the talent: Kelley Jr. recently committed to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, with aspirations to eventually play Division I football.
“We want to finish these last three, get three wins,” Kelley Jr. said. “See what happens.”
Shaw is trying to return the program to a level of excellence the Raiders haven’t experienced since Charles Flowers led them to a 124-45 record from 1992-2005, including a state championship in 2000.
And there’s still a chance for the Raiders to equal last year’s region win total of four. If they win out, they’ll finish 4-4 in GHSA Region 2-4A.
“We know that the season’s not in our favor,” Davis Jr. said. “But we have to finish strong as young men, because not only will it help us get better on the field, but it will help us in life later on. Football is not all about football; it can teach you life lessons, too.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 2:51 PM.
