The only thing that was going to slow down Water Valley on Friday night was Water Valley themselves.

Coming off their first bye week of this millennium, the defending Class 3A champions showed the effects of having a week off, but that didn’t stop the Blue Devils from cruising past Bruce in their 48-0 win at Blue Devils Stadium.

“I thought (the bye week) was good and we handled it well,” Water Valley head coach Brad Embry said. “We got better in some areas, I think. Obviously you lose some of that game crispness. …It was weird, definitely. It was good, but it was different. We hadn’t had this before and it’s hard to do it perfect the first time. So, we’ll probably do a few things a bit different (the next time), but I’m still proud of how we handled it.”

The rust of not playing last Friday wore off quickly for the Blue Devils (3-0). Quarterback Jacob Truss and the offense scored at will and the defense provided those scoring opportunities with three takeaways on the night.

After punting on their opening possession, the Blue Devils scored on their next five drives. Truss used his arm and his legs to put points on the scoreboard. The senior completed 6-of-11 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown.

Colby Lafayette, Dre McCray and Martavious Rockett had a touchdown each. Freshman Que Carothers rattled off a 77-yard touchdown scamper on the Blue Devils’ first offensive snap of the second half.

“(Truss) had one of his best practices (on Thursday) and I thought he did really well then,” Embry said. “We missed a couple things early, but he adjusted well. That’s good, you’re not always going to play perfect. He’s had where he didn’t see a few things and he fixed it as he went. He’s becoming a quarterback and not just an athlete that can throw a football.”

Defensively, the Blue Devils shut down anything Bruce (1-3) attempted. The Trojans had one good drive in the first half, getting inside the Blue Devils’ 20 yard-line before coughing up the football for one of their three first half turnovers.

In the first half, Damichah Hervey had a 50-yard pick-six in the first quarter to make it 14-0 at the time. Special teams also put up points with a 50-yard punt returned for a touchdown by Rockett in the third quarter.

“I’m proud of our coaches for putting a lot of emphasis on special teams,” Embry said. “Obviously, we’ve always said we want to be great on defense here. Special teams is getting better and you see a lot of kids getting better. …We haven’t played a perfect game but that’s coming.”

Water Valley returns to the road next week when they travel to Calhoun City.