By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – All Bedford North Lawrence needed was a good shower to wash away the grim of a winless season. With monstrous Hurricane Helene spitting the last of her watery venom, the Stars took an afternoon bath, emerging clean and victorious.
With a ballhawking secondary, including a sensational pick-six theft, with big-play strikes on offense, BNL recorded its first win of the season, storming past Jennings County 41-14 amidst the annoying drizzle on a soggy – but sweet – Saturday. The Stars intercepted four passes and triggered the running clock midway through the third quarter while raining all over a wet, late Homecoming celebration for the struggling Panthers.
BNL had to wait a little longer for this one, after the game was postponed from its original Friday night date. It was worth it. Brody Horton scored three touchdowns, powering the Stars (1-5 overall, 1-3 in the Hoosier Hills Conference) to a win that cannot be undervalued.
“We needed that, the kids needed that,” BNL coach Derrick Barker said. “The last five weeks don’t define them as a team. They showed up this week just as hungry, they still believe.”
Jennings (0-6, 0-3) was the perfect-storm opponent for the BNL breakout. The Panthers have suffered through a tough campaign, but the Stars were in no position to show sympathy. Instead, they forced a mercy-rule conclusion, starting fast before Jennings could muster some momentum and hope.
BNL’s first touchdown drive was run-centric. Jaden Gilbert dashed for 9 yards, Dayson Kirby blasted for 16 on a quarterback keeper, and Horton slashed home from 15 yards for the first score. Three plays later, Jackson Jones picked off the first pass and returned it down the left sideline to the 5, with Horton hammering home on the next snap. In 90 seconds, the Stars had matched their most touchdowns in any game.
There was more to come.
Late in the first half, Driven Axsom broke free for a 33-yard touchdown pass from Lucas Ira for a 19-0 advantage. Then Cutler Chastain, a sophomore defensive back, added the coup de grace, perfectly reading a Jennings fourth-down screen and returning the interception 45 yards for a score with 11 seconds left in the frame.
“Our defensive line forced some balls to get thrown up there, we did a good job of locating the ball and making things happen,” Barker said. “Great defenses score, and we did that. The defense played well.”
Jones added his second pick on the first Jennings series of the second half, which set up a 69-yard burst by Gilbert for a 34-0 lead. BNL’s final touchdown came when Kirby connected with Horton for a one-play, 35-yard score to trigger the running clock.
Jennings quarterbacks had more picks than completed passes (three). Axsom had the fourth pick.
“We were locked in,” Jones said. “This means a lot. We need to keep going.”
The Panthers salvaged two late scores when freshman quarterback Brady Franks escaped for a 67-yard touchdown with 4:59 left, and Sam Hernandez returned a fumble for a 20-yard score on the final play of the contest.
After so many weeks of offensive sputtering, BNL ran the ball for 141 yards, with Gilbert totaling 83. Kirby, sharing time with Ira in the backfield, completed 7 of 8 passes for 66 yards.
“That was the challenge of the week,” Barker said. “We were going to get back into heavier sets. We got old-school with it and ran the ball. It starts with the offensive line, so hats off to them. A lot of things happen when you can run the football.
“That was a good example of how it takes everybody to produce a winning team.”
The elements didn’t faze the Stars. Neither did Jennings, which had only 50 total yards until the Franks flash.
“The last five weeks have been kind of rough,” Kirby said. “So getting that win means a lot.”
BNL will return home to host Floyd Central on Friday night. The Highlanders suffered a 43-14 loss to Columbus East in a battle for the league lead on Saturday.
Bedford NL 12 15 14 0 – 41
Jennings Co. 0 0 0 14 – 14
First quarter
BNL – Brody Horton, 15 run (run failed), 3:38; BNL – Horton, 5 run (run failed), 2:08
Second quarter
BNL – Driven Axsom, 33 pass from Lucas Ira (Parker Beeson kick) 3:47; BNL – Cutler Chastain, 45 interception return (Luke Morris run), 0:11
Third quarter
BNL – Jaden Gilbert, 69 run (Beeson kick), 7:25; BNL – Horton, 35 pass from Dayson Kirby (Beeson kick), 5:14
Fourth quarter
JC – Brady Franks, 67 run (Mason Sorensen kick), 4:59; JC – Sam Hernandez, 20 fumble return (Sorensen kick), 0:25
Team statistics
BNL – First downs 8 (6 by run, 2 by pass); Rushing 27-141; Passing 9-15-0-106; Total yards 247; Fumbles 2 (lost 1); Penalties 4-25
JC – First downs 2 (2 by run); Rushing 30-112; Passing 3-10-4-5; Total yards 117; Fumbles 0; Penalties 1-5
Individual statistics
Rushing – (BNL) Kirby 4-1, Ira 3-1, Horton 11-47, Gilbert 3-83, Axsom 2-20, Free 1-(-2), Engleking 2-(-3), Allender 1-(-5); (JC) Harrison 3-(-3), McCory 7-13, Patterson 14-40, Wilson 3-(-1), Messer 1-(-5), Hernandez 1-1, Franks 1-67
Passing – (BNL) Kirby 7-8-0-66, Ira 2-7-0-40; (JC) Harrison 2-7-3-6, Franks 1-3-1-(-1)
Receiving – (BNL) Kern 3-16, Short 1-7, Axsom 4-47, Horton 1-35; (JC) Hernandez 1-9, Lawson 1-(-1), Clark 1-(-3)
