The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: East Clarendon's Shaw thriving during Wolverines' turnaround season

The East Clarendon football team is in the midst of an impressive rebuild during the span of just one season.

After winning just one game last year, EC went 4-5 during the regular season, finishing second in Region V-1A with a 3-1 record. On Friday, they hosted their first home playoff game since 1998 and crushed Military Magnet 42-0 for their first postseason victory since 2006.

In the middle of all that excitement is Rod Shaw, their senior running back who has been the engine of the Wolverine offense. But football stardom wasn't always the dream Rod had in mind.

NEW HOME, NEW SPORT

Three years ago, Rod was in the process of transferring from Lake City to East Clarendon. The then-sophomore only played one sport, baseball, but moved a little too late in the process to join the team properly. Still, Rod practiced with the team and started to find a new family in Turbeville.

"When I first got here, everyone really welcomed me. I felt like I was at home. It didn't really matter," Rod said. "During the summer when we were working out, if you didn't want to go home, you could go to almost anyone's house, play a game, get in the pool, whatever you wanted to do. Everybody just knows each other, everybody is tight."

As Rod prepared for his junior year, his dad, Rod Sr., suggested he give football a shot. The elder Shaw coached the sport at Lake City and thought his son had the athleticism to thrive on the gridiron. He compared his body type to Saquon Barkley with his sturdy thighs combined with elite lateral quickness.

While Rod Sr. had dreams of running back stardom for his son, Rod had no idea what to expect when he first stepped on the field.

"At first, I didn't really know positions, I didn't really watch football," Rod said. "I wanted to hit; that's what I used to say. So at first, I was at linebacker, and then they tried me at running back, and I did good at both."

Rod didn't just make the team; he started to thrive. He was the team's starting running back as a junior, scoring more than half of the team's touchdowns in the process. Despite his individual success in a difficult season, Rod felt overlooked. This season, he used that fire to take his game to a new level.

In a new offense under head coach Larry Cornelius, Rod is in the midst of a breakout season. He set preseason goals of rushing for 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns. He's surpassed both. Larry could tell he had something special in Rod as soon as he took over the program.

"The first day of summer workouts, you could tell. We're out there, and you just see his athleticism," the EC head coach said. "I prefer a running back that's a little shorter, a little stouter with a lower center of gravity, and with his body type, he fits exactly what I want to see in a running back."

THE TURNAROUND

Rod has been a key piece in East Clarendon's sharp U-turn in the win column this season, but he's quick to give credit to his teammates.

"I wouldn't say it's all me," the senior said. "You can't do it by yourself, so I thank my teammates for that."

One of the ways Rod has been integral to the Wolverines' success is his leadership. As a new head coach, Larry knew that the first question would be how his seniors would respond to a new face at the head of the program. The way Rod and his fellow seniors bought in opened the door for the rest of the team to do the same.

"Just by his effort. Sometimes guys yell that you have to do this, have to do that. Rod is the type of person that is just going to do it and lead by example," Larry said. "He talks when he doesn't agree with something. I love the communication aspect that we have."

Rod's quiet leadership is crucial because he makes his voice heard at the right time.

"Rod and I have had conversations away from practice of something that he doesn't agree on," Larry said. "Or even during the game, I say, 'You shouldn't have cut back' or something, and he doesn't say anything, and then after the fact, he'll tell me what he was seeing, and I'll look back at the film and, honestly, most of the time he saw it properly. That's what I'm impressed with the fact that he's newer to the game and just how well he sees stuff."

The hard work started during the summer, which is a busy time for Rod. As a three-sport athlete - Rod also suits up for the basketball team - he has no off switch during the summer. Rod often bounces from one sport to the next during the span of a day in the offseason, but that's just the life of an athlete at a small school.

"Just communicating with the coaches," Rod said of the key to finding balance during the summer. "Most of the time, I'm doing two sports; I have to go to two practices in one day. I might have to leave one early or half and half."

Early in the season, it was hard to see the results of all the hard work. The Wolverines had a brutal non-region schedule. They opened the season with a ranked Latta squad before hosting Manning, a county rival that sits two classifications above the Wolverines in 3A. After facing another tough McBee squad, EC earned its first win of the season against Hannah-Pamplico. Rod saw that game as a turning point.

"When we came in at halftime, I told coach C, 'We're going to be all right, we're going to be good,'" Rod recalled. "After that game, everybody came out and wanted to work harder than we were before, and we kept progressing."

Rod was electric in that game, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 victory. After a brutal loss to Bamberg-Ehrhardt, the Wolverines' opponent this week in the second round of the playoffs, they put on a show in region play. East Clarendon finished the regular season on a 3-1 run, including a blowout 47-8 win over their county rivals in Summerton, Scott's Branch.

Throughout this season, Rod and the Wolverines have embraced the role of underdogs. He thrives when underestimated.

"When everybody is expecting you to lose or do bad, that just makes you want to go harder," Rod said. "We keep that in the back of our mind like we've got a chip on our shoulder every time we come out. We've got to prove them wrong and also prove ourselves right that we can do it."

MILESTONE NIGHT

Last Friday was an important night for the football-loving community in Turbeville. They had the chance to snap decades of struggling to reach the postseason and find success. For Rod, that game had a little extra incentive.

The senior running back learned the week of the game that he was just 92 yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards. While he didn't plan on spending the night counting each and every yard he gained, he certainly had a firm grasp on the number entering the contest with Military Magnet.

And so did his family.

Rod wasn't sure if the whole Shaw clan would be in attendance. Rod Sr. drives trucks for a living, so he's been forced to miss a few games this season while out on the road. When his wife came up with a plan to show out for their son, Rod Sr. was ready. Rod's mom, Lafelle Gist, had hoodies made which read '92 for 2' with several photos of their favorite running back.

"I can't take credit for that. I'm on the road, and I'd call every five minutes aggravating his mother. But I had to make it to that one," Rod Sr. said. "His mom does an amazing job organizing things and keeping everything together. It was special. When I got the call that they had shirts and hoodies, I just did what I could to be there."

When Rod looked up in the stands and saw his family all decked out in new gear, he was at a loss.

"They got this last week and surprised me," Rod said. "They told me they weren't going to be here Friday. When I saw everyone in the stands with the sweatshirt, I was surprised."

It didn't take long for Rod to reach the milestone with his family by his side.

"They wasn't going to tell me when I got it, but in the first quarter, I already got the 92, but they didn't tell me until after the game," he said.

Rod Sr. said the milestone was the perfect reward for all the work his son puts into his craft.

"I'm glad this kid got to see some success since last year," Rod Sr. said. "He's putting in the work, and it's not so outlandish that he's having the success because this kid works his tail off. I guess you just need someone to believe in you, and you can do anything.

"Anything Rod puts his mind to, he masters it. He's one of the most talented kids, not just athletically, but just in general. I'm just so proud of him."

THE CHALLENGES ON THE PATH

While Rod has been a natural on the field, his path off the gridiron hasn't always been easy.

In 2020, Rod lost one of his biggest supporters when his grandmother, Deborah Staggers, passed away.

"Me and my wife had him young, and her mom stepped up and did an amazing job," Rod Sr. said. "We lost her in 2020, and that was a major blow to him and the family. But I know she's watching him now and smiling from ear to ear."

Before Rod transferred to East Clarendon, he was also struggling academically. When he saw the path forward that football could provide, he cracked down. He credits his parents and EC athletic director and baseball coach Curtis Johnson for helping him focus on his education.

"Before I got here, my grades weren't all that good," Rod said. "If I was still going the route that I was going then, I probably wouldn't have been able to play. I got here, and they helped me, and they kept going up."

Now, Rod will likely be able to use football to further that education. He already has a scholarship from St. Andrews University in North Carolina and hopes to see more coming throughout his senior year.

MUSIC AND SPORTS

Before Rod played football, his passion outside of baseball was the marching band. While at Lake City, he was one of the few underclassmen that was able to travel to college campuses with the band, but the program was disbanded just before he transferred to East Clarendon.

Music has always been a passion for Rod. He can play multiple instruments, including trumpet, piano and the drums. Just like with football, he seems to be a natural.

"I can't read music," Rod said. "I just play it by ear. Whatever I hear, I just play it by ear."

Rod's love of music and sports work in tandem. They both provide a release from the stresses of the world. Even after his playing days end, Rod will always have his tunes.

"Music calms me down a lot. That's my peace," Rod said. "I love listening to music, playing music. Sports do the same thing. They go hand in hand."