By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
EVANSVILLE – Bedford North Lawrence broke the scoreboard.
The Stars scored so many points, setting a remarkable school record, that the person in charge of the flashy Evansville Central electronics either forget to add the final touchdown, or tried to hide the evidence while pulling the plug on the end-zone display like they were leaving the scene of a disaster.
Don’t worry, there’s plenty of evidence of the grizzly mauling. The Stars tracked their way to the end zone 11 times – that’s correct, 11 touchdowns, even with a running clock for the duration of the second half – during a historic beatdown in the first round of the Class 4A sectional.
With Malakai Goodman and Cutler Chastain bearing bad news for Evansville Central’s beleaguered defense, BNL roared and clawed to a 74-21 victory on Friday night. The Stars (7-3) broke the school record of 68 points (set against Mitchell in 1978) while advancing to the sectional semifinal for the fifth straight season and conquering the Bears for the first time in the brief series.
Goodman exploded for 235 rushing yards, all in the first half, and scored three times. Chastain threw three touchdown passes and ran for three more. Whatever BNL wanted to do, it did. Central (1-9) was powerless to stop the assault. That total was even more incredible when considering the entire second half was played with the mercy rule triggered, and BNL had multiple freshmen on the field for the closing minutes. That didn’t matter.
“That was really imrpessive,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “Proud of these guys. It’s foot on the gas. This time of year, we have to have that killer instinct. We’ve been telling them there’s no tomorrows, and we have to play like it.”
From the opening minutes, with BNL scoring five times in the first quarter, to the final play, when sophomore Mason Byford intercepted a pass and went the distance for the last touchdown, BNL was unstoppable unless the attack was halted by self-inflicted means. Goodman was running as if possessed, Chastain threw strikes to wide-open receivers. BNL’s defense forced four turnovers. That led to the end-zone parade.
“It’s a big deal,” said BNL’s Jaden Gilbert, who added another record by setting the school mark for career receiving yards. “We’ve been close a couple of times. It’s good to finally get it, especially in the sectional.”
The Stars were relentless. Chastain started the drive to the heavenly 11 with a 9-yard touchdown run, then fired a 26-yard touchdown strike to Jackson Jones on the next series. Third drive, Chastain connected with Goodman for 29 yards, setting up a Goodman dive from three yards out.
After Central came back with its first touchdown, a 13-yard keeper by Devyn McBaine, Goodman bulled his way for a tackle-breaking, will-breaking 80-yard kickoff return, and he finished it off with a one-yard score for a 28-7 lead. And the Stars weren’t done yet, with Chastain hitting Gilbert for a 15-yard touchdown to finally conclude a first quarter that lasted 58 minutes in real time (even in the Central time zone).
There was more. Goodman scored from six yards (42-7), Chastain lofted a touchdown pass to Chase Rynders (49-14), and Goodman blasted his way for a 81-yard touchdown (56-14) to mercifully end the half and set the running clock in motion.
In the second half, BNL added more with Chastain’s 27-yard touchdown run, Cash Kurtz’s 5-yard burst, and the Byford pick-six that caused the scoreboard outage.
“They stayed focused on the job at hand,” Tidd said, “which was getting a win, survive and advance. Make sure we get a tomorrow.”
Goodman totaled 344 all-purpose yards. Chastain had 81 yards rushing and 92 passing. Those are video-game stats.
“It’s good that we can make a statement,” Goodman said. “Yards are just yards. I’m here to win. That’s really it.”
Central did offer some resistance with its passing attack as Hunter Broshears threw for 243 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown to McBaine (who caught six total for 96 yards). But Jones had a first-half interception that set up the Goodman romp from long distance. BNL also recovered two fumbles, including one by kicker Aiden Dralle.
“They could have been overlooked with their record, but they have athletes,” Rynders said. “We had to do our jobs. It’s awesome, I just love having a big win with the guys, it sets a tone for the following week.”
BNL will now host Evansville Harrison, a 20-14 winner over Boonville, in the semifinal.
“It’s good to keep it going,” Gilbert said. “Hopefully we can make a streak for two wins. We have to get it done this year.”
In the other half of the Sectional 24 bracket, Evansville Reitz (9-1) ripped Evansville Bosse 35-0, while Heritage Hills (8-2) stopped Jasper 21-14. Reitz will journey to Heritage Hills for that semifinal.
Bedford NL 35 21 6 12 – 74
Evan. Central 7 7 7 0 – 21
First quarter
BNL – Cutler Chastain, 9 run (Aiden Dralle kick), 11:24; BNL – Jackson Jones, 26 pass from Chastain (Dralle kick), 9:07; BNL – Malakai Goodman, 3 run (Dralle kick), 5:32; EC – Devyn McBaine, 13 pass from Hunter Boshears (Jayden Guin kick), 3:49; BNL – Chastain, 1 run (Dralle kick), 3:29; BNL – Jaden Gilbert, 8 pass from Chastain (Dralle kick), 1:13
Second quarter
BNL – Goodman, 6 run (Dralle kick), 5:53; EC – McBaine, 30 pass from Boshears (Guin kick), 4:37; BNL – Chase Rynders, 3 pass from Chastain (Dralle kick), 3:16; BNL – Goodman, 81 run (Dralle kick), 0:26
Third quarter
BNL – Chastain, 27 run (kick failed), 3:42; EC – Kemani Doyle, 32 pass from Broshears (Guin kick), 0:43
Fourth quarter
BNL – Cash Kurtz, 5 run (pass failed), 2:15; BNL – Mason Byford, 30 interception return, 0:05
Team statistics
BNL – First downs 15 (11 by run, 4 by pass); Rushing 35-408; Passing 8-14-0-109; Total yards 517; Fumbles 1 (lost 1); Penalties 10-88
EC – First downs 15 (5 by run, 10 by pass); Rushing 18-88; Passing 16-34-2-243; Total yards 331; Fumbles 2 (lost 2); Penalties 10-57
Individual statistics
Rushing – (BNL) Chastain 7-81, Goodman 17-235, Kurtz 9-61, King 2-31; (EC) Broshears 1-3, Doyle 1-3, Allen-Greer 13-64, McBaine 3-18
Passing – (BNL) Chastain 7-13-0-92, Allender 1-1-0-17; (EC) Broshears 16-32-2-243, Moore 0-1-0-0, McBaine 0-1-0-0
Receiving – (BNL) Gilbert 4-34, Jones 1-26, Goodman 1-29, Rynders 1-3, Kern 1-17; (EC) Doyle 3-47, Vetter 5-34, Hoover 1-11, McBaine 6-96, Anderson 2-45
