By Kyle Roberts
It may have been a hot Friday evening, but that didn’t stop hundreds of community members from coming out to support the returning state champion Ruston High Bearcat football team and various pep squads in the RHS Main Gym.
“We had a great turnout, some of our organizations made some money, and we had a lot of kids get recognized,” Ruston High Principal Dan Gressett said. “It was great to see so many people come out in support of Ruston High School. I want to say thank you to the people that put in a lot of work to make it happen.”
Outside the gymnasium, nearly a dozen vendors sold various types of merchandise in the Bearcat Village, set up right outside of the main steps in the parking lot.
Todd and Amanda DeMoss both coordinated the merchandise booths in efforts to get the community connected with gear and other Bearcat items in anticipation for the upcoming season.
“I thought our first Bearcat Village was a huge success and a fun component to add to Bearcat Madness,” Amanda DeMoss said. “Todd and I had so much fun pulling it all together, and what a fun way for our RHS organizations and sports teams to promote their Booster Clubs, providing a place for fans to purchase Ruston gear and fellowshipping as a one community.
“We had a wonderful team and we could not have done it without them.”
Inside, the school held a pep rally and introduced all of the players, pep squads and band members, which DeMoss said was her favorite part of the night.
Todd DeMoss wanted to thank all of the supporters for helping make the event happen and invited fans to come to the upcoming Friday Night Lights Community Kickoff.
“We want to give a big thank you to Blue Bell for sponsoring the Ice Cream Social at Bearcat Madness; Hunter Carswell and the Blue Bell team generously gave away 1000 units of ice cream for Bearcat fans to enjoy after shopping at Bearcat Village,” Todd said. “And Brandon Forester and his team at Q94.1 brought Bearcat Madness to life live on the radio waves. They ran a live broadcast from the Village for three hours Friday.
“From the microphone at the pep rally, seniors Aiden Anding, Josh Brantley and Zheric Hill thanked our Bearcat community for coming out to support Bearcat Madness. The 2023 State Champions Bearcats felt your support and say, “Thank you!”
Ruston kicks off the regular season Friday, Sept. 6, at home against Acadiana.
