By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – All good things must come to an end. Bedford North Lawrence’s football series with Madison certainly falls in that category.
The Stars have dominated the battles with the Cubs, winning 30 of the previous 35 meetings, a history that dates back to the very beginning of the program. BNL’s first official game, and victory, was a 13-7 triumph at Madison in 1974. Now the ancient rivalry is scheduled to conclude this week, when BNL makes one last journey to the river city to face its former conference neighbor.
This won’t be a nostalgia trip. The Cubs (3-4) are on the upswing with a new head coach, while the Stars (1-6) are searching for a springboard win to match them into the postseason, which looms in two more weeks.
“It’s always important, when you go into the tournament, to have momentum,” BNL coach Derrick Barker said. “Even last week, we didn’t win (against Floyd Central), but we did some things better, started to play better. So we have to keep that going. We need to finish, play four good quarters, get a win.”
Madison, definitely within range of its first winning season since 2014 and only the second since 1992, can trace its turnaround to new coach Charles Benintende, an Army veteran who grew up in Louisiana. He’s been all over the world, coached in Europe and Wisconsin, and he’s preaching culture change for a program that has enjoyed limited success. His sermons are finding eager ears.
The Cubs started this revival with a 20-14 win over Scottsburg, and they’ve also conquered Carroll County (Ky.) and Jennings County. Their game films got Barker’s attention.
“They’ve really improved from last year, they’re a pretty good team,” he said. “They run the ball hard, they have good size on the line. On defense, they’re very blitz heavy with a lot of pressure. They play with speed, they play with aggression. They’re a dangerous team.”
BNL cruised to a runaway win last year, scoring six touchdowns in the first half en route to a 50-0, mercy-rule smackdown. Cal Gates scored the first two touchdowns and Jaden Gilbert scored twice. The Cubs were held to zero first downs in the first half and 38 total yards. That was BNL’s first shutout since 2017.
That was last season. Things have shifted and changed. And in case anyone has forgotten, BNL suffered a humiliating loss at Madison two years ago. Colin Yancey scored three times as the Cubs stunned the favored Stars 21-14, marking Madison’s first home win in the series since 1997.
“The last time we went down there, it wasn’t a fun night,” Barker said. “With this being the last time, we’d like to erase that one out of our minds.”
BNL starting quarterback Dayson Kirby, who suffered a kneecap injury last week against the Highlanders, is expected to be back in action against the Cubs. He has completed 71 of 127 passes for 836 yards (with 7 interceptions), having split time recently with Lucas Ira (16 of 43 for 183 yards with 2 picks in five games).
The top receivers have been Dax Short (20 catches for 185 yards), Parker Kern (17 for 183), Driven Axsom (16 for 247) and Gilbert (14 for 174).
BNL at MADISON
Kickoff: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: BNL 1-6; Madison 3-4
Coaches: Derrick Barker, 18-21 in fourth season at BNL; Charles Benintende, 3-4 in first season at Madison
Sagarin rating: BNL 31.96; Madison 50.03
Series: BNL leads 30-5
Last meeting: Last year at BNL, the Stars cruised to a 50-0 victory. Cal Gates ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and BNL recorded its first shutout since 2017 while allowing the Cubs only 38 total yards.
Previous game story: Senior Stars ride off into sunset
Game notes: This is the final scheduled game in the series. BNL will face Monrovia in Week 8 of the regular season in 2025. The IHSAA will conduct the sectional draw on Sunday.
