Ruston Bearcats to Face Trio of Texas Football Programs Again

5-star tight end Ahmad Hudson and the Bearcats will square off with Lone Star State squads three consecutive weeks

Ruston head coach Jarrod Baugh assembled another rugged non-district schedule / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ruston Bearcats will never be accused of ducking competition.

Ruston, which swept Texas football opponents Longview, Midland Legacy and Stephenville last season, will try to replicate the feat again in Weeks 3-through-5.

"Ruston has competed for a state championship the past three seasons," said Jarryd Boyd of The Hash It Out Show. "Now, a team that's lost some significant starters will look to reload."

The Bearcats, who are coming off an 11-3 season with a Louisiana Division I nonselect runner-up finish to Central-BR, graduated quarterback Joshua Brantley, a Tulane signee.

New Starting Quarterback Established Himself in 2024

Junior Sam Hartwell is already a proven commodity, having started Week 2 against Cabot (Ark.) with Brantley out with an injury. Under Hartwell's direction, the Bearcats amassed 504 yards in a 49-10 rout. The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder passed for 141 yards and two touchdowns and tacked on 50 rushing yards and a score.

Smith, Powell Look to Step Into Shoes of Last Year's Two-Headed Monster at Tailback

Lander Smith, a 5-foot-11, 195-pounder who also excels in baseball, could be a feature back after opening holes at fullback last season for seniors Dylone Brooks and Jordan Hayes (157 carries, 1,110 yards, 16 TDs). Smith ran for a score in the 63-14 win over Stephenville. Sophomore Dalen Powell (6-2, 190) scored on a pair of 50-yard runs in the spring scrimmage against Captain Shreve, according to Matt Belinson of The Ruston Daily Leader.

Hudson Is the Top Tight End in the Country

Hartwell will throw to the nation's No. 1 tight end, 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior Ahmad Hudson, a five-star prospect and the No. 12 overall player according to the 247Sports Composite.

"He can block very well, is a great route-runner with good speed, and has soft hands," Boyd said of Hudson, who is also a top 20 national prospect in basketball and intends to play both sports in college.

Ahmad Hudson / Matt Sanches The Shreveport Times

6-foot-4 junior KeShun Malcolm, another basketball standout, is listed on the roster. Senior tight end Cullen Clark (6-4, 230) caught a TD pass last year vs. Alexandria.

Ruston's Defensive Backfield Is Loaded

On defense, Ruston's secondary will be a strength with Jayden Anding and Keilan Davis. Anding, the younger brother of Aidan Anding (LSU), is a four-star safety, the No. 11 player in Louisiana and the No. 183 overall prospect in the 2027 class. Also a junior safety, Davis (6-1, 190) is the No. 18 in-state player (247Sports).

"Jayden Anding is the key player on defense," Boyd said. "His speed and good hips make him one of the best cover safeties in the nation."

Seniors Trindon Moore (DB), Miles Brown (DB), RaKeem Potts (DL) and Keegan Goldsmith (DL) are veteran defenders.

A Rugged Schedule Awaits Ruston

Ruston opens the season with road trips to south Louisiana power Acadiana and Cabot before hosting Longview, which is No. 25 in On3's Way Too Early National Rankings. The Bearcats defeated Acadiana last year, 35-27.

Longview, which lost to Ruston 21-10, finished the 2024 season with a 12-3 record and a Class 6A semifinal appearance (lost to Southlake Carroll). Coach John King's crew is in the same boat as Ruston - a perennial power that graduated a significant load of players, including 2,500-yard rusher Kelvin Washington, four offensive linemen and three all-state linebackers.

Lobos junior quarterback Johnny "Tre" Hamilton is a rising star who got his first start in the 2024 playoffs vs. Lancaster. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder, whose father played for King at Louisiana Class 5A school Ouachita Parish - Ruston's district rival - passed for 530 yards and four TDs in four playoff games.

Ruston vs. Longview / Michelle Tripp/The News-Star

Receiver Jaden Hurndon, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore with offers from TCU, Oregon, Texas Tech and Michigan State, was only the second Lobo to play varsity as a freshman in 25 years, according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football.

After the Longview game, the Bearcats will face Midland Legacy in a Thursday night tilt at Alvarado High School south of Fort Worth. Ruston thumped the Rebels, who finished with a 6-6 record, by a score of 38-6 last year.

Ruston and Stephenville will again meet at a neutral site: Longview High. The Yellow Jackets entered last year's clash ranked No. 22 across all classifications in Texas, but the Bearcats ran away with a blowout win.

Stephenville (12-2) won its next seven games while holding six opponents to seven-or-fewer points ahead of a loss to West Plains in the Class 4A Division I regional final.

Linebacker Hudson Butchee (6-1, 215) averaged a team-high 11.4 stops per game as a junior for the Yellow Jackets, who return their top three tacklers.

Ruston has won nine state championships with the most recent coming in 2023, according to 14-0 Productions. The Bearcats, who lost to Destrehan in the 2022 final, blew out the Wildcats in last year's semifinal. The 31-17 win over Zachary in 2023 was the Lincoln Parish program's first title since 1990.

The 1990 Bearcats are regarded as one of the state's best teams ever. Ruston won four titles from 1982-1990.

Stephenville will be looking to exact revenge on Ruston, which won last year's game by 46 points / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

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