Preseason heavyweight clash

You can never say a game doesn’t count when Ruston and Neville take the field.

So when the 2-5A contenders meet Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Bayou Jamb, don’t expect halfmeasures or lack of energy. It’s the first time since last year’s 14-10 regular season thriller that the longtime rivals will meet on the field, giving both teams a chance to see how they measure up before they reconvene at Hoss Garrett Stadium in two months.

Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh knows this matchup means more than a typical jamboree opponent and expects the Bearcats to be in for a fight at Malone Stadium against the Tigers.

“Us and Neville, there’s not really a whole lot to say as far as what that game has been, particularly the last few years,” Baugh said at Bayou Jamb Media Day. “It’s come down to whoever has the ball last and we’re not expecting anything different. I can sit up here and lie to you and tell you it’s a jamboree and it doesn’t mean anything. But at the end of the day, once it gets closer to game time and you know you’re fixing to have to line up out there against Neville who’s going to be a really good football team, you know it’s going to come down to the wire. For us, it’ll give us a good indication of where we are as a football team going into our Acadiana game week one.”

Neville will certainly come ready to avenge itself to the defending state champion Bearcats from their 2023 matchup, which Ruston won in comeback fashion by taking a fourth quarter lead with under 40 seconds to go at Neville. In fact, during Ruston’s undefeated season, Neville was the only team to hold the Bearcats under 20 points in 2023.

Since then, the Tigers have undergone a staff overhaul with the promotion of veteran college and high school coach Mike Collins, who previously served as defensive coordinator, to head coach. Former St. Frederick head coach Andy Robinson and former Ruston quarterbacks coach Steve Ensminger, Jr. have also joined the staff on the offensive side of the ball.

But if Ruston’s first preseason action was any indication, expect its offense to come ready to play as well with a heavy dose of senior running backs Jordan Hayes and Dylone Brooks after the duo combined for 212 yards and 5 touchdowns in a scrimmage with C.E. Byrd on Aug. 23.

Baugh told a crowded room of fellow coaches, along with players and media, at Media Day that this final preseason test is another reminder to the Bearcats that they always need to find ways to improve.

Last year’s success has no bearing on this fall, and Baugh wants his group approaching the Bayou Jamb like a regular season battle where execution will win the day.

“I know a lot of people are already putting us back in the state championship this year because we have guys like this behind me (Aidan Anding and Josh Brantley) returning,” Baugh said at Media Day. “But all you guys know that’s not how it works. You win a state championship but there are a lot of things that come in line with that.

“We don’t ever need to forget what got us to where we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to experience going to two state championships and winning last year. We don’t take that for granted. I think our kids show up on a daily basis knowing we need to go back to work and that’s how it is we got to where it is we’re at,” he added.