By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Where did the time go? Summer hasn’t even reached its midpoint, which means there are still 53 swimming and tanning days left on the calendar. We’re supposed to believe it’s football season? On what planet? Evidently, the IHSAA solar system swirls on a different space-time continuum.
With the earliest official start in history, with July still clinging to life, Bedford North Lawrence opened practice sessions for the 2023 campaign. School starts in two days (what?), even before corn has had a chance to get as high as an elephant’s eye. Ready or not, here we go.
Speaking of time, where did 50 years go? BNL is celebrating its golden anniversary with the program’s 50th season. And like marriages that reach this remarkable milestone, there have been great moments (232 wins, one sectional title and seven Hoosier Hills Conference titles) and rough patches (six one-win seasons, only 20 winning records). The Stars hope to make this one memorable.
Like every season (and most marriages), this one begins with optimism and hope, with potential for something lasting and golden. BNL is coming off one of those red-letter years – a winning record, a share of the HHC crown, a postseason victory. That was a rare trifecta. Derrick Barker, starting his third season as head coach, wants to make that a common occurrence, hopes to celebrate the 50th in style.
“We’ve got a good group, the potential to have a good year and maybe a special year,” Barker said. “That doesn’t just come automatically. It means a lot to be the 50th, so hopefully we can make it more memorable.”
Gold is a precious metal that must be discovered, dug from the dirt with sweat and muscle. Success in football is no different. BNL spent this super-short offseason working in the weight room, preparing in camps, repeating drills to hone muscle memory. There are no shortcuts. “Get better every day” is the Barker bark.
“We’ve been working really hard,” BNL senior Kline Woodward said. “So this is the 50th year, let’s make it something for people to know. So they can say ‘Hey, that 50th year, they won a sectional or had a really good season record.’”
Day One had that vibe. A constant flow, a steady drumbeat (thanks to music on the loudspeaker), a rhythm, a sense of urgency without angst. “They got after it,” Barker said.
“There wasn’t a day this summer (which isn’t officially over, by the way) where we had the entire team here, which means they were doing things kids should do. But it’s nice to have them here, see what the full picture looks like. We think we know what type of team we want to be, what type of scheme we want to run on both sides of the ball.”
Granted, excitement can be found across the state on Opening Day. The picture is still incomplete, because only helmets were allowed. The next two days, helmets and shoulder pads. Finally, on Thursday, fall pads and contact. “Real football,” Barker said, indicating that’s when depth and rotations will be being to be established. “We have a good young group that just needs more reps and practice time.”
The next milestone on the preseason calendar will be the IHSAA controlled scrimmage with county rival Mitchell on Aug. 11. That precedes the opener at Martinsville on Aug. 18. The regular season will be over halfway done before fall really gets here. There’s a lot of work to do before those days arrive.
“We’re trying to be more together, to connect,” Woodward said. “We’re looking pretty good, we just need more time together. Everyone being here will help a lot.”
Want to age rapidly? Here’s the timeline of major events from 1974 – Watergate was tearing the fabric of the country, Rubik’s Cube was invented, a tornado outbreak sweeps across the Midwest. And BNL football was about to be born. Side note, no one on the current coaching staff was born yet. Now this generation wants to stamp its mark on the celebration.
“It’s something pretty special,” senior Garrett Hayes said. “We need to go out like a house afire, have a good year.”
