By Kyle Roberts
For the first time in 33 years, the Ruston High School Bearcats finished with an unblemished regular season record. Part of the magic of this team has been the ability to find all sorts of ways to win: big wins, close wins, even an opponent forfeit.
We caught up with head coach Jerrod Baugh to review some of the regular season highlights for a team that once again played arguably the toughest schedule in the state of Louisiana.
9/8/23: The defense comes alive at Jesuit. Going into the halftime locker room tied 7-7, the Bearcats would outscore the Blue Jays 28-0 in the final two quarters for its first win of the season. In the second half, Bearcat junior corner Aidan Anding blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown, which was followed shortly after by senior corner Semaj Jones returning an interception 100-yards for a touchdown.
“A lot of times, their record doesn’t indicate how good of a football team they are,” Baugh said of Jesuit. “Rolling through that Catholic League district is a tough deal for them. And we did that on a long road trip to their place.”
9/15/23: Freshman Ahmad Hudson makes an incredible grab at Cabot during a game-defining drive. Playing in a very spirited environment in Cabot, Ark., Ruston led 10-0 at halftime before the Panthers found a spark to cut the lead to 10-7 early in the third quarter. The Bearcats would respond with a field goal from senior kicker Will Fendley on the next drive before the Ruston defense forced Cabot to punt. The Panther special teams was able to down the ball at the one-yard line, forcing the Bearcat offense in a difficult spot with their backs against the wall.
On second down and eight, junior quarterback Josh Brantley throws a jump ball in Hudson’s direction up the near sideline. Blanketed by two corners, Hudson used his height advantage to make an incredible leap and haul the ball in with one hand for a first down. Brantley would connect with senior tight end Zhy Scott shortly after to complete the 99-yard touchdown drive.
“That big catch put us in a really good position,” Baugh said. “We needed to go down and score the football, and that catch did it for us.”
9/21/23: Warren Easton forfeits opening slate of games. Meanwhile, down south, Ruston’s opening week opponent was forced to forfeit its first two wins of the season as “an administrative error” by the school negated the Eagles’ 20-19 victory, giving the Bearcats an official 3-0 start.
“What happens after the game as far as what we needed to work on doesn’t change,” Baugh said when the Eagles forfeited. “Sure, we’ll take the power points, but I feel for the kids at Warren Easton; they’ve been through a lot and it tarnishes what they’ve done. It doesn’t change how we have to progress from here. It’s unfortunate for the kids at Warren Easton, but we’ll all move on from here.”
9/22/23: The Bearcat defense confounds LCA’s Ju’Juan Johnson. Week four’s return home was the talk of the entire state with Lafayette Christian Academy making a return trip to “The Hoss” after the Bearcats beat them at their place last season. Social media was abuzz as five-star recruit Johnson was looking to avenge last year. He would not be able to, however, as the Bearcat defense picked him off five times on the night to seal the victory.
“Johnson was all that everybody thought he would be,” Baugh said. “We played really well defensively, but we still at that point had not found our groove offensively.”
9/29/23: Brantley makes a leap as a rusher… That “groove” Baugh spoke of finally started to show its head in the final non-district matchup against the Neville Tigers. Despite not scoring for the first 41 minutes of the game, Brantley took over with a running attack that gained 146 yards on 17 carries for the final two touchdowns of the night.
“Josh really put the offense on his back at the end of that ballgame,” Baugh said. “That was the transition for us, offensively, probably more so mentally than anything else. It’s not like we had a whole new group of plays that we started running; I just think it was a confidence level that we gained at the end of that ball game.”
9/29/23: … While a deep-snapping hero saves the day. And a huge part of what fueled that comeback came from a timely muffed punt recovery by a young man who only a few seasons ago served as a student trainer for the team. Down 10-7 to Neville with 2:41 left to play, senior deep-snapper Joe Morrow keyed in on the football during a huge punt by Fendley and made the heroic recovery.
“Coach Baugh makes it clear in practice that the snap is the first priority,” Morrow said. “After that, I was just running down the field. And I got real close to the returner because nobody was trying to block me or anything. I guess I was at the right place at the right time; he dropped the ball and it went through his legs. I was able to get right on the ball.
“In the moment, it was definitely a blur. But looking back on it, I think it’s one of the best opportunities I could have to make an impact on the team this season and help my team out.”
10/6/23: Ruston stays composed after giving up huge lead to ASH. Sitting 5-0 at this point and playing through a buzzsaw of a non-district slate, the competition to start district play did not relent. The Alexandria Senior High Trojans came to Ruston for 2023 Homecoming and, despite trailing 21-0 at the half, gave the Bearcats all they could handle in the second half before the 35-28 final score victory.
“I think our coaching staff does a really good job of keeping the kids grounded in whatever the situation is, good or bad,” Baugh said. “We didn’t lose focus during the game. Continuing to play hard is something that we’ve ingrained in the kids, whether it’s a big lead or we’re behind. We just have to focus on the next play and the next series. It not that they don’t ever get overwhelmed, but I think the coaches do a really good job of grounding them and their teammates. That’s the good thing about having so many experienced players and a lot of three-year starters who have seen this sort of thing before.”
10/13-27/23: The Bearcats dominate district opponents (Exhibits A, B, and C)… Ruston would capitalize on a three-game stretch of opponents that were not on the same level of a powerhouse program as the Bearcats have been over these last several years. Ruston put together blowout wins, culminating on a senior night performance over Ouachita that saw a running clock start in the first half.
“I don’t want to discount those programs or anything like that, but people looked at those games and expected us to beat them handily,” Baugh said. “And I told the kids that if that’s what it’s supposed to look like, then that’s what we need to make it look like. (In regards to senior night), the senior group was pretty emotional before the ballgame. It was a big deal for them to go out and play well on senior night. That gave us some juice really early in the ball game (against Ouachita). I was really pleased with how they responded to that.”
11/3/23: … And extinguish an old foil’s best game of the year for the district crown. In the regular season finale, it was the familiar buzz of the Ruston faithful about “the big one.” This time, it was Ruston having to go to West Monroe, were the Bearcats had not won since 1989. With all sorts of factors playing into the night, West Monroe came out and played its best game of the season. It would not be enough, however, as Ruston scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to capture the district crown.
Oh, and junior tailback Jordan “The Jet” Hayes rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns; nearly unheard of by a visiting running back in Rebel Stadium.
“That was big,” Baugh said. “It was kind of built up more than what it needed to be, but that’s natural. I tried to downplay it, but it was a big deal. I knew they would be ready to play. I think our kids trust the fact that we’re going to find a way to win.
“I thought West Monroe played a really good football game. But when you come down to the end of the game and it’s tied or close or whatever, we needed to score points and get a stop or two. You have to clear your mind about what’s happened earlier in the game and focus on the next thing and get the ball in the end zone. Our kids play that way, and that’s what they expect to be able to do regardless of what had previously happened.”
Ruston will host No. 9 Walker Friday, Nov. 24, at “The Hoss” for the quarterfinal matchup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
