The Byron Eagles got their first opportunity to line up against outside competition Friday night, taking the field in a preseason scrimmage against Marion, Montabella, and Whittemore-Prescott. Byron came out of the gate with plenty of energy. The Eagles were flying around the field, communicating well, and playing with great effort on both sides of the ball. Early in the night, the team showed a lot of encouraging signs and gave the coaching staff plenty to be excited about moving forward. As the scrimmage continued, fatigue began to set in and the Eagles struggled to maintain that same level of confidence and execution. Mistakes started to pile up later in the night, but that's exactly what preseason scrimmages are for — finding the areas that need to be cleaned up before the games begin. With a young roster this season, one of the biggest positives was the number of valuable reps the Eagles were able to get for their younger players. Several athletes gained important varsity experience against three different opponents and had an opportunity to see firsthand the speed and physicality they'll face this fall. There is plenty to work on, but there was also plenty to build on. The Eagles leave the scrimmage with a much better understanding of where they are as a team, what needs to improve, and what they're capable of when they play with confidence, communication, and energy. Now it's back to work as Byron prepares for Mesick Week 1.