Brantley's coming out party in the Superdome

His name is Josh Brantley. And you better ring him.

After coasting in for a 24-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a bootleg that worked to perfection — and sealed a state championship victory — Brantley celebrated in the end zone by pointing at his ring finger.

It was his moment in a game that was his coming out party.

The junior quarterback passed for 194 yards and rushed for 134 yards and 3 touchdowns, proving to be the difference maker Ruston needed with Zachary keying on the RHS running back tandem of Jordan Hayes and Dylone Brooks.

What about that game-sealing play?

“I just saw it. And I told Coach (Baugh) on the sideline, 'Hey coach, nobody's flowing with me.' So it was a timeout, they watched it and just like that it opened up and I kept it and there it was — touchdown.” Brantley said.

A year ago Brantley was on the sidelines when Ruston fell to Destrehan 17-10 on the same field.

He watched as three-year starter Jaden Osborne commanded the offense.

When that game ended, the Bearcats became Brantley’s team. A year later, he put the exclamation point on that fact.

“I think that's something that's been a progressive growth process through the year but it's something that we knew Josh was capable of doing,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “When we put game plans together, offensively, defensively, and special teams, we want it all to work together to win ball games. A lot of times through the year it's not necessarily the fanciest of game plans and not necessarily nowadays whatever likes to see.

“Everybody wants you to throw it around and score a bunch of points and all that. We just like to win. We knew whatever was necessary and Josh absolutely made the plays that we needed to have in the second half,” Baugh added.

Hayes entered Saturday night with over 1,700 yards on the season with 20 touchdowns. Zachary had an obvious plan to stop Hayes and Brooks. They held the tandem to just 17 yards on 17 carries.

What they didn’t count on was Brantley’s ability to use his arm and his legs to do damage.

“He’s a talented guy. As the game wore on and we were having the success we were having in slowing the running backs down, there was some misdirection and some stuff opened up for him, and they moved the chains,” Zachary head coach David Brewerton said about Brantley. “On that last touchdown, it’s fourth down and you’re selling out trying to stop the run right? We lost the backside edge and he housed it.”

When Ruston was struggling to move the football, offensive coordinator Earl Griffin began to take what the Broncos gave him.

With the game tied 10-10 at halftime, and Zachary stacking eight and nine in the box, Ruston started throwing downfield.

The Bearcats came out of the locker room and marched 75 yards in 10 plays to regain the lead. On the drive Brantley completed 4-of-5 passes for 62 yards — with chunk plays of 28 and 20 yards to Logan Malone, who finished with a career-high 5 catches for 112 yards.

Brantley culminated the drive with a three-yard plunge on fourth and goal. Ruston led 17-10.

When Zachary answered with their own star player, LSU commit Trey’Dez Green, scoring a touchdown to tie the game at 17-17, Brantley dominated the rest of the game.

After an exchange of punts, Ruston set up at its own 16 yard line with 4:32 left in the third quarter.

Brantley rushed for 10 yards and then hit Malone for 51 yards on a deep post route. Three plays later, Brantley coasted into the end zone from 9 yards out to put the Cats ahead for good at 24-17.

The only work left was to run out the clock in the fourth quarter. Oh, and that perfectly executed fourth-down bootleg.

For the first time in 33 years, Ruston is a state champion. The LHSAA Player of the Game had a lot to do with that.

Put a ring on Brantley’s finger, along with every one of his teammates.