Football Recap: Ruston Wins High-Profile Contest Against Neville

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Previous 5 Games

10/17/25 - Away	41-37 W
10/18/24 - Home	21-26 L
09/29/23 - Away	14-10 W
09/30/22 - Home	27-21 W
09/03/21 - Away	24-27 L

Ruston faced Neville in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Bearcats managed a 41-37 win over the Tigers. For the Bearcats, this counts as revenge for the 26-21 victory the Tigers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in October of 2024.

Several Tigers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Emaude Sledge, who picked up 130 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 86 yards. Kayden Gray was in the mix too, providing Neville with one touchdown.

The win made it two in a row for Ruston and bumps their season record up to 6-1. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 5-1 Ouachita Parish (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 70.2% over those games). As for Neville, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 4-3.

Coming up, Ruston will take on Alexandria at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Trojans' defense has only allowed 10.1 points per game this season, so the Bearcats' offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Neville, they will square off against Ouachita Parish at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 858 yards in their previous games.