Junior Devils Play Calhoun City, Coffeeville
Seventh grade defensive linemen Kody Gilley (left) and Jarius Gooch put pressure on Coffeeville’s quarterback in recent junior high action. After a 2-0-1 start, the seventh grade lost their first game of year to the Pirates 26-16. – Photo by Johnny Avant
Eighth grade kicker Alex Robles drives an extra point through the uprights from the hold of Jonathan Kent (12) giving Water Valley a 7-0 lead over the Coffeeville Pirates. The eighth grade won 21-8 improving to 3-1 on the season. – Photo by Johnny Avant
Junior Devils Play Calhoun City, Coffeeville
Staff Report
On Monday, September 13, all three young Blue Devil Football teams traveled to Calhoun City to take on the Wildcats.
The 7th grade team suffered their first non-win of the season as they tied the homestanding Wildcats 14 to 14. A Markedrius Gooch to Daniel Fleming halfback pass gave the Blue Devils the eight to six lead at the half. A Gooch touchdown run would push the youngest Devils’ lead to eight points, however it was not enough as Calhoun City tied the game at 14 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils would drive down into the redzone for one last push, but the Wildcat defense stood strong and the game ended in a deadlock that moved their record to (2-0-1). Kirkland Horton was the leading tackler for the Blue Devil defense with six stops.
The 8th grade team suffered their first loss of the season with an eight to nothing defeat at the hands of the Wildcats. The Wildcats took the opening possession and marched 70 yards and capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to their tight end and also added the two-point conversion.
The remainder of the game was played between the 30 yard lines as neither team could do much offensively. This loss put the 8th grade squad’s record at (2-1) in 2010.
The Junior Varsity Team did not fair any better in their first official action of 2010. The Blue Devils took the opening drive and moved it 70 yards by a strong ground game led by rusher K.J. Lee. The drive was capped off by a six-yard touchdown rush by Quarterback Cole Camp. Placekicker Alden Burns added the Point After to give the Blue Devils a 7-0 lead. The Blue Devil defense held off a strong push by Calhoun City and took that lead into the half. The second half was all Wildcats as they scored six points in the third quarter and put the game away with less than three minutes to go on a deep pass. The J.V. falls to (0-1) on the season.
Versus Coffeeville
On Tuesday, September 21, the Junior Devils were back in action as they traveled cross county to face the rival Coffeeville Pirates. The 7th grade team suffered the first defeat of their careers as they allowed a 16 to 6 halftime lead slip away and finally fell 20 to 16. The Blue Devils were led by running back Markedrius Gooch who had over 100 yards rushing on the evening. The 7th grade team’s record fell to (2-1-1) in 2010.
Conversely, the 8th grade team showed much improvement with their 21 to 8 victory over the Pirates. Dee McNeal recovered the opening drive fumble by the Pirates quarterback and Elijah Rogers and his offensive line wasted no time in giving the Blue Devils a 6 to 0 lead.
Alex Robles added the P.A.T. kick to move the margin to 7 to 0. The Blue Devils forced a three-and-out and the Blue Devils scored again on a Jonathan Kent one-yard touchdown rush.
The P.A.T. snap was no good as the Devils took a 13 to 0 lead into the half. The opening drive of the second half saw more of the same as Rogers again found the endzone and a Kent to Skyler Defer two-point conversion pass capped off the Blue Devils scoring on the evening. The victory moves the 8th grade team to (3-1) on the year.
The Junior Varsity was back in action this past Monday at the New Albany Bulldogs’ Field, while the Junior High Teams were homestanding on Tuesday versus the Pope Bulldogs.
