By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – This rivalry between Bedford North Lawrence and Mitchell has so many threads and storylines, so much familiarity and family history. But what made this one different was the one person who was not in attendance.
With former BNL coach Scott Saunders away from his post on the Mitchell sideline, his home for the past seven years, the Stars blasted to a three-set sweep of the struggling Bluejackets on Tuesday night. Sammie Gratzer ripped 14 kills as BNL – revitalized by the offseason addition of former Mitchell standouts Jayden and Jenna Allen – remained unbeaten with a dominating 25-14, 25-12, 25-19 victory.
Saunders was a fixture for decades at BNL, and he had lost only once to his former program in six seasons with Mitchell. He is now battling a scary health issue, leaving the Bluejackets even more shorthanded after the transfers of the Allen sisters transferred the balance of power in the rivalry.
“This is not how we saw the season going,” Mitchell assistant Krista Kirk said. “But from the start, Scott emphasized this was a season of growth. He is still behind us every step of the way. He’s still very instrumental with our team, and he has our backs. He’s the greatest mentor we could have.
“It’s a game where we have to find a lot of grit. At the end of the day, if we can learn and grow from it, that’s all that matters from being a rival.”
Mitchell (0-4) had its moments. The Bluejackets burst to a 4-0 lead in the first set, and clawed back desperately late in the third. But the Stars (4-0) had answers, whether it was Gratzer at the net, or Zoey Shelton (four kills) and Isabella Root (four kills) in the middle of the front row, or Trinidy Bailey (10 straight service points in the second set) on the back line, or Jayden Allen (BNL’s lone senior) scrambling all over the court to ignite the offense.
The elder Allen, who is probably still more familiar with her former teammates than most of her new ones, called the win “very bittersweet.” But it certainly was better than the alternative.
“It means a lot, that’s my old school,” Allen said. “But I have a lot of confidence in my team, knowing I can trust them. We have a lot of things to work on, but our confidence has grown with our good start. We’re excited and we have girls willing to put in the work.“
First-year BNL coach Aaron Wagoner was introduced to the heat of the rivalry.
“It raised the urgency,” he said. “It was a little heated, but it’s good. It feels good. It feels awesome to win.
“We still have holes and inconsistencies, but we’re making progress. What we’ve been practicing is being put into play.”
Mitchell will host Paoli in its PLAC opener on Thursday. The Stars will go on the road for the first time, visiting Borden on Thursday.
