A trio of Shelby Academy miscues led to three fourth-quarter touchdowns for Edgewood in a 28-7 victory over the Raiders in the AISA Class 2A semifinal.

From halftime until the final five minutes of play Friday, the game was knotted at 7-7. But a fumble helped set up a 33-yard touchdown by Cody Lee to give Edgewood the lead, 14-7. The Raiders then had a punt blocked, which resulted in another TD. The third score of the fourth quarter came on a 24-yard interception return for a TD by Lee.

“The three miscues cost us,” Shelby head coach Shannon Jones said. “Yeah, they were miscues, but we had just worn ourselves slap out. They had a steady rotation on their lines and receivers. They had a few more athletes than we did tonight.”

Lee put Edgewood on the board first in the opening quarter with a 10-yard run.

Jason McDaniel later intercepted an Edgewood pass that helped set up the Raiders’ lone touchdown, a 1-yard run by Brandon Horton.

The scenario of the game was different from when the two teams met at Edgewood in week three of the regular season. The Raiders’ defense held strong Friday with the unexpected return of senior lineman Bobby Sexton.

Sexton, who missed last week’s game because of a blood clot, was cleared to play Friday morning. He led the defense with 12 tackles and a sack.

“They couldn’t block him. He was sideline to sideline making tackles,” Jones said. “I knew considering the circumstances that he would play to the fullest, and he did. It was a lift to the defense. He’s their leader.”

Shelby (6-6) was also hindered by penalties, collected 14 for 150 yards, while Edgewood had only four for 35 yards.