Monroe falls to Shaw, 12-8, in season finale

Photos by Darrell Roaden, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

COLUMBUS — Carter Hudson gave Monroe an early lead with a 77-yard touchdown run. The Golden Tornadoes held it with a goal-line stand before halftime and an interception just after it.

But the offense never found the end zone again, and Shaw turned a screen pass into the go-ahead touchdown in a 12-8 win Thursday night at Kinnett Stadium.

The loss ended Monroe’s season at 2-8 in Bo Daniels’ first year as head coach.

Hudson, a sophomore running back, broke loose in the first quarter, and Monroe added a two-point conversion to go up 8-0. Shaw quarterback Daylen Peterson answered with a touchdown on a keeper, but the Raiders missed the two-point try, leaving Monroe ahead 8-6 after one quarter.

That two-point margin held through halftime, though both teams had chances to change it. Shaw stopped a Monroe drive at the Raiders’ 8-yard line, then moved deep into Monroe territory when Peterson hit Marquell Charleston for 35 yards on third-and-18. The play set up first-and-goal, but the Tornadoes kept Shaw out of the end zone. Later, a Monroe punt pinned the Raiders at their 1, and Shaw came away empty again before the half expired.

Monroe’s defense picked up where it left off. Junior linebacker Amicah Sanders intercepted Peterson on Shaw’s opening possession of the second half, giving the Tornadoes another chance to stretch their lead. They came away without points, and on the Raiders’ next possession, Peterson found Charleston again. This time, Charleston took a screen pass 59 yards for a touchdown and Shaw’s first lead.

The Raiders missed the two-point try, so a touchdown still would have put Monroe back in front. Shaw’s defense held in the fourth quarter, though, and Peterson helped keep the ball out of Monroe’s hands. With 5:11 remaining, he scrambled 13 yards on third-and-10 to move the chains. Shaw ran out the clock from there, clinching its first state playoff berth since 2024.