Geordan Guidry’s spirit leads Ruston High’s defensive line

Geordan Guidry couldn’t sleep. He knew what was coming.

Despite the months that had passed since the Ruston senior defensive end and his teammates experienced the pain of losing to Destrehan in the 2022 state championship game, Guidry could still feel it stirring inside of him — a burning desire to have a shot to finish the job.

With the No. 1 Bearcats hosting No. 21 Mandeville in the Division I Non-select semifinal — and the winner heading to the Caesars Superdome to compete for a state championship — the following evening, Guidry’s restless night produced one of the best performances of his career.

Guidry was part of a tenacious defensive line that harassed Mandeville quarterback Ben Hendricks with multiple sacks in a 28-7 win, with Guidry finishing with 3.5 of his own.

“Woke up in the morning, eyes bloodshot red,” Guidry said. “And my teammates had hyped it up and were telling me it’s gonna be like a Jordan Flu Game. I guess I had that flu game.”

Guidry’s semifinal performance emphatically added on to what’s been a career year for the senior, with the Tulane commit now at 57 tackles, 10 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.

But if you ask those who know Guidry best, they’ll tell you his ability to lock in more than 24 hours before a game like he did against Mandeville, that’s what makes him special.

Practice makes perfect

The old coaching cliché of practice reps translating into gameday reality doesn’t wear on Guidry. Instead, it’s what drives him — the ability to get better and have extra time working on his craft.

You don’t get 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons by pure talent.

“He brings a great passion to practice every day,” Ruston defensive line coach David Taylor said of Guidry. “I’ve coached 30-something years and he’s one of the best practice players that I’ve ever coached. That goes back to his parents. He’s a quiet leader and doesn’t do a whole lot of talking, but he always brings his A-game when we need it.”

A motor like that is rare, but it helps having a lineage of DI athletes to learn and absorb from.

Geordan, standing 6-foot-3 and close to 260 pounds, undoubtedly picked up where his father, George Guidry Jr., left off after he played linebacker at the University of Nebraska and later as an All-SWAC player at Grambling State. Geordan’s grandfather, George Guidry, also played football at GSU.

With family legacy and an innate motor to compete — and win — Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh agreed with Taylor that Guidry is one of the best practice players the Bearcats have. It’s why he’s not surprised with the season he’s had.

“And he always has been,” Baugh said when asked about Guidry’s practice approach. “Whenever he was a freshman, he was one of the freshmen we asked to hang around and practice with the varsity group because we knew he was a good player. There would be times he was a freshman on scout and he kind of got into it with some of the older kids because he was giving 100%. That was what we needed with the groups older than him, and he was bringing that to the table even when he was a freshman.

“And that’s why I’m so happy for him for what he’s accomplished on the field but he’s brought so much more to our program than just football plays,” Baugh continued.

Kyle Williams, Ruston’s defensive coordinator, could see the potential in Guidry since the eighth grade. When the former Buffalo Bills All-Pro defensive lineman returned to his former school, he made his way to the Bearcats’ junior high program and was intentional about getting to know the next generation of Bearcats. Guidry was always spending time with his teammates, and Williams saw a player wanting to be pushed.

Williams believed Guidry, along with his fellow future 2023 seniors, had something in them that could be special. He’s happy to be right.

“This is my first full group,” Williams said. “They were in the eighth grade when I started. So, having seen what I was pretty sure I saw and it come full circle and looking at it now and knowing if they dug in and continued this way, this could be a group that could do a lot of really good things. And for me, that group being able to build the foundation of how we wanted to play defense and work them through it and see how much they care about each other. They just love getting after it.

“He’s had the kind of year that he expected to have and that we knew he would have barring anything unforeseen,” Williams added. “His best quality is he just plays extremely hard, plays with good technique and the great thing is it’s not always about himself. He cares about his teammates and that reflects in his play.”

Fun Spirit

For as ferocious as Guidry is on the field, the senior puts on a happy face just about everywhere else in his life.

As a member of the Bearcats’ player leadership council, Guidry is trusted by his teammates and knows how to lighten the mood at a moment’s notice, so much so that Baugh has a hard time pin-pointing pointing when he’s seen him upset.

“I’m trying to think of a time where I’ve ever seen him in a bad mood,” Baugh said. “Now, he gets into it and is really competitive in practice and he’s been in some competitive fights in practice. Other than those handful of situations, Geordan is always going to come through the doors first thing in the morning, he’ll make sure he comes by my office and tell me good morning, go by all the coaches. He’s always willing to do the right thing in what it is that needs to get done.”

Guidry’s ability to disarm and connect with teammates is what makes him an invaluable asset to Ruston’s coaches, according to Baugh, who added that a leader has to be able to ride the line of demanding high standards on the field and enjoying the fun in between.

Taylor, who embraced Guidry after his 3.5- sack performance against Mandeville, said you can’t replace a spirit like his. That’s what he’ll remember the most about the funloving defensive end.

“His heart,” Taylor said, beginning to get choked up. “I’ve been with him for three years … He brings a spirit to practice every day that’s the most contagious. Got a smile on his face. He loves to work. Never in a bad mood. Just always brings his A-game. That’s what we’ll be missing the most is the leadership on the practice field.”

After the win over Mandeville, Guidry couldn’t help but crack a smile when his teammates slapped his shoulder pads and head in celebration, but then instantly switched gears when it came time to talk with reporters.

He was aware he had a few sacks against the Skippers, but his mission has gone beyond individual performance this year. It’s why he sets a standard for his teammates. There’s work to be done.

“I feel like my past seasons, that’s all my whole goal was trying to get sacks. This year, I just want to win,” Guidry said.

Williams, who is the same coach on Friday nights that he is on Monday afternoons, rarely moves away from his locked-in personality when it comes to getting his defense ready to work.

But even he can’t help it sometimes when he’s around Guidry. It’s easy to feel comfortable around him, yet Williams appreciates Guidry for knowing when it’s time to focus on the task at hand and not revert into a classclown figurehead. When it’s business, it’s business.

“He’s quite the entertainer. He is as happy- go- lucky as they come,” Williams said. “He’s such an interesting guy because he’s so competitive and can be so intense but at that same time he can be so jovial and happy- go- lucky. He’s like a unicorn in that way. It’s really fun to be around him. He always lightens the mood, but he also knows exactly when it’s time to turn it on and turn it off. That’s a quality a lot of people can be jealous of. I know I am.”

Guidry has one more game to play with his teammates.

No. 1 Ruston (13-0) will need him when it takes on No. 6 Zachary (12-1) in the state championship on Saturday at 7 p.m.