Hot start propels Valley to week one win over Glenwood
BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN
VALLEY – Last year, the Glenwood Gators had just enough in the tank to mount a comeback win over the Valley Rams. This time around, Valley’s hot start proved to be just enough to hold off a Gator comeback on Friday night at Ram Stadium.
A 20-point lead had Valley sitting pretty at halftime, but the Gators put up 14 unanswered points in the second half. Nonetheless, Valley recovered an onside kick with 12 seconds remaining in the game to survive with a 20-14 win to open the season.
“This win shows our team’s resiliency,” said Valley head coach Adam Hunter. “We came out hot, then we got flat in the second half, but we didn’t give up. We made the plays we needed early on, and even when our offense went cold, our defense made [Glenwood] drive the field and chew the clock.”
The Rams’ offensive playmakers showed off early on to dig a hole for the Gators, who were just trying to get their feet set with a new quarterback and an offense that is replacing a lot of explosiveness from last season.
Senior QB Caden Foreman found junior receiver Malachi McCullough for a touchdown through the air on the opening drive. After a quick possession from Glenwood ending in a punt to the Valley 19-yard line, Foreman connected on another long pass to get the Rams inside the Gators’ 10-yard line. From there, senior running back Brandez Eason introduced his physical running by bulldozing his way into the endzone to gain a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
Early on, Glenwood had trouble protecting junior QB Trey Claridy, who played the majority of the game, and could not find any rhythm on offense. The Gators’ first three offensive drives resulted in punts, allowing Valley to strike three times before they could put together a counter attack.
Despite getting picked off by Glenwood senior Jace McMillan to open the second quarter, Foreman responded by leading a methodical scoring drive on the ensuing possession. After picking up two key third down conversions, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound QB showed his athleticism on a 9-yard TD run to put Valley ahead, 20-0. Glenwood junior Josiah Clark blocked the extra point attempt.
Foreman is starting his first full season for Valley after transferring in from Beauregard to start the last two games last season. Hunter expressed his excitement for a full season of Foreman under center.
“[Foreman] is more of a dual-threat quarterback now,” Hunter said. “He lost a little weight over the summer and worked on his feet, so he’s gotten faster. We can do some fun things with him leading the offense, we just have to keep him healthy.”
At halftime, though, Glenwood head coach Ryan Nelson challenged his team to keep fighting in the second half. The Gators responded by chomping the deficit down to one score before falling just short of a comeback.
After forcing a three-and-out on Valley’s first possession of the third quarter, Glenwood turned to its senior playmakers to get on the board.
Wide receiver Cal Lawrence made two first-down grabs, and running back Carter Judah took a pass 20-plus yards to put the Gators inside the 10-yard line before penalties pushed them back to the 28-yard line. Despite being behind the sticks, Claridy delivered a dime over the shoulder of a falling receiver for a TD to make it 20-7.
Even with that spark, it was too little, too late for Glenwood. It wasn’t until there were 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that the Gators found the end zone again with a Claridy TD pass to Lawrence to make it 20-14. After that, Valley fell on the onside kick attempt and took a knee to run the rest of the clock out.
It fell short, but Glenwood of the 3A classification still feels that matching up with 5A Valley was a good “measuring stick” for its young team.
“I’m not into moral victories, but to leave here knowing the fight I saw from our kids in the second half, we’ve got something to build on,” Nelson said. “[Valley] has a good football team, and their quarterback is one of the better ones I’ve seen in this area in a long time [...] We found out a lot about our guys tonight, and it’s good to play a team like this early on with a lot of speed and a lot more depth than us.”
With the loss, Glenwood still has a lot to look forward to this season. It is still yet to fully commit on a starting QB, and it will likely play both Claridy and senior Jalen Stanley — who played in a few drives against Valley and did “a few good things” — again next week when it returns home to face Elba. Elba is also 0-1 after losing its opener to Luverne, 56-0.
At 1-0, Valley is happy with a win, but it is also pleased with several individual performances.
Foreman completed 16-of-19 passes for 221 yards along with a passing TD and a rushing TD.
Eason also rushed for 161 yards on 15 carries with a TD. On defense, junior linebacker Brandon McCullough showed out with seven tackles, a sack and an INT. Junior LB Mason Yarbrough also impressed with three tackles for loss.
Next, the Rams will go on the road to face Smiths Station of the 7A classification. The Panthers are also 1-0 after defeating Shaw (GA.) last Thursday, 24-0. Hunter is happy to be 1-0, but he knows his team will need to play a more complete game to beat an improved Smiths Station squad. Valley defeated Smiths Station last season, 36-9.
“I would feel better if we had played a complete game [against Glenwood.] In the second half, we’ve really got to work on execution,” Hunter said. “We’re facing a much better team than they were last year. I feel good about our team, we just have to get in there for four quarters and compete.”
