Eyes on the Prize: Central Tries to Wrestle DI Non-Select Title Away From Defending Champion Ruston
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Saturday, Dec. 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Caesars Superdome | New Orleans, LA
Tickets | Watch – NFHS Network ($)| Watch – LHSAA Network TV App (Free)
Distance To Caesars Superdome: Ruston (315.9 miles), Central (89.7 miles)
Second-year Central football coach David Simoneaux Jr. had to stop and digest the question.
Prior to Simoneaux’s arrival after the 2022 season, the Wildcats went 3-7 and didn’t qualify for the state playoffs.
Two years later Central’s won 21 of 26 games and will compete in the school’s first state championship in 58 years.
“It happened pretty fast,” Simoneaux said. “You always have a lot of hope and respect for what’s going on, but you didn’t think a 3-7 team was going to be able to accomplish what these kids have accomplished. Just the way they’ve bought in and have believed.
“They’ve just worked and worked,” Simoneaux said. “It’s been a tremendous commitment. It takes great alignment from an administration, parents, and booster clubs to be able to put something like this together.”
Fourth-seeded Central (12-1) finds itself with quite a challenge in its Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Prep Classic debut, facing third-seeded Ruston (11-2), the reigning champion in the Division I non-select bracket.
The Bearcats snapped a 33-year stretch without a state title with last year’s 31-17 victory over Zachary, marking the ninth in school history.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in Saturday’s state championship game in the Caeser’s Superdome in New Orleans.
“Central’s a very good football team, they’re really consistent with what they do,” Ruston football coach Jarrod Baugh said. “What they do on defense and special teams matches what they do on offense. It looks like they want to sustain drives on offense, run some clock because their defense is really good. They want to shorten the game down to limit the number of possessions the other team has.”
Central advanced to the state quarterfinals in Simoneaux’s first season and wound up with a 9-4 record after a 21-20 loss to Dutchtown.
The Wildcats overcame the shock of a car accident that sidelined three starters the day before the opening game of the season to win their first six games until a 35-17 loss to Catholic High of Baton Rouge on Oct. 18.
Central hasn’t lost since, putting together a five-game winning streak that featured a 14-3 District 4-5A win over Zachary in the regular season. The Wildcats won their first two playoff games at home, welcoming back senior running back Manny Williams in the process from the season-opening accident, and knocked off top-seeded Neville on the road for the second straight year, 17-13, in last week’s semifinal.
“I feel like our kids have a good handle on things,” Simoneaux said. “We’re not just going to the dome; we’re going to try and win. I feel like they’re still hungry. That they want to go put their best foot forward and go and bring this thing home, which is exciting.
“It’s hard when everyone is praising us for what we’ve accomplished in the past,” Simoneaux said. “It’s hard for kids to turn the switch off, but the way we look at it, Ruston’s 0-0 and we’re 0-0. It’s going to take a complete game 48-minute effort for us to go there and bring home the hardware.”
Ruston has a decided advantage when you take into account its recent frequency inside the Superdome.
The Bearcats are making their third straight to the finals with a 17-10 loss to Destrehan in the 2022 final against Destrehan the start to that stretch.
“I would say so,” Baugh said of his team’s advantage with the surroundings. “I remember when we went two years ago and that was those kids’ first time dressing out and being in the building, and we didn’t handle it very well. We struggled early in the game with some false starts.
“I don’t think we should have that this year,” Baugh said. “I’m not saying that we won’t because it’s still a big environment. It’s exciting. You don’t ever know how kids will handle that. We shouldn’t have a guy that’s out on the field that has not at least been in the building dressed out. That should be an advantage over Central, is that our guys should settle in a little bit faster than what they do.”
While Central may be a novice to the Prep Classic, its coach is not.
Simoneaux and defensive coordinator Anthony Camp started on the undefeated Class 3A state champion Parkview Baptist team in 2001. Simoneaux also served as an assistant on the Eagles’ Class 3A state title team in ’07 and state runners-up squad in ’09.
He began a stretch of becoming one of a handful of coaches in LHSAA history to take three different schools – Catholic-Pointe Coupee (’19), Catholic High (’21), and Central – to a state championship appearance.
“It’s humbling,” Simoneaux said. “I thank God, he’s put me in some of these places where my skill set has matched the hunger and intensity of the people in the town or the school I was working at. They surrounded me with great coaches and great players. It’s about a certain way of life. You’re trying to teach kids to do the right things, be accountable, and give their personal best each and every single play.”
Simoneaux acknowledges the challenge of facing Ruston is heightened without the ability beforehand to practice in the Superdome.
“That’s something that’s real for us,” said Simoneaux, whose team conducted a practice Thursday at LSU’s indoor practice facility. “There’s an awe factor when you walk in the Superdome whether you’ve been there a bunch or whether you hadn’t. The people that have been there are a little bit more accustomed to it.”
Ruston matched Central’s 6-0 start, rising to the state’s No. 1 ranking by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
The Bearcats dropped consecutive games in District 2-5A play to Neville and Alexandria by a total of 11 points, resulting in a different method of preparation at practice.
Ruston closed the regular season by outscoring its final two opponents 85-0 and hasn’t let off the gas since. The Bearcats have scored 40-plus points in all three of their victories over Zachary, Southside, and Destrehan.
“We had three out-of-town trips going to Texas (and Arkansas) and two of them were Saturday afternoon games,” Baugh said. “I think our kids got worn down a little bit and we didn’t do a very good job of being consistent at practice and getting prepared to play. We struggled to beat Ouachita (22-21) and then Neville and ASH beat us.
“I just didn’t think we did what we needed to do at practice, we were kind of run down,” Baugh said. “We changed up practice a little at the end of the regular season. We had the bye week going into the playoffs and I think our kids got their legs back under them and once we did that, I thought our kids have done a really good job of getting prepared each week leading up to the ballgames.”
The overall health of Ruston’s backfield has been a boon to the team’s offense.
Senior quarterback Josh Brantley, a Tulane signee, has recovered from an ankle injury and compiled 356 total yards and two touchdowns in last week’s semifinal. He’s rushed for 697 yards and scored 15 touchdowns and passed for 1,703 yards (101 of 157) for 17 TDs and three interceptions.
The Bearcats have a powerful ground attack led by seniors Jordan Hayes (153-1, 106, 16 TDs) and 210-pound Dylone Brooks (104-926, 6 TDs).
Senior center Sam Nations, a 6-2, 287-pounder, is a Northwestern State signee.
“There’s no ifs ands or buts about it,” Simoneaux said of Ruston. “They try to beat you into submission. They have big kids that play hard. Their program is several years ahead of where we’re at in terms of nutrition and offseason. Those guys are certainly one of the standards in the state and I’ve got a ton of respect for coach Baugh. I have a ton of respect for (defensive coordinator) coach Kyle Williams.”
Ruston’s defense, which has allowed 181 yards per game during its five-game winning streak, is led by Louisiana Tech linebacker signee Derrick Hill (127 tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 interception) and LSU cornerback signee Aiden Anding (39 tackles, 5 interceptions, 2 passes broken up, three special teams TDs).
“They’re just very efficient with what it is they do,” Baugh said of Central’s offense. “You watch video and they’re in the ballgame up until the end and they just find ways to win.”
Nicholls State quarterback signee Jackson Firmin is the trigger to Central’s offense.
The senior has completed 114 of 225 passes for 1,566 yards with eight interceptions and 16 TDs, led by junior Keithon Womack (44-585, 4 TDs) and senior Kylen Thomas (35-544, 3 TDs).
Sophomore running back Marvin Joseph, the hero of last week’s semifinal win with an 85-yard return of a blocked field goal, leads the team in rushing with 69 carries for 409 yards and 14 TDs.
The Wildcats are led defensively by senior KD Mays (78 ½ tackles, 30 TFLs, 11 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 3 fumble recoveries), senior Jake Jarreau (45 tackles, 12 TFLs), Houston signee DK Mays (38 tackles, 25 ½ TFLs, 8 sacks, 12 QB hurries) and senior Kaeden Loupe (37 ½ tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 sacks).
Senior Blaysen Stoken has a team-high five interceptions.
“You have to make sure there can be no stone left unturned in terms of preparation,” Simoneaux said.
“Go out and swing your sword and try and give it your best shot. We’re excited about that. It’s going to be a fun one.”