Ruston begins quest to repeat

For the third season in a row, Ruston will have to beat Zachary to keep its postseason dreams alive.

The No. 3- seeded Bearcats (8-2) host the No. 14-seeded Broncos (7-3) tonight at 7 p.m. at Hoss Garrett Stadium for the second round of the Division I Non-select playoffs as the two 5A heavyweights clash for the third time in a winor- go-home matchup in as many years.

In 2022, Ruston defeated Zachary to advance to its first state championship game since 1998 in an emotional night at Hoss Garrett Stadium. And of course, last year, Ruston won 31-17 over Zachary in the state championship game — the Bearcats’ first title since 1990.

For fans accustomed to seeing Zachary as a top-5 seed come playoff time, a 14 seed may seem surprising and a sign the Broncos aren’t what they’ve been.

But Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh doesn’t take Zachary’s low seed as an indication this is a down year for the Broncos, not by a long shot.

Led by senior running back DaVekio Ruffin, Zachary’s offense is averaging 37.4 points, scoring 109 points over its last two games. Last week, Ruffin led Zachary to a 54-35 win over Sam Houston in the first round, with the shifty tailback scoring 6 touchdowns.

Over his last two games, he’s got 12 total touchdowns.

“He reminds me a lot of Jordan Hayes. He’s really good,” Baugh said of Ruffin. “I think their quarterback operates their offense really well. They’re not as big as they were last year, but they’re still big on the offensive line. You think after they graduate that big receiver and well that’s great but then you look out there and they’ve got another one. Same on defense. You think they graduate all these guys and then they bring another group in. To me, it’s same old Zachary.”

In what may end up being a battle of explosive offenses, Ruston appears to have the edge defensively, with Zachary allowing 108 points over the last two games while the Bearcats have shut out their last two opponents.

In district play, Ruston held its opponents ( 5 games) to 22- of- 59 (37.3%) on third down. Last year against Zachary, Ruston held the Broncos to 2-of-11 on third down at the Caesars Superdome.

Beyond the on-field play, a factor to watch tonight is the weather, with temperatures expected to dip into the low 40s to high 30s around 8: 30 p. m. Cold weather means catching the ball could be tougher, and the impact of hits will leave a more lasting bruise. But Baugh expects his group to focus on the game itself, not the amount of heat pads they might need.

“There are some guys that don’t like cold weather, and it’ll affect those guys, I guess,” Baugh said. “I would hope that our group is accustomed to this time of year. It’s good to still be playing this time of year when the weather changes. It’ll probably be as cold as it’s been this year, which will probably affect both groups. That does make the ball slicker but again, we should be experienced enough that it shouldn’t affect us.”

With recent wins as a confidence booster, along with eyes set on winning back- to- back titles, Ruston shouldn’t have trouble in the motivation department tonight.

“Who we’re playing probably makes them pay attention to what’s in front of them,” Baugh said. “ I think they certainly realize it’s a really good football team and it’s like I told them, ‘ The past two years you’ve had to beat Zachary to have an opportunity to win a state championship.’ It’s no different this year, we just happen to meet in the second round.”

Ruston has played in the state championship game the last two years, while Zachary has made the semifinal or championship game in nine of the last 10 years.