You might think playing in its first state championship football game would put a little pressure on Byron.
Actually, the Tigers were equally concerned about bragging rights with Class 2A champion Stillman Valley, their rivals 5 miles down the road.
Players from these Big Northern Conference teams eat breakfast every Friday at Sunshine II in Byron, never really saying much to each other.
If they get together next week, it could be a lively session.
Right after Stillman Valley won its title, Byron crushed St. Joseph-Ogden 41-8 Friday night at Memorial Stadium for the Class 3A title.
Two over easy for the Big Northern.
Had they lost, Byron’s players probably couldn’t stomach the idea of showing up next Friday with a little egg on their faces.
“That was on my mind,” said Byron halfback Sean Considine, who ran for 189 yards and one touchdown while fullback Mark Cotter gained 142 and scored four TDs.
“If they had won and we had lost, it would’ve been something I’d hear about for the whole year.”
Instead, Byron put on a record-breaking show.
The Tigers’ 673 points this season are the most by a team in state history, eclipsing East St. Louis’ 671 in 1985.
Appropriately enough, it was Cotter’s 3-yard touchdown run with 8 seconds left in the third quarter that set the record, and his PAT kick made it 41-0.
Cotter’s four TDs and five extra-point conversions gave him 29 points, a 3A title-game record.
Byron’s 443 yards rushing established another 3A final mark.
Amazingly, Byron’s victory Friday was its closest game of the playoffs.
In five games, the Tigers outscored their opponents 269-57.
“This is a tremendous offensive team, and there was never a doubt about that,” said Byron coach Everett Stine, whose 33rd season culminated in his first state championship as he celebrated his 60th birthday. “I’ve never coached a group of kids that had the talent these guys have. I never dreamed we’d score this many points, but the only record we cared about was 14-0.”
It was total domination by Byron in the first half as the Tigers racked up 318 yards to 2 for St. Joe in forging a 27-0 lead.
For most of the first half, the Spartans were in negative yardage.
Once Byron pulled out to a 41-0 lead, a national high school federation rule went into effect with a running clock used whenever there is a 40-point margin.
“Byron left no doubt who is the better team,” St. Joe-Ogden coach Dick Duval said. “We didn’t have any answers for them on defense.”
The 1A title game drew a crowd of 4,401 and the 2A attracted 6,640 spectators. With the 3A attendance figure of 8,966, the first-day total at Memorial Stadium was 20,007.
