Inside The Blue And White
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Welcome back to another week of Inside the Blue and White! We had a lot of excitement this week, and I’m here to tell you all about it! Student council has started work on homecoming preparations. It’s going to be a fairytale homecoming in Water Valley, complete with fun dress-up days and enchanting decorations.
We have begun our plans for practice and decoration days. This is a super busy time of year for student council members, as we help to decorate the entire school and put on the homecoming ceremony, but it is so much fun! Our heath science and agriculture programs traveled to Mississippi State on Friday to learn more about the university’s agriculture and veterinary programs.
With the game on the line, Gabe Butler connected with a 35-yard field goal to propel his team to a big win over Eupora.
The classes were signed in, and taken around to different booths where they learned about different experiences with the programs and how to be admitted into them. Booths included classes like forestry and business, and things like how to operate farm equipment or fly a drone. Students were given the opportunity to try a few things, like animal checkups, and meet the head professor of the medical department.
State provided free lunch for all students attending, as well as water hydration stations around the area. WVHS students reported that the students and faculty helping out were nothing but kind and welcoming.
The junior high and junior varsity football teams faced J.Z. George on the road on Tuesday. The seventh and eighth grade teams both won their games, while JV fell to the Jaguars.
Volleyball only played once last week, taking on South Panola in Batesville Saturday morning. The Lady Devils found success, winning three sets to two sets against the Tigers.
Gabe Butler’s teammates congratulated him after the game-winning kick.
On Friday, students at both the high school and elementary school were “all-in” for the game against the Eupora Eagles. We wore jerseys representing our favorite college and professional sports team. Baseball, football, and basketball programs ran a fundraiser for teachers to rent a jersey to show their support for the Blue Devils. I want to say a big thank you to softball head coach, Michael Howland, for letting the cheerleading team borrow jerseys to match and represent Water Valley.
The varsity football team was on the road for the first time this season, traveling to Wofford Field to face the Eagles. I have to say, this was one of the most intense and exciting games I have ever cheered at. It was a bit of a slow start for the Blue Devils with Eupora having a two touchdown lead going into halftime.
Our team was not going to give up though. They fought tooth and nail and made quite the comeback, leading 45 to 38 in the start of the fourth quarter. However, Eupora was not just going to hand over the win. The Eagles recovered, scoring another touchdown and pulling off a two-point conversion with only two minutes left in the game. The Water Valley fans were up on their feet, stomping, clapping, and cheering for the entirety of the fourth quarter. We all held our breath as the clock ticked down and the team fought to score again.
With roughly six-seconds left, junior kicker Gabe Butler (#41) pulled off a field goal that secured the win for the Blue Devils. When asked what he was feeling in that moment, Gabe responded,
“The first kick I was in my head until they called that time-out, but once I was able to calm down and prepare for my steps, it was like the whole field was silent. All I could think about was the 45-46 score on the board, and how I had to make the kick to get our first win. I was determined not to lose.”
Butler’s girlfriend of two years, Addy Douglas, one of my closest friends and also a cheerleader, got to witness this moment right from the sidelines.
“I’m so proud of Gabe because he’s been extremely hard-working since he got to Water Valley his freshman year,” Douglas told me. “This specific game he was really in pain from an ankle sprain, but he pushed through for the team.”
The Blue Devils are on the road again Friday, facing J.Z. George Friday night. Come back to hear all about the game, and everything else that goes down at WVHS next week!
