By Kyle Roberts
Following a 2-0 start to the season — with both wins coming at home — Ruston begins its long road-swing tonight, taking on the Longview Lobos (2-1) in Texas for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Bearcats will actually be playing three straight weeks in the Lone Star State and will not be back at The Hoss until Friday, Oct. 18, to take on the Neville Tigers, after opening district play at Ouachita on Friday, Oct. 11.
“Regardless of who the competition is, you this many games in a row on the road, it can be a tough situation to be in,” Ruston High head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “It’s a very big challenge to have four road games in a row. And two of those games are on Saturday, so it’s going to be long weekends. And then you play really tough competition on top of that.
“It’s going to be an indication for me about how well our kids stay focused on what they need to do and if they can handle distractions. It’s a really good test for the kids. I feel like if we handle these road games decently or even well, I think it will be an indication of where this team is at.”
Ruston’s toughness showed last week against the Cabot Panthers out of Arkansas, with superstar quarterback Josh Brantley sitting out due to a foot and ankle injury. In his stead was sophomore Sam Hartwell, who came in to complete 13-of-22 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 50 yards and a score on the ground.
Baugh said he had full confidence in Hartwell last week and did not have to adjust the flow of the offensive attack in the 49-10 blowout win.
“Sam played really well, and that’s always good to see,” Baugh said. “You don’t ever know what opportunities you’re going to have to be able to get the backup quarterback in — that’s always a nervous thing as a coach. It’s hard to make preparations and give the backup quarterback the snaps they need to be prepared.
“So to get that situation this early in the season where Sam was able to get some valuable snaps is good. The best thing is that you don’t have to really have to have an alternative gameplan with him — he can operate all of those things. (Sam and Josh) are different quarterbacks, but they can do a lot of the same things.”
When asked about the starter for tonight, Baugh did say that Brantley will be QB1 after a week where he’s simultaneously rehabbing and take snaps with the first string.
“He did not look very good on Tuesday,” Baugh said. “We practiced the quarterback sneak, and he tweaked his toe and ankle. (Athletic trainer Chris) Brister tried a couple of different tape jobs, and that seemed to help him on Wednesday. I think he’s going to be fine for tonight.”
By Baugh’s best account, this should be the 12th time Ruston and Longview have lined up on the gridiron. In his time at the helm for the Bearcats, Baugh has only seen the Lobos once: in 2018, when Longview won 56-28 in Hoss Garrett Stadium, thanks in large part to then-quarterback Haynes King picking apart Ruston’s defense. King is now the starter for Georgia Tech.
No stranger to Longview High School, Baugh was actually an assistant coach for the Lobos from 2000 to 2009, when he came over with North Louisiana legendary coach Pat Collins. Longview’s current head coach, John King, was on staff with Baugh at the time.
“There’s actually some guys there on staff with Coach King that I coached when I was there,” Baugh said. “So it’s pretty neat for me and will be good to see those guys. But they’re football team is really no different than what it’s been in the past; really talented on both sides of the ball, and really well coached. We’ll have to play well — Lobo Stadium is a very hard place to go and get out of there with a win. It will be their homecoming, so I know it’ll be a packed stadium and be a great environment for a high school football game.”
Longview won its first two games of the season before dropping a close one last week to South Oak Cliff 45-44 in Lobo Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Q94.1 FM and BearcatNationNetwork.com.
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