2004 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas

Drawdy honored by Shriners, Hannah-Pamplico wins 34-0
By Rob Gantt
Associate Editor
Pamplico – Ironically, on the same night Hannah-Pamplico’s Stan Drawdy was honored by the Omar Shriners temple for being on the South Carolina Shrine Bowl coaching staff, new Raiders quarterback Dondegrius Jackson played like he could one day be in the Shrine Bowl.
Jackson, a converted wide receiver/defensive back, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to power the Raiders to a convincing 34-0 victory over rival Johnsonville in the season opener for both teams Friday night.
“That’s a good way to start the season,” said Drawdy, who slipped into his Shrine Bowl coaches jacket at mid-field during a ceremony at halftime.
Doc Stewart, Potentate of the Omar Shriners, was pleased to be in town to bring Drawdy his burgundy jacket.
“We’re proud to have him,” Stewart said. “He’s one of the best.”
Jackson was at his best too.
He made sure a win was in the cards for Hannah-Pamplico by utilizing his quick feet and accurate arm to dissect the Flashes’ defense early and often. He finished with over 220 yards of total offense and led the Raiders to scoring drives on five of their first eight possessions.
Not bad for a guy who actually would have been the second choice under center this season.
“The kid that was slated to be our quarterback this year didn’t come out,” Drawdy said. “But right now, (Jackson) is playing as well as anybody we’ve ever had at the position.”
His 62-yard scoring pass to Justin Cusack with 2:28 left in the first half gave the Raiders a 21-0 lead and broke Johnsonville’s spirit.
After halftime, it was more of the same for Hannah-Pamplico. Jackson engineered a 50-yard scoring drive despite three holding penalties. On the drive, Jackson converted a fourth-and-4 by scrambling for five yards, then found Dee Hyman and Christian Daniels on back-to-back 15-yard gains to set up his 1-yard plunge with 5:32 in the third quarter.
Cusack capped the scoring on a 15-yard run with 8:21 remaining in the game.
The blowout victory to start the season was a step toward erasing the memories of the school’s worst campaign in 10 years. In 2003, the typically-potent Raiders won just four games and missed out on the postseason for the first time since 1993. They also lost on homecoming last season.
“It was (a bad season) in a lot of respects,” Drawdy said. “We had some games where we looked real good, but we had some other ones where we looked real bad. Not making the playoffs was real disappointing.”
With Drawdy’s introduction as an assistant coach to Timmonsville’s Bill Tate on the Shrine Bowl staff, Jackson’s emergence as a superstar and the ultimate taste of victory made it a picture perfect night for the Raiders. Near the end, a Hannah-Pamplico player dumped the ice cooler on Drawdy to signify a rousing start to the season.
Johnsonville, meanwhile, had trouble getting anything going offensively and never got too close to preventing the shutout. R.T. Gillespie’s interception inside the Raiders’ 10 late in the third quarter killed the Flashes’ best chance to score.