By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Fear of change, clinically known as metathesiophobia, is a natural human condition. Our brains prefer familiarity and safety, rather than unpredictably and the cloudy unknown. We worry about losing control or identity, and the energy required to adapt or start over can seem exhausting.
Some, paralyzed by anxiety, would rather rot in stagnation than shift to a fresher reality. If that’s the case, Bedford North Lawrence was the wrong place to hang out. In a year of transition, change was a constant. And there’s more on the horizon.
Even with all the swirling conditions, many athletes thrived during the 2025-26 school year. Some Stars trekked where no team had gone before. It was the final frontier for Class 4A in multiple sports, as the enrollment shrinks yet the mission to explore the boundaries of success continues.
Those that were bold, daring to achieve, were rewarded.
With that backdrop, here are the top stories from another record-breaking year:
10. Voigtschild qualifies for two state finals: Distance standout Paige Voigtschild went on two great voyages as a junior. She qualified for the IHSAA cross country state finals, for the second straight season, by working her way through a crowded regional field at Angel Mounds, then crossed the line in 91st during the state meet. In track, Voigtschild set a school record at 800 meters during a sizzling regional race, then completed the year by finishing 15th in the state meet.
9. Stahl finishes 7th in state shot put: Tripp Stahl went into warp drive during his senior season. He finished seventh in the IHSAA state finals, earning All-State status, in the shot put, then shattered the school record in that event during the All-Star Midwest Meet of Champions, hurling the 12-pound weight 60-1.25 feet to break a mark that had stood since 2010.
8. Crane named All-State: Gibson Crane, out of this world on the defensive line for BNL, was named to the Class 4A All-State team by the Indiana Football Coaches Association. On his way to play college football at Wabash, Crane totaled 11.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss and 95 total tackles during a sensational senior campaign. He also earned All-Hoosier Hills Conference honors for the second time.
7. Boys basketball extends Mitchell streak: Here’s something that never changes. BNL extended its series winning streak to 40 straight victories against the county rivals, posting a 57-50 win over the Bluejackets for a twinkling highlight in the deep space of a 6-17 season. Dax Short had 14 points and Parker Kern added 11 for the Stars, who have gone 51-1 overall against Mitchell. Now the status of the series is in jeopardy as the two programs could not agree on terms of a contract renewal.
6. Football advances to sectional final: BNL football captured the imagination of the community during an 8-4 journey. The Stars, chasing the second sectional title in program history, won a pair of playoff games and played a November game for only the 11th time since the current playoff format started in 1985. BNL came up short in that title clash with Martinsville, suffering a 49-35 loss in the Sectional 23 finale.
5. Spreen debuts as head coach with 16 wins: Taking over a proud program (with five state championship banners in the rafters of BNL Fieldhouse) that had won only six games the previous season, Chase Spreen guided the Stars through a fantastic debut campaign, finishing 16-8. That 10-game turnaround was the fourth-biggest in the state and the best single-season improvement in program history. Paced by Trinidy Bailey, Sammie Nusbaum and Miley Sherrill, BNL returned to respectability with beam-me-up speed and urgency.
4. Girls golf wins regional title: For the second time in three years, BNL ruled the regional at Country Oaks, winning the team title while advancing to the IHSAA state finals for the fourth consecutive season. Sammie Nusbaum was the regional medalist. BNL, which also won its 13th straight sectional championship as Carly Stigall took over as head coach, finished 17th in the state finals at Prairie View.
3. Football beats Martinsville in opener: With rookie head coach Brayden Tidd at the helm, BNL stunned the football universe with an opening win at Martinsville, surging to a stunning 33-15 triumph. BNL won at Martinsville for the first time since 1979, beat the Artesians for the first time since 1992, and won the season opener for the first time since 2017. Dayson Kirby, who would go on to rank second in the state in passing yards and touchdowns, threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns, and BNL’s defense forced five turnovers, with Jackson Jones and Driven Axsom picking off interceptions.
2. BNL drops to Class 3A in five sports: As expected, with the high school enrollment dropping rapidly over the last eight years, the IHSAA shifted BNL to Class 3A in boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball for the 2026-27 seasons. BNL became the second-largest 3A school in the state with an enrollment of 1,185 in four grades (compared to 1,542 in 2018). BNL had been 4A since the class system started in 1998.
1. Baseball wins HHC title: For the first time in program history, BNL powered its way to the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament championship, conquering Jeffersonville 3-2 during an epic final. Cutler Chastain struck out 16 during a phenomenal complete-game performance, throwing 123 pitches, while Grady Dalton scored a run and threw out a runner at the plate. Reece Goodgame and Chastain drove in runs. The Stars reached the final with wins over New Albany (7-1) and Jennings County (6-1) during the week-long grind to the title.
Other noteworthy stories included Luke Morris advancing to the track state finals, Ava and Sabrina Lipp competing in the girls swimming state meet, and the future addition of Bloomington South to the Hoosier Hills Conference.
Nusbuam was named female Athlete of the Year, while Driven Axsom was chosen as male Athlete of the Year.
And that’s a wrap. It’s time to take a deep breath and get ready for the 2026-27 seasons. Who knows what wonderful worlds the Stars will discover?
