Tigers taken down by Genoa-Kingston

By Christopher Johnson

REPORTER

A 14-0 loss to the Genoa-Kingston Cogs in game two of the high school football season dropped the Byron Tigers to 1-1 in the abbreviated spring campaign.

Strong defense dictated how the early drives of the Friday match would go, as a consistent stretch of non-allowance continued through the minutes before the half time break.

At the end of the first quarter of play, it remained a scoreless affair, with scoring drives not finding marks, with occasional drives ending empty.

In a matter of moments however, things changed and began to favor the visiting Cogs. Points began to collect. By the half, Genoa-Kingston connected for scores twice to claim a two-touchdown edge, 14-0.

How each team had played through the first quarter of play continued in the third period. Non-point yielding defensive pressure kept each team away from the goal line. As a result, the Friday Big Northern match remained relatively undecided through the end of the fourth and a majority of the final period.

At the start of the fourth quarter the lead Genoa-Kingston had built in the second remained the only points in play on Friday. The 14-0 score was locked into place as the conference leading Cogs improved to 2-0 in 2021.

The recently-established spring season opened with the Tigers toppling Oregon in a March 27 meeting by a little more than a seven-point spread.

The 24-16 decision helped put Byron in the win columns as it looked to try to make the most of spring activity.

With a 1-1 mark, the Tigers still remain in the middle of the pack in the Big Northern Conference. They look to stay within striking distance of a couple recent conference contenders.

On Friday, April 9, Byron gets a chance to rebound in a fairly close-to-home contest east on Rt. 72. The Tigers take on Stillman Valley in game three of the 2021 season.

The Cardinals dominated play in their season opener against northerly neighbor Winnebago on Friday, March 27. Control and consistent firsts helped pilot Stillman Valley to the 21-10 winner and put them in front in the Big Northern early season.

After wrapping up match play with Stillman Valley on Friday night, Byron stays out on the road for its annual battle with Winnebago.

On Saturday, April 17, the Tigers travel to take on the Indians in a scheduled mid-weekend meeting. Kick-off with Winnebago is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

With a post-season still not a reality because of COVID-19, a six-game plan will be the maximum followed by most State football programs.

The Tigers close things down with spring football ending on Friday, April 23. A meeting with the Rockford Lutheran Crusaders has been scheduled to help wrap up the 2021 fall into spring season.

Summer sports play will be underway into the late days of April and through the early weeks of May 2021.

Games such as baseball and softball will be scheduled to be played to help close down the 2020-2021 student sports calendar.