By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Without strength in numbers, Bedford North Lawrence’s seniors had to rely on each other. That’s been tough during a season when the wins have been scarce, when injuries have chewed through their class.
Giving in would have been easy. Perseverance is hard. If HBO ever did a high school version of Hard Knocks, the elder Stars would qualify. They have taken the blows of life, and they’re still standing, ready for the reward.
BNL will honor its seven-player senior class on Friday night when the Stars (1-7) battle Columbus East (5-3). The Olympians will be chasing an outright Hoosier Hills Conference championship, while BNL will be celebrating the careers of Gavin Pedersen, Garrett McDuffee, Reece Sims, Tate Tanksley, Tyler Webb, Tyler Jackson and Jimmy Farmer.
They are the survivors. A couple of them will walk to the finish line – Webb has missed the season after suffering injuries in a summer car accident, Pedersen suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 – and a couple more are limping now. Football can be a brutal game, but so can life. Lessons are learned.
“Playing football sets you up for life,” Farmer said. “It’s hard work, you have to get up every day. Most of us will not play football in college, so it’s setting us up to work every day and prepare ourselves.”
They have enjoyed success. They were part of the HHC title winners in 2022, they went 7-4 a year ago. And if the Stars can win their first-round sectional game, they will make history. BNL has never won a postseason game in three consecutive years.
“It’s a group that has dwindled down in numbers and all of them have been fighting injuries,” BNL coach Derrick Barker said. “They’ve done a good job of sticking together, providing leadership and that presence. They’ve continued to give the effort.
“They deserve to be recognized, they deserve some credit, love and attention for sticking it out. They are going to try to have a good memory from their Senior Night. It would be awesome for them to get this one.”
This one won’t be easy. The Beast is back, that’s a stone-cold sobering thought, as a matter of fact. Columbus East was the scourge of the conference, winning 96 straight league games and 17 consecutive conference crowns during a reign of terror that finally ended in 2021. After a three-year lull, the Olympians have already clinched a share of the title. They won’t be in a sharing mood.
East will feature junior quarterback Kyson Villarreal (1,048 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and only 1 interception), running back Thomas Houpey (645 yards, 5 TDs), and a squadron of talented receivers with Keaton Lawson (23 for 439 yards, 6 TDs) and Jared Brooks (19 for 277 yards, 3 TDs).
“It starts with Villarreal,” Barker said. “He can throw it, he can run it, he’s strong and powerful. They spread it out, it’s not just one receiver or one runner. They’re very aggressive on defense. They’re good at the fundamental things. They’re good at tackling, not letting the ball get thrown over their heads, they send pressure and create negative plays.
“They’ve improved every week, and they’re playing their best football right now. They’re a very good team, like we’re used to East being, so it will be a challenge for us.”
East has dominated its other five league foes, winning by an average of 32.6 points. But Floyd Central, which faces New Albany this week, could still claim a share of the title with a win and East loss.
BNL (1-4 in the league) has had trouble sustaining. The Stars were within striking range of Jeffersonville until the final two minutes of the first half, trailed 13-12 at halftime at New Albany, trailed Floyd Central 21-14 at halftime, and went to intermission with a 12-12 deadlock last week at Madison.
“We have to make better adjustments in the second half, get ahead of what we think they will be doing, change up some looks,” Barker said. “We don’t have a lot of depth or a huge roster, but it’s having some things to adjust. And when we do get tired, the fundamentals can’t break down. We have to put it all together, from a coaching and playing perspective, for all four quarters.”
“We have to stick together,” Farmer said. “Everyone was trying to do their own thing, worrying about self accomplishments. That’s not worked. We have to have guys willing to work together.”
Last year, BNL conquered East 28-21, winning in Columbus for the first time since 1997. Cal Gates ran for 191 yards and two scores, and Memphis Louden scored twice. Villarreal had three touchdown passes, while Lawson caught 6 for 116 yards and two TDs, for East.
While BNL has been guaranteed another home game (against Jennings County) in the first round of the Class 4A sectional, the seniors realize time is short.
“Don’t take it for granted,” Jackson said. “It’s a short time to play, with your friends and buddies you grew up with. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Four years is all you get.”
COLUMBUS EAST at BNL
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: Columbus East 5-3 (5-0 in HHC); BNL 1-7 (1-4 in HHC)
Coaches: Eddie Vogel, 16-22 in fourth season at East (27-45 in seventh season overall); Derrick Barker, 18-22 in fourth season at BNL
Sagarin ratings: Columbus East 68.22; BNL 25.66
Series: Columbus East leads 40-13
Last meeting: Last year at East, BNL recorded its first road win in the series since 1997 with a 28-21 triumph. Cal Gates ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and Memphis Louden scored twice for the Stars. Kyson Villarreal threw three TD passes for the Olympians.
Previous game story: Warmth for the soul for Stars
Game notes: BNL has won two straight in the series after East won 17 in a row from 2007-2021. East can clinch its first outright HHC title since 2020 with a victory.
