By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – When danger does not knock loudly at the door, according to decorated Army hero David Hackworth, human nature drifts and slips to taking things for granted. What is consistently taken for granted is eventually taken away.
If Bedford North Lawrence doesn’t hear the approaching danger, it should. All the signs – exhilarating success during the first half of the regular season, a huge battle on the horizon, an opponent that has been routinely and recently conquered – point to the typical “trap” game as the Stars prepare to celebrate Homecoming. If the focus has waned, peril could strike with stunning consequences.
While the Stars have not yet earned the privilege to overlook any obstacle, that threat exists. BNL (4-1 overall, 3-0 atop the Hoosier Hills Conference) will welcome Jennings County (2-3) on Friday night, seeking to continue its series dominance. Even during the toughest of seasons, BNL has usually been able to vanquish the Panthers. The Stars have won 46 of the 53 previous meetings, including the last nine. BNL won only two games last season – both at the expense of Jennings.
Those facts add to the warning level.
”We talk about everyone on our schedule is a ‘revenge tour’ game,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “That’s what the kids call it. Well, this is their revenge game. We have to come out even more focused than we usually are. They will come out with something to prove, with a target on our backs.
”That was the only game we got last year, so they’re ready to go just like we are. They won’t come in to mess around. We better be ready to play.”
The Panthers, based on their improvement this season, demand respect and attention. They’re coming off a 41-20 victory over Madison (impressive, considering they scored only 71 points total last year), they feature a duel-purpose quarterback who runs a unique offense.
Sophomore quarterback Brady Franks has completed 22 of 42 passes for 237 yards and five touchdowns in limited throwing opportunities, but he’s added 261 rushing yards (just behind team leader Cameron Patterson with 278 yards) and three scores. And, with only nine games as a starter during his brief career, he’s only going to get better
“He is very dangerous, if we let him get to his spots,” Tidd said. “If we let him get loose, he’s extremely fast. If we let him out of the pocket and don’t contain him, he will have a good night. They do a nice job of executing their stuff, getting out in space.”
“Brady has completely bought into what we are trying to do as a program,” JC coach Jason Burton said. “He works as hard as anyone in the state to get better every single day. He has focused on learning the ins and outs of our shotgun double-wing system, and continues to get better each week in carrying out his role.”
Of course, BNL presents a lot to worry about. Start with the offense. Senior quarterback Dayson Kirby still leads the state in passing yards (1,719) and ranks sixth with 16 TDs. His receiving corps includes a lot of weapons, with four (Jaden Gilbert, Parker Kern, Malakai Goodman and Cam Gates) with 18-plus catches and 345-plus yards.
Nobody has shown more maturation than Kirby, who no longer holds the ball too long and gets swallowed by the pass rush. Last week’s win at Seymour included a prime example of that. He scanned the field, rolled left to buy time, and spotted Goodman behind defenders for an 86-yard score.
“He’s keeping his eyes downfield while he’s feeling the pressure,” Tidd said. “Last year, he looked at the pressure. Now he’s feeling it and slipping out of the pocket, while keeping his eyes downfield. He’s gotten a lot better at that.
“It was nice to have Jado back (after missing a game with a concussion). We just try to get the ball in his hands, and something good is bound to happen. We have a bunch of guys who can play in space.”
Kirby had a big game last year against Jennings in the sectional clash, throwing for 231 yards and four touchdowns, while Gilbert caught six passes and scored four times during a 38-6, mercy-rule rout. That came after BNL also dominated the regular-season clash 41-14.
“The BNL pass game has been efficient and explosive,” Burton said. “They have athletes who are long and athletic, spread out across the field. For any defense, combating what the opposing offense wants to do is the task at hand. We must be in the right place, playing the right coverage rules, and get pressure on the QB in the box.”
On the flip side, BNL’s defense is coming off its best back-to-back weeks in 10 years, allowing only 16 points in that span. Gibson Crane is tied for fifth in the state with 6 sacks, and the Stars had 32 tackles for loss during the last two games. That’s a remarkable number. Brady Byers leads the unit with 33 tackles.
“They’re just a tough-nosed group,” Tidd said. “They just want to be great, they’re an aggressive bunch.”
BNL’s offense ranks 10th in Class 4A at 34.6 points per game.
”We’re finally fine-tuning some things that were a little sloppy early on,” Tidd said. “I expected that, putting in a whole new offense and defense, even tweaking special teams, but we’ve done a nice job of cleaning things up. Even with the penalties, we cut them in half last week – which is good.
“We try to play smart football. We’ll go where the numbers are. If we see teams light in the box, we’ll run the ball. That’s why we see more balance in the attack.”
The last Jennings win in the series was a 21-13 stunner at BNL in 2015.
JENNINGS COUNTY at BNL
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: Jennings County 2-3 (0-1 in HHC); BNL 4-1 (3-0 in HHC)
Coaches: Jason Burton, 2-13 in second season with Jennings County (3-32 in fourth season overall); Brayden Tidd, 4-1 in first season with BNL
Series: BNL leads 46-7
Sagarin ratings: Jennings County 33.00; BNL 65.05
Last meeting: The Stars swept two games from the Panthers last season. BNL won the regular-season clash 41-14 at JC as Brody Horton scored three touchdowns and the Stars picked off four passes. In the sectional rematch, BNL rolled to a 38-6 win as Dayson Kirby threw four touchdown passes and Jaden Gilbert scored four times.
Previous game story: Three of a kind winning hand for Stars
Game notes: Jennings County is dropping from the Hoosier Hills Conference in football next season. BNL is seeking to go 5-1 for the first time since 2018. The Stars have won nine straight games in the series.
