By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – An ill wind blows nobody good, a cynical old proverb from the 16th century that indicates misfortune or bad events will always have benefit for someone. That cold air has already cut through Bedford North Lawrence. Perhaps the team to profit from BNL’s recent setback will be the Stars.
With a chill in the air that signals the approach of postseason football, BNL will shift into sudden-death mode as it begins the chase for a Class 4A sectional championship. The Stars (6-3) will kick off that quest with a road trip to Jennings County (2-7) for the first round of Sectional 23 on Friday night.
Coming off a disappointing road loss to Columbus East in the regular-season finale, the Stars will reset and start anew to pursue a goal of historic consequence. BNL’s tournament resume includes very few wins and one lone title. The opportunity to drastically change that storyline begins with a rematch against a familiar foe.
BNL already owns a dominating 63-0 win over the Panthers this season. In fact, the Stars have won 10 straight in the series that dates back to the program origin. BNL has already never lost to Jennings in three postseason battles. But after the loss at Columbus East last week, with mistakes to remind of possible vulnerabilities, there should be no thought of taking anything for granted. In the one-and-done world of the tournament, that’s a fatal mindset. BNL was guilty of looking ahead to this week during that 20-17 stumble.
“There was business to take care of, but they were so pumped up about this sectional run,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “They were ready to get this part of the show on the road. It’s got to be short memory, forget about it, move on, get back to how we know we can play.
“Mistakes only haunt you, and from now on the teams only get better. Everyone has something to prove. You have seniors playing for possibly the last time, every time they step on the field.”
The home win over Jennings was arguably BNL’s most complete performance of the season. The Stars dominated in all phases, scoring on all but one possession. Dayson Kirby threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, Brody Horton scored three times, BNL’s Grady Dalton returned a fumble for a touchdown, Driven Axsom went to the house with a punt return, and the Stars allowed only one first down until the fourth quarter. The Stars blasted to a 49-0 lead at the half to trigger the running clock.
“We didn’t try to get too fancy,” Tidd said. “We did a really nice job of executing. Defensively, we did a nice job of trusting the reads. That was one of our more focused games.”
Can Jennings County make up that much difference? The Panthers have progressed since then, finishing the regular season with a 35-21 loss to Jeffersonville. Brady Franks lead the attack, completing 32 of 78 passes for 331 yards and six touchdowns, plus totaling 369 rushing yards. Cameron Patterson leads the rushing game with 482 yards, and the Panthers totaled 120 yards on the ground against the Red Devils.
“You can tell they’re getting more comfortable,” Tidd said. “They’re starting to move the ball. They’re starting to build chemistry. They’ve gotten a lot better.
“If the target wasn’t already big on our backs, we’re at their place and it’s a good way for them to get back at us, send us home. They have something to play for. You’re going to get everyone’s best from here on out. It doesn’t matter who we play. We have to be ready for everyone’s best and give your best. They will be ready to come after us.”
BNL’s barometer will be two key stats: penalties and turnovers. The Stars were guilty of 11 penalties and four turnovers at East. In fact, that’s been a common thread in all three losses. The concern is allowing those issues to surface at critical times in bigger moments. The sectional certainly qualifies.
”We have to clean those up,” Tidd said. “That’s getting back to the fundamentals, getting back to making sure we’re executing and not getting too greedy. That’s where the turnovers came.
“That’s very important from here on out, every game we play. We want a fast start, make other teams adjust to how we want to play, we want to control the tempo of the game.”
BNL’s offense is certainly explosive. Kirby ranks third in the state with 2,677 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, while Jaden Gilbert (44 catches for 659 yards), Parker Kern (37 for 507), Cam Gates (27 for 482) and Malakai Goodman (29 for 568) have been outstanding targets. On the defensive side, senior linemen Gibson Crane and Brady Byers have combined for 49 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks.
The BNL-Jennings winner will face either Connersville (4-5) or Shelbyville (4-5) in the sectional semifinal next week. Those two programs are colliding for the first time since 2014. In the opposite bracket, Martinsville (3-6 and the defending champion) will visit Greenwood (2-7), with the Artesians already owning a 38-20 win in the first clash on Sept. 5, while Silver Creek (3-6) will journey to Charlestown (7-2). The Pirates won that first encounter 47-27 in the season opener on Aug. 22.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 23
First round
BNL at JENNINGS COUNTY
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: BNL 6-3; Jennings County 2-7
Coaches: Brayden Tidd, 6-3 in first season at BNL; Jason Burton, 2-17 in second season at Jennings County (3-36 in fourth season overall)
Sagarin ratings: BNL 59.47; Jennings County 22.64
Series: BNL leads 47-7
Last meeting: On Sept. 26 at BNL, the Stars smashed the Panthers 63-0. Dayson Kirby threw for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns while Brody Horton scored three times for BNL, which triggered the running clock for the entire second half after rolling to a 49-0 lead at intermission.
Previous game story: Near-record romp for Stars
Game notes: BNL has won 10 straight games in the series. The Stars have won a postseason game for three straight seasons, but have won only 14 postseason games in program history. The Panthers have won only 7 games in their tournament history. BNL is 3-0 against Jennings in sectional play.
