By Kyle Roberts
Ruston High’s Mandy Cauley is appreciative of playing last season at the Ruston Sports Complex while the high school’s main gymnasium was undergoing major overhauls and renovations.
But you can tell she’s excited to have her team back at home with the 2024 season beginning tonight — especially after the show of support she’s already seen in a home scrimmage last week against Airline.
“I’m absolutely excited because it’s just our turf– it feels different,” Cauley said, returning to the helm of a program she helped begin nearly a decade ago. “We got to run out of the locker room (last week), and the student section really showed up. We had football players walking over after practice to come support their friends, because our girls show up for them on Friday nights. It’s one big Bearcat family.”
The Lady Bearcats will be taking on Haughton tonight, hoping to continue to build off of last season’s team that made the 2023 LHSAA state tournament in Lafayette, La., for the first time after a program-defining year.
“This Haughton team is scrappy,” Cauley said. “They have some athletic girls that are going to get out there and dogfight it out.”
Ruston will be looking to new leadership this season as five seniors graduated off of last year’s squad in seniors Shelby Freeman, Allie Richardson, Hannah Rollins, Jade Smith and Cala Wilson. And for Cauley, she’s expecting big things out of her current veteran group, particularly seniors Rilee Atwood, Harper Cauley, Mariah White, Ellie Koonce and Katelyn Rollins.
“They’ve been great,” Cauley said of her returning group. “Rilee has stepped up, because last year she was mainly a junior varsity player with limited varsity time. She’s really turning into a six-rotation player. I can ask her to do anything and she’ll do it — she’s become a well-rounded player. Harper brings continued leadership and steady play. She knows how to get the younger girls fired up. She’s their biggest cheerleader, but she also is that one that’s urging everybody to work hard and uphold the standards.
“Mariah has shown steadiness on serves. Everything I’ve asked her to work on in the offseason was evident because her serve is really fast and flat — she can keep the other team out of system. That what I’m hoping for her and from Katelyn with her steadiness on serve receive. And Ellie may not see a lot of court time, but she’s very vocal on the bench. She’s ready if I need her. They all lead in a different way.”
Varsity tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in the Ruston High main gym.
