Blue Devils Explode in Second Half, Clinch Playoff Bid
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Water Valley coaches and players raise their hands to signal another touchdown as the Blue Devils racked up score after score during their impressive offensive performance on the football field.
STRAYHORN – Whatever Water Valley coach Clint Faust told his Blue Devils at halftime Thursday night, it worked.
Trailing 14-8 after a frustrating first half, Water Valley erupted for 36 points in less than nine minutes of the third quarter, turning a six-point deficit into a commanding 44-20 lead on the way to a 52-20 victory over Strayhorn.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak, improved the Blue Devils to 3-6 and secured a berth in the Class 2A state playoffs. It was an extraordinary turnaround for a team that had struggled to put together four quarters of football during a difficult stretch of the season.
Faust wasn’t about to take credit for a magical halftime speech, although he acknowledged there had been some pointed words in the locker room.
“Well, I can’t tell you everything,” Faust said after the game. “I basically told them we’re stopping ourselves. That’s what we’ve been doing all year, and I’d had enough.”
Easton Newman may be far from the biggest player on the Blue Devil roster, but he certainly knows how to deliver a hit. Newman jars the football loose from a Strayhorn Mustang ball carrier during Thursday night’s victory. The Blue Devils recovered the fumble, turning the hard-hitting defensive play into another takeaway.
The coach said the second-half performance showed what he had believed about his team all season.
“It’s in them. It’s been in them the whole year,” Faust said. “They can play with anybody in this division. They can play with anybody in 2A. I really believe it.”
The turnaround began on the opening play of the second half when Demarea Johnson fielded the kickoff at the Water Valley 18-yard line and raced 82 yards for a touchdown, the Blue Devils’ first kickoff return for a score this season.
Quarterback Derion Gale connected with Kylan Armstrong for the two-point conversion, giving Water Valley its first lead at 16-14.
The Blue Devil defense quickly forced a punt, but a high snap sailed over the Strayhorn punter’s head. The Mustangs recovered the ball but were tackled at their own 5-yard line.
Miles Buford needed only one play to reach the end zone, scoring from five yards out. Buford added the two-point conversion to extend Water Valley’s lead to 24-14 with 9:37 remaining in the third quarter.
Less than a minute later, Easton Newman made a diving interception of a Strayhorn pass, giving the Blue Devils possession at the Mustang 28.
After a seven-yard completion, Johnson broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown run. The conversion failed, but Water Valley had stretched its advantage to 30-14 with 8:44 left in the quarter.
The defensive fireworks weren’t finished.
On Strayhorn’s next possession, the Mustangs lost a fumble that Jakylin Scott scooped up and returned 37 yards for a touchdown.
Suddenly, the Blue Devils were ahead 36-14 with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter.
Strayhorn briefly interrupted the onslaught with a 30-yard touchdown pass, cutting the margin to 36-20.
But Water Valley answered immediately.
Gale delivered one of the night’s prettiest passes, connecting with Tavarus Johnson on a 48-yard completion that carried the Blue Devils to the Mustang 4-yard line.
Demarea Johnson scored on the next play, then added the two-point conversion to make it 44-20 with 6:10 remaining in the quarter.
The coaches agreed to use a running clock, but the Blue Devils weren’t finished scoring.
Another Strayhorn fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave Water Valley possession at the Mustang 30. Buford carried the ball three times on the five-play drive, finishing with a 14-yard touchdown run.
Gale found Armstrong for the two-point conversion, pushing the score to 52-20 with 3:40 still remaining in the third quarter.
It was a remarkable offensive and defensive explosion for a team that had managed just eight points in the first half.
The opening two quarters had offered little indication of what was coming.
Strayhorn moved the ball effectively on its first possession, driving deep into Water Valley territory. The Mustangs appeared to score on a reverse, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty erased the touchdown.
Nehemiah Brown delivered a 10-yard sack on third-and-long, helping force a punt.
Water Valley’s first possession ended in disappointment when senior running back Tre Adams, who had already picked up several first downs, fumbled after a strong run into Strayhorn territory.
Adams suffered an injury on the play and will be out the remainder of the season.
Strayhorn eventually broke through seven seconds into the second quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass. The extra point gave the Mustangs a 7-0 advantage.
Water Valley responded with a sustained drive featuring Gale, Buford and Armstrong.
Gale kept the ball several times for key gains, while Buford broke through the Mustang defense for a 15-yard run that helped move the Blue Devils inside the red zone.
Buford finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, then took an option pitch from Gale for the two-point conversion and an 8-7 Water Valley lead.
The Blue Devil defense came up with another important stop later in the quarter when Strayhorn drove inside the Water Valley 10-yard line.
A sack pushed the Mustangs backward, and on fourth down, the quarterback was sacked again and lost the football. Water Valley recovered to end the threat.
But the Mustangs mounted another drive in the closing minutes of the half, highlighted by a long run that carried them deep into Blue Devil territory.
With just 1.8 seconds remaining before halftime, the Strayhorn quarterback scored on a fourth-down keeper from the 1-yard line. The extra point put the Mustangs ahead 14-8 at the break.
That set the stage for Faust’s halftime message and one of Water Valley’s most explosive quarters in recent memory.
The Blue Devils continued to play aggressively on defense in the fourth quarter. Christian Tunson intercepted a Strayhorn pass in the end zone to stop another scoring opportunity.
With a commanding lead and the running clock in effect, Water Valley worked several younger players into the lineup before closing out the victory.
Afterward, Faust gathered his players and delivered an emotional message about the effort they had shown.
“Do you understand? You can do that every time you come out here on the field,” he told the team. “It is in you. It is in every single one of you. You can play with anybody you take the field with if you give that effort in the second half,” Faust said.
For Faust, the timing of the breakthrough could hardly have been better.
“You always want to get hot at the end of the year and see what happens,” he said. “Hopefully we can continue this next Thursday at home and send these seniors out the right way.”
For the Blue Devils, the win did more than end a frustrating losing streak. It guaranteed that their season will continue into November, with a chance to build on the momentum of a second-half performance that showed just how dangerous they can be.
“We’re in the playoffs,” Faust reminded his players after the game.