MONROE — Cameron Bagwell is enjoying his time at River Oaks School.
The senior has gone from one championship football program to another as a critical part of Sterlington winning back-to-back Division III nonselect titles. River Oaks also shines among the MAIS’ best programs over several seasons with a national championship in 2024 and their fourth overall MAIS title last November.
The Mustangs have now won 14 consecutive games following their 36-18 season-opening victory against Tallulah Academy on Friday, Aug. 14 at Woody Boyles Stadium. Coach Bo Barton also set a milestone in the victory with his 200th career coaching win.
“That’s been great for the school. This atmosphere has changed,” Barton said regarding his team’s recent success. “We went from being everybody’s homecoming to being a team that everybody respects and worries about when they get ready to play us.”
Things have changed for River Oaks since last fall’s championship. The program graduated a large portion of its team and currently rosters seven seniors.
It didn’t take long for those seniors to make an impact against Tallulah. Byron Price and junior Andrew Robinson started off the scoring in the first as Price broke coverage and sprinted down the middle for a long touchdown.
Robinson then pitched the ball to senior Conner Hayman in the third as he found daylight for the first of his two scores.
“I feel good (about my performance), but I’ve got to do more and got to keep putting in the work,” Hayman said. “We’ve got to put this game past us. We’re going to keep grinding.”
Bagwell stood out among the Mustangs’ top players and made an impact on both sides of the ball. He set the tone on the first play of the Tallulah game with a tackle and later broke free for a long touchdown run in the third quarter.
Many of Bagwell’s former Sterlington teammates supported him in the stands and took a group picture postgame.
“It means so much. These are my guys,” Bagwell said on the support. “Everybody over here is my family. They took me in as a freshman at Sterlington, so I’ll never forget about them.”
As he only played defense at Sterlington, Bagwell is adjusting to being a two-way player at River Oaks. He totaled 77 tackles (10 TFLs) last fall for the Panthers.
“It’s really the stamina and having to get my endurance right,” Bagwell said on the adjustments. “I’ve never really been running the ball down the field and then have to come back and play defense. (I’ve) been getting some extra running in at practice and working out and then hydrating. That’s all that is. But I will do whatever I can to help my team win.”
“Bags, he’s a really special guy," Hayman said. "He’s a killer on the field, especially on defense. I enjoy watching and playing with him... He's an athlete, so he's going to get after it. He just does what the coaches tell him, and they just put him in the best position possible.”
River Oaks' contest against Tallulah wasn't perfect by any means. The Mustangs dropped passes during the game, and the Trojans scored on the final play after being down 28-0 after the third quarter.
Blocking is one of the biggest areas River Oaks aims to improve on moving forward. The team felt good about what it accomplished in its opener as it battled through hot weather.
"(We've) got to keep putting in the work, keep going to practice, having each other's back, definitely picking each other up," Hayman said. "We've just got to keep gelling this thing together. We're going to keep growing, and it's going to be a great season."
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Two-time LHSAA champion transfer becomes spark for River Oaks football
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