‘Win this for them’

The first person Kyle Williams hugged was Jadon Mayfield.

As the clock hit zero and the Bearcats officially won the Division I Non-select state championship 31- 17 over Zachary, Williams — one of the best Ruston defensive linemen in history and now defensive coordinator — found his senior linebacker and embraced him.

It was a first for both — the euphoric feeling of walking out of the Superdome a state champion.

The two held their embrace for close to 10 full seconds, heads locked side by side with their bear grips wrapped tightly around each other.

The moment was due for both, with Williams making his third trip as a Bearcat into the Superdome — twice as a coach and once as a player in 1998 — while Mayfield ended his senior season as a winner after last year’s heartbreak.

But for as enjoyable as it was for Mayfield to know he went out on top, giving his beloved coach his first title meant just as much, if not more.

“Winning one with Coach Williams means a lot because that’s the mindset he instilled in us,” Mayfield said. “Just watching him do anything we need or ask, it just feels good to say we are champs.”

The same joy of winning for Williams and the coaching staff holds true for Ruston’s other seniors who led the Bearcats to championship glory, including defensive end Geordan Guidry, who also shared an emotional embrace with Williams postgame.

Guidry, along with his fellow seniors, were in 8th grade when Williams returned to his alma mater to coach after retiring from the NFL at the end of the 2018 season. As someone who’s been with them every step of the way, Guidry said Williams and the Ruston coaching staff deserved every minute of joy that came their way on Saturday.

“It feels amazing to win a state championship, not only with Coach Williams but the whole staff,” Guidry said. “They’re amazing coaches. It feels great knowing that I not only won my first, and only, state championship, but I also helped Coach Kyle win his first. It’s an amazing feeling. This coaching staff and I will forever be connected.”

Guidry’s legacy at Ruston will be hard to replace as well, with the Tulane commit racking up 135 tackles and 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons as an everydown starter.

But if you hear Guidry tell it, his playmaking all came from a genuine love of the coaches that shaped him. Saturday was just his final gift to them.

“I know every person in Coach Kyle’s close family, and he treats us players like his sons,” Guidry said. “ Coach [ David] Taylor loves me like I’m his son, and I love him too. Coach Baugh treats me like his own, and him and I have an amazing relationship. Coach Kenney Wright is always motivating me and giving me knowledge. Even the offensive coaches too. I go to Coach [Steve] Ensminger’s house every week, and we talk about our futures. I’ve known Coach [ Bryan] Beck since I was in peewee; he was the first coach I ever built a connection with. And Jonathan Millage was my first school coach, him and Coach Taylor’s son. I’ve had the chance to get to know these men as more than just coaches. I’ve gotten the chance to know them as family.”

In the postgame press conference, Mayfield, along with junior quarterback Josh Brantley, wouldn’t leave the podium without thanking Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh for his trust in them and the time he spent preparing the Bearcats to finish 2023 as champions.

Mayfield, who finished with a game-high 12 tackles, along with 2.5 sacks and 2 TFL, glanced over to his head coach with a heartfelt message.

“I just want to say I appreciate you coach. It’s been a long four years,” Mayfield said. “I just appreciate everything you’ve done for me, on and off the field. You made me a better player on and off the field and I’ll never, ever forget it. I just appreciate you and I love you.”

Brantley, who put up possibly his best game as a Bearcat on Saturday with 194 passing yards, 134 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, thanked Baugh as well.

“Coach Baugh, you know you’re my dog,” Brantley said. “I really appreciate the way you trusted me to go out there and make plays for the team, and the impact you’ve made on my life is big. You’re always there for us. If we need something, we can ask you and you’re right there.”

Fellow seniors Nate Johnson and Ahmad Breaux echoed those sentiments after the game as well, reflecting on their time as Bearcats with full hearts for a coaching staff who developed them into who they are.

“Coach Williams is the hardest worker on the team,” Johnson said. “ Knowing that we were able to capitalize on his game plan enough to win him and the city a state championship is a really, really good feeling.”

Johnson finished with 175 total tackles, 25 TFL, and 9 PBU over his final two seasons.

Breaux, who will head to Williams’ old stomping grounds at LSU next fall, said the Bearcats only broke through thanks to the daily intentionality of the coaching staff — pushing players beyond their perceived limits and instilling belief that 2023 would end differently.

“This championship meant so much for me and my team, and I wouldn’t have chosen any other coaches to win it under,” Breaux said. “ Coach Baugh, Coach Taylor and Coach Williams taught me more than just football. It feels amazing to win this for them.”

Breaux will head to LSU after his 110 tackles and 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons.

In the final comments of the night, Baugh turned the thanks toward his players and the commitment they put in over the last calendar year. Winning a state title for the program is one thing, but to do it with kids he calls his own? That means more.

“For me, winning a state championship is up there,” Baugh said. “But I guess I’m getting old, because to hear kids relay that to me means – because a state championship, that’s nice and I’m proud that that’s going to be a part of the legacy at Ruston — but part of me personally, I’m selfish in this respect, I love these boys and I want what’s best for them down the road. I hope I have been a small piece in what it is that they’re about whenever they graduate and move on and start families and get jobs. I hope I’ve had a small piece of their life and appreciate their parents for trusting them with me.”