Shaw Fends Off Madison Prep Rally to Earn First Title Shot Since 2008
by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
MARRERO, La. – Shaw quarterback Mason Wilson could not contain his joy. So he gushed.
Much like his teammates, his coaches, and a huge throng of Green and White-clad fans on hand, all had witnessed history Friday night as Shaw completed its football revival by downing Madison Prep, 35-28, in a Division I Select state semifinals pairing played at Shaw’s cold and windy Joe Zimmerman Stadium.
The top-seeded Eagles never trailed but did have to fend off a hellacious second-half rally by No. 8 Madison Prep to survive and advance to the Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Prep Classic for the first time in nearly two decades.
“It’s amazing. We’re making history,’’ Wilson said after directing four scoring drives, running for a touchdown, and then throwing for the game-winning points. “We haven’t been (to the state finals) in over 20 years.
“Coach Hank Tierney really came in here and flipped this program around from a program that won one district game in 10 years to now three-time district champions and we’re going to state. It’s unbelievable. It’s a feeling that I will never forget in my life and I’m forever thankful for.’’
Shaw (11-2) recorded its 10th consecutive victory of the season and third of the playoffs to earn its first trip to the Caesars Superdome since the program made three consecutive unsuccessful appearances in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The District 9-4A champions are seeking Shaw’s first state championship since the 1987 team coached by Tierney won the school’s lone state crown.
“We talked before the game about how hard it was three years ago when we first came (back),’’ Tierney said of his second stint at an institution he reveres. “There were 40 players. We just worked and worked and each year we got better. We have put ourselves through hard work in position to play for a state championship.
“This is the hardest week to win. You think about everything you’ve done and about everything you’ve accomplished. And then you focus on tonight because this is where you belong. I really think at the end (the players) just rose up because they believed. They believed.
“We started this journey on Aug. 4 and now we’re about to finish it Saturday in the Superdome playing for a state championship. We deserve to be here. We earned it. We deserve to win.’’
Tierney directed four Shaw teams to the Prep Classic in 1987, 1988, 1997, and 2000 during his first stint at the only all-boys Catholic high school located on Jefferson Parish’s West Bank. Now completing his third season back at Shaw after coaching at Ponchatoula and West Jefferson following his initial departure, Tierney and his top seeds will face No. 3 E.D. White in the Division II Select state final scheduled for noon Friday, Dec. 13, in the Superdome.
E.D. White defeated No.. 7 Leesville, 41-13, in Friday’s other Division II Select semifinals.
“It’s a program win,’’ Tierney said of defeating Madison Prep. “We wanted to come here and build a program. And we did. A lot of people and not just me are responsible for this, a lot of coaches that I brought with me and the coaches that stayed. The kids, some were ready to quit. Some transferred in. We just all came together.’’
Led by Wilson and Michigan-signed running back Jasper Parker, Shaw scored four offensive touchdowns while the Eagles defense recorded a fifth to build a 35-14 advantage with only four minutes expired in the third period.
Madison Prep (9-4) was far from finished, however. Led by their mercurial quarterback Tylan Johnson, the Chargers answered with single touchdowns in the third and fourth periods to move within 35-28 before recovering a fumble with three minutes, and 23 seconds remaining to ignite a frantic finish.
Shaw had ripped off an 8-yard run for a first down but lost a fumble on the play that was recovered by Madison Prep’s Ryan Variste at the Chargers’ 48-yard line.
Johnson then drove Madison Prep to Shaw’s 4-yard line where another high shotgun snap coupled with a timely blitz by Shaw linebacker J’Quan Carter produced a 3-yard loss on third down. On fourth down, Johnson sailed a pass into the back middle of the end zone that was dropped with 26 seconds remaining which allowed Wilson and Shaw one kneel down to seal the victory.
“It was a great game,’’ Madison Prep coach Landry Williams said. “We got off to a sloppy start, but we’ve been through adversity before so I knew our guys weren’t going to quit. We just ran out of time. These were two good teams just getting after each other the whole time. Nobody wanted to give in. We just ran out of time.
“It easily could have been the other way. But I’m proud of the way our guys played. We played tough all year. We’ve got nothing to hang our heads about. We’ve just got to lick our wounds, come back, and start practice Jan. 13. We’ll be back at it again.’’
Wilson and Parker supplied most of Shaw’s offense with the Eagles quarterback accounting for 148 of Shaw’s 317 yards with his running and passing. Wilson directed scoring drives of 40, 50, 55, and 79 yards while rushing 13 times for 66 yards and a 2-yard touchdown for Shaw’s third score that produced a 21-14 advantage.
Wilson also completed 6 of 13 passes for 82 yards without being intercepted and found wide receiver Stephen Houin for a 7-yard touchdown that proved to be the winning points good for a seemingly commanding 35-14 lead four minutes into the third period.
The Wilson-to-Houin touchdown pass culminated an impressive 11-play, 79-yard march that also featured a 21-yard Wilson run to Madison Prep’s 11-yard line, an earlier 17-yard Wilson completion to wide receiver Jacob Washington, and runs of 20, 3, and 13 yards by Parker.
Parker was Shaw’s offensive bell cow with 28 carries good for 175 yards rushing and touchdowns of 22 and 4 yards as the Eagles rushed for 235 yards and totaled 317 in offense with 19 first downs.
Shaw defensive tackle Caden Valentine recovered a first-quarter fumble in the end zone following a high shotgun snap over Johnson’s head that padded Shaw’s initial lead to 14-0.
“It was a tremendous effort by all of us on the team,’’ Parker said. “We played sound offensively and defensively. We won the penalty game. We won the turnover game, I believe. But we just came out and fought and that’s what mattered most.
“We had a lot of heart and we played with a lot of intensity and we came out and executed. So I’ve got to thank our defense for clutching up at the end and putting us in this position in the first place. All glory to God.
“It’s tremendous that you get to see all the hard work that you put in all season pays off. It’s exciting. We know we deserve to be there. We’ve got to fight because we haven’t been there in a very long time. It’s a tremendous honor to play for this state championship.’’
The Chargers ultimately answered the Eagles score for score except for their final possession as Johnson directed scoring drives of 63, 59, 75, and 82 yards while accounting for 296 yards and three touchdowns with his running and passing.
A three-year starter, Johnson passed for 210 yards with a 21-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Landon Johnson while completing 17 of 34 attempts without being intercepted. Tylan Johnson additionally rushed 17 times for 86 yards with touchdown runs of 5 and 1 yards.
Madison Prep outgained Shaw, 367-317, in total yardage and recorded 23 first downs to Shaw’s 19. The Chargers rushed for 157 yards with McKnight carrying 17 times for 91 yards with a 14-yard touchdown run that tied the score at 14 in the final 90 seconds of the first quarter.
Wide receivers Keyon Robinson and Landon Johnson were Tylan Johnson’s favorite targets with Robinson catching six passes good for 88 yards while Landon Johnson had six receptions good for 76 yards with the 21-yard touchdown that narrowed Shaw’s advantage to 35-21by the end of the third period.
“Thirty-five points is usually enough to win,’’ Tierney said. “But Madison Prep is so good on offense and we knew that. We were very concerned about their offense. We thought we could run the ball on them and we did. We controlled the ball.
“Thank goodness, we ran the clock and kept them off of the field somewhat. But they came from 21 points down. Give them a lot of credit for doing that. They converted a whole lot of big plays, third-and-longs.
“We knew that even up by three touchdowns that we had to keep moving the ball. And then we turned it over and gave them a chance to win. We had three chances to stop them on that (final) drive and didn’t. They kept making plays. But we stopped them when we had to.’’
Madison Prep, a 2020 state champion, opened the season 0-3 before going on a nine-game winning streak that produced a District 6-3A championship and an advance to the state semifinals.
“I’m proud of the way our guys fought,’’ Madison Prep’s Williams said. “Shaw is a great football team and traditionally has been a great football team. I’m proud of the way my guys competed. We’ve just got to use this, grown from it, and start back over again. That’s the process and the life of a coach.’’
Shaw, or at least its fans, now have a week to bask in the afterglow of capturing lightning in a bottle for the first time in 16 years, the Eagles’ last trip to the Prep Classic. The football team must focus on achieving Louisiana schoolboy football immortality.
“It means more to me that the Shaw community is experiencing this’’ more than anything personally, Tierney said. “Shaw had been down for so long. The enrollment was down and everything was bad. When they brought me back, I really think they were just hoping that I could give them a shot in the arm.
“We all know that when you build your football team, it’s one of the big things in a school. People look to it and see it. … The kids believe, now. They believe. They really believe.’’
SHAW 35, MADISON PREP 28
Madison Prep 14 0 7 7 – 28
Shaw 14 14 7 0 — 35
MP SHA
First downs 23 19
Rushing 157 235
Passing 210 82
Total offense 367 317
Passes 17-34-0 6-13-0
Punts 1-34.0 1-33.0
Fumbles/lost 4-2 2-2
Penalties 11-77 5-38
SCORING:
S: Jasper Parker 22 run (Henry Cardenas kick).
S: Caden Valentine fumble recovery in the end zone following a high shotgun snap (Henry Cardenas kick).
MP: Tylan Johnson 5 run (Calvin Spears kick).
MP: Alfred McKnight 14 run (Calvin Spears kick).
S: Mason Wilson 2 run (Henry Cardenas kick).
S: Jasper Parker 4 run (Henry Cardenas kick).
S: Stephen Houin 7 pass from Mason Wilson (Henry Cardenas kick).
MP: Landon Johnson 21 pass from Tylan Johnson (Calvin Spears kick).
MP: Tylan Johnson 1 run (Calvin Spears kick).
Featured Image courtesy: Archbishop Shaw High School and Tom Albarado.