Ruston High makes changes to accomodate anticipated packed stadium
Photo by Josh McDaniel
With Class 4A No. 2 Lafayette Christian coming to town to face the Class 5A No. 5 Ruston Bearcats, officials at RHS made changes to accommodate the packed crowd.
It’s become commonplace for the Ruston Bearcats to play in big games at L.J. “Hoss” Garrett Stadium, but week four of the regular season?
With Class 4A No. 2 Lafayette Christian Academy coming to town — along with college coaches, recruiting services and football fans from across north Louisiana — the game is expected to be a sellout with standing room only for the 7 p.m. kickoff.
“We are expecting a big home crowd Friday night, and I feel like LCA will travel well too,” said RHS principal Dan Gressett. “We highly recommend getting your tickets early to avoid the lines. We have tickets available from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day in our ticket office at RHS. We have very few reserved tickets available, but we do have general admission. Tickets are $12 for reserved and $10 for general admission.”
The lure of the game stems from a matchup between LCA’s high-flying offense, led by LSU commit Ju’Juan Johnson at quarterback, pitted against Class 5A No. 5 Ruston and its stifling defense.
A year ago, the Bearcats went down to Lafayette and took care of the Knights 35-20, and the rematch is drawing attention with a number of national college recruits on both teams.
Johnson will join Ruston defensive end Ahmad Breaux at LSU, while LCA also features defensive lineman Melvin Hills, who is committed to the Texas Longhorns. Ruston counters with Geordan Guidry and Jadon Mayfield on defense, who are committed to Tulane and Louisiana Tech, respectively. LCA linebacker Sandy Lewis is committed to McNeese State.
The star power coupled with the state-wide standing of both teams has made this game the one to see in all of Louisiana this week. RHS is preparing the crowd as if it’s a playoff game.
“We will be opening up the south bleacher section (near the band) for general admission seating like we did last year at times,” Gressett said. “Gates will open at 5:30. Please remember our stadium policies, specifically that we do not allow loitering underneath the bleachers nor do we allow anyone under the age of 17 (unless a current RHS student) to enter without an adult. We are looking forward to a great night in Hoss Garrett Stadium.”
As a reminder, Ruston High policy dictates that no backpacks, duffle bags or large totes are allows into Hoss Garrett Stadium.
The Knights enter the game 3-0 on the season with wins over Acadiana, Woodlawn of Baton Rouge and Jesuit. Ruston is 2-1 on the season with a loss to Warren Easton in week one, then two straight wins over Jesuit and Cabot, Arkansas.
