Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Week 4 Oct. 30, 2020

Weekly Record: 11-1 Overall 45-15 Featured Games 2-4

#6 Ruston Bearcats (3-1) @ Ouachita Lions (1-2)

After hovering near the top of the rankings for the first 4 weeks of the season, Ruston took a dive after losing their first game of 2020. Last week, the Bearcats took one on the chin to powerhouse, Acadiana 24-10 at Eddie Robinson Stadium plummeting them to #6 in this week's rankings. Coach Jarrod Baugh's bunch never quit even with their top two tailbacks on the shelf with injuries. FB Devian Wilson provided the Bearcats with a TD score on a 3 yard dive in the first half which would be the only touchdown of the game for the home team. Placekicker Caleb Phillips added a 35 yard kick to round out the scoring for Ruston.

The Ouachita Lions have faced COVID-19 restrictions since week 1. After cancelling their first game due to contact tracing guidelines the Lions opened the season with a week 2 home loss to Union. A win over Bastrop in week 3 evened their record but after district foe, West Ouachita reported Covid-19 cases in week 4 the Lions had to scramble to find a team to play. Haughton answered the call and defeated the Lions 14-7 on a windy night at Harlon Stadium. Senior QB Zac Shaw scattered passes to several different receivers including a 61-yard catch & run by senior Brandon Kimes, but 2 costly turnovers destroyed the Lions bid at the road win.

Dating back as far as our grandfathers, these teams have been district foes. However, in recent history the Bearcats have owned the Lions. Last year, Ruston handled Ouachita 31-13 for their 4th consecutive win in the series. Before that, 4 of the last 5 had been decided by less than a touchdown. The Lions currently sit at #15 in the 5A projections and are in need of a big win. With games against West Monroe and Alexandria in the background a loss here could practically ruin all hopes of a home playoff game. Ruston's loss to Acadiana dropped them to #10 in the power rankings, but everyone knows that there aren't 9 teams in the state better than the Bearcats, especially when healthy. The unanswered question is how healthy they will be. How long will RBs Keytravion Hargrove and Deontre Griffin be out? My sources tell me that both backs will return this week and if so, the Lions are in trouble. Not many teams can find an answer for two 6-foot running backs that run like bulls and neither will Ouachita. A valiant effort by Shaw is overshadowed by a huge rushing night for the Bearcats. Ruston rolls.

Ruston 45 Ouachita 23

***Grissom's Star Of The Game***

Keytravion Hargrove: 15 Carries, 185 Yards, 4 Tds

Deontre Griffin: 14 Carries, 140, 2 Tds

#3 OCS Eagles (4-0) @ #5 Oak Grove Tigers (4-0)

A battle of the undefeated takes place on Friday when the OCS Eagles travel to West Carroll Parish to face the Oak Grove Tigers. OCS comes in winners of 16 straight which includes the 2019 Division IV State Championship. Featuring on of the state's best quarterbacks in Hunter Herring, the Eagles have topped the 40-point mark in every game during the streak. Last week was no different as the Eagles topped another undefeated team by annihilating Cedar Creek 50-20. Herring gained over 300 yards offense with 6 rushing TDs in the win. RB Dillon Dougan also provided a spark with 80 yards on the ground. Super sophomore athlete, Landon Graves completed his only pass of the game as QB and also came away 5 tackles and an interception while playing DB. Coach Steven Fitzhugh is perhaps one of the most underrated coaches in the state, but he has built the small school into a 1A powerhouse that can compete with just about any team, anywhere.

Oak Grove won't be intimidated by the Eagles recent success because they've been pretty relevant themselves. The Tigers are also on a nice win streak, taking down 11 straight opponents dating back to last year. In the middle of this streak, Coach Josh Bradley captured the school's 5th state title with an impressive 55-12 win over White Castle in 2019 1A title game. A lot of the talent on that team has graduated but the cupboard isn't empty. RB Ron Craten has led the way on offense for the Tigers amassing over 600 yards on the ground through the first 4 games. Athlete, Tay Craft has been equally as impressive with over 500 total yards on offense in 2020. Bud Holloway and Reid Milligan lead a stout defense that has only allowed 4 total touchdowns all season long.

It's not often you can see two defending champions battle it out within the same district, but with the current select/non-select playoff format this will be one of those matchups. The Eagles last loss came over a year ago when they lost to 3A power, Sterlington in week 2 of 2019. That loss may have been the antidote that has lit this scoring barrage they've released on every opponent since. The Eagles are averaging over 52ppg in 2020 and it'll take a Herculean effort to top that type of productivity. While the Eagles focus on lighting up the scoreboard, the Tigers have been just as dominant defensively allowing 6ppg on the year. One of the biggest unknowns is: what happens when an unstoppable force runs into an immovable object? Well we'll find out on Friday night at Tigers Stadium in Oak Grove when these two teams link up. Both teams are battle tested. OCS went on the road and knocked off class 3A staple, Jena while the Tigers took a week 1 win over 3A Sterlington. As the adage goes, Offense wins games while defense wins championships. In this case, it's not quite a championship game, therefore I think OCS' offense is just too much for the Tigers. Eagles soar to the win!

O.C.S. 42 Oak Grove 31

***Grissom's Star Of The Game***

Hunter Herring: 12-18, 165 Passing Yards, 2 TDS – 14 CAR., 178 YDS, 3 TDS

Other Games:

5A

#4 West Monroe 27 C.E. Byrd 21

4A

#8 Bastrop 36 Franklin Parish 21

#9 Neville 45 Minden 13

3A

#2 Union Parish 35 Richwood 20

Sterlington 28 Wossman 12

2A

#1 Ferriday 65 Vidalia 6

#7 Mangham 38 General Trass 34

Rayville 50 Delhi Charter 15

Madison Parish 36 Beekman Charter 18

1A

#10 St Fred's 16 Cedar Creek 15

Delhi 26 Sicily Island 16

Delta Charter 44 Tensas 14

Grissom's Top 10

Week 5

1 Ferriday Trojans (4-0)

2 Union Parish Farmers (4-0)

3 O.C.S. Eagles (4-0)

4 West Monroe Rebs (3-1)

5 Oak Grove Tigers (4-0)

6 Ruston Bearcats (3-1)

7 Mangham Dragons (4-0)

8 Bastrop Rams (3-1)

9 Neville Tigers (3-1)

10 St Fred's Warriors (2-1)

Just Missed It: Sterlington, West Ouachita, Carroll, Ouachita, Cedar Creek, General Trass, Rayville

Grissom's G.O.At. Of the Week

Week 4

(Offensive)

Hunter Herring

-OCS Eagles-

9-18, 101 Yards

21 Carries, 192 Yards, 6 TDs

Grissom's G.O.At. Of the Week

Week 4

(Defensive)

Dontae Boxley

-Ferriday Trojans-

11 Tackles, 2 Ints, 1 Fumble Rec.