Bearcats earn All-State honors, Mayfield named MVP 

When you make history like the 2023 Ruston Bearcats did on the gridiron, it’s bound to come with recognition. 

Ten Ruston athletes were named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State team, led by four first team All-State picks in Jadon Mayfield, Geordan Guidry, Aidan Anding, and Jordan Hayes. 

“I think it’s a very good representation of how well we did as a football team this year,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “When you see how many individuals were recognized and honored, it’s nice to see people realize how good of a football team we had which includes really good players.” 

Not only did Mayfield make first team All-State for a third-straight season, but the senior linebacker capped off his stellar prep career as the LSWA Class 5A Defensive MVP as well as the defensive leader for one of the top units in the state and delivering on big stages throughout 2023. 

Mayfield, a Louisiana Tech commit, put up 116 total tackles - 16 for loss - 6 sacks, and a fumble recovery this fall, making plays at multiple levels of Ruston’s defense. His final performance as a Bearcat might have said it all, as he finished with a game-high 12 tackles in the Division I non select state championship game, to go with 2.5 sacks and 2 TFL. 

“I’ve coached professionally for 25 years or so and I don’t think I’ve ever had a player that has ever made All-State three years in a row,” Baugh said. “I’ve coached a lot of decorated and talented football players and bunches of them have gone on to play in college and some have gone to the NFL and I don’t recall one that’s done that. It’s a really special thing for him, but more than that, it’s a credit to his work ethic and what he’s meant to our football team - not even just on defense but as a whole.” 

Aidan Anding hasn’t played football as long as Mayfield, but it would have been hard to know if you watched him this season. Anding, a junior cornerback for the Bearcats, earned first team honors with 34 tackles, 9 pass breakups, 4 interceptions, and a blocked field goal this season. He didn’t shy away from big stages either, picking off record-setting quarterback Ju’Juan Johnson of Lafayette Christian twice and nearly coming down with a pick in the state championship game. 

“I’ve said it from the beginning that I just don’t remember seeing a kid that doesn’t play football their freshman or sophomore year come out and make as big of an impact as Aidan had on our football team, not only in the form of making players but as far as leadership and being a good teammate,” Baugh said. 

Guidry, a first team selection at defensive line, was Ruston’s most effective pass rusher this season with a career-high 10.5 sacks to go with 61 tackles, 4 TFL, and a fumble recovery. A recent signee with Tulane, Guidry left no doubt to send Ruston back to the state championship by totaling 3.5 sacks in the Division I non select semifinal against Mandeville on Dec. 1. 

“We talked about how we needed all our returning guys to play well for us to have a chance to do some special things this year while we waited for the new pieces on offense to fit in and Geordan did that,” Baugh said. “His attitude is just infectious and he’s obviously a really good player and you add all of that together and he’s just a very consistent player.” 

Ruston’s lone first team selection on offense was its primary tailback Jordan Hayes, who lived up to the nickname ‘Jet’ during his junior season with 227 carries for 1,752 yards and 20 touchdowns.  

“He had some really big games to start the year and then struggled in a few but really settled in towards the end and hit his stride and played really well for us,” Baugh said. “We went through a period there without Dylone and Jordan had to do a lot more for us and I thought he handled that really well.”

Ruston’s selections for all state honorable mention included Semaj Jones (DB), Josh Brantley (QB), Sam Nations (OL), Ahmad Breaux (DL), Zheric Hill (LB), and Nate Johnson (DB). 

Among the other overall honors, Dutchtown’s Guy Mistretta won LSWA Class 5A Coach of the Year after leading the Griffins to their best season in school history (11-2) and making it to their first ever semifinal game. 

Catholic Baton-Rouge quarterback Daniel Beale, a Louisiana-Lafayette commit, won LSWA Class 5A Offensive MVP as a returning All-State selection by leading the Bears to the Division I select title with 2,974 passing yards and 39 touchdowns.