Central Loses Heartbreaker to Ruston: Wildcats End Outstanding Season in Second Round of Playoffs

 

It was a well-played game by two very good 5A teams; unfortunately Ruston was able to make a few more plays than Central in a 28-19 win. The Bearcats got the ball on their first possession and fumbled it away at their own twenty-yard line. Brett Courville connected with Jake Myer on the next play for a 20-yard touchdown. After an offsides penalty on Ruston, the Wildcats went for a two-point conversion and failed. The Bearcats would take a lead in the second quarter on a 34-yard touchdown run by Williams-Hargrove. With three minutes to go in the first half, Ruston punted the ball to Gary Triplet who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 12-7 lead, but on the ensuing kickoff, the Bearcats returned the ball 88 yards for a score to take a 14-12 lead. They also scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by the quarterback Spangler to take a 21-12 lead into the half. Both defenses came out strong in the second half before a Courville 1-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 21-19. The Wildcats forced a missed field goal on the next drive and moved the ball to the Bearcat 48-yard line where they ran a fake punt on fourth down but were unsuccessful. Ruston would score on their next drive with just under four minutes to go to take a 28-19 lead. The Wildcats couldn’t score on either of their next two drives, and the game ended with the 28-19 score.

 

The Wildcat offense got 294 yards in the game (144 rushing, 150 passing). Courville completed 14 of 26 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown. Zack Evans was the leading rusher with 111 yards on 10 carries. Devon Gales had 110 receiving yards to lead the Wildcats, and Jake Myer had 30 yards with a touchdown. 

 

Central’s defense played very well against a physical Ruston team. They only allowed 253 yards to the high-powered Bearcat offense. Zach Hetrick led the team with 7 and ½ tackles. Paul Broussard had 6 and a fumble recovery, and Logan Metcalfe had 6. 

 

After the game, Coach Dotson said, “This is the toughest part of all, but I’m going to tell you this, that was a valiant effort right there. There were some missed opportunities, but we fought with them to the end.” Coach also commended the seniors on their effort and told them to come back in the future. It was a hard loss to swallow for the Wildcat players but what an effort they gave. From 2-4 to the regional round of the playoffs, it truly was a magical run. Coach Dotson’s last statement was “Your legacy has been set”. We will have to see if the future Wildcats can put forth the same effort and determination as their predecessors.