Ruston vs. Zachary | 10 Championship Eye Catchers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruston's long wait for its first state championship since 1990 officially ended with yet another stout defensive effort and enough plays in both the rushing and passing game to lift the Bearcats to the 31-17 victory in the Division-I Non-Select game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few more notes on 10 of the biggest eye-catching performers from the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='914207' first='Aidan' last='Anding'] — 6-0 DB — Ruston (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bearcats' junior cornerback was arguably the most impactful player on the field in the first half with a pair of nearly intercepted pass breakups and 54-yard punt return for his team's first touchdown to tie the game at the break. The springy athlete, more of whose background has come on the basketball court and the track, was impressive in his battling with LSU-committed multisport standout [player_tooltip player_id='285194' first='Trey'Dez' last='Green'] and his well-known size and athleticism on even the highest thrown passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710076' first='Joshua' last='Brantley'] — 6-4, 210 QB — Ruston (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior quarterback was effective enough in the passing game, including a couple deep shots, with an 11-for-19 performance for 194 yards to keep the Zachary defense honest while he rushed 20 times for 134 yards and three second-half touchdowns to lead the Bearcats away to the victory and earn Outstanding Player distinction in the process. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='675889' first='Kavion' last='Broussard'] — 6-6, 270 OL — Zachary (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big Miami-committed tackle rose to the occasion of not only the state title game, but an absolute battle with Ruston's loaded defensive front and played a key role in helping limit some of the usual disruptiveness of the Bearcats' own Division I-bound linemen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1202549' first='Jacoriyan' last='Crowe'] — 5-9, 175 DB — Ruston (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior defensive back was among his team's leading tackles with nine on the night and a couple timely pass breakups, including a third down near the goal line,. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1202525' first='Tyson' last='George'] — 5-9, 165 WR/ATH — Zachary (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high school coach from another region of the state looked out and posed — fairly — that Zachary might have the state's top receiving duo this season as, for all the high-profile and impressive play of his teammate (see below), George caught seven passes for 126 yards for a huge performance in his own right.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='285194' first='Trey'Dez' last='Green'] — 6-7, 230 WR/TE — Zachary (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The LSU commit admitted to some early nerves in the Superdome and also had to battle through the strong performance by Anding and frequent double- and triple-teams, but still managed to grab eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown among his highlight-reel plays against the challenges presented by the coverage. Green earned his team's Outstanding Player recognition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1202538' first='Logan' last='Malone'] — 5-9, 155 WR/DB — Ruston (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The speedy senior was Brantley's top target in stretching the Broncos' defense with five catches for 112 yards, including a 51-yarder over the top. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='285613' first='Jadon' last='Mayfield'] — 6-1, 220 LB — Ruston (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Louisiana Tech commit has been a leader for the Bearcats' elite defensive since he was an underclassman and stepped up huge one last time to help lead the team to its historic title with his 12 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, to help wreak havoc near the line of scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139489' first='Luke' last='Wisham'] — 6-2, 170 DB/WR — Zachary (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The former wide receiver capped his senior season at safety with another nice performance of seven tackles and a fumble recovery on a high Ruston punt snap to help set up the Broncos' offense for its first touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->