How many consecutive losses? Why this Waccamaw win sparked a jubilant celebration

For the first time in 17 games, and the first time in Shane Fidler’s head coaching career, he went to bed on a Friday night with a win, as his Waccamaw Warriors defeated Academic Magnet 57-0 in Week 9.

Fidler, a second-year coach, had his work cut out for him when he took over the Waccamaw program. He took the reins of a program that had a single win the year before he started, and needed a lift to get players to try out for football.

After going 0-10 in his first season and starting this season 0-6, Fidler has finally removed the burden off his shoulders with his first victory as a head coach. The Warriors’ last win came in 2016, and they’d lost 24 straight prior to Friday.

“I’m excited to get the monkey off (my back),” he said. “We’ve come close to winning, but we could never pull it off. I’m more excited for our kids to get a region win, and now we can look forward to trying to earn a playoff berth.”

Following the final buzzer, Fidler’s players dumped water jugs and bottles on the coach, an action every coach relishes and regrets immediately.

“It was so cold,” Fidler said, laughing. “There’s no better feeling in the world once it happens, but, man, was it cold. (It was) absolutely worth it, and I hope to get some more.”

As Waccamaw looks forward on the season, contests against region foes Hanahan and St. John’s loom, with the possibility of a playoff spot still up for grabs at season’s end. While a taste of success is a great motivator for his team, Fidler isn’t changing his tune with the different result on the field.

“We’ve got to keep doing the right things in the classroom, weight room and in practice,” Fidler said. “That’s what we preach to our players every day.”

Nonetheless, this week Fidler and the Warriors took a big step toward their collective goals.

This story was originally published October 21, 2018 at 3:52 PM.