WEST MONROE PUTS 80-GAME DISTRICT WIN STREAK ON LINE V. RUSTON

Longtime coach Jerry Arledge furrowed his brow when asked how many district games West Monroe has won in a row. After a moment of thought, he raised it and said it doesn’t matter. First-year Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh agreed. But for those counting, the Rebels haven’t dropped a district contest since Oct. 12, 2002, winning its last 80 games. On top of that, they boast 21 consecutive district championships. Whether Arledge knows what the number is or not, West Monroe (5-0) will put one of the state’s most impressive high school sports streaks on the line when it hosts the Bearcats (3-1) Friday at Don Shows Field at Rebel Stadium for the District 2-5A opener for both squads. “To me, the most important game is this one right here because it’s the first district ballgame,” Arledge said. “Ruston is greatly improved. They’re so much a better football team than I’ve seen them have in a long time. They’re really sharp and the stats prove that. One loss, they’ve beaten a good Airline team, they beat Neville. They’ve got a lot of talent, play extremely hard on both sides of the ball. It’ll be a war.” While his Ruston team sits right behind the Rebels, and ahead of Ouachita (3-2), in 2-5A in terms of win percentage on the young season, Baugh wasn’t ready to proclaim Friday’s showdown featured the district’s top two teams. “I don’t know if we’re included in that,” Baugh, who was the Bearcats offensive coordinator the last two years, said. “I know for sure West Monroe has got to be the best team in the district, until somebody beats them. I don’t know if (my team is) worried so much about the streaks as they are worried about winning the next ballgame. “This group has done a good job of keeping their focus on what it is we need to do. Beating West Monroe or winning a district championship is not at the top of the list. It’s something we’d like to do. Their district win streak is not going to make much difference on Friday.” Performances and streaks from the past won’t lead either team to a victory in a matchup where both teams present the other challenges. Ruston’s defense has not seen a player with his versatility and ability to affect the game like West Monroe quarterback and Alabama commit Slade Bolden. “Whenever you’ve got a guy like that that’s how you gear things. He gets a lot of credit but they do a good job up front blocking for him,” Baugh said. “Their running back is good and their receivers complement everything he brings to table. They can turn something that looks like a loss into a big gain. That’s what’s frustrating on defense.” The Bearcats bring their tried-and-true two quarterback system to Rebel Stadium. While Arledge doesn’t see much difference between senior C.J. Willis and junior Eric Outley in terms of skill, how the whole offense fills out the package has been productive this season. “It’s a luxury to have two quarterbacks that either one of them you feel good about. They’ve got two or three good running backs that are very elusive. (Senior running back Deandre Marcus) is a very good blocker and a good runner,” Arledge said. “The other kid is more elusive. Tight end (Ray Parker) looks like a King Kong out there among boys and plays that way a lot of the times. They’ve got good skill people.” Rebels offensive tackles Ryan Johnson and Hunter Robinson, as well as the rest of the offensive line, will have a tall task in blocking senior defensive end Tahj Samuel, who Baugh and his defensive coaches will move him and the rest of the defensive front around. “The most important job is the offensive line. Those guys are very critical we’ve got good skill guys at running back, at quarterback and offensive line most of them are seniors,” Arledge said. “There’s where you’ve got to be most consistent.” Marcus, Outlet and Willis will be keeping tabs on West Monroe middle linebacker and certified tackling machine J.B. Gullatt, along with junior defensive tackle Dalvin Hutchinson on the defensive line. For Baugh, Ruston will need to play its cleanest game on special teams to have a shot Friday. “I think a lot of people miss that fact that they get things out of wack in a ballgame behind special teams. They may be tit-for-tat for a little while, then they make a big play in special teams and it kind of breaks loose for them,” Baugh said. “They’re going to be hard to beat. “It’s going to come down to limiting the big plays from Slade Bolden, that’s the big determining factor. Offensively, we’re going to have to be able to answer scores with scores. Best tool for him not to score ball is for us to have it as much as we can. Our time of possession is going to be a big key in the ballgame, too.” Arledge believes Ruston is the best the Rebels will have played to this point in the season. And with all the extenuating factors, like their district winning streak, the key for the Rebs will be matching the Bearcats’ intensity. “I think this is the best football team we will have played to date. Figured into that is the rivalry, the desire, the motivation they have in wanting to beat us. They haven’t beaten us a long time. “I doubt that they (feel pressure to keep winning streak going). This team here has not played Ruston. That’s the only one that counts is this year’s team.”

WEST MONROE PUTS 80-GAME DISTRICT WIN STREAK ON LINE V. RUSTON

Photo Credit: Hannah Baldwin

Contact Us