Column: Spent time reflecting on 2024 Ruston Bearcats

I’m honestly struggling to write this column.

It’s not about writer’s block or anything related to a lack of creative juices. Those pumps probably overflow too often into a flood of rambling thoughts, as you’re likely aware. But here you are, so maybe something’s working.

I know what I want to write about, but this just isn’t the angle I expected to take when I did it.

You know by now what happened Saturday in the Division I Non-select state championship at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Ruston, looking to defend its 2023 state title, fell short against the Central Wildcats in a game that was over in a blink of an eye after a string of errors that led to a blowout loss. As I wrote in my postgame story, “stunned” was the only word that came to mind when I thought about that game’s outcome.

Any team can lose on any given night. That’s a fact of sports.

Human error, injury, and just overall variance allow for upset wins and shocking results to happen from time to time. I just didn’t think on Saturday, with the way the Bearcats had played the previous five weeks, that result was possible. But I was wrong.

As I sit here writing about the Bearcats’ 2024 season, a run that made history with a third straight trip to the Dome and a great 11-3 record, reflecting on the year has me caught in a highwire act — jostling between wanting to explain why Ruston came up short and at the same time not caring why. I’ll elaborate.

Everyone has their take on what happened on Saturday. Monday morning quarterbacking is a professional hobby for most fans, along with media members at times, nowadays. It’s easy.

Blame games are among the most populated activities in America. Hindsight is always friendly to those looking to point the finger. And I’m not saying there wasn’t a collective failure in Saturday’s game. Ruston didn’t go down to New Orleans to eat beignets. They were there to win a championship, and the result was four first downs and less than 100 yards of offense and 42 points for Central. That’s true.

But there is no single answer to why Ruston lost.

I’m someone who watches sports looking for solutions, problems, and stars. It seems simple but, in my opinion, that’s what all sports boil down to. The team with fewer problems, more solutions, and bigger stars tends to win. Maybe one or all three of those weren’t on Ruston’s side on Saturday. I’m not a coach. I can’t tell you.

But at the same time, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to spend energy on figuring out why Ruston lost. The game is over. They lost. Period. I understand frustration mounts after an outcome like that, and people want answers.

I think we do real harm to kids, and the memory of what was a great season, to take sides and cast anger toward coaches or players over a football game. Knowing Jerrod Baugh, he and his staff will evaluate what went wrong and move into 2025 with aspirations to rebound like they did in 2023.

But for now, let’s think about the Bearcats’ season for what we do know, rather than spend the holiday season gathered complaining about play calls or 17-to-18 year-old kids. We don’t have the answers, and frankly we don’t need to do a deep dive to find them. If you want to think about the Bearcats’ 2024 season, think about it in terms of what is clear, not clouded by salty personal feelings.

Zheric Hill, Aidan Anding, Josh Brantley, and Sam Nations made the most of their senior seasons and will soon play college football at some of the best in-state schools in Louisiana. They gave everything they had to this team and showed up in big games and helped the Bearcats get back to the Dome.

Jordan Hayes put on one last season that firmly cemented him as one of the best running backs in school history with nearly 4,000 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Payton Bell went from flying under the radar to leading a strong Bearcat defensive line and put up career-highs in his final season. Jayden Anding, Ahmad Hudson, Trindon Moore, and so many others showed flashes of a bright future ahead for Ruston with big performances against strong opponents.

Ruston beat West Monroe for a third straight season — the first time since 1988-90 with such a streak. The Bearcats made it to the Dome for a school-record third year in a row. That’s worth remembering, folks. This stretch of success has never been seen before.

As we get ready to enter 2025, let’s try to remember the 2024 Bearcats for what we know they were and what they did. And if you just want to focus on the last game, that’s your right. I hope you have fun running circles around yourself trying to find impossible answers. I’ll reflect on another impressive journey that has never been seen before.

Matt Belinson is sports editor and covers sports for the Ruston Daily Leader. Email him at sports@rustonleader. com.