By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Into each life some rain must fall. If Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was correct, Bedford North Lawrence and Jennings County football have weathered more than their share. In a figurative sense, both winless programs are waterlogged from the storms that have buffeted the programs this season. And in a literal sense, the remnants of a hurricane are predicted to douse the area for this titanic struggle.
How appropriate. However, the sunshine of success will break through the clouds and darkness for one of them on Friday night.
BNL and Jennings share many similarities in terms of record and circumstances as they prepare for their series renewal. The Stars (0-5, 0-3 in the Hoosier Hills Conference) are battling through a rebuilding phase after a successful campaign a year ago, after a huge graduation (and transfer) hit. Ditto for the Panthers (0-5, 0-2). Jennings has absorbed multiple lopsided and mercy-rule losses. Same for BNL.
Something has to give.
“I’m sure they’re looking at it as another 0-5 team coming in, so they have a good shot,” BNL coach Derrick Barker said. “We feel we have a shot if we play well, so it will come down to who executes the best, who the most physical team is. If we play our best game, we’ll give ourselves a chance. If we make mistakes and beat ourselves, it will be a long night.”
The numbers are almost identical. Jennings has been outscored 234-38, and three games have ended with a running clock. BNL has been outscored 199-31 with three early finishes. The Panthers are rated 61st out of 62 teams in Class 4A by the Sagarin computer, while BNL is a notch above at 57th. That, plus BNL’s domination of the series, is why the Stars are favored.
“When you’re 0-5, you can’t take anything for granted or overlook anyone,” Barker said. “We both lost a lot of returning production from last year. We’re both young teams that are going through the learning experiences.”
Jennings, with first-year boss Jason Burton taking over as the fifth head coach in the last seven years, will feature quarterback Nathan Harrison (27 of 64 for 233 yards and two touchdowns, with 8 interceptions), running back Brandan McCory (206 yards, one score) and receiver Samuel Hernandez (13 for 118 yards).
“They’re a physical team,” Barker said. “They keep you honest, making sure you know how to line up – which we didn’t do a good job of last week, from a coaching or playing standpoint. They will see if we can set the edge in the run game, see if we can tackle. They will test our physicality.”
BNL leads the series 44-7 with seven straight wins. Last year at BNL, the Stars muscled to a 28-13 victory. Memphis Louden scored three touchdowns, Piaire Childs ran for 111 yards, Maddox Ray blocked a punt, and BNL’s defense shut down a potent Jennings attack.
Those Panthers went on to a 5-6 finish and even won a sectional game for only the second time since 2006. Now they’re back to familiar struggles.
BNL will counter with its passing attack from Dayson Kirby (55 of 104 for 649 yards), although BNL will again work in Lucas Ira (5 of 14 for 57 yards last week against Seymour) to run the offense. No matter who throws it, the Stars still need to figure out how to run it and protect the passer in the pocket. They ran for 5 total yards last week.
“It will probably be a combination of both of them again,” Barker said. “They’ve both had a good week of practice. We have confidence in both of them. Whoever has the hot hand is who we will roll with. I wouldn’t say anyone has been particularly poor. We were looking for a spark.”
Jaden Gilbert has taken over the receiving lead with 17 catches for 153 yards.
BNL at JENNINGS COUNTY
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: BNL 0-5 (0-3 in HHC); Jennings County 0-5 (0-2 in HHC)
Coaches: Derrick Barker, 17-20 in fourth season at BNL; Jason Burton, 0-5 in first year at Jennings County (1-24 overall in third year overall)
Sagarin ratings: BNL 28.52; Jennings County 17.02
Series: BNL leads 44-7
Last meeting: Last year at BNL, Memphis Louden scored three touchdowns as the Stars prevailed 28-13. Piaire Childs ran for 111 yards and Maddox Ray blocked a punt for BNL.
Previous game story: Kings and queens step aside for BNL
Game notes: BNL has won seven straight games in the series. BNL has not started 0-6 since 2003. Jennings County is rated 61st out of the 62 teams in Class 4A.
