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By Kyle Roberts

RUSTON, La. — Bearcat senior quarterback Josh Brantley picked right back up where he left off in the ‘Dome.

Named the most valuable player in last year’s championship win over Zachary, Brantley gave the Ruston High Bearcats the performance they needed for a 35-27 victory over the Acadiana Wreckin’ Rams in the 2024 season opener at James Field at Hoss Garrett Stadium.

Rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, Brantley added an extra pair of touchdowns through the air to senior wideout Joran Parker and sophomore tight end/receiver Ahmad Hudson.

“We’ve talked about since the state championship game that we need Josh to be able to make those plays,” Ruston High head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “We’ve got a lot of inexperienced guys still out there, and those that have been in the fire need to be able to pull the weight. By far, Josh was able to do that.”

Complementing Brantley was a young Ruston defense that looked impenetrable at times after only giving up nine yards in the first quarter, to then surrendering large plays to Acadiana throughout the night when the Rams settled into their heralded triple-option. Ultimately, the Bearcat’s defensive squad held when it mattered the most.

“That’s the thing for us is how fast can those guys mature as players and do the things we need them to do,” Baugh said. “We sure lost some really good football players off of last year’s team — in particular, on defense. I think those guys have quietly worked themselves into a spot where they can make those plays, too. That’s what we need them to do.”

The Bearcats won the coin toss and took the football, scoring on a 17-play drive that took six minutes off the clock in the first quarter. Senior running back Jordan Hayes punched in a touchdown from eight yards out with 5:53 left to play in the first.

Ruston scored on its next play, as well, on a four-play drive capped off by a 43-yard touchdown rush from Brantley to take a 14-0 lead near the end of the first quarter.

Acadiana got its first real break of the night with a blocked punt at the 7:54 mark of the second quarter, setting up the first of three touchdowns for Rams’ running back Jonah Gautier on the night.

Brantley answered on the next drive with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Parker with 5:52 to go in the first half, and then he scored his second rushing touchdown of the night after from 63-yards out with 1:59 left to play in the half to give Ruston a 28-14 lead.

Acadiana refused to go away, scoring a touchdown as time expired in the second quarter. A missed PAT later, and Ruston took a 28-20 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Bearcat defense would get a three-and-out on Acadiana’s first drive of the second half, and Brantley would connect on his second touchdown through the air to Hudson from 39-yards on an out-route on the far side of the field.

Hudson’s catch was even more impressive given the cast on his hand from an injury two weeks ago in a routine play against Byrd.

Acadiana would score again to cut the lead to 35-27, but Ruston’s defense did its job and held the Rams out of the end zone as the clock his zeros for the first win of the season.

“I’m really pleased with our guys that they did what they needed to do to win the football game,” Baugh said in conclusion. “We had an opportunity offensively to finish the game in a four minute drill. We weren’t able to do that, but the defense managed the two-minute situation flow. At the end of the day, we were able to do what we needed to do to win the ball game.”

Senior cornerback Fabian Stringfellow also picked up his first interception of the season for Ruston High in the second half.

“I’ve been very pleased with Fabian,” Baugh said. “He was really frustrated with himself down in the first half. He had really good coverage on their receiver in the end zone, and they completed the pass for a touchdown (at the end of the second quarter). But he continues to play hard. And if you keep doing that, you give yourself an opportunity to make plays. That was obviously a very big play for us.”

The Bearcats will be back at home Friday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. against Cabot High School out of Cabot, Ark., to continue a home-and-home series that began in the 2022 season.

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