10 eye-catchers from Ruston vs. Acadiana

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruston entered the season with question marks as what exactly this year's team might look like after graduating another great class of talent and leadership.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And the Bearcats had plenty of answers right out of the gate for anyone skeptics they could continue their run of consistently being among the state's top contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruston was dominant on defense in its season-opening road trip to Acadiana and blew the game open with explosive plays on offense and special teams —&nbsp;highlighted by an early coming-out party for a promising sophomore running back — on its way to an emphatic 49-7 win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1848581' first='Aidan' last='Adams'] —&nbsp;6-2, 200 LB — Ruston (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='469441' first='Keilan' last='Davis'] —&nbsp;6-0, 200 LB/DB —&nbsp;Ruston (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two newly ranked linebackers — or backer/safety hybrid for Davis — were not only up for the challenges presented by Acadiana's often lethal veer-option rushing attack, they were excellent in containing it — sound, quick and sure in their tackling. And in an era and under game circumstances in which the Wreckin' Rams are and were more of a threat to drop back and pass, Adams and Davis also looked comfortable dropping back and playing in space. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356159' first='Jayden' last='Anding'] —&nbsp;6-0, 170 DB —&nbsp;Ruston (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruston's entire secondary played fast and physical, swarming to the ball all night and arriving with purpose for hard-hitting tackles early and often. The highly touted junior safety was among the ringleaders of that effort along with Miles Brown, [player_tooltip player_id='922578' first='Trindon' last='Moore'], Kam Dean and others, and Anding also snatched a third-quarter interception downfield with a nice return. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Hartwell — 6-0, 175 QB&nbsp;—&nbsp;Ruston (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bearcats' new starting quarterback doesn't possess the elite athleticism of his predecessor, but is mobile enough to make plays with his legs when necessary, did a good job handling the stage of starting on the road in a high-profile matchup and threw three touchdowns once the offense got rolling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='469439' first='Ahmad' last='Hudson'] — 6-7, 240 TE — Ruston (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1237768' first='Cullen' last='Clark'] — 6-4, 230 TE — Ruston (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The tight end duo caught Hartwell's three touchdowns — first a pair to Hudson in the second quarter, then another to Clark to start the third. Hudson's first score in particular helped showcase why he's such a highly ranked, blue-chip prospect as a big athletic pass-catcher who made a leaping, turning reception along the sideline and then accelerated away for the long score. Clark is a sure-handed target and one of the state's better senior tight ends in his own right. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braylon Osborne —&nbsp;6-0, 190 EDGE/DL —&nbsp;Ruston (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>Ra'Keem Potts —&nbsp;5-10, 225 DL — Ruston (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bearcats' defensive line isn't as big as some have been in past year, but they're quick, tenacious and disruptive. Ruston's performance was impressive at every level, but the success started up front where Osborne and Potts were two of the highlight players who were repeatedly into the backfield in the blink of an eye and blowing up plays before they could get started. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1845257' first='Dalen' last='Powell'] —&nbsp;6-1, 190 RB/ATH —&nbsp;Ruston (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore running back was the story of the game from a scouting and recruiting standpoint. Prep Redzone Louisiana fans will recognize Powell and our high expectations for him from his debut this summer as the No. 5 prospect in the latest 2028 rankings. And the promising young athlete didn't need much time to show the rest of the state why. Powell scored three rushing touchdowns —&nbsp;including a pair from 70-plus — and returned a kickoff nearly 90 yards for another score. He's a tough young player. And when he has a seam, he can be gone in a hurry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Troy Kennerson Jr. — 5-4, 155 RB — Acadiana (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wreckin' Rams didn't have many highlights on the night, but Kennerson had some solid runs —&nbsp;including the 92-yard scamper he popped for the team's only score, but also a couple others he was able to bounce outside for nice gains and some strong effort running through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->