By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence’s road to a sectional title will be a long one, in terms of potential mileage, powerful challenges and a perilous eight-team field.
The Stars (6-2) will travel to Evansville Central (1-7) for the first round of Class 4A Sectional 24 on Oct. 23. That will winner will face either Boonville (6-2) or Evansville Harrison (2-6) in the semifinal round.
In the bottom half of the bracket, No.8 Evansville Reitz (7-1 and the sectional favorite) will open the tournament at winless Evansville Bosse (0-8), while Heritage Hills (6-2) will journey to Jasper (5-3) in the first round. The semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 30, with the sectional final set for Nov. 6.
BNL has not clashed with Central since the 1994 sectional opener (and only twice in program history), but that does not mean there’s total unfamiliarity. The Stars scrimmaged the Bears during a summer workout session at Washington.
“We know what problems they present and the things they like to do,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “We’ll be a little more prepared than just blindly drawing someone we haven’t played before.”
The history that’s more appropriate and recent is BNL’s lack of success during trips to Evansville. BNL recorded its only victory in the Pocket City when it conquered Harrison in the opening round of the 2023 sectional. But the Stars were understandably excited when the IHSAA announced the pairings for a top-heavy sectional that includes five teams with five (or more) wins.
”We’re super happy,” Tidd said. “If we come out and play BNL football, we have a chance to put ourselves in a good spot. But we have to come out ready to go. There are a lot of good teams, so many good possibilities for this sectional. There are problems all over the board.”
The greater concern for the moment is momentum. Last season, BNL lost at Columbus East in the final week of the regular season and had to regroup quickly for the postseason.
“First, for obvious reasons, we have to get on the game this week,” Tidd said. “We laid an egg last year, so we need to put ourselves in a good head space, instead of building back up to start the sectional run. We need to stay on a high road.”
BNL won its only sectional title in 2011.
