Jadon Mayfield's final game checked all the boxes

NEW ORLEANS - If you ever made your way out to a Ruston football game over the last three seasons, it was hard to not feel the presence of Jadon Mayfield.

The senior linebacker flies around the field and rallies to the football in an instant, disrupting offenses behind the line of scrimmage and punishing those who try and come to the second level with big hits.

So it was only fitting his final game as a Bearcat in Saturday's 31-17 win in the Division I non select state championship have a similar feel - where the game wouldn't be the same if he wasn't out there.

Mayfield finished with a game-high 12 tackles, along with 2.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss - giving him 21 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 4.5 TFL in his two career state title games.

A weapon like that can't be replaced one-for-one according to Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh, who joked postgame he hoped the LHSAA could spring the Bearcats some good fortune when it comes to his eligibility

“Every year I’ve been able to say the best thing about Jadon is that he was going to be coming back and so I was hoping you were going to say they allowed him to come back one more year," Baugh said. “Jadon has allowed us to do a lot of different things defensively that you just don’t see a lot of kids be able to do. We play a lot of three-down defensive line look tonight but you can add him to the front to make it four-down look or pop back in coverage and play regular linebacker spot. He just makes it to where you can do so many different things defensively that that’s hard to gameplan for.”

From the opening series of the game, Mayfield's impact was felt as he sacked Zachary quarterback Hudson Spangler for a seven yard loss on 3rd down to end the Broncos' first drive of the night. 

He'd come back for more on the Broncos' next drive, with the visitors marching inside the Ruston 17 thanks to two explosive passes with a real threat to getting in the end zone. But on 4th and 2 from the Ruston 17, Mayfield and fellow senior Jacoriyan Crowe (9 tackles, 2 PBU) flew to Kameron Thomas as he attempted to rush for the first and pushed him back for a turnover on downs.

Later in the game, Mayfield and fellow senior Ahmad Breaux combined for a sack just after Josh Brantley gave Ruston a 17-10 lead, adding to the Bearcats' second half momentum.

Mayfield's final stamp on the night ended another potential Zachary scoring drive as the Broncos moved inside the Ruston 26 with just over six minutes left in the third. A Broncos penalty pushed them back to the Ruston 41 and Mayfield cemented a punt after sacking Spangler for a three yard loss.

The efforts of Mayfield and his teammates held Zachary to 17 points - the first time since Dec. 6, 2019  Zachary had under 20 points in the postseason.

Mayfield officially put up 235 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions over the last two seasons, including 116 tackles, 16 TFL and 6 sacks this year.

“He adds a dynamic to what we’ve been able to do the last three years defensively and we’ll try and find somebody else to plug into that spot," Baugh said. "Of course it’s not going to be the same. This is not his last ball game. He’ll have an opportunity to play some college football and I’ll be happy to be watching him on Saturdays.”

As he sat on the podium for the final team in his Bearcat uniform, Mayfield looked confident and calm. No more tears or regrets from last year's defeat. He knew he could rest easy knowing his legacy is that of a champion.

“It’s a great feeling. It means a lot, knowing that we trained hard and put in countless hours and time up there," Mayfield said. "It’s like a second home because we’re there every single day. It’s a great feeling, ultimately. It all paid off and I’m just proud to say I’m with this team and we made our name as a state champion - 2023 state champion.”