Water Valley’s season comes to an end in loss to M.S. Palmer

Published 11:29 pm Friday, October 28, 2016

By Jake Finnen

WATER VALLEY – With playoffs on the line, the Water Valley Blue Devils needed a win against Marks Palmer to ensure a postseason berth. They had momentum after coming off a victory against Holly Springs last week but a quick start from Palmer led to a 58-21 victory, ending Water Valley’s season.
Less than three minutes into the game, Palmer quarterback Sidney Washington threw his first touchdown of four in the game. Washington found Markee Cook on a 41-yard pass and on the next offensive play for Palmer, Washington threw a risky pass into coverage that would be bobbled by two Blue Devils before being caught by Cook for his second touchdown in two plays.
Water Valley (2-9, 1-4 2-3A) would lose fumbles on their first three possessions, giving Palmer (6-5, 2-3) fantastic field position on their first three drives. Palmer would score again on their third possession, this time a pass from Washington to Curtis Williams for a 24-0 Palmer lead.
Blue Devil running back Taghee James helped drive his team down the length of the field before quarterback Blayne Clark fumbled on the one yard line, giving the Dragons the ball deep in their own territory. Ray Turner of Water Valley would sack Washington and manage to strip the ball away for the first of three Blue Devil touchdowns.
Midway through the second quarter, Blayne Clark punched in a one yard score to close the gap to 18 between Water Valley and Palmer right before halftime. Even kicker Edgar Guzman made an attempt to rally his troops by laying a devastating hit on a Palmer kick returner before the end of the second quarter. Guzman gave the Blue Devils much needed energy and the defense stopped the explosive Palmer offense to escape halftime with a little damage as possible.
“We had five turnovers in the first quarter and you can’t win a ball game when that happens. Palmer has some great talent but when that happens, the team starts to hang their heads,” said Water Valley Head Coach Brad Embry. “We’ve got to get to fixing it,” added Embry when asked about what the future has in store for Water Valley.
The second half did not go nearly as smoothly for the Blue Devils, even after giving up 32 points earlier in the game. Palmer would throw an interception to start the second half but after a three and out from Water Valley, Palmer would go on to score their next three possessions. The Dragons would extend the lead to 36 before the Blue Devils would end the game with a scoring drive, another Blayne Clark one yard touchdown. The game would end after that score and the season ended on a positive note for Water Valley.

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