By Kyle Roberts
A sea of Ruston Red packed the downtown Civic Center last week at the first Friday Night Lights Community Tailgate put on by the Bearcat Football Club to raise money for their beloved Ruston High School football squad and get fans ready for the upcoming season.
“On behalf of the Bearcat Football Club, we just can’t say thank you enough to everyone who made our Friday Night Lights event possible,” Bearcat Football Club President Wes Clark said. “To all the sponsors, event planners, auction item donors, and community we owe you a huge thank you. Ruston High School’s football program is self sufficient.
“With approximately 160 young men in the program (9-12th grade) it takes a lot of resources to run the first class operation that Coach Jerrod Baugh has envisioned since he arrived on campus eight years ago. It is only with the support from so many that this is possible, and we think everyone has seen the results on the field. We are looking forward to making this event even bigger and better next year.”
The night featured a silent auction, live auction and a Raise the Paddle event. Packages offered included trips, airfare, and Bearcat apparel. Nearly $60,000 was raised through the auctions and ticket sales for the returning state champs.
Baugh addressed the crowd during the event to share his appreciation.
“I tell our kids all the time that there are people behind the scenes that do a bunch of things for our football program and team,” Baugh said. “This community is a very special community. I’ve coached at several different places and this place is special. It’s not about one person, not about one coach, not about one football player. It’s about Ruston High School’s football team.”
Ruston High Principal Dan Gressett echoed Baugh’s thanks.
“I thought the event went really well,” Gressett said. “We had a good turnout, good food, and just a lot of people excited about Bearcat football. Thanks to Hunter Smith and Wes Clark with the Bearcat Football Club for doing a lot of work to get it set up. Also, thanks to Gibsland Bank and Trust team members Cullen Bishop and Alicia Martin for being Title Sponsors. There were a lot of people that contributed to the success of last night. It was really good to see everyone together and fired up about helping our football program.”
Ruston High will open up the regular season Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. against Acadiana at home in Hoss Garrett Stadium.
Follow the Lincoln Parish Journal each morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. It’s FREE! Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
