By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – In political rants and financial terms, the “one percenters” refers to the wealthiest slice of the population. That’s the affluent, posh tax bracket, in football terms, into which Bedford North Lawrence seeks admission. That is earned, not silver-spoon inherited.
One percent at a time, one day at a time, the Stars measure improvement in small denominations that eventually add up to a great amount. If that get-rich formula works, in the 73 days from the first official practice to the last game of the regular season, that equates to game-changing wealth and postseason success.
How much equity have the Stars already collected? They will find out when they cash in their final preseason account at the expense of a Southern Indiana prosperous power on Friday night in the IHSAA sanctioned scrimmage.
Brownstown, ranked No.1 in the preseason Class 2A state poll, is chasing a second straight trip to the IHSAA state final. These aren’t the same Braves, having graduated 19 seniors and million-dollar talent. But with a Hall of Famer prowling the sideline, that doesn’t matter. Reed May, who ranks fourth among active coaches (eighth overall) with 326 career wins since 1993, always sends out fundamentally sound, hard-nosed, tough-to-beat teams.
It’s the perfect final dress rehearsal for the Stars, who have some positions in the spotlight and some starting spots still in audition mode. Second-year coach Brayden Tidd is looking for another small step toward a larger goal as the regular-season opener rushes into view. The Braves will challenge that.
“Overall improvement,” Tidd said. “We want to keep seeing that. One of our goals is to get one percent better every day.”
Some athletes are already near that 99-percent level. On offense, that group includes the skill positions, headlined by returning receivers Parker Kern, Jaden Gilbert, Cam Gates and Malachi Goodman. Running back Brody Horton is poised to join that group, and he will connect with Gilbert, Chase Rynders and Case Stiles as team captains.
The focus will be on new quarterback Cutler Chastain, a hard-throwing left-hander who replaces graduated star Dayson Kirby (one of the leading passers in the state last season), and his reconstructed offensive line.
“It will look different, and not just because he’s left-handed,” Tidd said. “We always try to evolve, we don’t want to stay the same. So I’m excited to see where this offense can go. Those guys know the expectations, they know the offense, and they can perform at a high level.”
Last season, Kirby threw for 3,379 yards and 36 touchdowns. BNL will not ask Chastain to duplicate those stats. The Stars expect more balance, featuring Horton and Goodman on the ground.
“I want to see that we can run the ball better,” lineman Cooper Knoy said. “We have a better running back this year. I feel like we can run-block better. We want to set the tone, that we can run the ball against a good defense. Show who we are.”
“We have to use our power,” senior lineman Carter Sollman added. “We have a lot of power up there, we just need to work together, let Brady hit the gap and go. We have a good running back.”
On the defensive side, the Stars will be blessed with speed, with returning veterans in cornerback Jackson Jones (five interceptions last season), with linebackers Grady Dalton and Dyllan Smith, with the addition of Goodman and Horton as free-wheeling linebackers and the aggressive Gates at safety.
That means the defensive line will be under the microscope. That’s where Gibson Crane (11.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss) and Brady Byers (8 sacks, 27 tackles for loss) were so dominant.
“We want to keep up where we were, eventually get better than they were, get better as the season goes on,” lineman Holton Nicholson said. “We want to show we can show pressure.”
”One way to do that is playing with a high motor,” Tidd said. “We want guys who will not quit, who will pursue the football no matter where it is. If they want to play in this defense, they have to be ready to go.
“That’s the one improvement we have made, we are 10 times faster on that side of the ball. They fly. I’m excited to see that in action against another team, one that’s fresh off of playing in the state championship, a team that’s well coached.”
What about the Braves? Their losses were notable, starting with quarterback Micah Sheffer (the Mental Attitude Award winner) and the catalyst for that feared wing-T attack that featured running back Preston Garrison (1,430 yards and 26 TDs). The other big holes were left by defenders Owen Wischmeier (126 tackles) and Isaac Hutchinson (19 tackles for loss, 12 sacks), plus a revamped offensive line, from a group that finished 14-1 with a 7-0 loss to Andrean in the 2A finale.
They will reload around junior quarterback Eli Hutchinson and fullback Landon Ault, with contributions expected from receiver Kye Trueblood, plus slot backs Brock Dean and Lindan Lanier.
”At the end of the day, they are just fundamentally sound,” Tidd said. “So going against a disciplined team, they will be in the right spots and do the right things. So we will see if we can still get open, get to the quarterback or running back. That will be something we watch very closely.“
Or, as witty assistant coach Jason Beeler stated, BNL wants to look organized, “Don’t look as lost as last year’s Easter eggs,” on the turf, lest the Stars get exposed by the Braves.
“As long as we’re working together as a team and winning, it doesn’t matter,” Sollman said. “I just want us to win.”
Following the home scrimmage, BNL will debut against nemesis Martinsville on Aug. 21, while Brownstown will open at Corydon.
