By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Memphis Louden is going to the Dogs, and he’s thrilled about it.
Bedford North Lawrence’s senior quarterback, a three-year starter for the Stars, officially signed with the University of Indianapolis on Wednesday. Greyhounds (the UIndy mascot) are known as a sleek, racing breed, and Louden is eager to start the next-level chase.
“I’ll be an underdog again,” Louden said. “I’ve been the guy here, but I’m getting back into my sophomore-year mentality, just learning. It helped me learn to work at it. I’m looking forward to that.”
Louden stepped into the spotlight with the Stars, taking over the offense as head coach Derrick Barker took over the program. They grew together. Louden thrived, finishing as one of the few Stars to total over 5,000 career total yards.
As a dual threat in the backfield, like his athletic role model Michael Vick, Louden was always dangerous with the ball. He threw for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns, while rushing for 607 yards and 13 scores, as a senior while leading BNL to a 7-4 record, plus sectional wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012. He was named First Team in the Hoosier Hills Conference.
“He got bigger, faster, stronger,” Barker said. “His understanding of the game improved a lot as he matured. As a leader and football player, he developed every year.
“This is great for the program. It shows, with hard work, commitment and dedication, you can achieve a lot of big things. It’s a sign that we have high-quality athletes coming through here. If you put the work in, you get good results.”
Louden will join a successful NCAA Div. II program. The Greyhounds went 9-2 last season under veteran head coach Chris Keevers, falling to Pittsburg State in the playoffs. Keevers was voted the GLVC Coach of the Year three times in the last four years, winning back-to-back league titles. He also guided the Greyhounds to playoff appearances in 2019, ’22 and ’23, and his .787 career winning percentage is the best in program history.
“They win,” said Louden, who plans to major in exercise science. “I just like it up there. I like the coaches, they’re involved with what I do and care about me. It was a stressful decision. After I told them I was going there, it felt really good, a relief that’s nice.”
UIndy will return veteran quarterback Gavin Sukup, who threw for 2,716 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.
