Wild, weird and wonderful. That is how I would describe my experience at the Byron-Dixon football game. Beforehand, as I drove down scenic Illinois Route 2, my only hope was that it would at least be competitive, something rarely found at a Byron game.
It was more than competitive. It was full of twists and turns worthy of a suspense novel. For the $5 price of admission, a person is not going to find better entertainment anywhere.
The weirdness was found in the uncharacteristic mistakes made by Byron’s offense. Not used to seeing that. Dixon also got in on the act, as a total of 20 penalties between both teams were whistled.
The wonderment came from the environment at A.C. Bowers Field. As I quizzed a few locals, none could remember such a packed house. Another barometer was ticket-takers running out of programs an hour before the varsity start time.
Dixon is somewhat unique in that all the stands are on one side, as the school butts right up to the east side of the field. From all reports, fans from both schools seemed to get along. Besides the bleachers, fans were sitting in lawn chairs or standing around the end zones.
With everyone totally engrossed in the game, there was no idle time for rabble rousing. Likewise on the playing field, as both teams played respectful ball.
Whether you were a Duke or Tiger fan, everyone had to feel good about what was witnessed. Unlike so many blowout games that seem to litter the high school football landscape more and more, this was a display of two opponents trading punches, with plenty of finesse thrown in.
Even outside observers, like Oregon School Board President Bryan Wills and myself, who I was chatting with during the game, were just as enthralled with the proceedings as any hardcore Byron or Dixon fan.
Certainly the attendance was boosted by plenty of people from other towns who came to the circus. Normally, only playoff games get that type of interest. But, as Byron Coach Jeff Boyer said afterwards, it was like a playoff.
As the Big Northern Conference has evolved over the last couple of decades, Genoa-Kingston, Lutheran, Oregon, Stillman Valley and Winnebago have also had an impact on the grid championship.
That’s not the case anymore. The power of the BNC resides only in Byron and Dixon, with everyone else out of the picture.
That’s not healthy and thankfully Dixon was able to step up to Byron’s level. When Dixon joined the BNC, there was some internal grumbling that it was a step down and might hamper athletic achievement.
I doubt if that is the case anymore and sense Dixon is very happy to be a part of the league. Rochelle has made overtures towards membership, especially with the BNC losing Rockford Christian for football, but have always been rebuffed.
Geographically, Rochelle would be the ideal fit. However, its enrollment of 868 is a bit too large for the conference. Dixon is at 760 and could decline even further.
Whether or not officials seek a replacement to RC in football remains up in the air. If they did, it would be for all sports, turning the league into 11 teams.
In the ever-changing world of conference alignment, the only certainty is that change is inevitable.
Speaking of change, did you know that the IHSA hosted its first ever girls flag football championship this past weekend.
Held at Willowbrook High School, it was Palatine Fremd defeating previously unbeaten Rockford Guilford 24-12. The domain of schools primarily from the Chicago area, it has the potential to grow even larger from its current slate of approximately 150 teams.
In looking at game stats, flag football is more pass-oriented than run. Decades ago, who would have thought girls would be wrestling and playing football.
Will there come a time when the girls engage in full-contact football instead of flag? It is not out of the question.
Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.