The Byron Eagles showed flashes of strong football on Saturday, but penalties and missed opportunities ultimately proved too much to overcome in a 36-8 loss. Despite the final score, Byron was able to find success moving the football, particularly on the ground. Junior #2 L'Esperance led the Eagles with 108 rushing yards on 13 carries, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt with a long run of 39 yards. Sophomore #33 Forgie added 68 yards on 15 carries and scored Byron’s lone touchdown. The Eagles finished with 173 rushing yards as a team. Through the air, Junior #2 L'Esperance completed 4 of 8 passes for 49 yards. Junior #44 Adkins led the receiving group with 30 yards, while Sophomore #10 Herbst added 10 yards and Sophomore #14 Villani finished with 9. One of the biggest differences in the game was Byron hurting itself before plays could fully develop. The Eagles were flagged for five false starts, six holding penalties and one offsides penalty. Those 12 penalties consistently put Byron behind the chains, erased positive plays and made it difficult for the offense to sustain drives. Defensively, the Eagles continued to battle despite spending plenty of time on the field. Junior #20 Hoskins led Byron with 11 tackles, followed by Sophomore #33 Forgie with 9, Sophomore #10 Herbst with 7 and Senior #8 Ritter with 6. Junior #44 Adkins also came away with a forced fumble, while Sophomore #14 Villani recovered it as well. The 36-8 final score isn't what Byron wanted, but there are positives to build from. The Eagles proved they can move the football, with multiple players making plays on both sides of the ball. The next step is cleaning up the mistakes that turned manageable situations into difficult ones. With a young Byron team continuing to gain experience each week, the focus now shifts toward learning from this one, eliminating the self-inflicted mistakes and continuing to improve. The pieces are there. Now it’s about putting together a cleaner four quarters of football.