Blue Devils Rout Pirates 55-0 In Railroad Rivalry Game
Ty Campbell holds the Railroad Trophy for everyone to see as his team celebrates the win against Coffeeville. – Photos by Leslie Brooks
Blue Devils Rout Pirates 55-0 In Railroad Rivalry Game
By Mack Gordon
Sports Reporter
COFFEEVILLE- The Water Valley Blue Devils (1-1) traveled 9 miles south on Highway 7 last Friday night to take on the Coffeeville Pirates (0-2). The Blue Devils were looking to retain the Railroad Trophy, last season the game was won by the Blue Devils 34-20 in a hard fought victory over the Pirates. However, this contest was not quite as close, with the Blue Devils winning 55-0.
The Blue Devils scored a touchdown on all eight of their first half possessions. Quarterback Ty Varner did not throw an incomplete pass all night, he finished seven for seven with 216 passing yards and four touchdowns (three passes and one rush). The three passing touchdowns were a career high for the junior quarterback.
Coach Brad Embry couldn’t be more proud of his quarterback’s performance against Coffeeville following the loss to Eupora.
“He called me on Saturday (following the Eupora loss) and wanted to know when we could watch film from the game, so I think he knew that he needed to focus on things a little better, and he did just that,” Coach Embry told the Herald about Varner’s performance.
The Blue Devil defense was equally as impressive as the offense against the Pirates. They were able to hold the Pirates to -5 total yards offensively and did not allow the Pirates to score. Javarius Benson and Emmanuel Judson led the defense in tackles with eight and seven respectively.
Quaterrious Tolbert recorded an interception, Dalen Magee and Robert Mitchell both forced a fumble against the Pirates.
“They played assignment football and basically hustled and ran to the football all night,” Embry said about the defensive effort.
The Blue Devils host 2A Powerhouse Calhoun City this Friday at 7 p.m. at Bobby Clark Field.
“I’ve watched them on film and they do a lot of what Eupora and Coffeeville do offensively,” Coach Embry told the Herald as his team started gearing up to host the Wildcats.
“This game is exactly what we need, a big test against an athletic team, to see how much better we’ve gotten,” Embry added.
