Byron football shows off young talent in most impressive state championship yet

Wow.

Just — wow.

Byron Tigers fans rarely got to sit down as their team hauled in the biggest beatdown in IHSA football state championship history.

Byron showed its full arsenal during Friday's 69-7 destruction of Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A title game game in Normal, and boy was it impressive.

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The Tigers hauled in the state's single-season-scoring record (823) and were just one point short of the scoring record for a state championship game. They also managed to produce the most touchdowns in a season (109) and won a state championship game by the largest margin of victory (62).

"These guys certainly saved their best for last, I'll tell you that," Byron coach Jeff Boyer said. "We said we're just going to go down there to do what we do. Just be who we are. And that's what we did tonight."

And get used to it. Byron had one of its youngest rosters in years this season, and the program's junior program earned a sweep, taking tackle titles at the fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade levels.

So this could just be a taste of what's to come.

"Well, we should be this great for the next few years," sophomore fullback and linebacker Caden Considine said. "I mean: Great."

Pick your young star of the day. Or season.

Considine has led the way most in 2023, on both sides of the ball. He was solid again Friday. He finished with 153 yards rushing and two TDs, getting the ball 17 times. He also led the D with four tackles and a forced fumble.

Freshman quarterback Andrew Talbert had 154 yards rushing on five carries with three touchdowns — all in the first half.

Junior halfback Brayden Knoll had 103 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries.

And junior lineman Nolan Brass was helping control the line of scrimmage throughout the day.

"None of this was possible without those big guys up front. All the credit goes to them," Talbert said of Brass and the rest of his line. "All of these guys, all of the juniors and seniors, they all took me under their wing, and they treated me like family. It's been fun. And now, now we're state champs."

Byron's entire football program, from fifth grade all the way up to the high school varsity team, lost a total of two games this year.

Like I may have mentioned: Wow.

"There are some special kids sitting up here with me right now," Boyer said as he glanced around at about a dozen of his stars during the postgame press conference. "We had a great group of seniors this year, and that showed tonight.

"But we're young, too. And there's a lot more to come."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: IHSA football finals: Byron romps to record book, with more to come