By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — No longer will the question “Is this the year?” need to be asked by Bearcat fans.
After 31 years of near misses and heartbreak, Ruston has finally removed the specters of the past with a 35-17 victory over District 2-5A opponent West Monroe.
The victory gives Ruston its ninth win in a row and its first outright district title in over three decades. And while the full playoff picture has yet to be crystallized, it is likely that Ruston will be the top seed in the Non-Select Division I playoff bracket.
For Ruston fans everywhere, this is the night so many have waited for, and there was very little doubt from the opening whistle that the Bearcats would be in control of the contest as the offensive output yielded 28-unanswered points in the first half. West Monroe answered with 10 straight points in the last two minutes of the second quarter, but it would not prove enough to overcome Ruston’s dominant start.
“I thought we couldn’t have done better to start the game,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “We made too many dumb mistakes in the second half; it shouldn’t have come down to onside kicks late in the game. Everybody gets nervous, obviously; it’s been 32 years, and I think we felt some pressure about that. We’ve got to learn how to keep our focus and finish the ballgame; I’m a little disappointed in that, but I’m proud of the kids. They did what they needed to do to win this game.”
The Bearcats started the night with an 80-yard, eight-play drive capped off by a three-yard rush for a touchdown by senior running back Dyson Fields with 9:23 to go in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Fields would score his second touchdown of the night from 11 yards out with 11:15 to go before halftime to extend Ruston’s lead to 14-0. It was the beginning of a 21-point barrage in the second quarter for Ruston. Junior fullback Jadon Mayfield punched in a two-yard score with 6:04 left in the quarter.
Junior Logan Malone hauled in arguably the finest score of the first half with a 37-yard touchdown grab while splitting multiple defenders en route to the end zone, giving the Bearcats a 28-0 lead with 1:45 to go before halftime.
West Monroe tacked on 10 quick points before halftime to put the electric Ruston crowd into a bit of a lull at halftime as the Bearcats led 28-10 after two quarters.
On the ensuing kick off, senior R.J. Brown landed a nice sky-kick around the West Monroe 30 yard-line. As the ball hit the turf, it took a very home-friendly bounce, with Ruston recovering and practically able to put the game away with a 40-yard drive on the following eight plays. Mayfield would get his second touchdown of the night with a one-yard score. Ruston led 35-10 through three quarters before giving up one last touchdown to West Monroe in the fourth quarter for a final score of 35-17.
As Ruston finally lifted the proverbial curse, it has now set itself up for a one- or two-seed in the upcoming LHSAA playoffs, meaning there will be a first-round bye for the Bearcats and likely hosting a home game for Round 2. In fact, there are likely scenarios where Ruston can host each playoff at home in James Field at “Hoss” Garrett stadium before going to the Superdome in New Orleans. Brackets will be officially released Sunday.
For Baugh and the rest of the staff, tonight is important for so many reasons, but he reminded everyone that this is not the end goal: the first state title in 32 years is the next goal for his squad.
“No, it isn’t, and everyone needs to keep that perspective,” Baugh said. “They’ve accomplished their first goal of winning an outright district championship, but we’ve got a playoff run we need to get together and some things that need to be fixed to do that.”
Fields finished the night with 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Jaden Osborne completed 6-of-14 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Ruston out-gained West Monroe 349 yards overall to just 189. Time of possession was also in Ruston’s favor at 27 minutes, 10 seconds, compared to 20:50 for West Monroe.
Baugh recognized at the end of the emotional night that this win is not just for the team; the entire community can celebrate the end of an awful streak and now can look at perhaps starting a streak of its own.
“It means a lot to Ruston,” Baugh said. “I’m proud for these kids to be able to do that. There’s no selfishness on this football team, and I’m proud for them.”
