NEW ORLEANS – The stage was set for a heavyweight clash at the Caesars Superdome, but for the Ruston Bearcats, Saturday afternoon ended in a familiar sting. In a high-stakes battle between Louisiana’s top two ranked Class 5A programs, the Edna Karr Cougars edged out the Bearcats, 21-14, extending their winning streak to 30 games.
The game concluded on a frantic final note. After a botched snap by Karr gave Ruston one last opportunity at the 16-yard line, Bearcat quarterback Sam Hartwell faced intense defensive pressure. Following a costly sack that nearly burned the final seconds, Hartwell’s desperation jump ball toward seniors Ahmad Hudson and Josiah Morgan fell incomplete as the clock hit zero, solidifying Karr’s hard-fought victory.
Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh, who has now seen his team fall in three consecutive appearances at the Superdome, was quick to temper the disappointment.
“You don’t have to win this ball game to win a state championship,” Baugh told his team in the locker room. “What you can’t do is live in this game. At the end of the day, it’s a week three ball game. Use it to get better.”
The matchup began as a nightmare for the top-ranked Bearcats (2-1). Within the first eight minutes, Ruston found themselves in a 14-0 hole following two early touchdowns by Karr’s Jermond Macklin and a costly interception by Hartwell. Baugh admitted the team “slept-walked” through the opening frame, failing to match the intensity of the Cougars (3-0).
Ruston’s offense finally ignited in the second quarter behind Dalen Powell, whose 71-yard touchdown burst and a subsequent 14-yard scoring run pulled the Bearcats even at 14-14. Momentum briefly swung toward Ruston when Keilan Davis secured an interception late in the half, followed by a bold fake-punt conversion early in the third quarter. However, the offense was unable to capitalize, as the Bearcats’ drives stalled against a swarming Karr defense.
“You’ve got to capitalize on big plays like that, and we just fizzled out,” Baugh said. “We didn’t do the things necessary to get the ball in the end zone.”
Karr eventually pulled ahead for good on Macklin’s third touchdown of the day with 9:31 remaining. While Ruston’s defense held the Cougars to 259 yards of total offense, the Bearcats were limited to just 234 yards, with Hartwell finishing 12-of-27 for 104 yards.
For Karr coach Brice Brown, the win was a testament to his young roster’s ability to execute under pressure. “They have a lot of Division I players over there,” Brown said of the Bearcats. “Going against a team that has the same amount of talent that we always have is refreshing.”
The Bearcats now pivot to next week’s challenge against Catholic of Baton Rouge, with Baugh stressing that the work must continue immediately. “I want ‘em to come back to work,” Baugh said. “It’s all about Catholic.”
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