RUSTON – Sam Hartwell didn’t owe anybody an apology after his performance on Friday night.
Ruston’s senior quarterback spent much of the week leading up to the Bearcats’ home showdown against Catholic-Baton Rouge apologizing to his teammates for his subpar play in their Week 3 loss to Edna Karr, particularly during the second half when the Bearcats were shut out following an injury to star tailback Dalen Powell.
Hartwell, a Louisiana Tech commitment, said he “spent a lot of time with God” during the week, searching his soul, trying to find ways to improve his play so the Bearcats didn’t drop two games in a row.
It’s safe to say that the self-reflection worked.
Hartwell turned in a career-best performance, passing for five touchdowns and running for another as the Bearcats (3-1) ran away with a 63-28 victory in a top-10 showdown to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
The veteran signal-caller showcased both his arms and his legs against the Bears (1-3), throwing for 316 yards and rushing for 162 yards as he accounted for nearly 500 of the Bearcats’ 662 yards of offense.
Senior Kohl Gray, who stepped into a starting role after Powell’s injury just like he did in the playoffs last season, rushed for 146 yards and three touchdowns as the Bearcats passed and rushed for more than 300 yards and found the end zone nine times against Catholic.
“I don’t care who gets the yards, who gets the touchdowns,” Hartwell said. “I want to win, and I want to do what I can for my team. I think that’s how everybody on our offense is and on our defense. We’re a team. We play together as a team, and that means a lot to us.”
Ruston coach Jerrod Baugh said the Bearcats played very inconsistently on offense against Karr, as they were held to only 14 points and less than 250 yards of offense.
Baugh said he didn’t need to challenge Hartwell. Instead, Hartwell challenged himself to play better.
“Sam’s one of those you don’t really have to challenge,” Baugh said. “He’s really rough on himself a lot of times, probably too rough on himself. He wants to do what he needs to do to play well, and he prepares himself every week.”
Through the Bearcats’ first three games, Hartwell had scored just one rushing touchdown and had yet to throw a passing TD before Friday night. That changed on Ruston’s first drive as he connected with senior KeShun Malcolm for a 20-yard score that tied the game at 7.
A long pass to senior Baylor commitment Josiah Morgan set up Gray’s first touchdown from 1 yard out as the Bearcats answered each of Catholic’s first-quarter scores to tie the game at 14 at the end of the first period.
Ruston began to assert its control in the second quarter, and then ran away with the victory in the second half.
Senior free safety and LSU commitment Jayden Anding intercepted a pass four minutes into the second quarter before Hartwell took an option keeper off right tackle 85 yards for Ruston’s first lead of the game.
The Bearcats recovered their first of two onside kicks, and a few plays later Gray’s 17-yard touchdown gave Ruston control of the game. Gray’s third touchdown of the game with 20 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Bearcats a 35-21 lead at halftime.
“He’s a great player, a gritty player, and he never hesitated when he got his number called,” Hartwell said of Gray. “He’s been asked to do a lot of things in our offense, and he never fails. I love that kid. He’s a great worker.”
The second half saw the Bearcats’ defense stiffen, allowing only seven points, and eventually turned into the Hartwell-and-Hudson show as Hartwell connected with LSU commitment and the nation’s top tight end, Ahmad Hudson, for three scores.
After Catholic junior quarterback Camden Estep tossed his second touchdown pass of the game to junior Jaden Moffitt and cut Ruston’s lead to 35-28 just two minutes into the second half, the Bearcat defense didn’t give up another point the rest of the game.
Baugh said he wasn’t pleased with the way the Bearcats, who were without star junior linebacker Aidan Adams, played defensively in the first half. Baugh praised the play of the Bears’ offensive line along with senior running back and Florida State commitment Jayden Miles, who rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries in the game.
“They got challenged at halftime,” Baugh said of his team’s defensive unit. “There weren’t any big-time halftime adjustments and all that kind of stuff. I talked to Coach (Kyle) Williams, I mean it’s just like we’re getting outplayed and we’ve got to go out and play better, perform better. I thought they accepted that challenge and did that.”
Hartwell said he felt like he let his defensive teammates down against Karr, and he was proud to see them finish the second half strong against Catholic.
“I felt horrible for them because they were holding Karr, and we just couldn’t get to the next level and score,” Hartwell said. “And I put a lot of that blame on myself. It was a big week for us this week to be able to shake back and do what we did offensively, especially without Dalen.”
After the Bears cut the lead to seven early in the third quarter, Hartwell took over. He hit the 6-foot-7 Hudson on a jump ball in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown, and after a second successful onside kick, the duo connected again on a 46-yard score in which Hudson showcased his speed after the catch, racing down the sideline and into the end zone.
Hartwell tossed a jet-sweep pass to Morgan for a 10-yard TD late in the third quarter and then closed the scoring with a third touchdown pass to Hudson from 6 yards out. Hartwell connected with Hudson eight times for 167 yards and three TDs. Morgan added 98 yards on five receptions.
Catholic coach Hudson Fuller credited Ruston for its execution and said the onside kicks played a “really big part in the game.”
“That’s something we’ve got to fix,” Fuller said. “We’ve got to get better.”
“Recovering those two (onside kicks) was really invaluable tonight because we needed to steal a couple of possessions,” Baugh said.
Ruston senior KeShun Malcolm (9) catches the Bearcats’ first touchdown pass of the season in the first quarter of their 63-28 win over Catholic of Baton Rouge on Friday. (Photo: Bret H. McCormick, One T Photography)
Despite Friday night’s lopsided score, the Bears showed some moments of brilliance, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Estep passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns, even though he completed only 14 of his 34 passes, and Miles led a rushing attack that compiled over 200 yards on the ground.
Fuller said the Bears must find a way to shake off consecutive losses and a 1-3 start as they prepare to travel to Mississippi next week to face powerhouse Madison Ridgeland Academy.
“Moments like this are what this program is built on,” Fuller said. “It’s up to us to stand up to do what we’re supposed to do from a culture standpoint, and that’s really what it’s about.”
