By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Football, considered the ultimate in team sports because of the life lessons it teaches and the demands – physical sacrifice, tactical coordination and complex synchronization – it requires for greatness, is the cruelest of masters. There’s inherent danger and potential anguish, without any regard for the level of hard work and dedication. That’s understood when the helmet and pads are donned.
Bedford North Lawrence has, in two unfortunate weeks, learned the hard way. Injuries have plagued the program. Not minor dings, but season-ending mishaps for starters, for seniors who given blood, sweat and tears to prepare for their final campaign of Friday night lights. The body count is getting brutal, it’s a sore subject.
The Stars lost a heartbreaker last week, plus lost two more starters in the aftermath. Add running back Brody Horton (knee) and receiver Parker Kern (foot surgery) to the growing list of casualties. If this were a cruel joke, with Loki doing his worst to disrupt the heroes, it’s not funny. But there’s also no sympathy among the opponents. The games go on, and BNL faces a difficult challenge.
The Stars, limping physically and emotionally, will take their first road trip of the season when they begin Hoosier Hills Conference action at Jeffersonville on Friday night, with the kickoff pushed back to 8 p.m. to account for the predicted heat index. The heat is already on BNL as the coaching staff scrambles to plug holes with able bodies, especially on the battered defensive side.
“It’s getting a little ridiculous,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “I wish someone would quit playing a joke on us. I hate it for all the guys that worked so hard.
“You just have to stick with the next-man-up mentality. You try to pull from the guys that just play offense, move some to other positions. We will be like every other school, with a bunch of guys going both ways. But I think the guys we have can handle it.”
That’s the negative outlook. Rather than “woe is me”, what about the positives BNL still has available? There’s still plenty of ammo in stock.
Consider the sensational effort from Malakai Goodman, who shattered the school’s single-game rushing record last week with 289 yards and five touchdowns against Bloomington North. And he did that after logging only two carries in the first 21 minutes. When Horton went down, he stepped up.
”He is unbelievable,” Tidd said. “You talk about a kid who can do anything and everything. He’s one of those generational talents. He can come in and do it all.”
And if any program could claim a snakebitten start to the 2026 season, it’s Jeffersonville. The Red Devils are on their third head coach since last season ended. Joe Washington stepped down in November after two seasons, and former North Hardin coach Doug Preston was named his successor in February. He suddenly resigned in June, leaving the program rudderless until Nick Cotner filled the void in July. That’s the ultimate in late starts.
“It wasn’t a comfortable process,” Cotner said. “This is an opportunity I have been working toward since I was a high school football player myself. It has been a very abbreviated process, lots of learning each other and how we need to do things.”
The Red Devils opened with a 67-20 loss at Lawrence Central, but they recorded a key win last week at Seymour, posting a thrilling 20-14 victory in their league debut. Nation Roe-McBroom returned a kickoff 75 yards for a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, and the Devils stopped the Owls from the 7-yard line on the final play.
Veteran quarterback Cordell Thomas completed 12 of 17 passes for 165 yards, Braylon Gray had five catches for 86 yards, and Jaylen Howard ran for 135 yards and two TDs against Seymour. The Devils also overcome 10 penalties and three turnovers.
“Last Friday was a gritty win for us,” Cotner said. “We didn’t play our cleanest game, and as a result there were about six or seven points in that game where we could have lost it. I was very proud how we continued to fight through adversity, and not hang our heads when things didn’t go well. I believe that is growth for our program, and you need those kind of wins to get where we want to be.”
“Jumping off the page, when you watch their offense, they have playmakers everywhere,” Tidd said. “Their quarterback does a nice job of hanging in the pocket and delivering nice throws. And they have some really big dudes on both sides of the ball. It will be a battle with them.”
BNL will have to counter with depleted depth. Goodman will play a key role, no matter where he lines up, while Jaden Gilbert (six catches for 109 yards last week) and Cam Gates will be available targets. The Stars will have to make the biggest shifts on defense, which gave up 27 points in the final 18 minutes during last week’s loss.
“What concerns me about BNL is that they are a really good football team,” Cotner said. “They are well coached. They play hard. They are athletic. They aren’t driven by just one player. They have multiple playmakers who can rip off a big play at any point. They’re averaging just shy of 40 points (36.5) per game right now. You don’t do that at this level without being a good football team.”
The Stars showcased all that skill last year during a 48-27 win over the Devils. Dayson Kirby threw for 404 yards and three TDs, Goodman had 170 yards receiving, and Horton totaled 96 rushing yards. Thomas threw for 193 yards, with Roe-McBroom snagging eight for 145 yards (with two TDs) for Jeffersonville.
”We tend to go down there and not take care of the ball,” Tidd said. “We have to take care of the ball. We did that in Week One and won, we didn’t in Week Two (with three interceptions) and lost. We have to keep executing.”
BNL at JEFFERSONVILLE
Kickoff: Friday, 8 p.m.
Records: BNL 1-1 (0-0 in HHC); Jeffersonville 1-1 (1-0 in HHC)
Coaches: Brayden Tidd, 9-5 in second season at BNL; Nick Cotner, 1-1 in first season at Jeffersonville
Sagarin ratings: BNL 66.54; Jeffersonville 55.88
Series: Jeffersonville leads 32-18
Last meeting: Last year at BNL, Dayson Kirby threw for 404 yards and three TDs as the Stars rolled to a 48-27 victory. Malakai Goodman had 170 receiving yards for BNL. Nation Roe-McBroom had two touchdowns for the Red Devils.
Previous game story: Brayden’s Bombers turn up the volume
Game notes: Game time has been moved back because of the predicted heat index. Nick Cotner was hired in July after former North Hardin coach Doug Preston, who was hired in February, resigned in June without coaching one game for the Red Devils. Jeffersonville has enjoyed only one winning season since 2015.
