Blue Devils Keep Railroad Trophy With 43-14 Win

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COFFEEVILLE — Coffeeville struck first Friday night, but Water Valley didn’t stay behind for long.

The Blue Devils answered with 31 first-half points, and Tre Adams scored four touchdowns as Water Valley rolled to a 43-14 win to keep the Railroad Trophy.

“We were sloppy at times. I think we kind of played down to our competition at times,” Coach Clint Faust said. “It’s the day and age of social media, and kids see somebody saying we’re supposed to win by 40 or 50. Sometimes you come out expecting that instead of just executing.”

Coffeeville certainly didn’t play like a team expecting to lose by four or five touchdowns.

The Pirates opened the game with a 47-yard scoring drive that took only two plays, breaking a 26-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 lead with 10:09 remaining in the first quarter.

Water Valley answered with a much different kind of drive, leaning on its running game to work its way down the field. Miles Buford carried three straight times for gains of seven, 13 and 10 yards. Adams later moved the Blue Devils to the Coffeeville 18, and Easton Newman connected with Shaddai Freeman for six yards before Adams added another six-yard run. Demarea Johnson carried four yards to the 2 before the Pirates stopped Water Valley on third down.

Facing fourth-and-goal from the two, Johnson finished the drive with a touchdown run. Newman’s extra point put Water Valley ahead 7-6, and the Blue Devils never trailed again.

From there, Coffeeville began giving Water Valley opportunities, and the Blue Devils took advantage.

A Pirate fumble on the next possession gave Water Valley the ball at the Coffeeville 34. After a roughing-the-passer penalty moved it to the 19, Adams needed one play to reach the end zone.

The problems followed Coffeeville into the second quarter. Water Valley blocked a punt and recovered at the Pirate 8, setting up Adams’ 7-yard touchdown run. On Coffeeville’s next punt attempt, a high snap forced the punter to try to run, and Water Valley stopped him at the 7. Buford scored from two yards out two plays later.

A game Coffeeville had led 6-0 had turned into a 25-6 Water Valley advantage.

The Pirates weren’t finished.

With less than a minute remaining in the half, Coffeeville broke free for a 92-yard touchdown run and added the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 25-14 with 35 seconds remaining.

For a few seconds, it looked as though the Pirates might carry some life into halftime.

Water Valley took it right back.

Nehemiah Brown returned the kickoff to midfield, and Newman found Tavarus Jackson for 11 yards on the first play. He went back to Jackson on the next snap, connecting with him for a 39-yard touchdown with 10 seconds on the clock.

Instead of going to halftime down 11, Coffeeville went in trailing 31-14.

The Blue Devils never let the Pirates get back into the game.

Coffeeville received the second-half kickoff and moved to midfield before Water Valley’s pressure collapsed the pocket on a pass play. The ball came loose, and Drew Hollinger recovered at the Pirate 40.

Water Valley turned the takeaway into another touchdown, with Newman finding Jackson for 12 yards on third-and-1 and Freeman for another 11 before Adams finished the drive from eight yards out.

The defense then stopped Coffeeville on fourth down, and this time there was no need for a drive.

Adams took the first snap 51 yards for his fourth touchdown of the night, putting Water Valley ahead 43-14 with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter and capping a big night for the Blue Devil running game.

Water Valley finished with 231 rushing yards and 83 yards through the air. Adams scored four times, while Johnson and Buford each added a rushing touchdown. Newman connected with Jackson for the Blue Devils’ other score.

“Once we got into kind of the flow of stuff, our running backs, all three of them, ran the ball well,” Faust said.

Water Valley also showed flashes through the air despite playing without starting quarterback Derion Gale. Newman filled in for the injured Gale and threw the 39-yard touchdown to Jackson.

Faust said Newman handled the job well, but the Blue Devils weren’t able to make full use of their receivers.

“I’d like to get some of our receivers the ball a little bit more,” Faust said. “Our backup quarterback, he played well, don’t get me wrong. He just doesn’t have that timing with those guys that Derion’s had all year.”

Faust expects Gale back this week, when the Blue Devils will face a much different challenge.

Two years ago, the Blue Devils went to Eupora and won a back-and-forth game on a field goal in the closing seconds. Last season, Eupora came to Water Valley and left with a win.

Faust remembers the trip to Eupora particularly well.

“It might have been the best ball game I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “I don’t know if my heart beat for the last quarter. It was just pandemonium. It was them scoring, us scoring, them scoring, us going back up. It was crazy.”

Friday night sends Water Valley back to the same field, where Faust expects another tough test. He said Eupora has a talented quarterback who will demand the Blue Devils’ attention defensively, while Water Valley will have to execute better offensively.

Faust also believes the Blue Devils are beginning to develop the depth they will need later in the season. Two ninth-grade defensive tackles played much of the second half against Coffeeville, giving some of Water Valley’s younger players valuable varsity snaps.

“I think we’re getting some depth in some places that we need to play in the future and into the playoff run,” Faust said.