Bradford, Receivers Lift Devils Past Cougars
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PONTOTOC – For almost three hours Friday night, it was small-town football at its best. The Water Valley Blue Devils battled to contain South Pontotoc’s option attack, but behind senior quarterback Zae Bradford’s arm and the playmaking of receivers Derion Gale and Shaddai Freeman, the Devils held on for a 29–23 victory on the road.
The win gave Water Valley its first 2–0 start since the 2019 season , setting the stage for this week’s renewal of the Railroad Classic against Coffeeville.
From the opening whistle, nothing came easy. South Pontotoc’s fans created a strong home-field advantage, tailgating in the end zone with tents, lights, and food like it was Oxford or Starkville on a Saturday. On the field, their Cougars pounded away on the ground, chewing up clock with three and five-yard bursts on their opening drive. They marched all the way to the Water Valley 10 before missing a short field goal.
Water Valley’s first possession nearly matched the Cougars’ grind.
Water Valley’s Shaddai Freeman comes down with a reception against South Pontotoc. The senior wideout finished with more than 100 yards receiving, including a 68-yard touchdown catch in the Blue Devils’ 29–23 win.
After Tre Adams carried twice and Bradford lost yards on a keeper, the quarterback rolled out and found Freeman for a long completion that set up shop at the Blue Devil 39. A few plays later, Adams ripped off a 15-yard run into Cougar territory, but the drive stalled when Bradford was stuffed on fourth-and-one at the 25.
The Cougars made the Devils pay in the second quarter. Staying true to their old-school option, they pushed inside the 10 and finally scored on a short run, then added a two-point conversion pass to lead 8–0 with 8:54 left before halftime.
That’s when Bradford, Gale, and Freeman took over. With 2:53 remaining in the half, Bradford hit Gale on a 34-yard strike, then tossed the two-point conversion to Freeman to tie it. Just over a minute later, Gale slipped uncovered down the sideline. Bradford didn’t miss, and Gale sprinted 60 yards for the score. The extra point was blocked, but Water Valley carried a 14–8 lead into the break.
The Devils struck lightning-quick out of the locker room. On the very first snap of the third quarter, Bradford aired it deep again, this time to Freeman for a 68-yard touchdown. Adams muscled in the two-point run, and suddenly it was 22–8. Later in the quarter, the Devils capped a long drive with Drake Mabary’s three-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 29–8 after Gabe Butler’s extra point.
South Pontotoc never folded. The Cougars answered with a 77-yard scoring run late in the third, and added another touchdown in the final two minutes to pull within 29–23. Their final onside kick bounced short and touched a Cougar player before it traveled 10 yards, sealing the Blue Devil victory. Bradford knelt three times to drain the clock.
Bradford finished the night with three touchdown passes — two to Gale and one to Freeman — plus a two-point conversion throw. Gale had scoring catches of 34 and 60 yards, while Freeman added the 68-yard reception that blew the game open early in the second half. Adams and Mabary combined for tough rushing yards against a Cougar front that often packed eight in the box, with Mabary also adding the third-quarter score. On defense, J.D. Gooch had an early sack, Kaleb Vire added a key second-half stop, and Mabary and Kemauri Page delivered punishing tackles.
“We showed out tonight,” Coach Clint Faust said about a passing attack that kept the crowd on their feet. “This means folks can’t stack the box any more in Water Valley. They’re going to have to double one of those guys, and that’s going to open up the run game. We got in that situation last year in the playoffs, facing eight in the box, and we didn’t have those receivers ready. Now one has matured, and the other one we got off the basketball court.”
Faust credited South Pontotoc for making the night difficult. “They were gritty,” he said. “That option offense is hard to prepare for in one week, and they didn’t go away. I told their coach he’s got a gritty ball team.”
Now the Blue Devils turn to Coffeeville. The Pirates are 0–2 after a 46–14 loss to J.Z. George last week, and the two schools haven’t played since 2018. For Faust, who is in his third year at the helm, preparation will be the same as every other team on the schedule. Faust also had strong words of encouragement for his squad in the post-game huddle.
Y’all don’t know how good you can be if we will just tighten up a little bit. We can go make a run,” the coach told his players.
Kickoff is Friday at 7 p.m. at Bobby Clark Field.
Water Valley senior receiver Derion Gale hauls in a pass, sprints past defenders and makes a final move to reach the end zone for one of his two touchdowns in the Blue Devils’ 29–23 victory over South Pontotoc.
