CALHOUN CITY — The Blue Devils of Water Valley wanted but failed to begin their first winning streak of the season against Calhoun City on Friday. Calhoun City (2-1) impressively took care of the Blue Devils (1-2) in a 50-12 win at home.
Water Valley started off slow and never picked up any momentum throughout the game. Early fumbles have been a problem all year for the Blue Devils, and Calhoun City made them pay for it. By the end of the first quarter, Calhoun City was already up 20-0 with only having snapped the ball 10 times on offense.
The powerful Calhoun City offense produced 378 total yards while Water Valley managed to record 155 yards. The game was well fought by the Blue Devils, but Calhoun City was simply the better team on this night. A 38-point loss is one a team wants to forget, and that is actually what Water Valley coach Brad Embry plans to do.
“No positives. Print that,” Embry said after the loss as his team walked to the buses with hunched shoulders, trying to forget what had happened just minutes before. “The problem is just not being coachable.”
It was easy to tell the game was headed in a downward spiral as Wildcat quarterback Jojo Gray completed an 18-yard pass for his third touchdown of the game and a 28-6 lead at halftime.
The game continued to be a productive one by Calhoun City’s offense at the expense of the usually consistent Blue Devils defense. The defense played tough, but the Wildcats were tougher. The Blue Devils could never establish their offense, although junior running back Julian Williams managed to accumulate 87 of those 155 yards himself.
Williams had 21 carries for 87 yards, but his effort seemed to be unmatched by any other Blue Devil player. Williams looked focused and comfortable regardless of how many Calhoun City defenders were in his way.
Williams could be a big part of the Blue Devils’ future but needs help from sophomore quarterback Ty Varner to spread the defense, allowing Williams to break free more often.
The Blue Devils are suffering from a lack of depth due to injuries this season, which may allow younger plays to earn valuable minutes. Sophomore back D’onterrius Hervey scored on a 4-yard run with 1:54 left in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was irrelevant but proves that Hervey could possibly take on a bigger role in the Blue Devils’ offense moving forward.
Water Valley has to build on the loss and how the Blue Devils can focus their energy more toward winning and fundamentals as well as becoming a more “coachable” team, Embry said.
The Blue Devils will take on Pontotoc at home this coming Friday as they try to bounce back from the lopsided loss.