OMS earns sweep of Water Valley on Thursday
The Oxford Middle School girls and boys basketball teams earned two wins on Thursday in the OHS gym. The seventh-grade Chargers beat Water Valley 22-5 and the eighth-grade Chargers topped the Blue Devils 30-11.
The seventh-grade Lady Chargers defeated Water Valley 19-9 while the eighth-grade girls won 32-13. (November 5, 2010, Page 7A)
WVHS opens playoff run against Corinth
Last week the Water Valley Blue Devils may have topped the Mooreville Troopers 20-10 to conclude their regular season schedule, but by most accounts it wasn’t a complete game effort.
The Blue Devils’ lack of perfection was attributed in part to the team looking past the Troopers and to their first-round opponent in the Class 3A playoffs.
WVHS coach Brad Embry said earlier this week he’s expecting his team to be refocused on Friday when the Blue Devils (9-2 overall) host the Corinth Warriors (4-6) to open their 2010 playoff run. (November 4, 2010, Page 6)
Water Valley, Lafayette split games
Lafayette and Water Valley split four games to open the middle school basketball season for both programs Tuesday in the WVHS gym. The seventh-grade Commodores defeated Water Valley 26-7, while the eighth-grade Blue Devils rallied to post a 15-13 win in the nightcap.
Lafayette’s seventh-grade girls lost 16-7 to the Lady Blue Devils, while Water Valley’s eighth-grade were defeated 12-10. (November 3, 2010, Page 6)
Phillips-led Lady Devils looking for improvement
The Water Valley Lady Blue Devils basketball team is hoping to take the program to another level heading into their second year under coach Jason Purdy.
It’s because of what Purdy has seen during preseason practices that he believes the Lady Blue Devils can take a step in the right direction to improve upon last season, which ended with a first-round loss in the playoffs. (November 3, 2010, Page 6)
Individual plays lead Blue Devils to win
Three interceptions from junior cornerback Chris Conard was the biggest example of how the Water Valley Blue Devils earned a 20-10 win over Mooreville in their regular season finale Friday night.
On a night where the focus of the team was on the start of the Class 3A playoffs later this week, WVHS improved to 9-2 on the season by using great individual plays on both defense and offense to hold off the scrappy Troopers (7-4).
Besides Conard’s three picks, linebacker turned running back C.J. Jackson provided a 93-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter that essentially iced the contest for the Blue Devils. (November 1, 2010, Page 4B)
Blue Devils want to keep things rolling
Water Valley coach Brad Embry said the approach will be the same as it has been all season when his Blue Devils take on Mooreville Friday night.
It will be the regular season finale for the 8-2 Blue Devils who wrapped up the No. 2 seed in Region 2-3A and the upcoming Class 3A playoffs. Embry said there is a chance his team would add some things on offense heading into the playoffs, but he also thinks staying to a successful script that is currently in place is also important. (October 28, 2010, Page 6)
Devils’ Fondon a student of the game
Friday’s game against Winona for Water Valley was a must-win in the eyes of the Blue Devils. It wasn’t a win-or-you’re-out of the playoffs type must-win, but a must-win in the sense of playoff seeding.
With Water Valley’s 31-21 victory, the Blue Devils locked up a second-place spot in Region 2-3A that will have them hosting either Corinth or Kossuth in the first round of the playoffs. (October 26, 2010, Page 9)
Motivated Blue Devils come up big against Winona
“Controlled chaos” is how Water Valley defensive coordinator Richard Russo described the play of his Blue Devils on Friday night.
Extra motivated by pre-game taunting from several Winona Tigers, Russo said his unit was able to channel their animosity during the game with the end result being a 31-21 victory for the Blue Devils at Bobby Clark Field. (October 25, 2010, Page 5B)
Motivated Blue Devils top Winona
WATER VALLEY — A highly motivated Water Valley Blue Devils team knocked off the Winona Tigers 31-21 at home on Friday at Bobby Clark Field to secure the second seed in Region 2-3A. (more…) (October 23, 2010)
Playoff seeding on the line tonight
Important region games are on tap for all three area high school football teams tonight. The No. 1 ranked Lafayette Commodores have an opportunity to not only remain perfect on the season and win 10 or more games again this year, but wrap up the region title with a win at Tunica-Rosa Fort.
Oxford will try to keep pace and finish at least third in Region 1-5A with a win at Lake Cormorant. Water Valley, meanwhile, hosts Winona in an important Region 2-3A game that will go a long way in figuring out which team finishes second or third in the region.
Kickoff for all three games is set for 7 p.m. Lafayette’s game can be heard locally on 93.7 FM. Oxford will be broadcast on 95.5 FM, while the Blue Devils can be heard on 105.5 FM. (October 22, 2010, Page 7A)
