By Kyle Roberts
It’s been 265 days since the Ruston High Bearcats have taken to the field for an official game.
And it was that team that won the 2023 Non-Select, Division I state championship over Zachary.
That was then: now, it’s time for the 2024 Bearcats to make their own mark in the history books for the Firmly Founded, and there will be fewer opponents that Ruston could face that would tougher for a season opener than the Acadiana Wreckin’ Rams.
“I think this team is ready to assume it’s own identity,” Ruston High head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “We’ve finally transitioned them into that. I think there was a long hangover (after the championship). I mean, I get it — everybody hooks this year to last because you are the returning state champions, but you do lose guys. This isn’t the same football team, and this one needs to have its own identity. I think they’re looking forward to that and bringing forward what this team is about and what we represent.”
The Bearcats most recently got a heroic performance out of senior cornerback Aidan Anding in the 2024 Bayou Jamb matchup against the Neville Tigers with two interceptions (one returned for a score) and a kickoff return for the go-ahead touchdown and got a 20-15 win. Baugh will admit that Ruston had some missed chances that night.
“We had some opportunities to spread the lead at times,” Baugh said. “I thought we shot ourselves in the foot and made some big time mistakes that led to points for Neville. Anytime you do that against a good football team, it puts you in a bind. Then, we were able to make some big plays at the end to overcome that, but you’re not always going to be able to do that. It was a good learning experience for this football team.”
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s first 5A poll also released this past week, dubbing the Bearcats the top team in the state of Louisiana in their classification. For Baugh and the staff, the goal has been to keep the kids focused on Friday night football — not preseason rankings.
“I reminded the guys this week that we were not ranked number one at any point last year and we won the championship,” Baugh said. “It’s a respect for out football program, but the issue for our kids is that they have to put in the work. We don’t want to prove those people wrong, but we really need to stop and think about how to keep our football program there.”
Ruston and Acadiana both swapped film from there respective scrimmages over the last few weeks, and anyone familiar with the Wreckin’ Rams can expect the same steady triple-option ground game to go with a stout defense.
“There’s not much surprise (on the tapes),” Baugh said. “They’ve had a great tradition of football– they’ve won multiple state championships in the last ten years. They know what it takes as a coaching staff. We respect their program, and I think it will be a great night for football, and hopefully, both programs will give people what they want to see. They’re not going to come up here scared because we’re ranked number one. They’ve been there and know what it’s all about.
“I think it’s going to be a really great night for football and hopefully a great football game.”
On the offensive side of the ball, both senior lineman Sam Nations and sophomore receiver Ahmad Hudson have been recovering from injuries in the last couple of weeks. Baugh said Nations has been able to practice and is doing better. For Hudson, his right arm cast has been cut off and reapplied to give him some better movement in his hand.
The goal for Baugh, however, is not to push too hard on either of them this early in the year.
The Bearcats and Rams will kickoff at 7 p.m. tonight. The game will be streamed live on Bearcat Nation Network and Q94.1 FM. Kyle Roberts and Nick Brown will return to the booth and will be joined by Toby Nations and Matthew Carswell.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
