By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — The Ruston High Bearcats will be headed to the semifinals for the third season in a row after a 49-7 win Friday night over the Southside Sharks, thanks in large part to a huge first-half scoring performance for the Firmly Founded.
“Southside’s a good football team,” Ruston High head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “I think our guys came out ready to play. We jumped on them from the beginning, and it all kind of came unraveled for them.”
After winning the coin toss, Southside elected to kick an onside kick which Ruston recovered at their own 48-yard line. The Bearcats would score on a nine-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Joran Parker from senior quarterback Josh Brantley with 9:41 to go in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead.
The Sharks answered with a 64-yard drive three minutes later on a 10-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Ramon Singleton on 2nd-and-3 with 6:41 to go in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7.
From there, Ruston would score four unanswered touchdowns through the end of the first half. The Bearcats would get another score from three yards out by Brantley with 3:23 to go in the first to retake the lead at 14-7.
The Bearcats would attempt an onside and get a recovery by junior Alex Hunt right at midfield. Ruston would easily move the ball down the field for another touchdown drive, capped off by a three-yard run by senior running back Jordan Hayes to extend the lead to 21-7, making it nearly impossible for the run-first Sharks to make any sort of comeback.
”We liked the alignment they gave us on the onside kicks tonight,” Baugh said. “Anytime you can get up a couple of scores on somebody that likes to run the football, it puts them out of their game plan and they have to do something they’re not comfortable doing. Again, our guys executed the way we needed them to.”
After another three-and-out for Southside, Ruston High senior wide receiver Darius James would take a wheel-route pass into the end zone from 21 yards out with 9:29 to go in the first half for a 28-7 lead. And after an interception by sophomore cornerback Jayden Anding, Brantley would score again from eight yards out with 0:19 to go in the half — a score that was set up by James making a spectacular grab over the shoulder on 3rd-and-16 for 45 yards, giving Ruston a 35-7 lead going into the halftime locker room.
”Darius is just one of those kids that is just diligent about doing his job,” Baugh said. “We haven’t thrown much in the past, this year, we’ve been able to do that because guys (like Darius) have continued to work. And Josh has done a really good job of getting the ball who he needs to. One of those things about playing receiver, they may not get their name called when they run a bunch of routes and it’s another guy catching the ball. They just continue to do their job, whether that is blocking or running routes. Darius has done that, and it’s paid off for him.”
Southside started the second with a turnover on downs, and Ruston was able to get into the end zone again with a Brantley touchdown from 16 yards out with 7:57 to go in the third to lead 42-7. Shortly after, senior cornerback Aidan Anding took a punt 67-yards to the house to put Ruston up 49-7, which started a running clock situation for the rest of the game.
Shortly into the fourth quarter, Ruston was able to pull the starters and give some of the younger players meaningful minutes in the playoffs.
”Anytime you can do that in a playoff situation, that’s always good for your program in the long run,” Baugh said. “A lot of these guys that are playing now, that same thing had arisen last year or the year before where they had an opportunity to get in and get some playing time in the playoffs. Anytime you can do that, it’s good for you.”
Brantley had an amazing night, accounting for five total touchdowns on the night. Ruston’s defense held Southside to just 115 total yards, while the offense totaled 326 yards through the air and on the ground.
Ruston will host No. 10 Destrehan Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. in the semifinals after the Wildcats beat the Vikings 69-41.
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