Wiersma bids farewell to RHS

Ruston football and boys basketball assistant coach Ross Wiersma will say goodbye after four years working as a proud Bearcat.

With former Louisiana Tech tennis coach Amanda Stone, Wiersma’s wife, accepting the head coaching position at the University of North Texas on Wednesday, the family will make the move to Denton, Texas, and enter a new chapter.

“We’re excited for the opportunity and I’m super proud of her and everything she’s done and all the things she’s been able to do – having a baby and then raising a toddler with both of us being coaches,” Wiersma said. “She did all that as the primary caregiver, so, again, I’m so proud of her.”

The move will allow Stone to be closer to her parents and put their child Thea closer to multiple cousins in the area.

Alongside his coaching tenure, Wiersma worked as a Health and PE teacher at Ruston High, building further connections with students that will make the transition a bittersweet moment as he reflects on his time on staff with basketball coach Ryan Bond and football coach Jerrod Baugh.

“I told both of them, Coach Baugh and Coach Bond, that I never had a reason to leave Ruston,” Wiersma said. “I consider myself to be fortunate and lucky to be in both programs for as long as I was. To see the standard every single day, to be in the offensive and defensive room and be alongside coaches that have done it for 20 years, and then be with Coach Bond and basketball. To go from the state championship to state semifinals in the same year is crazy.”

Wiersma came to Ruston High after working as an assistant basketball coach with Bond at Weston High School, spending a year together growing the program and forming a strong working relationship.

When Bond was offered the basketball job at RHS, he brought Wiersma with him and collaborated the last four years to take the program to new heights, including the school’s first run to the state tournament since 1988.

“There was never a hesitation to bring him along, and I knew he wanted to get into coaching football and strength and conditioning as well,” Bond said. “ He connects well with kids, and he’s got a high standard just like all coaches around here and wants to them to be successful. He wants the kids to succeed in the classroom, on the field an all that. That’s why he’s in it.”

Bond said Wiersma has been instrumental over the last four seasons in reworking the Bearcats’ strength and conditioning program, including in- season lifts, stretching routines, and sport-specific drills to help build up the squad.

Losing an asset like that to the program, and someone he considers a friend, leaves Bond with bittersweet feelings.

“Happy for them and Amanda, but it’s sad for Ruston and sad for me personally just as a friend,” Bond said. “They’re going to be lifelong friends of mine and I’ve got no doubt he’ll be successful wherever he goes.”

Wiersma plans to stick with high school coaching in Denton, and has had early talks with teams in the area about job opportunities.

He played college football at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, from 2008- 11, and served as a strength and conditioning coach at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Baugh will remember Wiersma for his openness to new opportunities, as the football staff shuffled roles year after year.

But Wiersma took each gig with a fresh perspective, something Baugh believes goes undervalued in today’s coaching world.

“He was always willing to do whatever we asked, and not a lot of coaches would take it that way but he did,” Baugh said. “And he was very knowledgeable in the strength and conditioning field too and he helped us with some stuff in that area.

“We’re going to hate to see them go, but we’re very happy for him and his family for this opportunity and where they go from here.”

Wiersma started as running backs coach, and moved into safeties after Broderick Fobbs took over the position. But after Fobbs left to coach at ULM, Wiersma came back to running backs to help develop a talented room led by young backs Jordan Hayes and Dylone Brooks.

Baugh said Wiersma will help with the transition of finding a replacement, but if the search goes longer than a week, Ruston will turn to current quarterbacks coach Steven Ensminger to fill the role.

“Ruston has been amazing as a town, Tech has been amazing for Amanda and Ruston High has been amazing for me,” Wiersma said. “It’s sad to leave but we’re both excited.”