October 2010 Chatterbox - Ruston High School - Lincoln Parish ...

S
Cats Lose Homecoming Game to Tors
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
Ruston @ Richwood
ports
Chatterbox
Ruston High School October 21, 2010 Page 30
On September 24, the Bearcats played their Homecoming game
against the Sulphur Golden Tors and lost 25-15, giving Sulphur
their first win of the season and Ruston their third loss of the season.
The ―Tors‖ struck first blood with a seven yard touchdown pass
in the first half. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Chris
Millage threw a six yard touchdown pass to sophomore John David
Moore. A pair of interceptions by Sulphur in the second half put the
On October 14, the Bastrop Rams held off a ridiculous Bearcat second half rally to
remain undefeated (6-0). This loss puts Ruston at a 3-4 record overall and 1-1 in District
4A play.
The Rams took a commanding lead early in the game thanks to several longyardage
plays. In the first half, Bastrop scored on a sixty-nine yard touchdown pass,
sixty-two yard run, and a seventy-eight yard return touchdown. At the end of the first
half the scoreboard read 36-13, and it began to appear like the game was going to be
the much expected blowout it was supposed to be. But things didn‘t exactly turn out
that way.
The Bearcats came out strong after halftime with a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended
with a one yard touchdown run in which running back Ja‘Ren Johnson scaled a wall
of defenders and charged into the end zone. In their next drive, Ruston went fifteen
plays for seventy yards which ended in another rushing touchdown from Ja‘Ren Johnson.
This touchdown was similar to the previous one he scored. On first and goal from
Bastrop‘s ten yard line, Johnson again ran into a pile of defenders and the play seemed
to be over. He broke free from the pile and scampered into the end zone to make it a 36
-26 game. Blowout? Forget about it.
Bearcats in a 25-7 hole. Ruston quickly responded with a 65 yard
touchdown on a screen pass from Chris Millage to running back
Ja‘Ren Johnson. But that would be the end of the scoring from either
side.
If there was any single factor that caused the Bearcats‘ defeat, it
was turnovers. Ruston turned the ball over three times, whereas
Sulphur went the entire game without doing so. This loss put the
Cats at a 1-3 record on the season.
Ruston Holds Off Neville 20-19 in Epic Thriller
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
On Friday, October 8th, the second oldest high school football
rivalry in Louisiana continued when the Bearcats hosted and defeated
their archrival, the Neville Tigers 20-19. In the middle of the
third quarter, Neville led 16-7 after a twenty-eight yard touchdown
run. On the ensuing kick off, Ruston‘s Kentrell Brice ran through
defenders to the end zone for a seventy-eight yard touchdown,
making it 16-13, Neville. Later in the quarter, Ruston forced Neville
to punt.
Ruston quarterback Pierce Spangler promptly threw a thirtyeight
yard touchdown pass to Toderick Jackson, giving the Cats a
20-16 lead, sending the Ruston crowd into a frenzy. Neville responded
with a thirty-nine yard field goal, putting the score at 20-
19. Midway through the fourth quarter, Ruston‘s defense forced a
turnover on downs.
With 1:42 left in the game, Neville took the ball and drove
down into Bearcat territory. After a penalty against the Tigers, they
attempted a Hail Mary pass on fourth and sixteen, but it fell incomplete.
The crowd erupted and students in the Cat Box stormed the
field, and the Friday Night Lights shone brighter than ever.
Ruston Loses a Heartbreaker to Bastrop 44-41
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
Ruston vs. Sulphur
Ruston Routs Richwood 35-0
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
In a completely one-sided affair, the Ruston Bearcats shut out the
Richwood Rams 35-0 on October 1st.
The game started slowly, with Ruston having only a 6-0 lead at
halftime thanks to a touchdown pass from Pierce Spangler to Matthew
Manning. The Bearcats absolutely dominated the second half, scoring
three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. The Bearcat
offense attained a season-high 413 offensive yards on the game. Once
again, running back Ja‘Ren Johnson had a stellar game, with 177
yards rushing and a touchdown. In the Bearcats‘ opening drive Johnson
ran the ball ten out of the eleven plays, racking up sixty-two rushing
yards in that single drive. Quarterback Pierce Spangler threw three
touchdown passes and Chris Millage threw one.
Not only did the offense put up tremendous numbers, but the defensive
contributed greatly to the outcome of the game, forcing three
turnovers. Junior Cyril Noland recovered a fumble, while junior Kentrell
Brice and senior Madison Wiggins each intercepted a pass. It
seems like every time Ruston wins, it is a blowout victory. The Bearcats‘
two wins this season have been by an average of thirty points.
Ruston vs. Neville
Bastrop took over and was forced to punt, injecting a new optimism into the Ruston
crowd. The ‗Cats went nine plays for seventy-seven yards which ended in a touchdown
by who else? Ja‘Ren Johnson. He would finish the night with an astounding 185 yards
rushing and five touchdowns, all on twenty-nine carries.
The game was now 36-33. The Bearcats had scored twenty unanswered points, and
they were three points away from tying up a game that was a blowout just an hour earlier!
However, Bastrop took the ball and scored a touchdown after a failed onside kick
by the Bearcats, dimming hopes of a Ruston comeback victory. With a 44-33 lead,
Bastrop kicked the ball off. Ruston drove sixty-five yards down the field and Ja‘Ren
Johnson scored with another one yard touchdown run. Quarterback Chris Millage
scored the two point conversion, making it 44-41 in favor of Bastrop.
Ruston tried another onside kick but it failed. Bastrop took over and let the clock
run out to hold on to a lead that they had held the entire game, even though at times it
seemed like the Bearcats were the ones who were winning. The bottom line is, it was
expected by almost everybody for Bastrop to beat Ruston. Even though the scoreboard
indicated otherwise, this game seemed more like a victory for Ruston rather than a
loss. The Bearcats never quit, and showed great heart and character.