5 players who've helped Byron football score more points than any other team in Illinois

The talent-laden Byron Tigers were supposed to be tested last week, by both Dixon and maybe even by a monsoon-like rain storm that rolled in and changed the way every team had to do things on Friday night.

Well, they were not fazed. By either.

And thanks to a deep and skilled roster, Byron — which has scored more points (494) than any other team in Illinois — controlled the game from start to finish, like it had done the other seven Friday nights. It all but locked up its seventh straight Big Northern Conference title with a 49-6 win over Dixon.

"It's a lot of hard work over the years; this is what you get," Byron head coach Jeff Boyer said. "And this team just keeps getting better each and every day."

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Now Byron will get set to close out the regular season, and that BNC title, on the road against Stillman Valley. And while this is a rivalry game — and this was the only team they lost to last year until the Class 3A state semifinals — Stillman Valley (5-3) has struggled in stretches this season. That includes three and four weeks ago when the Cardinals lost back-to-back games to North Boone and Oregon.

And, well, Byron has not.

The Tigers have outscored their eight foes by a total of 494-38, scoring more than any other team in the state through eight weeks this season. Only three other teams have scored more than 400 points so far in Illinois.

And it has always been a big team effort. Byron has more depth than any other BNC team, and possibly more than any other Class 3A team in the state. The Tigers have used 20 ball carriers to rush for 3.314 yards and 67 touchdowns on 278 carries. That's an average of 11.92 yards per carry, and 414.25 yards per game.

So headed into the big matchup with Stillman Valley on Friday night, here are five players from Byron's side of the ball that have helped to make this Tigers' squad appear unstoppable so far.

1) Caden Considine, RB/LB

Considine has not only rushed for 764 yards and 16 touchdowns as the team's go-to fullback, but he also leads Byron's defense with 40 tackles and seven tackles for loss. And the 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore is playing about an average of just over half the game each week as the Tigers have stomped on every opponent they have faced this year.

"Our stats are really deceiving; really deceiving," Boyer said. "These guys get in there and they do what they can in the amount of time they get. But we've had some games that were well in hand early on, and they don't get the chances that other teams do."

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Even with the shortage of late-game playing time, Considine is still fourth in the BNC in rushing, just six yards out of second, and he's tied for first in the league with 16 TDs. Look for him to get a lot more work once the playoffs begin, as the games get tighter.

He's ready.

"It all started in the summer, when everyone showed up for lifting, every day. Everyone. I mean everyone," Considine said. "And this is what you get... We're ready for anything. There's no stopping this."

2) Jared Claunch, OL/DT

Claunch, a 5-11, 240-pound junior, has been a mainstay on both sides of the line for Byron. He has been one of the key leaders and it's the dominance in the trenches that has the Tigers so far ahead of most of their opponents.

"It's just incredible what our line has been able to do this year," one of the team's many standout running backs, Brayden Knoll, said. "Guys like Jared and Nolan and all of them, they just come through every week... The holes we have to run through, sometimes, it's just nuts."

Jared's brother Andrew was a fullback and linebacker on the 2021 state championship team when Jared was a freshman.

3 ) Brayden Knoll, RB/Safety

Knoll, like Considine is starting on both sides of the ball, but he is also one of the first to come out when the game gets out of reach. Still, he's seventh in the conference in rushing with 564 yards and 12 TDs, and he leads the team with 94 yards receiving and a touchdown grab. He's also sixth on the team with 15 tackles and is averaging 52 yards per kickoff return and 19 yards per punt return.

"We've just had this intensity all season," Knoll said. "Our motto is 'Respect all; fear none.' So, on the field, we're doing that. We know how to respect our opponents, but we're not afraid of anything, or anybody."

4 ) Nolan Brass, OL/DL

This junior is 6-3, 300 pounds, and he can help shift an entire line of scrimmage. As a group, the offensive and defensive lines for Byron have been possibly the No. 1 key to all of their victories.

Just about every back that touches the ball has a chance to break free, and that's usually because of the holes that have been gouged out by the line. On the other side, the Byron defense has not given up a single rushing TD this year and is allowing 24.63 yards per game on the ground. They only allow 36.63 yards per game through the air as well.

5 ) Jacob Ross, OLB/RB

At just 5-5, 165 pounds, Ross doesn't look as intimidating as Brass, but he sure plays that way. Ross is a three-year starter at linebacker and is a consistent Considine-speller at fullback as well.

Ross has two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown this year, and he's also averaging 16.4 yards per carry on offense and has scored four touchdowns on just nine touches. Ross had a fumble recovery and an interception in Byron's last playoff win: a 32-27 upset victory over Braidwood Reed-Custer in last year's Class 3A quarterfinals.

Team depth is needed in playoffs

"We have so much talent, and so many guys that can play, so we're getting the chance to see what we've got every night," Boyer said. "We know we're going to need it."

Byron expects to make another long playoff run like it has the past five postseasons, which is where team depth really comes in. The Tigers made it to the semis last year; won it all the year before; took second in 2018 and 2019; and bowed out in the semis in 2017.

Boyer said he did not want to leave out leaders like Kye Aken and Ashton Henkel, stars on both sides of the ball. Plus other linemen like Josh Harris, Kyle Jones and Braylon Kilduff, who have all been key in every game as well.

There have been too many stars to mention on this dominant Tigers' team, and possibly more to be coming out soon.

"It's been pretty crazy," Considine added, "just how talented we turned out to be."

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: 5 football players that have Byron looking unbeatable entering finale