Blue Devils Face Unfamiliar Trojans In Homecoming Game
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Chris Harris cuts toward the sideline to evade a wall of Warrior defenders in Friday’s game against Senatobia.
WATER VALLEY – The Blue Devils will face the Trojans in Friday night’s homecoming game, only this will be a different team than the Bruce Trojans originally on the schedule. The Bruce team has been sidelined due to a Covid-19 quarantine and Coach Brad Embry had to go back to the drawing board to schedule an opponent.
Friday’s game will be against the Northpoint Christian Trojans, a private school in Southaven. The Trojans come to town after a narrow loss (74-69) in a shoot-out in their season-opener against Brighton, Tenn. – a game that saw almost 20 touchdowns scored.
The homecoming game comes as the Blue Devils are one and one in the season after dropping a hard-fought game against the Senatobia Warriors at home Friday night. Although the Blue Devils came up short, 42- 17, in a contest that included four Water Valley turnovers, the players showed strong improvement from their opener against Independence a week early.
The Blue Devils struck first, scoring on their second possession in the game on a drive that almost sputtered out deep inside their own territory. An offsides penalty against the Warriors moved the chains on fourth down and the Blue Devils went to work in the air and on the ground. A 40-yard strike from quarterback C.J. Telford to Chance Dewberry put the ball just outside the red zone. The Blue Devils converted once, but were backed up on after a false start and were facing third and long when Jonathan Love marched 20 yards into the end zone for six points. Jon Surrette launched the ball through the uprights with just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Que Carothers picks up yards before he is tripped up.
The Warriors would answer during their next possession after starting with a short field following a penalty on the kickoff return. The Warriors scored from the two yard-line to knot the score in the opening ticks of the second quarter.
The Warriors would capitalize on a pair of turnovers put 14 unanswered points on the scoreboard. The first scored followed an interception that put the Warriors 45 yards from the end zone. Six plays later the Warriors went ahead 14 – 7 with just under eight minutes remaining in the half.
The next turnover came deep in Warrior territory after Chris Harris found some running room on the kickoff with a 58 yard return. Three plays later Jaden Morgan coughed up the ball and the Warriors were back in business. They methodically marched the ball down the field with a ground game aided by one pass that put them on the one yard-line before going into the end zone eight plays later to go ahead two touchdowns, 21- 7.
With the waning minutes of the half ticking, the Blue Devils pushed down the field on a drive that started on their 23 yard line before running out of time on their own 19-yard line with five ticks remaining. Jon Surrette punched a 39-yard field goal through the uprights to end the half with 21-10 on the scoreboard.
The Devil Dolls and friends enjoyed striking a half-time pose with the Blue Devil mascot.
Both teams started their second quarter possessions with impressive scoring drives starting with the Warriors opener that took just over two minutes.
The Blue Devils followed with their most impressive possession of the contest highlighted by a 34 yard throw and catch from Telford to Sasa Freeman and a 10-yard run by Telford before a Que Carothers’ six-yard carry to the end zone to narrow the Warriors’ lead to 28-17.
The Warriors were able to flex a little muscle in the remainder of the contest, starting with a 77-yard drive to go ahead 35-17 in an increasingly emotional and physical game for both teams.
The Blue Devils moved the chains twice in their next possession that split the remaining quarters before turning the ball over on downs and the Warriors wasted little time putting their final points on the board for the 42-17 win.
