Best of the best squaring off

So much for living off the easy schedule of a champion.

No. 1 Ruston will begin its mission to defend its state title and build off last year’s undefeated record with a matchup against No. 3 Acadiana to open the regular season tonight at 7 p.m.

The Wreckin’ Rams came close to winning it all in their own division last year but fell to Catholic- Baton Rouge in the Division I Select state championship to end the season at 11-3. Now, all eyes of those considered contenders in 5A – Acadiana included – are locked in on the Bearcats.

And Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh knows there’s no more flying under the radar for his team. They’re targets of everyone, starting with the Rams tonight.

“When we’ve played them in the past, it’s always been a good, well- coached football team. They’ve been doing that for a long time, so there’s high expectations and tradition there and this year ain’t no different. They’ve got a lot of returners from a really good football team last year,” Baugh said of Acadiana.

Acadiana is led by a host of talented players, starting with third year starting quarterback Caden DiBetta and his top pass catchers Rus-sell Babineaux and Collin DiBetta.

Babineaux – a Louisiana- Lafayette commit – is rated as a 3 star receiver in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports. With talent at some of the most important positions, mixed with the hunger for redemption in the Superdome, Baugh expects Acadiana to be a true test for the Bearcats.

“I would imagine they’re kind of like we were last year coming off the loss in the state championship. They obviously have a lot of motivation to try to get back there and win it this year, and we’re in the way. That’s how we’re treating it,” Baugh said. “I know they’ll get off the bus over here ready to play. It’ll be a really great opportunity to see where we are this early in the season and be a good indication of a lot of things that we may need to work on.”

For as good as the Rams are, Ruston features plenty of its own talent to match Acadiana at every level.

All- State running back Jordan Hayes is expected to be the engine of Ruston’s offense once again after putting up 1,752 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2023 as the 2-5A Offensive MVP. Josh Brantley, a Tulane commit and fellow senior, returns at quarterback, looking to build off his State Championship MVP honors. He finished with 1,175 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions along with 866 rushing yards and 11 rushing scores as a junior.

Defensively, matched up against DiBetta and Babineaux, expect to see senior linebacker Zheric Hill and senior cornerback Aidan Anding rally to the football.

Hill, a Louisiana Tech commit, had 114 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 interception, and a fumble recovery as a junior.

Anding, an All-State selection in 2023 and recent verbal commit to LSU, will try to improve off his breakout season of 34 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, and 10 pass breakups.

Baugh has seen his veterans practice with acute focus leading up to tonight’s battle, recognizing they can’t afford to come unprepared against the Rams.

“I think they do realize the importance of if we get out here and slop around, you don’t have days that you can waste. If you waste a day, then you’re narrowing down your time before it gets to a real game. And they count now,” Baugh said. “I think we have enough experience out here to where they know we don’t have those days to waste.”

Ruston’s offensive talent doesn’t end with Hayes and Brantley, but the Bearcats may have to work back two of their other key starters in specific roles against Acadiana.

Senior offensive lineman Sam Nations returned to practice this week in contact drills after injuring his knee in a scrimmage against C.E. Byrd. But if he can’t go, Baugh liked what he saw from the O-line against Neville in the Bayou Jamb enough to have confidence in the group.

“I told them I thought, as a unit, that’s the best they played was Saturday together. I was really pleased to see that, but it also made me mad too that we really need to see that during practice leading up to the game and then how much better that would make us during the game,” Baugh said. “We’ve had to shuffle around so much, and they haven’t had any continuity.

As for Nations’ role, Baugh said, “We’ll try to rotate him in some and shuffle it some (tonight), but we just want to make sure he’s ready to go before throwing him in the fire.”

Sophomore tight end Ahmad Hudson is recovering from a wrist injury suffered in the Byrd scrimmage, and could see a role in the offense tonight, depending on his comfort level.

Hudson, rated as the No. 1 tight end in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports, was able to catch passes downfield earlier in the week with his cast on.

“We’re playing it by ear,” Baugh said of Hudson’s role. “The doctors released him to do a few things, not much though right now. We’ll just see. We’re planning without him for now but anything he could get would be a bonus. But we don’t want to rush him back either. And so, we’ll take what we get with him and see what that looks like.”

No. 1 Ruston hosts No. 3 Acadiana tonight at Hoss Garrett Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.