By Malcolm Butler
Although the 2023 Ruston High team has already made program history by becoming the first team to go to the state title game in back-to-back years, it’s not the ultimate record they want written in the annals of Bearcat lore.
That could come Saturday.
Undefeated and top-seeded Ruston will face No. 6 seed Zachary at 7 p.m. at Caesars Superdome in the Nonselect Division I state title game.
And although this is a brand new year, these Bearcats still harbor — and hope to use — the memories and pain of last year’s 17-10 loss to Destrehan in the state title game as motivation.
“It’s been hanging over our heads all year,” said Ruston junior center Sam Nations. “I mean, the feeling we felt last year, it’s a feeling we don’t want to feel again. It’s been our why. It’s been our factor. We knew if we were going to make it again, we don’t want the same result. We want a different result. We want to finish on top this year. And that’s kind of what motivated us throughout the season.“
“It motivates us a lot,” said senior wide receiver Logan Malone. “We really wanted to go down there and win the ball game and bring it back last year. It meant a lot to us and our city. So to just to have another chance to be able to go down there … we just feel like we can do it this year.”
The 2022 state title game appearance was the first since 1998 for Ruston High, more than two decades ago. The Bearcats faced a Destrehan program that boasted players already familiar with the experience of playing for a state title in the Superdome.
Advantage Destrehan.
It was apparent at times during last year’s game with the Bearcats making uncharacteristic mistakes that ultimately cost them in a one score loss.
Head coach Jerrod Baugh feels like last year’s experience will pay dividends in this year’s game and credits those previous Ruston teams for much of this year’s success.
“I don’t think a lot of people truly understand what the kids on last year’s football team did for this program,” said Baugh. “I think I hit on it a little bit right after (last year’s) game about what impact they had for our football program down the road. Now we are immediately down that road. It sets this group up better to handle it.
“If you take the team from last year … if they had been the group that had already done all of those things, then it quite possibly goes differently (in the state championship game). I can’t speak enough on the impact the group last year had directly on our success this year. The kids prior to this group, even the kids prior to last year’s team, have had so much to do with getting this program back on track.”
Now the question is can these Bearcats become the first Ruston team to win a state football title since 1990?
They think so. And they know last year’s experience will help Saturday.
“We know what it’s like,” said Nations. “We know it’s a different environment. I think the lights were a little too bright last year for us, and it kind of got to us. But I know it’s on our mind this year. We know it’s different than what we’ve played in all year and we’re looking forward to it. We’ve been working on it this week. Just a different environment to play in.”
“I think we are ready now that we know how it’s going to be and we know how to prepare in practice for it … we know how to key in on what we need to do,” said Malone.
The road to returning to the Dome started way back in January, according to Baugh. And it hasn’t always been smooth.
In fact the veteran Bearcats coach believes he may have stressed the ultimate goal almost too much at times with expectations of a repeat casting too much pressure at times.
“We have talked about it since January when we came back from Christmas,” said Baugh. “That was what the message was to them. I probably pushed it too much. I probably made the kids feel like it was going to be an unsuccessful season if this is not how it turned out. I probably put a little too much pressure on them. But I think it’s what they expected too.
But to have (everyone) jumping us all the way to the state championship back in the summer and at the beginning of the season … We had to get them to realize that there was a lot of work that needed to happen between January and now. You have to continue to work to give yourself that opportunity. There was no guarantee. We have been in some close games throughout the year that could have gone the other way.”
But they didn’t. After losing its season opener to Warren Easton — a game that was then forfeited a few weeks later — the Bearcats haven’t seen the short side of the scoreboard in their last 12 ball games, defeating the likes of Neville, Lafayette Christian, West Monroe and Westgate.
And Nations and Malone and Baugh and the Bearcats hope they can make that lucky No. 13 this Saturday.
“(Coach Baugh’s) main thing is he wants a different result for us than last year,” said Nations. “He wants us to win it this year. He wants us to have a different feeling leaving the Superdome around 11 p.m. (Saturday night) than we did last year. And that’s our goal too.
“It would mean a lot. I mean, my dad won (a state title in 1990). And I think it’d be a cool feeling to have that connection with him. We’re already making history. We’re the first group (from Ruston) to go (to the Superdome) back to back years, but we want to be the first to win it in the modern time. I think that’s our goal.”
One that would complete some unfinished business for these Bearcats.
