by T. Scott Boatright
Big defensive stops at the right time and big plays from young defenders played a big role in Ruston’s second-half surge Friday night to storm past Neville 42-16 at L.J. “Hoss” Garrett Stadium.
As their offense struggled early on, the Bearcats made multiple crucial defensive stops in the second quarter to regain possession, with Neville failing to score in the red zone.
And one of Ruston’s youngest defensive players — freshman Reed Williams, son of assistant head coach Kyle Williams — played big roles in several of those plays.
That kind of defensive effort didn’t go unnoticed by Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh.
“I thought we had several stops there in the second quarter that were big,” Baugh said. “When the wheels had kind of fallen off our offense, I thought our defense had some very big stops. Stopping them from getting the field goal, for one thing. Then after (quarterback Sam Hartwell) got hit and fumbled the ball, we stopped them from scoring. We probably really should have gone in at halftime behind.”
Maybe the biggest stop came late in the quarter as Neville made a pick-six that put the Tigers within five points at 14-9 with 24 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Tigers opted to go for a two-point conversion, but Ruston stuffed the attempt to maintain a five-point halftime advantage.
“We were able to show some pressure, but actually, we played coverage and trapped our flats, and Neville ended up running a reverse and ran it right into our trap-flat defenders,” Kyle Williams said about the two-point conversion stop. “It’s a testament to our kids letting us coach them hard, pushing them and letting them dig in and get after it. That’s what it’s about. We talk about mental toughness and all those things. If we don’t mind, they don’t matter. It doesn’t matter where we’re at, we’re going to dig in and get after it.”
Baugh realized just how much that stop and the others meant to his team.
“Making that stop on the two-point conversion attempt that would have put Neville back only by a field goal, and us going in (at halftime) with a lead and then coming back out, making a stop and then making something happen offensively, was big. I’m proud of our offensive group, that they didn’t lose confidence in each other. They came out in the second half like that second quarter didn’t happen. You’re going to have some bad things happen. You’ve got to get past that and believe in each other.”
Williams left the Bearcats last year to coach at LSU, with his son Reed helping Dunham High School win a Division III select state title as an eighth grader.
When Williams decided to move back to Ruston, Reed ended up being able to join his father’s high school alma mater as a freshman.
And Reed made an immediate impact in the season opener against Neville, finishing with five tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage, and breaking up multiple passes from his hybrid strong safety/linebacker position.
“They call it the Star position,” Reed said. “What I do is based on the offensive run and if a play is a run or a pass. If it’s a 21 personnel (offense — two running backs, two wide receivers and a tight end), I can walk down toward the line of scrimmage and line up there. If it’s empty (no running back) or 31 (three receivers and one running back), I play the pass.”
Reed said his comfort in returning to Ruston has helped his play.
“It’s a lot different,” Reed said of the atmosphere playing in L.J. “Hoss” Garrett Stadium compared with Dunham. “Running out of the tunnel here with my team, I love that. But just doing it here, as a Bearcat — it’s different. It’s definitely a different atmosphere than at Dunham. I loved it there and being part of that team last year. But it feels better here. Just the whole game-day atmosphere is better.”
Reviving and even improving old friendships has also played a big role in Reed’s quick reacclimation to the RHS football team.
“I’ve known (Bearcats free safety) Jayden (Anding) since his sophomore year with me as a ballboy,” Reed said. “I’ve known (LB/S) Keilan Davis for a long time. So, it wasn’t like having to adjust to new people like I did (at Dunham). I knew them then, so I know them even better now.”
Reed said hard work has played a big role in his play.
“It’s just work ethic,” Reed said. “Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.”
Technique also plays a role.
“Us little guys, you can’t hit high because that’s just going to end up blowing you up,” the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Reed said. “So you’ve got to have good technique and go low to tackle bigger people.”
Williams was proud of what he saw from his son against Neville.
“He did a really good job,” Williams said of his son’s play against the Tigers. “He was swimming a little bit early but came back in and made some really big plays. They tried to isolate their best receiver on him in the slot. He’s been covering Josiah Morgan all training camp.
“Reed played as an eighth grader last year at Dunham, and we got him in here and told him we were going to throw him into the fire and see if he could match up with 5A football or not. We pushed him and demanded a lot out of him. But he had some really big pass breakups and did a fabulous job tonight.”
Williams admits that’s probably coming from a fatherly standpoint as opposed to a coach’s standpoint.
“I can tell you it’s less than him being a Bearcat like I was and more about him being my son,” Williams said. “Being able to be here with him every day, that’s part of the reason I’m here. I obviously love him, and love Ruston and Coach Baugh and all of those things.
“It’s him being a part of his football journey and him being a part of mine. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s emotional, obviously, seeing him play on the field I played on. He may not say it’s always that fun, because Dad’s tough, but he’s done a great job, and him being here with me doing all of this makes it all worth it.”
Baugh knows the coaching Reed has received from his father has played a key role in the freshman’s fast development.
“Anytime you’re undersized, you’ve got to have good technique and know exactly what it is that you’re supposed to do,” Baugh said. “Reed does that. I’m sure he gets some coaching at home, wanted or unwanted. But Reed’s doing a great job. Playing for Dunham as an eighth grader and winning a state championship, all the experience he got last year with that I think is invaluable for us. Particularly this early in his career, for him to play like he did tonight was something.
“We’ve had some freshmen that have played through the years, but they weren’t as ready initially as what I think Reed is. I think that’s due to the experience he got last year. I just foresee him taking another really big step forward. I think he’ll only get better and better as his confidence builds.”
Baugh said Reed might have a secret weapon that has added to his ability.
“I think he might have gotten all of his athletic ability from his mom (Jill),” Baugh said with a grin. “She was a gymnast at LSU, so they can’t give Kyle all the credit. He probably gets most of that from his mom.”
