One of the biggest football rivalries in the football hotbed of Northwest Louisiana is set to kick off once again this season as the Neville Tigers travel to the Ruston Bearcats. This matchup of titanic rivals has faced off against one another since the opening of Neville in 1931. This game has gone back and forth year after year, shown by Neville’s slight lead in series of 50-42-3. This talent filled matchup comes after Neville’s thrilling victory in 2021 where they pulled off the win by a score of 27-24. Will Ruston make up for last year’s shortcomings or will Neville take revenge on their home turf?

MVP

Aaron Jackson
Ruston

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Mason Skipper

Ruston

Mason was awarded Honorable Mention 2-5A Football All-District. He has won Regionals in Powerlifting in his weight class and gone to the State Powerlifting Meet twice. After graduation, Mason plans to attend Louisiana Tech University.
Brooks Anzalone

Neville

Brooks has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school while being a member of the Neville Football team. He is a great member of FCA and Young Life in the community. After graduation, Brooks plans to attend college, potentially to continue his football career.
Chandler Pettis

Neville

Chandler Pettis is a 4.0 student with a 35 composite ACT score. He received the National Merit Letter of Commendation, AP Scholar with Honor, and All-District Punter in his junior year. He is the starting Kicker & Punter this year. In soccer, Chandler is an all-district and all northeast Louisiana center back as well as a team captain for the state semi-finalist Neville soccer team. Chandler is Vice President of the Neville student body, President of the National Honor Society, and a Quiz Bowl Captain. He is active in Young Life, Interact, and Key Club. Chandler is actively applying to colleges and will be in the pre-med field in hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon.

GAME SUMMARY

In the 1st quarter, Neville put the first points on the board after a 30 yd touchdown bringing the score to 7-0. In the second quarter, Ruston made a short run into the endzone to tie the game at 7 with just over 8 minutes left in the half. Just before halftime the Bearcats landed an impressive catch to take the lead into the half, 14-7. A huge pass in the third quarter by the Tigers brought them to the 6 yd line and another short pass earned them a TD tying the game at 14 with just under 10 left in the 3rd quarter. #1 from Ruston landed a long catch giving the Bearcats the lead again, 21-14 with 3:55 left in the 3rd. In the fourth quarter, the Cats tack on another 6, extending the lead 27-14. Neville answered with a TD to make it 27-21 with just over 3 minutes left in the game. A stop on the 4th down sealed Ruston’s win tonight with a final score of 27-21.