Water Valley has gone a perfect 7-0 against Bruce recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Blue Devils are taking a road trip to challenge the Trojans at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Water Valley is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Vardaman: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Blue Devils blew the Rams out of the water with a 41-8 final score. The Blue Devils pushed the score to 34-8 by the end of the third, a deficit the Rams had little chance of recovering from.
Zae Bradford
| 09/26/25 vs Vardaman | 3 |
| 09/12/25 vs Coffeeville | 2 |
| 09/05/25 @ South Pontotoc | 1 |
| 08/29/25 @ Independence | 2 |
| 11/01/24 vs Bruce | 2 |
| + 2 more games |
Zae Bradford was his usual excellent self, rushing for 109 yards and three scores. That's the most rushing touchdowns he has posted since back in October of 2024.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Water Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Another reason for the win was Water Valley's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. They got some further help from Demarea Johnson: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Bruce strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They put the hurt on J.Z. George with a sharp 36-14 victory. That's two games straight that the Trojans have won by exactly 22 points.
Bruce's win came from a few key players Water Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jermaine Jackson, who picked up 122 receiving yards and one touchdown, and also punched in one TD on the ground. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 72 yards. James Fred Gaiter handled things on the ground, rushing for 105 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Water Valley's record is now 4-1. As for Bruce, their record now sits at 5-0.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Bradford and Joshua Long. Bradford just won't slow down this season and has run in 8 touchdowns while averaging 87.6 rushing yards per game. Long has been a dominant force too and has thrown 12 touchdowns while averaging 190.6 passing yards per game.
Everything went Water Valley's way against Bruce in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, as Water Valley made off with a 63-42 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
