By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – For the first time during this early whirlwind of surprising success, Bedford North Lawrence can no longer play the “no respect” card as an overlooked underdog. Two impressive victories, and those extraordinary passing numbers that rival a video game, have gotten everyone’s attention. The Stars must now prove they can handle the spotlight, rather than thrive in the shadows, with upgraded expectations.
BNL, fresh from a win in the home and Hoosier Hills Conference opener, will continue its self-proclaimed Revenge Tour when the Stars welcome struggling New Albany on Friday night. While the Stars (2-1) have been flinging it and winging it all over the turf, the Bulldogs (0-3) have been bogged down, managing only two scores in the opener and two shutouts since.
New Albany’s problems were predictable. Growing pains are inevitable with a freshman starting at quarterback. BNL’s rapid resurrection to respectability was not. The Stars were optimistic when a new coaching staff took over to start the summer, now that view has spread like wildfire.
Remember Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson with his famous “How ‘bout them Cowboys!!” rallying cry following the 1993 NFC championship? Now it’s “How ‘bout them Stars!!” as BNL (which has already matched last year’s win total) looks to continue its offensive explosion and winning surge against New Albany.
Football is the ultimate in team sports, requiring so many moving parts to work in synchronicity and harmony. But the reason for BNL’s sudden spurt is rather obvious. Senior quarterback Dayson Kirby leads the state (by a wide margin) in passing yards. After three games, he has thrown for 1,260 yards and 11 touchdowns, and those statistics really defy the explainable when considering both totals are just shy of his entire season’s output from a year ago.
He’s got plenty of help – a deep receiving corps, a stronger offensive line, a year of maturity amongst all off them. But the examination starts with the most important position, in this age of aerial dynamics, on the field. His improvement has been noticed.
“The quarterback’s decision making has improved, his accuracy is very good,” New Albany coach Steve Cooley said. “His arm strength, his deep ball element, is superior right now to put him as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. So I think he’s a veteran quarterback who has improved in all facets of his game.”
“He’s trusting what he sees, and he’s getting the ball out quickly,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “Last year, I thought he held onto the ball a little too long. Now he’s been excellent. He’s got a nice grip on this offense, he has a feel for what we’re trying to do. He’s done a really nice job.”
Kirby is averaging a whopping 18.5 yards per completion. That’s not all chucking it long. His receivers have been great at turning short-range or medium-depth passes into huge chunks of yardage. Jaden Gilbert (20 catches for 249 yards) has been his top target, but the entire cast has been equally impressive with Parker Kern (16 for 249), Malakai Goodman (13 for 312), Cam Gates (12 for 242) and Driven Axsom (6 for 164) doing damage.
“BNL‘s passing game is explosive,” Cooley said. “They have the potential to go vertical on every play. They’re throwing it 40 times a game right now, and they have executed at a very high level. We need to try some things to slow them down a little bit and not give up the big play.”
Gilbert will miss this week with a concussion. “We’re blessed to have a deep department there,” Tidd said. “We have plenty of guys for that.”
So BNL’s first focus this week? The running game. The Stars gave a hint of that in the second half against Jeffersonville as Brody Horton finished with 96 yards and three rushing touchdowns during the 48-27 triumph.
“If we can replicate what we did in the second half last week, I like the direction it’s heading,” Tidd said. “We’ve drastically improved since Week One, I’d like to keep that going.”
The second focus? Penalties. The most problematic issue right now has been flags. The Stars have been penalized 35 times for 289 yards in three weeks. That’s not sustainable to continue winning on a regular basis.
“It’s focus and attention,” Tidd said. “It’s a lot of second-half stuff, which tells me we’re getting tired. Those are the ones I notice the most. We need to clean up on details and not get loose just because we’re tired.
“I want to make a statement every week. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. That’s every coach’s goal. Most of all, we want to pay attention to details and take care of business. Eliminate the penalties.”
Now looking at New Albany, there are things that can’t be overlooked just because of the record, because of the 122-14 scoring differential. Running back R.J. Long (210 yards with one TD) stands out on tape. Jamal Chambers blasted for 62 rushing yards last week against Brownstown. New Albany’s secondary has speed to cover ground. They play some three-man fronts that could mean BNL will be passing against an eight-man cover scheme.
“Everyone in the back half is very fast and very athletic,” Tidd said. “They get to the ball quickly. Their running back runs down hill and runs hard. He’s big. So they have a lot of good pieces.”
The Bulldogs will feature freshman Grady Mayfield at quarterback. He has completed 14 of 46 passes for 109 yards and one score.
“With our freshman quarterback, he gets better daily,” Cooley said. “We’ve just got to keep improving, working on protection as well as working on our timing in the passing game. He had a great summer, but now it’s 11-on-11 football. He has gotten better. The statistics haven’t shown it yet, but he’s going to be really good when it’s all said and done.”
BNL’s defense has been opportunistic, forcing 8 turnovers. Axsom, Dax Short and Noah Strauser have been the leading tacklers, Axsom has two interceptions, and Gibson Crane has recorded two sacks. The Stars have also posted 16 tackles for loss. They will need to stop the run and apply pressure.
”With any high school quarterback, it’s good to get pressure on them,” Tidd said. “That’s always the goal. And I like our group up front. I think we can do that.”
New Albany won last year’s clash 22-12. Kenneth Watson threw two touchdown passes, the Bulldogs scored twice on fourth down, and a blocked punt resulted in a safety. Horton had two rushing touchdowns for BNL.
NEW ALBANY at BNL
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: New Albany 0-3 (0-0 in HHC); BNL 2-1 (1-0 in HHC)
Coaches: Steve Cooley, 36-49 in 9th season at New Albany (158-164 in 31st season overall); Brayden Tidd, 2-1 in first season at BNL
Sagarin ratings: New Albany 41.05; BNL 62.19
Series: BNL leads 25-22
Last meeting: Last year at New Albany, the Bulldogs scored twice on fourth down en route to a 22-12 victory over the Stars. Kenneth Watson had two TD passes for New Albany. Brody Horton had two rushing touchdowns for BNL.
Previous game story: Streaking Bulldogs pull away in second half
Game notes: New Albany will play one fewer conference games this season after replacing Jennings County with Brownstown on its schedule. Jennings County is dropping out of the Hoosier Hills Conference in football. BNL has started 2-0 in the league three times in the last five years.
