Blue Devils Turn Early Deficit Into Rout, 47 – 3
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Tavarus Jackson pounds out yards against South Pontotoc during the Blue Devils’ 47-3 victory Friday night.
WATER VALLEY — A week after letting one get away against Independence, Water Valley made sure there was no such opportunity Friday night.
The Blue Devils scored 47 unanswered points after falling behind early, pounding Class 4A South Pontotoc 47-3 at Bobby Clark Stadium and finishing the job they failed to complete a week earlier against Independence.
“We finished the game,” Water Valley coach Clint Faust said. “We’ve played two games, and at halftime we’ve had the lead in both games. What we didn’t do last week was finish. This week we finished. We had them on the ropes, we put them away. That’s the sign of a good team.”
Water Valley improved to 1-1 and now holds a 10-2 advantage in the series against South Pontotoc.
The Blue Devils piled up 379 yards of offense, showing plenty of balance with 196 yards rushing and 183 through the air. Shaddai Freeman finished with 153 receiving yards, Miles Buford scored twice on the ground and Landyn Logan rushed for 58 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown.
Water Valley’s defense did its share as well, forcing a string of turnovers, blocking a punt and holding South Pontotoc without a touchdown.
Faust said the performance offered a glimpse of what he believes could be one of his most talented groups.
“We’ve got the most skill we’ve ever had in the four years I’ve been back,” Faust said. “That secondary is rough. The receiver corps is rough. We’ve got a house full of running backs. We’ve just got to block and tackle for them. We’re going to be fine.”
It wasn’t quite that smooth at the beginning.
Water Valley forced a fumble on South Pontotoc’s first offensive play but came away empty after taking possession at the Cougar 34. South Pontotoc later recovered a Blue Devil turnover deep in Water Valley territory and converted the opportunity into a 44-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
That would be the Cougars’ only score.
Water Valley answered with an impressive drive late in the first quarter. Buford started it with an 11-yard run before quarterback Derrion Gale connected with Freeman for 22 yards on fourth-and-four, putting the ball at the South Pontotoc 4.
Buford scored from there and Easton Newman added the extra point for a 7-3 lead as the first quarter ended.
The Blue Devils began creating separation in the second quarter.
Gale found Freeman for gains of 26 and 33 yards on a drive capped by Tre Adams’ four-yard touchdown run. The extra point was no good, leaving Water Valley ahead 13-3 with 5:30 remaining in the half.
Tre Adams has the ball knocked loose as a South Pontotoc defender delivers a hit during Friday night’s 47-3 Blue Devil victory.
Water Valley recovered the ensuing kickoff and appeared to score immediately on a 40-yard Gale-to-Freeman touchdown pass, but a holding penalty wiped it out.
It only delayed the Blue Devils.
Two plays later, Gale went back to Freeman for a 45-yard touchdown. A successful two-point conversion stretched the lead to 21-3 with 4:21 remaining.
“I think we’re finally hitting our groove,” Faust said of the passing game. “Gale is new at the quarterback position, so he’s got to work at it. He got a little funky early and threw some wild passes, but, man, he looked good toward the end.”
The defense supplied the exclamation point before halftime.
South Pontotoc took possession at the Water Valley 25 following a turnover with just over a minute remaining. Instead of allowing the Cougars to cut into the lead, freshman Christian Tunson intercepted a third-down pass and raced 73 yards for a touchdown.
The Blue Devils carried a 27-3 advantage into halftime.
They wasted little time putting the game away in the third quarter.
Water Valley took the second-half kickoff and drove for a 15-yard touchdown run by Demarea Johnson. The Blue Devils then recovered a muffed kickoff and quickly capitalized again.
Newman, a sophomore who took over at quarterback during the opening drive of the half, connected with Tavarus Jackson for 19 yards. Buford finished the possession with a four-yard touchdown run, his second score of the night.
That pushed the margin to 39-3 with about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter and triggered a running clock for the remainder of the game.
Water Valley’s defense continued to make plays. South Pontotoc fumbled on its next two possessions, with Jeremiah Harris recovering the second.
With the younger Blue Devils getting extensive playing time, Logan broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The run accounted for all but five yards of his 58-yard night.
Newman connected with Tunson for the two-point conversion to produce the final 47-3 margin.
The victory sends Water Valley into Friday night’s road game against Coffeeville with some momentum — and an opportunity to renew one of the area’s oldest matchups.
Asked afterward about the rivalry, Faust didn’t spend much time building up next week’s meeting.
“It’s a rivalry when they start winning,” he said.