By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – On the road map, Bedford North Lawrence and Brownstown are separated by only 25 miles of U.S. 50 pavement. From a satellite view, represented by dots on the globe, they’re virtually right next to each other. On the football map, they currently could not be farther apart.
Two programs on opposite ends of the spectrum will collide Friday night in the IHSAA-sanctioned scrimmage. Brownstown, led by a Hall of Fame coach, is coming off a 12-1 campaign, and the Braves are senior-heavy with veteran talent as they look for heavy postseason titles. BNL, with a first-year coach and new staff, is looking to reverse fortune after a 2-9 season that was marked by multiple blowouts. They do share common ground – both need to know exactly how good they will be in 2025.
That’s the reason behind this exercise. The scrimmage is the final dress rehearsal prior to the regular-season opener, the chance to clash with an angry opponent, the full-speed opportunity for athletes to display their best against quality competition. Contenders are identified, pretenders are exposed.
From the BNL standpoint, the scrimmage means more. The Stars have gone through wholesale changes as Brayden Tidd has taken over the guidance of his alma mater. Key players have returned, but everyone in those shiny silver helmets has something to prove.
”This is for us to see who will come out and compete, who will have energy and play with a lot of effort,” Tidd said. “That’s all we’re looking for. We’re going to see if the guys we think will be ‘the guys’ will be that when it’s time to strap it up. Going against a different color jersey is good. It’s easy to look good in practice. Now it’s time to show us what you’ve got.“
The new-look Stars have many areas to address in terms of improvement. Can BNL run the ball? The Stars averaged only 60 yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry a year ago. Can the Stars stop the opponent? They gave up 36.9 points and over 2,000 rushing yards last season. The Braves will test both. Success against one of the Class 2A powers would be a huge boost.
“That’s very important, especially going against a team like Brownstown,” Tidd said. “It’s a storied program with an excellent coach (Reed May), who will go down as one of the best ever, so you know they will be well prepared. It would be nice to look good against a team of that caliber, just to see what we have.”
What does BNL have? For starters, the Stars have known personnel in vital spots. Dayson Kirby (who threw for 1,385 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first varsity campaign) and Brody Horton will line up in the backfield, as BNL will feature a spread formation from the shotgun with an emphasis on quick strikes. Jaden Gilbert, one of the leaders in rushing and receiving last season, will be a top target. The spotlight will shine on the retooled offensive line.
On the flip side, BNL will feature linemen Gibson Crane and Brady Byers up front. They combined for 18 sacks and 33 tackles for loss last year. The secondary will be anchored by Luke Morris and Driven Axsom, although Cutler Chastain is still recovering from an off-season hip injury. While Tidd’s initial two-deep lineup chart is set, it’s been penciled in rather than scripted in ink. The scrimmage will be used to evaluate and instigate possible changes.
”It’s a good idea to keep that open,” Tidd said. “We’ve had some kids who are catching our eye. We have some young guys stepping up. I think we’ve done a good job of stringing together good practices. The guys are learning. You see a lot more leadership going on.”
From the Brownstown perspective, the scrimmage is the launching point for what could be the greatest of seasons. The Braves are ranked No.6 in the 2A preseason poll, but they have much higher goals than that. They lost only six seniors from last year’s remarkable run. This is a group that knows what it’s doing.
”The biggest thing is going against other people,” said May, who has won 312 games in his first 32 years with the program he turned around when he arrived. “The good thing for us is it’s a bigger school, so we hope that will be a little better than our conference has been. As a 2A school, this really helps us at tournament time.
“It’s more of us executing our plays and seeing how that does. It’s making sure all the kids are getting better, we are watching us more than anything else.”
Brownstown is fueled by its one failure of last season. Linton stunned the Braves 22-21 in a regional thriller, rallying from a 21-8 deficit and scoring the game-winning TD with 27 seconds left. The Miners lost to Adams Central in the state final, the ninth time Brownstown has lost to the eventual state champion or runner-up. Winning the semistate is the only thing missing from the impressive May resume. He ranks fourth on the wins list for active coaches and 10th in state history.
“Losing the way we did, we feel like the kids are pretty hungry right now,” May said. “We should be really good. Our senior class is one of the better ones we’ve ever had, they’ve been very competitive in all the sports. They have a lot of experience.”
May will script his plays in his vaunted single-wing attack and divide time equally among his starters and back-ups. Players to watch will include quarterback Micah Sheffer, running back Preston Garrison, and running back Trevor Tranaman. Brownstown averaged 45.3 points per game last year.
May, a Bloomington South graduate who played wide receiver at Michigan State and Arizona, picked up the Wing-T offense during a spring-break trip to popular vacation destination South Dakota State. It has served the Braves very well as May has won 14 sectional titles and three regionals during his tenure.
Following this workout, BNL will visit 4A No.6 Martinsville in the opener on Aug. 22, while Brownstown will host Corydon.
