By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – As Bedford North Lawrence prepares to celebrate a milestone season, launching a golden anniversary campaign, what better way to make it eternally memorable than a historic victory? That would be perfect.
The Stars will make their 2023 debut, kicking off the program’s 50th year, with a road trip that has yielded a lot of fool’s gold in the past. BNL would certainly cherish a victory at Martinsville, where the Stars have won once (1979). In fact, BNL has won 232 games in the previous 49 years, and only three have come at Martinsville’s expense.
Other programs might seek an easier opener, like all the college powers that start with one of those directional-school walkovers. BNL takes a different direction. Not only are the Artesians ranked in the Class 4A preseason poll, they’ll be a contender once again in Sectional 23.
“It would be great to roll the ball out and be guaranteed a win,” BNL coach Derrick Barker said. “But in the long run, this is a great start for us, to see a team in our sectional, to see where we are and what we need to work on. Playing an opponent that will show us our weaknesses will help us a lot.”
Where is BNL? That remains to be seen. Last week’s IHSAA sanctioned scrimmage with Mitchell didn’t reveal much (by design) because the expected starters played very few of the scripted plays. But judging by returning veterans and practice sessions, the Stars should be solid on offense.
Senior quarterback Memphis Louden, about to begin his third year at the helm of the attack, has the experience and ability to lead a dangerous attack. He threw for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago, and his running threat (622 yards and five TDs) makes him doubly dangerous
“I thought Memphis took huge steps from his sophomore to junior year and even from Game 1 to the sectional game last year,” Martinsville coach Brian Dugger said in his scouting synopsis. “He continues to impress me as a quarterback, from a guy who has been blessed to coach some really good QBs over my time. He’s got a lot of tools that make him a really good football player. He can sling it, but he is just as dangerous with his feet.”
His top receiving targets will likely include seniors Ryker Hughes and Gabe Nelson, and the running game will feature Zach Brosamle, Piaire Childs and Cal Gates. All three of them are explosive and capable power backs in the read-option set.
“So far, our strength has been experience on offense and versatility,” Barker said. “I feel good about our offense.”
On the flip side, BNL will count on speed and aggression. There will be some savvy in the defensive secondary with Maddox Ray and Trace Rynders, some power in the middle with Kline Woodward and Brayden Baker. There will also be plenty of double-duty athletes, with Brady Byers solidifying both lines.
“We have some guys that are really good football players,” Barker said. “They might not start both ways, but they’ll be in there. I think we know who our starters will be. There are a couple of positions where we’ll have to rotate guys, and it might be multiple people battling for time.“
Now what about Martinsville? The Artesians lost a chunk of starpower from last year’s 8-4 campaign, most notably quarterback Tyler Adkins – and BNL was definitely glad to send him a graduation gift. He tormented the Stars twice last season, throwing two touchdowns during a 28-14 win to start the regular season, then connecting on 15 of 17 passes for 334 yards and two more scores during the 42-14 triumph that ended BNL’s postseason in the sectional semifinal.
Next up at that crucial spot is 6-4 junior A.J. Reynolds, a strong-armed thrower. Dugger is ready to turn him loose.
“Obviously, we have huge shoes to fill,” Dugger said. “That being said, A.J. brings a little more of the prototypical QB to our offense. He’s had a great offseason and has really matured in our offense. He’s not quite to the level of understanding of Tyler, but he is picking up things really quickly. He will have a lot of the same decision making that we gave Tyler the previous few years.”
Martinsville also has a legitimate star in running back Brayden Shrake, who ran for 1,245 yards and 12 touchdowns last season (including two games over 100 yards against BNL).
“Brayden will be our workhorse,” Dugger said. “Whenever you have a 1,200-yard rusher returning, you expect him to have a big part of what we are doing. The more impressive thing for Brayden is how much of a leadership role he has taken and helping A.J. grow in our offense.”
“Their line is huge and Shrake is a very tough runner,” Barker said. “I’m sure they will be multi-dimensional, but when it comes to crunch time we’ll have to stop the run.”
Martinsville’s main issue, with the loss of nine starters from last season, will be maturity and experience.
“This might be the most talented and biggest team I’ve had at Martinsville,” Dugger said. “That being said, it’s going to be the youngest. We will play a lot of sophomore and juniors, but they are very talented. If we grow up quickly, this year and the next year could be really fun for us.”
BNL at MARTINSVILLE
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: BNL 0-0; Martinsville 0-0 (ranked No.16 by IFCA)
Coaches: Derrick Barker, 10-11 in third season with BNL; Brian Dugger, 20-16 in fourth season with Martinsville
Series: Martinsville leads 21-3
Last meeting: The Artesians swept two games from BNL last year, winning the regular-season opener 28-14 as Tyler Adkins threw two TD passes, then posting a 42-14 victory in the Class 4A sectional semifinal as Adkins threw for 334 yards and two scores. Martinsville running back Brayden Shrake went over 100 yards in both games.
Previous game story: Adkins, Artesians terminate Stars
Game notes: BNL’s last win in the series came in 1992. The other BNL wins came in 1988 and 1979.
