By T. Scott Boatright
Unlike “real” life, when it comes to football, I’m very much a numbers guy who loves finding patterns and trends that can make the difference between a win or a loss, or even an average season and a state championship run.
So naturally, I was intrigued to look at the numbers coming out of Ruston’s 31-17 Division I Nonselect School State Championship victory over Zachary last weekend.
I was always a good, even better than average, student except for when it came to math. There I was probably average at best. My father, who played on Ruston’s 1947 state championship team, held an accounting degree from Louisiana Tech and retired after serving as Treasurer of Louisiana Power & Light before becoming Comptroller for Entergy, Inc., the electrical power holding corporation that absorbed LP&L. He was a pure “numbers guy.”
Like many fathers, Dad would have loved to have me follow in his footsteps. But reading and writing were the two abilities I developed at such a young age that I used to shock people in the 1960s, and those were the talents that stuck with me for life.
My dad always said I had a mental block when it came to math. That’s probably true: a Willie Roaf/Willie Young-sized block.
But I could always tell you right away how far a long-yardage football play went for as soon as it happened. Watching a football game together in the late 1980s, my dad asked me how I could do that so fast.
I told him that I started my math at the 50-yardline and then figured out how far the play was from the 50 when it started and when it ended and quickly combined that yardage. He looked at me incredulously and said, ‘See, it is a mental block — you’re doing algebra.”
All I could say back is, “No, I’m doing football.”
So let’s “do a little football” and take a quick look at what “Boat Math” found that summed up to a state championship win for the Bearcats: a “By The Numbers” look at the RHS state title.
0: The number of losses on the season for Ruston after the Bearcats’ season-opening loss to Warren Easton ended up being ruled a forfeit by the Eagles a few weeks later. The last time Ruston had gone unbeaten was 1990, when the Bearcats went 15-0, defeating Catholic-Baton Rouge 52-10 for the Class 4A state championship.
1: The jersey number of Ruston junior Aidan Anding, who turned in an impressive showing in the state championship with a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown, four tackles and a number of crucially-timed pass breakups against the Broncos.
2. Ruston’s next goal — a second state championship under head coach Jerrod Baugh. If the Bearcats can manage to pull off a second-straight state title next season, it would mark the first time ever Bearcats will have won consecutive state championships. The Bearcats have now won nine state titles overall — 1925, 1941, 1947, 1951, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 2023.
3. The number of Ruston FBS commitments so far heading toward Dec. 20th’s National Early Signing Day. Defensive lineman Ahmad Breaux has committed to LSU, defensive end Geordan Guidry has announced he is headed to Tulane and linebacker Jadon Mayfield is set to become a Louisiana Tech Bulldog.
4: Penalties against Ruston in the state championship game. The Bearcats struggled with penalties at times this season, averaging being flagged 6.5 penalties for 51 lost yards per game heading into the title showdown. Ruston’s four penalties for 40 yards against Zachary was the third-best flag showing for the Bearcats this season behind only two penalties for 10 yards against Jesuit and four flags for 19 yards vs. West Monroe.
6-7: Height of Zachary tight end and LSU commitment Trey’Dez Green, who at times outjumped RHS defenders to haul in eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Green played at East Feliciana as a junior before transferring to Zachary last summer. He was ruled ineligible to play basketball for the Broncos for the 2023-24 season even though he was declared eligible for football.
7: Title-game tackles by RHS defensive back Jacoryian Crowe (second best for the Bearcats against Zachary), who added a pair of key pass breakups.
12: Game-high number of tackles by RHS linebacker Jadon Mayfield, including 2.5 sacks (the 1/2-sack was shared with Ahmad Breaux, who totaled two tackles).
14: Unanswered points scored by Ruston in the final 13:39 of the contest to cap off the win.
17: Number of Bearcats on the All-LPJ team — RB/Offensive MVP Jordan Hayes, LB/Defensive MVP Jadon Mayfield, QB Josh Bradley, WR Logan Malone, TE Zhy Scott, OL Sam Nations, OL Charmarion Williams, Flex/RB Dylone Brooks, DL Ahmad Breaux, DL Geordan Guidry, LB Zheric Hill, LB Jadon Mayfield, DB/Returner Aiden Anding, DB Nate Johnson, DB Samaj Jones, Flex DB Jacoryian Crowe and PK/P Will Fendley. Head Bearcat Jerrod Baugh also earned LPJ Parish Coach of the Year accolades.
21: The number of Ruston seniors this season — Nehemiah Addison, Jamarien Banks, Kylon Bradley, Ahmad Breaux, Jacoryian Crowe, Ronald Findley, Will Fendley, Preston Gray, Geordan Guidry, Nate Johnson, Landon Jones, Semaj Jones, Jadon Mayfield, Joe Morrow, Demario Nash, Avery Overstreet, Dutch Russell, Jon Robert Scheer, Zhy Scott, Charmarion Williams and Jamar Woods. Seven of those players started on defense.
24: The number of yards RHS quarterback Josh Brantley ran untouched to the end zone for Ruston’s final score with only 1:05 remaining in game.
33: Years since Ruston had last won a state championship after defeating Catholic of Baton Rouge 53-10 for the 1990 Class 4A title.
82: Zachary net rushing yards. Broncos running back Kameron Thomas was averaging 140.8 rushing yards per game on his own heading into the championship game. But the Bearcats held the Zachary senior to 56 yards on 15 carries, forcing the Broncos to look to their passing game to try and stay in the contest.
100: Percentage of successful Ruston red-zone chances —- three for three for the Bearcats compared to three of five for Zachary.
112: Career-best receiving yards for Logan Malone, who added an additional three yards on a run.
194: Title game passing yards for Josh Brantley against Zachary, the most aerial yardage the junior put up all season long, passing his 182-yard showing against Cabot (Ark.) in Game 3 of the season.
323: Ruston QB Josh Brantley season-best total yards of offense. Brantley saved his best performance of 2023 for the state title game, earning game MVP honors in the process.
