By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – As much as Bedford North Lawrence wants to avoid detection – like an escaping prisoner dodging the search lights with available cover, blind spots and low movement – that’s no longer an option. From this point, masking intentions is not possible.
Following a summer of hide-and-seek scrimmages and a preseason workout designed to give away as much confidential information as a Russian spy, with a nod to Harpocrates (the mythical god of silence and secrets), the Stars will either reveal their strengths, or the first regular-season opponent will expose their weaknesses.
The 2026 campaign will begin with a classic head-on collision on Friday night. BNL, which played their scrimmages as blandly as possible, will shift from mild to super spicy when they face Class 4A No.16 Martinsville, a historic nemesis, in the home opener.
The Artesians, who have chewed up BNL in most of the series battles, will challenge the Stars in the phases with the most question marks. Can BNL slow down a dynamic offense? Can the Stars reload their dangerous offense with a new slinger in the pocket and a more diversified attack? The answers will determine the outcome and the path forward.
The inescapable spotlight will shine first on BNL’s defense. That’s the unit that suffered the most obvious losses from a year ago, with the graduation of extraordinary pass rushers and backfield disrupters Gibson Crane and Brady Byers. That’s also where Martinsville attacked the hardest to win last year’s sectional championship rematch. This year, the Artesians will feature one of the state’s top receivers and a veteran quarterback. There’s plenty of hard work ahead.
Martinsville will showcase quarterback Chase Davis and top target Landon Cazee, who led the state in receptions a year ago. Davis threw for 2,510 yards and 24 touchdowns, and Cazee was responsible for the bulk of that with 95 catches for 1,280 yards (sixth in the state) and 13 scores.
“Chase and Landon are two really good football players, and they put the work in to be special,” Martinsville coach Brian Dugger said. “Landon is just a special talent. His size-and-speed combo make him hard to deal with throughout the game. He’s able to pound inside, and go out wide and run by people. He makes play calling fun.”
”First of all, your eyes go to Cazee,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “He will be a tough task. But they have another really good athlete at running back. They have athletes all over the field.”
That balance is what made the Artesians so good. Running back Lucas Dewey was dynamic with 1,599 yards and 19 TDs, and he made life miserable for BNL while running for 235 yards and four scores in the sectional clash, a 49-35 Martinsville win for the title. Dewey graduated, one of 22 seniors the Artesians must replace, leaving cleat marks all over BNL tacklers. That void will be filled by Christian Koons, who ran for 76 yards and a score while replacing Dewey for one game last season.
“Replacing Lucas won’t be easy, along with some of the key pieces up front we lost, but we have guys that have stepped up this offseason and are ready for the opportunity,” Dugger said. “The nice thing about our offense is we don’t have to rely on one or the other. A lot of times, our passing game helps our run game, and vice versa. Throughout the years, we have been able to be a very balanced offense, which will continue to be one of the most important things for us.”
On the flip side, BNL’s offense (which averaged 36 points per game last season) has plenty of returning firepower at the skill positions. The focus will be on senior quarterback Cutler Chastain, who is stepping into a key role following the sensational season of Dayson Kirby, who ranked among the state leaders in yards (3,379) and touchdowns (36). He was brilliant in the opener last season at Martinsville, throwing for 403 yards and five TDs as the Stars stunned many with a 33-15 win that set the tone for success. Martinsville aided its own demise with five turnovers.
Chastain will have plenty of options, with the receiving corps of Jaden Gilbert (61 catches, 907 yards), Malakai Goodman, Cam Gates and Parker Kern (who is sidelined with a foot injury). Brody Horton has made significant strides at running back. The Stars expect to be a force with the ball.
“Kirby was lights out last year,” Dugger said. “He was very impressive and extremely accurate. The jump he took from his junior to senior year was somewhat unbelievable.
”Regardless who is back there, I know that Coach Tidd will have them ready to go. So I expect their QB to well prepared and be a problem, especially with the receiving corps they have coming back. It’s a nice problem to have for a new starting QB. We will have to play sound defense and fly to the football.”
“We always joke we might not have enough footballs this year,” Tidd said. “We will see a little bit of everything. We have so many talented guys on offense.”
So those are the drawn lines. Can BNL generate a pass rush and clog up the running lanes? Can the secondary, which has veterans (Jackson Jones led the way with five interceptions last year) and speed, hold up under fire? Can the Stars reach the level of expectations already placed on the offense? They are about to place the cards on the table.
“We have to take care of the football, that’s always the most important,” Tidd said. “That’s what won us the first game and lost us the second game last year, on top of them doing a lot of things right. We have to know our keys, contain the guys we need to contain, and know what we’re doing. They have weapons to do damage if we’re not in the right spots.
“The guys are finally stepping into the leaderships roles. They’ve taken charge on the field. For a while, losing all our leaders, we were looking for guys who knew what they were doing and teaching other guys. That’s the biggest step that I really like.”
Martinsville leads the series 24-4, and BNL has not won at home against this opponent since 1992.
“Last year’s game, or the year before, or the history of the two schools, does not matter on this Friday night,” Dugger said. “It’s about playing our brand of football. Last year’s games were fun. Obviously, BNL came in and played great football against us Week 1 and we made a lot of mistakes. In the sectional game, we played pretty good football and they made a couple mistakes. I thought it was two good football teams competing late in the year, and I expect that again Week 1.”
MARTINSVILLE at BNL
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: Martinsville 0-0, ranked No.16 in Class 4A; BNL 0-0
Coaches: Brian Dugger, 45-29 in seventh season with Martinsville; Brayden Tidd, 8-4 in second season with BNL
Series: Martinsville leads 24-4
Last meeting: Last season, the teams split two battles. The Stars won the season opener 33-15 at Martinsville as Dayson Kirby threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns. The Artesians won the rematch in the Class 4A sectional championship, pounding out a 49-35 victory as Lucas Dewey rumbled for 235 rushing yards and four scores. BNL scrambled within 28-27 in third quarter before the Artesians scored on three consecutive possessions in the final period.
Previous game story: New boss same as the old boss
Game notes: BNL’s last home win in the series was a 35-28 triumph in 1992. The Stars also won at home in 1988, posting a 13-8 victory. Martinsville receiver Landon Cazee led the state in receptions last season with 95.
