By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Last year was a true test of adversity for Ruston High Head Coach Marcus Jackson.
From a freak accident during practice to the passing of his mother, Jackson faced trial after trial to finally get back to the bench with his team.
Being back is an opportunity that he won’t be taking for granted, and he’ll be using his story to help shape his young team.
“I’m glad first and foremost to be back after last year,” Jackson said. “It was really hard for me. I didn’t expect it to be like that, but again, I’m glad to be ready to be with my group of kids and be around coaching again. So it has brought some excitment back for me. I came in ready to coach last year, and then life changed on Sept. 24, 2024 — so it’s important for me to share that when adveristy hits you or you get pushed off course, you’ve got to still fight and grind it out. Adversity builds character.”
Now, he’s had a full offseason with his squad — currently loaded with sophomores and juniors, including returning stars Ahmad Hudson and KeShun Malcolm, who are on the football field. Last season, the Bearcats fell in the quarterfinals under last year’s interim head coach Corey Deans (who Jackson specifically thanked for taking the mantle in his absence). Jackson also spoke highly of the graduating class from last year, including Aidan Anding and Zheric Hill, who have both gone on to play Division-I college football.
“Those guys were great leaders for us and they did a lot for the school,” Jackson said. “I hate that I didn’t get a chance to really coach them, but we stayed in contact and they called me through my adverse times, and I called to check on them. I’m thankful for them.”
And in very pleasant news for Jackson and Bearcat fans everywhere, sophomore Darren Ford transferred in during the offseason as well and will be able to immediately play for the Bearcats, giving Ruston it’s own version of “The Big Three.” Jackson is excited to see how the group gels together moving forward through the season.
“That’s something the coaches and I have been thrinking about: we’ve got three guys on any given night that can making a difference,” Jackson said. “We need the whole team to buy in, sharing a piece of the pie, per se, to make it work — being humble about it and respecting it and just playing basketball well.”
Following some exhibitions and a Nov. 11 Jamboree, the ‘Cats will be waiting until Dec. 5 to officially start the varsity season on the road against El Dorado in Arkansas. Jackson explained that getting as many of the football players on the roster (including Malcolm and Hudson) is his rationale for the wait.
“We have some guys that went out for football for the first time, and we support that,” Jackson said. “We don’t want to get caught early and being down in the power rankings because it’s going to take us some time to gel. With that El Dorado game, power points don’t affect us. So essentially, that’ll give us some more “practice” time and some cohesion with each other.”
Prior to district play, the Bearcats have also been invited to a national tournament over the Christmas holidays in Oregon from Dec. 18 through Dec. 23. They’ll play in a couple of other tournaments including the Remington Butler Classic, which Ruston High will host. District 2-5A play will officially start on Jan. 13, 2026, against West Monroe.
But for now, as the days countdown closer to tip off, Jackson is mindful that he wants to solidify a championship culture to Ruston High School. He’s already won a pair of titles at both Arcadia High and his alma mater Athens High, so he knows what it takes to climb the mountain all the way.
“We try to embrace the “we over me” mentality,” Jackson said. “We want them to work hard each and every night and play for one another. I think when you do that and put yourself on the back burner for the team, that builds the success. I’m a defensive guy — we can score with people, but we have to be able to stop people, game in and game out.
“And take nothing for granted: I know we have a talented roster, but everybody, every night, is going to have to play our best. Because the teams we play are going to play their best against us. We have to do the same.”
See the full roster and schedule listed below.
| #0 | Zatterian Sutton | Guard | Sr. |
| #1 | Kohl Gray | Guard | So. |
| #2 | Darren Ford | Guard | So. |
| #3 | Braylon Knox | Guard | Jr. |
| #4 | Jasen Morgan | Guard | Jr. |
| #5 | KeShun Malcolm | Guard | Jr. |
| #10 | Kayden Gray | Guard | Jr. |
| #11 | Ahmad Hudson | Forward | Jr. |
| #12 | Mason Dulaney | Forward | Sr. |
| #13 | Eric Lewis | Guard | So. |
| #15 | Phillip Ingram | Guard | So. |
| #20 | Tyson Holland | Guard | So. |
| #23 | Jayden Anding | Guard | Jr. |
| #24 | Cooper Goodwin | Guard | Jr. |
| #25 | Deontra Foy | Guard | So. |
| #30 | Branson Perry | Forward | So. |
| #32 | Chase Hardin | Forward | Jr. |
| Date | Opponent | Team | Location | Time |
| Oct 18, 2025 | LHSOA Scrimmage Clinic | VG,VB | Home | TBD |
| October 21, 2025 | Carroll Scrimmage | VG ONLY | Home | 6:00 |
| October 28, 2025 | North Caddo Scrimmage | VB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Nov 4, 2025 | Union Scrimmage | VB | Away | TBD |
| Nov 6, 2025 | Tioga Scrimmage | JVG, VG | Away | 5:00 |
| Nov 11, 2025 | Sterlington (Jamboree) | JVG, VG, VB | Home | 5:00 |
| Nov 17, 2025 | Neville | FB, JVB | Away | 5:30 |
| Nov 17, 2025 | Benton | JVG, VG | Home | 5:00 |
| Nov 18, 2025 | Bastrop | JVG, VG | Away | 5:00 |
| Nov 19, 2025 | Red River | FB, JVB | Home | 5:30 |
| Nov 20, 2025 | Peabody | JVG, VG | Home | 5:00 |
| Nov 29, 2025 | Origin Bank Girls Basketball Invitational |
VG ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Dec 1, 2025 | Huntington | JVG ONLY | Away | 5:00 |
| Dec, 4, 2025 | Red River | FB, JVB | Away | 5:30 |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Eldorado, Ark | VG, VB | Away | 6:00 |
| Dec 8, 2025 | Neville | FB, JVB | Home | 5:30 |
| Dec 8, 2025 | Neville | JVG | Away | 5:00 |
| Dec 9, 2025 | Arcadia | VG ONLY | Away | 6:00 |
| Dec 10, 2025 | Rayville | FB/JVB | Away | 5:30 |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Richwood | JVG, VG | Home | 5:00, 6:00 |
| Dec 12-13, 2025 | Remington Butler Tournament | VB ONLY | Home | TBD |
| Dec, 15, 2025 | Wossman | FB, JVB | Home | 5:00 |
| Dec 16, 2025 | Airline | JVG, VG, VB | Away | 5:00 PM |
| Dec 17, 2025 | Huntington | JVG ONLY | Home | 5:00 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Istrouma | JVG, VG | Home | 5:30 |
| Dec 18-23, 2025 | Out of State Classic | VB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Dec 27-31, 2025 (29-30) |
Alexandria Tournament | VG ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Jan 1-3, 2026 | Bossier Tournament | VB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Jan 6, 2026 | Calvary | JV, VB | Away | 5:00 PM |
| Jan 7, 2026 | Wossman | JVG, VG | Home | 5:00 PM |
| Jan 8, 2026 | Rayville | FB/JVB | Home | 5:00 PM |
| Jan 9, 2026 | Sterlington | JVG, VG | Home | 5:30 PM |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Choudrant Classic | FB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Simsboro Classic | VB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Wossman | FB/JVB | Away | 5:00 PM |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Logansport | VG ONLY | Home | 6:00 PM |
| Jan 13, 2026 | West Monroe* | VG, VB | Away | 5:30 |
| Jan 16, 2026 | Pineville* | VG, VB | Away | 5:30, 6:00 |
| Jan 17, 2026 | Choudrant Tournament | JVG ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Jan 17, 2026 | Lincoln Prep Classic | VB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Jan 18-19, 2026 | MLK Tournament@ Southern University |
JVG, VG | Away | TBD |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Marksville | VG, VB | Home | 5:30, 6:30 |
| Jan 23, 2026 | Neville* | VG, VB | Home | 5:30, 7:00 |
| Jan 27, 2026 | Gibsland- Coleman | VG, VB | Away | 6:00, 7:00 |
| Jan 30, 2026 | Ouachita* | VG/VB | Away | 5:30, 7:00 |
| Jan 31, 2026 | Homer Classic | VB | Away | TBD |
| Feb 3, 2026 | Winnfield | VG, VB | Home | 6:00 |
| Feb 6, 2026 | ASH* | VG/VB | Home | 5:30, 6:30 |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Ouachita | VG/VB | Home | 5:30 7:00 |
| Feb 13, 2026 | West Monroe | VG/VB | Home | 5:30, 7:00 |
| Feb 14, 2026 | Battle on the Hardwood @Woodlawn (Bossier) |
VB ONLY | Away | TBD |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Union Parish | VB | Away | 6:30 |
| Feb 21, 2026 | Red River | VB | Away | TBD |
