Once again, Water Valley lit up the scoreboard and once again they came away with the victory last Friday.

The Blue Devils would like to do it again.
They will get their chance on Friday when they travel to take on M.S. Palmer in Marks for their second Region 2-3A game of the season.

Last week Water Valley (4-3, 1-0 2-3A) defeated Holly Springs soundly with a 48-0 victory with an offense that was clicking from the opening kickoff to the final buzzer.

“Cut down on mistakes. Take what the defense gives you,” Water Valley head coach Brad Embry said of why his offense succeeded. “I think we have some playmakers. We have some guys in some spots that are young and that are getting better. I expect us to improve a lot offensively just because of the age of the kids in certain positions.”

In all four of Water Valley’s victories, they have scored 40 or more points and averaged 47.2 points per game.

A huge part of their success has been the run game and in particular the play of junior Trenderrious Brock. Through six games, Brock has rushed for 716 yards and 15 touchdowns. Junior Tay Rucker has also contributed with 231 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries.

With Water Valley’s ground game doing its job, it has allowed senior quarterback Ty Varner to find success through the air. Varner has a completion rate of 46.8 percent (51 of 109) and thrown for 990 yard and seven touchdowns. He has also thrown five picks in six games.

“(Varner) really, really worked hard this offseason,” Embry said. “He not only works hard at practice but he tries to do things a quarterback is supposed to do. He’s a vocal leader out there. He’s one of those guys where if we’re clicking through practice and if he does something wrong or doesn’t think he has a good feel for it, he stops and says, ‘Coach, I need to do that again.’ Not all kids do that. You can tell he’s matured in that way.”

As for Water Valley’s opponent on Friday, the M.S. Palmer Dragons (4-3, 1-0) are also coming off an opening win in region play. The Dragons defeated Coahoma AHS 20-0 on the road.

Last season, Palmer defeated the Blue Devils 58-21 in the final game of the year. It ended Water Valley’s three-game win streak, dating back to 2013 when the Dragons joined Region 2-3A.