Baldwyn Pulls Away From Blue Devils, 34-18
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Water Valley coach Clint Faust rallies his Blue Devils during a timeout in Friday night’s game against Baldwyn. Following the loss, Faust praised his team’s stronger second-half effort and urged his players to keep “pounding the rock” until it breaks, reminding them that three division games remain and there is still plenty to play for.
WATER VALLEY – Water Valley found the end zone three times Friday night, but Baldwyn’s powerful running game and timely scoring plays carried the Bearcats to a 34-18 victory over the Blue Devils at Bobby Clark Field.
The Blue Devils struck first and twice cut into Baldwyn’s lead, but missed opportunities and an inability to sustain momentum proved costly as Water Valley suffered its fourth consecutive loss.
“We were right there,” Water Valley coach Clint Faust said. “We’ve just got to make plays when they’re there to be made.”
Baldwyn relied heavily on its running game and improved to 5-2 on the season. Water Valley fell to 2-5.
The Blue Devils opened the game with Easton Newman at quarterback before also turning to Derion Gale during their second possession.
Gale delivered the game’s first touchdown on fourth-and-6, finding Shaddai Freeman in double coverage for a 29-yard scoring pass. The play capped a drive that included an 18-yard reception by Tavarus Jackson.
The two-point conversion failed, leaving Water Valley ahead 6-0.
Baldwyn answered with a 14-yard touchdown pass and extra point to take a 7-6 lead, then added another touchdown on a 7-yard run to extend its advantage to 14-6.
Water Valley responded with another scoring drive, overcoming a holding penalty that erased a touchdown run by Demarea Johnson.
Gale connected with Jackson for a first down and later completed a 13-yard pass to Nehemiah to move the Blue Devils deeper into Baldwyn territory.
After scrambling to avoid a sack, Gale found Kylan Armstrong in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:21 remaining in the second quarter.
The two-point conversion failed, leaving Water Valley trailing 14-12.
Baldwyn needed little time to answer, breaking loose on a 30-yard touchdown run with 2:43 remaining in the half. The extra point gave the Bearcats a 21-12 halftime advantage.
The game’s biggest turning point came on Baldwyn’s opening possession of the second half.
The Bearcats drove deep into Water Valley territory, but the Blue Devil defense appeared to have an opportunity to stop the drive after a holding penalty pushed Baldwyn into a fourth-and-20 situation.
Instead, the Bearcats connected on a touchdown pass to extend their lead to 28-12.
Water Valley answered with one of its strongest drives of the night.
Gale completed a pass to Jackson for a first down, and a roughing-the-passer penalty added 15 yards. Another 18-yard completion to Jackson moved the Blue Devils inside the Baldwyn 10-yard line.
Gale finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 28-18. The two-point conversion failed.
The Blue Devil defense forced a punt on Baldwyn’s next possession, giving Water Valley an opportunity to pull closer.
Starting at their own 20, the Blue Devils moved the chains on an 8-yard run by Gale and benefited from a pair of Baldwyn penalties. The drive stalled near midfield, however, when Gale’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
Baldwyn took advantage of the field position, moving 51 yards on the ground before scoring on a 5-yard quarterback keeper. The extra point failed, leaving the Bearcats ahead 34-18 with 7:56 remaining.
Water Valley mounted one final drive, with Gale breaking loose for a 10-yard gain and Newman connecting with Freeman for a first down at the Baldwyn 37.
But a bad snap on the following play resulted in a fumble recovered by Baldwyn at the Water Valley 39 with 4:58 remaining.
The Bearcats kept the ball on the ground, driving inside the Water Valley 10 before running out the clock.
Gale accounted for all three Water Valley touchdowns, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for another.
Jackson was one of Water Valley’s leading receivers, with five receptions including catches of 18, 14 and 18 yards. Freeman caught the 29-yard touchdown pass and added two other receptions, while Armstrong hauled in the 10-yard touchdown pass.
Faust said his team has shown the ability to make big plays but has struggled to put together a complete game.
“We’ve just got to put plays together back to back,” Faust said.
He pointed to the relative inexperience of several players, including Gale, who is in his first season at quarterback.
Faust said some of the team’s juniors and seniors are also gaining their first significant varsity experience, something he believes will improve with additional playing time.
“It’s just going to come with reps, having that success and giving them a little confidence,” Faust said.
Despite the loss, the Blue Devils remain in contention for a postseason berth with three division games remaining.
Water Valley travels to Myrtle on Friday night before visiting Strayhorn on Oct. 23 and closing the regular season at home against East Union on Thursday, Oct. 29.
Faust expects Myrtle to present another physical challenge.
“They’ll be big up front,” Faust said. “I think we’re more athletic than they are. It’ll be a tough ballgame and probably come down to the end.”
The coach said the Blue Devils still have an opportunity to turn their season around and to lead the division.
“We’ve still got a mathematical chance,” Faust said.
