ASH has officially put themselves on the map as one of the best 5A teams in the state of Louisiana.
Despite being undefeated, Alexandria Senior High wasn’t garnering as much recognition as an undefeated 5A school might normally have, still being regularly ranked outside the top 5 schools in the state. That seems like it will change after this week, as the ASH Trojans proved themselves by beating one of the best teams in the state and defending state champions, the Ruston Bearcats 40-36.
Things didn’t start out well for the Trojans, as Ruston was dominating in the trenches and rolling early. After a promising ASH drive was stopped without any points, Ruston just walked down the field, not throwing a single pass, and cruising into the endzone to an early 7-0 lead off the back of Jordan Hayes, who finished the game with 3 rushing TDs.
Ruston was poised to flex and roll, with ASH struggling on their next drive again. On 3rd and long, staring down the barrel of having to give the ball back to Ruston already down 7-0. Instead, Karson Sellers completed the first pass of the game, a huge bomb to Alex Fontenot, and the Trojans finished it off with a JT Lindsey touchdown. We were right back in the heavyweight bout we expected, going blow for blow.
The punches kept coming, and we finished a weird first half tied 14-all. There were only two completed passes in the entire first half, both by ASH QB Karson Sellers. Ruston was moving the ball without being able to find any success in the air, and the one-dimensional offense they were running caught up to them in the 2nd half, as they struggled early in the 3rd quarter. Ruston still couldn’t throw while ASH found their groove through the air, as Karson Sellers started hitting big plays to Jimmie Duncan, launching the Trojans out to the only 2 score lead of the game. The PAT was missed, which made the score 27-14, something that ended up heavily impacting the game. Karson Sellers went from inconsistent in the first half to unstoppable in the second, as he finished the game with 4 passing touchdowns.
That 2 score lead didn’t last long, as Ruston found their footing yet again and immediately responded. They started with lightning strike 3 play TD drive capped off with the Bearcats’ first completed pass of the game, a TD from Josh Brantley to Cullen Clark. Then, after a disastrous trick play attempt by ASH resulting in a turnover and a short field, Ruston started the 4th quarter with another TD, taking the lead, 28-27, for the first time since the 1st quarter.
What proceeded to take place in the 4th quarter was nothing short of spectacular, a flurry of scoring and lead changes, a game one team unfortunately had to lose. After losing a 13 point lead within the span of 4 minutes, ASH got back off the mat and immediately scored another TD, taking back the lead. Karson Sellers found Darius Washington on a quick pass, who broke a couple tackles and took it to the house to give the Trojans a 33-28 lead. They went for 2 to make it a 7 point lead again, but came up short.
Ruston answered, immediately taking the lead back with their next possession. In less than 3 minutes of game time, Jordan Hayes rattled off an impressive run to get into the endzone yet again. The Bearcats made it a 3 point lead with a successful 2pt conversion, with massive sophomore standout Ahmad Hudson catching his first pass of the game to make it a 36-33 lead.
ASH starts marching back down the field again, trying to take back the lead. The missed PAT looms large at this point, as despite the fact that both teams have scored 5 TDs and nothing else from scrimmage, ASH now trails by 3 points. What then took place was one of the best plays in the state of Louisiana this year.
2nd and 9 on the Ruston 31 yard line. Down by 3 with 3:30 left in the game. Karson Sellers fakes the handoff and throws to his TE, Tanner Townsend , who has a step on Ruston DB Fabian Stringfellow. Townsend gets his hands on the ball, but bobbles it, and Stringfellow recovers to break up the pass and sends the ball careening out of Townsend’s hands. However, instead of bouncing onto the ground, it bounced off of Stringfellow’s body, and landed on the stomach of Townsend, who secured the ball while on the ground for an unbelievable ASH go-ahead touchdown. They take the lead 40-36 with 3:22 left in the game, and this TD would prove to be the difference in the game.
Of course, we didn’t know that at the time. After seeing both teams march down the field time after time in the 4th quarter, 3 minutes and change seemed like way too much time to give the Ruston offense.
It was at this point when an ASH home crowd that was already showing out throughout the game really proved its worth. It was the best home field environment I had been to all season, and it made a difference. Ruston, the great team that they are, managed to keep themselves alive despite numerous chances for ASH to end the game on the final drive. The Bearcats converted a 4th and 9 and a 4th and 5, and then ASH dropped a potential game-ending interception. Through all of it, the ASH crowd never stopped screaming at the top of their lungs, truly effecting the field. Ruston finally ran out of plays to be made, as they were stopped on their 3rd 4th down attempt of the game, and the crowd exploded.
This is a signature win for ASH, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with in the district and playoff conversations. They play Ouachita Parish next week, but all eyes will be back on them in week 10, where a potential undefeated vs undefeated clash of the titans could take place when they play undefeated Neville for the district championship. Ruston falls to 6-2 (with only losses to ASH and Neville), but still has state championship aspirations. They play Pineville next week.
You can check out interviews of Head Coach Thomas Bachman, QB Karson Sellers, and TE Tanner Townsend here!
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