By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
MARTINSVILLE – Nothing quenches a thirst for the parched like a great gulp of water. Bedford North Lawrence finally drank from the well, ending a severe drought with one of the biggest regular-season victories in program history.
Guided and inspired by a rookie head coach, spurred by a senior quarterback who chucked deep balls all over enemy territory, the Stars defied history and low expectations with a stunning win in the 2025 season opener. Dayson Kirby carried the water as BNL doused Martinsville with a 33-15 upset triumph on Friday night.
How sweet it tasted. With an amazing first-half performance, Kirby and the Stars dove into the deep end for a remarkable road victory that must be put into historical perspective to truly grasp the impact and appreciate the emotional scars it washed away.
For the first time since 1979, BNL left Siderewicz Field with a win. For the first time since 1992, the Stars conquered the Artesians, who had won 23 of the previous 26 meetings in the lopsided series. BNL also won its opener for the first time since 2017. It’s a movie-script moment for new coach Brayden Tidd, a BNL alum who put together a new staff on short notice and did what few before him have done.
Kirby threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns, while BNL’s maligned defense forced five turnovers as the Stars shocked the state with a win over the No.6 team in Class 4A, avenging last year’s 50-7, mercy-rule beatdown loss to the future regional champions. That set the tone for a dismal campaign. This could set the tone for a remarkable turnaround.
“I told everyone, I come into every game expecting to win, because I believe in my guys,” Tidd said. “I knew we were going to win. It’s just awesome, it’s a testament to the hard work these guys put in. They bought in to everything since Day One. That’s all those guys, not me. I told them they could be this type of team, and they believed it.”
What a night. BNL exploded for five first-half touchdowns, roared to a 33-9 lead at intermission, then shifted from all-out attack mode to conservative clock killing in the second half. The damage had already been done.
“It was so much fun,” Kirby said. “To play like we did was awesome.”
Few believed it possible. But BNL was the better team from the first moments. Driven Axsom recovered a fumble on the second series, setting up BNL’s first scoring drive. Kirby hit Jaden Gilbert from 13 yards out to cap a solid eight-play march.
Then came the big-play eruptions. Kirby connected with Gilbert for an electric 81-yard touchdown for a 13-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter. Two series later, Kirby scrambled out of trouble and rifled a bomb to Cam Gates, who never broke stride en route to an 83-yard score and 19-9 advantage.
Next drive, Kirby converted a 3rd-and-24 with a middle strike to Parker Kern, then lofted a 12-yard touchdown to Axsom in the right corner of the end zone. BNL capped the half with a 49-yard bomb from Kirby to Malakai Goodman, setting the stage for an 11-yard touchdown catch by Kern.
In the span of 12 minutes, the Stars scored 26 points. In one half, Kirby threw for 356 yards and the five scores.
“Everybody did a good job, noticing the weaknesses in their defense. We converted on it,” Gilbert said. “That shifted the energy, and you could see them start to fall apart.”
The Artesians countered with a second-half touchdown by running back Lucas Dewey, but the other three chances ended with turnovers. Then came the celebration on the sideline, on the field, with the delirious fans along the fence line. Tidd got a double dousing from the water coolers, and his emotions finally got washed out. He even ripped the inseam in his slacks during the course of the contest. He was happy to sacrifice the pants for a greater good.
“I barely got through Coach (Brian) Dugger’s handshake,” he said. “Then I cried.”
For the shellshocked Artesians, the passing-game breakdowns were fatal.
“We couldn’t figure coverages out in the first half, that was pretty obvious,” Dugger said. “That was bad football for us.
“I saw this coming. We did not have a great week of practice. I told the kids multiple times we cannot sail on yesterday’s wind. I felt like this group was doing that. We’ve got a long way to go, whether we will be a good football team or not.”
BNL’s offensive stats were incredible. Kirby finished 21 of 33, with Gilbert snagging six for 130 yards. Gates added 99 receiving yards, Kern caught six for 85. They overcame 12 penalties, multiple bad snaps in the shotgun (the reason the rushing yards were in the negative) and all the history.
On the defensive side, in addition to three fumble recoveries, Jackson Jones and Axsom pocketed interceptions against first-year Martinsville starter Chase Davis. Dewey ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
If Tidd handed out game balls, he would run out. He’d have to start with Kirby, his receivers, his offensive line that kept the pass rush contained.
“Dayson’s a captain for a reason,” Tidd said. “He’s executed, he’s been smart. Everything you could ask for in a quarterback. You could just feel it. Every single drive, momentum got so high, it felt like we were rolling. This is huge, especially the guys in the locker room. It’s so big for them.”
”I fully believed in us and our team,” Kirby said. “It’s great for team morale.”
Now the outside expectations might change. The ones from inside the locker room will not.
“Everybody was doubting us, that we were going to lose,” Kern said. “We had to give it our all. We did what we had to do to win. We’ll have to take what we did tonight and build off of it. We have to do better.”
”It’s amazing,” Gilbert said. “Just to see this all come together and work out so well, it shows the team we can be.”
BNL will visit Bloomington North next week. The Cougars debuted with a 28-14 loss to Mooresville.
Bedford NL 7 26 0 0 – 33
Martinsville 3 6 0 6 – 15
First quarter
BNL – Jaden Gilbert, 13 pass from Dayson Kirby (Aiden Dralle kick), 4:46; M – Charlie Rawlins, 31 field goal, 0:09
Second quarter
BNL – Gilbert, 81 pass from Kirby (kick failed), 11:48; M – Lucas Dewey, 1 run (pass failed), 7:23; BNL – Cam Gates, 83 pass from Kirby (kick failed), 6:08; BNL – Driven Axsom, 12 pass from Kirby (Balle kick), 4:03; BNL – Parker Kern, 11 pass from Kirby (Balle kick), 0:31
Fourth quarter
M – Dewey, 2 run (pass failed), 11:57
Team statistics
BNL – First downs 13 (4 by run, 7 by pass, 2 by penalty); Rushing 32-(-13); Passing 22-34-0-417; Total yards 392; Fumbles 1 (lost 0); Penalties 12-110
Mart – First downs 16 (9 by run, 4 by pass, 3 by penalty); Rushing 32-179; Passing 12-24-2-87; Total yards 266; Fumbles 4 (lost 3); Penalties 10-95
Individual statistics
Rushing – (BNL) Kirby 3-(-16), Horton 19-25, Gilbert 4-(-12), Gates 1-1, Goodman 5-(-11); (M) Davis 2-(-14), Dewey 28-182, Cazee 2-11
Passing – (BNL) Kirby 21-33-0-403, Gates 1-1-0-14; (M) Davis 12-24-2-87
Receiving – (BNL) Gilbert 6-130, Short 1-14, Kern 6-83, Goodman 5-80, Gates 3-99, Axsom 1-12; (M) LaFary 5-53, Dewey 1-2, Cazee 4-16, Butler 2-16
