Blue Devils Fall In Season Opener

By Editor | September 4, 2024 |

The ball pops out as sophomore quarterback Tre Adams is hit during Friday’s game against Independence. Adams recovered the fumble, preventing a turnover.

Staff Report

WATER VALLEY – The Water Valley Blue Devils officially kicked off the 2024 Season by hosting the Class 3A Independence Wildcats on Friday, August 30. In a very strange contest, the Wildcats came out victorious, 37 to 15, and the Blue Devils fall to (0-1) on the young season.

The opening quarter was all Blue Devils. The defensive unit made short work of the Wildcats, forcing a three-and-out. A very short punt set up the Blue Devil offense with excellent field position on the Wildcats’ side of the field. After a methodical drive, junior Running Back Zae Bradford found the endzone on a five-yard rush.

Ezaryon Riley takes a quick breather during Friday’s game. Although the temperature was the coolest for a season-opener in years, the hard-fought contest was extremely physical.

Junior kicker Gabe Butler added the Point After Touchdown from the snap of Alex Spruill and the hold of Tyler Richardson. On the ensuing possession, the Blue Devil defense again made short work of the Wildcats, forcing another three-and-out. The Blue Devils’ special teams unit appeared to have blocked the punt, which would have given the Devils the ball on the Wildcats’ 14-yard line. However, the officials called roughing the punter, a call that cannot take place whenever a kick is blocked.

The penalty gave the Wildcats a fresh set of downs and they made the Blue Devils pay, finding the end zone on a long pass play. Senior lineman Hayden Schurr blocked the extra point to keep the Blue Devils in the lead Seven to Six.

On the ensuing drive, the Blue Devils could not muster much on offense and after a fumble, which the Blue Devils recovered, the Devils were forced to punt. A mishap on the punting unit gave the Wildcats a Safety and the lead, one which they never would relinquish.

With the 8-7 lead, the Wildcats would find two more coverage busts in the young Devil secondary and two more scores in the second quarter. The Blue Devil Offense would put together their most impressive drive of the game in this frame, and after methodically marching down the field, sophomore Quarterback Tre Adams found the end zone for the score. Electing to go for two out of the old “Pole Cat” formation. Richardson found junior wide receiver Parker Turnage on a fade route in the corner of the end zone for the try.

As the first half would down, the Blue Devils almost tied the game on a trick play where Bradford found Turnage for a 62-yard pass before he was tackled just shy of the end Zone as time expired.

Offensively, the Blue Devils were paced by Bradford with 149 all-purpose yards. The special teams were paced by sophomore Derion Gale as he had 102 kickoff return yards. Defensively, both seniors Reid Burress and Donalvin Wilson led all tacklers with 11 total stops. Wilson, added a quarterback sack and Junior Channing Freeman had an interception.

The Third Quarter was another strange quarter as the Blue Devils marched twice inside the Wildcats’ Red Zone, but came up with empty possessions. Even though the Devils appeared to be in much better game shape than the Wildcats, the Wildcats found the end zone two more times in the final frame on their only long run of the night and another coverage bust.

“We had a chance to put these guys away in the first quarter and again in the third quarter and we just did not get it done,” Head Coach Clint Faust said in the post game huddle. “We begin fixing this on Monday at Labor Day practice. What we put on film is not the team I know we can be this season.”

Things do not get any easier as the Blue Devils will host Class 4A North Pontotoc Vikings on a short week next Thursday, September 5 at Bobby Clark Field at 7 p.m.