By T. Scott Boatright
Ruston’s next man up was a force to be reckoned with in Ruston’s 51-13 win over Westgate in a second-round contest of the Division I Nonselect School Playoffs at L.J. “Hoss” Garrett Stadium.
When Ruston’s No. 1 running back Dalen Powell went down two weeks ago with what ended up being a broken ankle midway through the Bearcats’ regular-season finale against West Monroe, Kohl Gray was that next man up.
Gray didn’t miss a beat in that contest, and he was back at it Friday night as the 5-11, 182-pound junior powered his way for 142 yards and two scores in the win over Westgate.
“This was fun tonight,” Gray said. “I had a great game. We prepared for it all week and that moment came and we started off hot. It was great to get that first score and get things going less than a minute into the game.”
Ruston kicked off to start the game with a squib kick that a Westgate player tried to pick up but failed, with the Bearcats recovering the ball in the red zone.
Gray went right to work, but on fourth-and-three at the Westgate 15-yard line, it looked like he was tackled behind the line of scrimmage.
But Westgate was flagged for a facemask, giving the Bearcats the ball with a first-and-10 at the Tigers’ 8-yard line.
Gray took the ball on the ensuing handoff and burst up the middle for a score that put Ruston on top 7-0 only 2:25 into the contest.
“I knew I had to make a play for the team,” Gray said. “As soon as I got the handoff I saw the hole starting to open and I just took off toward it. The O-line opened it up big for me and I just headed for the end zone and the score.”
RHS offensive coordinator Earl Griffin said the play couldn’t have gone any better for the Bearcats.
“I think he was surprised that the hole was as big as it was that fast,” Griffin said. “He’s been used to running with the second team, and the holes usually aren’t as big with them as with the big boys who start. So, he just saw the hole and did the rest.”
“Kohl stepped up. Kohl did everything we knew he could do. When Dalen went down (last week), we didn’t hesitate to put Kohl in. Kohl had already shown he was a quality backup, and now he’s the guy. He did not disappoint tonight, I’ll tell you that. He went out and got it done.”
Bearcats head coach Jerrod Baugh took notice, too.
“(Gray) came in at the end of the West Monroe and gave people a lot of confidence in what he can do, and I think he gained a lot of confidence, too. So, coming into the ballgame tonight, I don’t believe there were any jitters about what he needed to get done,” Baugh said. “I think he accepted that challenge.
“There’s not a lot of people that can basically stand on the sideline for three quarters basically in that West Monroe game and all of a sudden you get your number called at running back and you’re able to get out there and do what he did. I’m really proud for him. He’s a really hard worker for us.”
Because Gray and Powell are stylistically different runners — Powell is a speedy slasher while Gray is more of a power pounder — Griffin said that some tweaks were made to RHS offense heading into the game against Westgate.
“After Dalen got hurt, we challenged the offensive line to hold their block just a little bit longer just because Kohl isn’t as familiar with the offensive line as Dalen was because Dalen had been getting the most reps all season,” Griffin said. “They know if they hold it a second-and-a-half for Dalen, he would hit the hole.
“So, we asked them to hold it just an extra second for Kohl. And the offensive line came through. And the thing about Kohl is that he’s a hard, strong runner. You saw him dragging players along more than once tonight. But he needed that hole to get his momentum — that push — moving forward. Kohl and the offensive line worked together perfectly tonight to make that happen.”
Baugh noted those plays where it looked like Gray had been stopped but the pile of players he was in the middle of kept pushing forward.
“He’s a heavy runner,” Baugh said about Gray. “You saw those piles just keep on moving. And I thought our offensive line did an excellent job of getting behind because they know he’s a powerful runner. So, they worked together to push the pile for extra yardage.”
Griffin said that despite being on crutches, Powell played his part in both the Bearcats’ win over West Monroe and then again against Westgate.
“Dalen is a great teammate, and he knew when he went down what he had to do,” Griffin said. “So, he called Kohl into the (injury) tent and talked to Kohl, giving Kohl support even while he was hurting.
“And in meetings this week preparing for this game, Dalen kept talking to — coaching — Kohl up. They were kind of feeding off of each other.”
Gray said he appreciated the support from his injured teammate.
“He put it on me,” Gray said about Powell. “He put his trust in me. We talked about it after he got hurt last week. We sat down in the tent and he told me I had to step up. So, I stepped up for him. This game — this win — was for him.
“I just wanted to do my part and fill that hole left by Dalen’s injury. And I ended up with two touchdowns and we got the win. I’ll take that any day.”
Powell continued talking to Gray in the two weeks leading up to Ruston’s playoff opener.
“I had to help him get his mind right and let him know what he was getting into,” Powell said. “But I knew he could do it. Watching him in practice this week, I knew he would do it. And because I can’t play, I’m just trying to still help in as many ways as I can. I’m still a part of this team, and I’m proud of the win we got tonight.”
