by Malcolm Butler
For three straight playoff games, the Ruston Bearcats have faced an opponent that was more known for the offensive side of the football.
Zachary. Southside. Destrehan.
Three up. Three down. The Bearcats held those three teams to 35 total points in playoff victories.
However, Ruston will face a Central High School team Saturday in the Nonselect School Division I state title game that is more known for the defensive side of the line.
Central has advanced to the title game with victories over three Ouachita Parish teams: West Ouachita (45-20), West Monroe (21-7) and Neville (17-13).
The Wildcats (12-1) are spearheaded on the defensive side by fraternal twins DK and KD Mays. DK is a defensive lineman who has signed with the University of Houston while KD is a linebacker who has drawn interest from some smaller colleges.
KD has 30 tackles for loss and 11 sacks while DK has 25.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks.
“They are very athletic on defense,” said writer Robin Fambrough, who covers high school sports for the Baton Rouge Advocate. “They have a bunch of athletic guys that they move in and out. Some of them you may see on offense too. What they do is based on speed. They are not big, big up front.
“They are multiple. They want to move DK Mays inside and outside. They don’t want people to know where he is coming from.”
As a whole, the Wildcats
“They are stacked defensively,” said Mario Jerez, who handles the play by play for Central for their home game streams. “They are multiple. You will see some 4-3, some 3-4. They just have stars at every level of the defense.
“DK and KD Mays have both been borderline unstoppable in the playoffs. Those guys are constantly wreaking havoc. Everybody contributes and everybody is good in their role, but the stars really eat. Both corners have been shut down. It’s a very complete defense.”
The Wildcats have held six opponents to single digits in points this year, including in a 21-7 win over West Monroe in the quarterfinals. Only four times (Lafayette Christian, Catholic, Liberty, Scotlandville) has Central’s defense allowed 20 or more points.
Former Louisiana Tech assistant coach Anthony Camp serves as the Central co-defensive coordinator. Camp played alongside Central head coach David Simoneaux Jr at Parkview Baptist.
Simoneaux is in his first year at Central and is leading his third different school (Catholic Pointe Coupee – 2019; Catholic-Baton Rouge 2021) in six years to the state title game.
In the 17-13 win over Neville last week in the semifinals, the Wildcats special teams also came up huge, including blocking two kicks (xp, FG). The blocked field goal with less than three minutes to play was returned 85 yards for the game-winning TD.
“The blocked field goal was not a fluke,” said Fambrough. “They put good athletes on special teams.”
Compared to some of Ruston’s playoff opponents, Central’s offensive numbers aren’t as eye-popping. The Wildcats average 27.2 points per game this season and are amassing around 230 total yards per contest (120 via pass; 110 via rush).
“They are very multiple, but pretty standard pro-style offense,” said Jerez. “They will run a lot of I-formation but will run some 12-type formations with multiple tight ends. You will see a lot of pistol sets with (quarterback) Jackson Fermin, who is a pretty big threat running or passing. But there are a lot of wrinkles in there.”
Fermin is a Nicholls State signee.
The Wildcats rushing attack took a hit before the season when Manny Williams – along with Fermin and wide receiver Kylen Thomas — was injured in a car wreck. Williams, who rushed for over 500 yards in the playoffs last season, sustained injuries that included a broken hip, broken jaw, lacerated liver, and concussion. He missed all of the regular season but returned the past two weeks for Central.
“They were all in a car heading to team dinner and were rear-ended by car going about 55 MPH,” said Fambrough. “It went off the road and rolled into a ditch. When you see pictures of the car, you don’t know how any of those three kids survived.”
Marvin Joseph, who also plays DB for the Wildcats, is the team’s leading rusher with 409 yards and 14 TDs while Fermin is second with 339 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Williams has rushed for 77 yards and one score in his two games since returning.
“They have tried a lot of things with the running game this year,” said Jerez. “They just got Manny (Williams) back. He has been pretty effective. They have gotten a lot of contribution from Marvin Joseph … those two guys give them a really good one-two punch.
“Recently, they have started running Jackson Fermin a lot more too. He has been really effective in the run game. He broke a long run in the quarterfinal win over West Monroe. They have had to get creative with the running game at times, but getting Manny back is huge. It definitely gives them that dimension they have been missing all year.”
Fermin has passed for 1,550 yards and nine scores with eight interceptions.
Central is looking for its first state title since winning a Class 2A title in 1966.
