John's Journal: A Night For Football And Giving Back In Byron

BYRON – Casey O’Brien was at the game. And that was just about everything for everyone who has followed the young man’s lengthy cancer journey. But there was a lot more happening Friday night at Byron High School’s fabulous newly-minted stadium, with the focus on the O’Briens and other families who are taking the sometimes unsure footsteps when cancer is the opponent.

Casey, a young assistant coach at Holy Family Catholic, is the son of Fire head coach Dan O’Brien. Cancer has come after Casey several times since the first matchup in 2013, when he was heading into high school at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. It followed him to the University of Minnesota and this year, 11 years into it, he is in Round 8 with cancer. That’s right, the disease has been diagnosed and treated seven times previously, and in the midst of No. 8 Casey underwent a chemo treatment just two days before Friday’s game against the Byron Bears.

The game was designated as Crush Cancer Night in Byron and crush it they did. The fundraising totals reached nearly $10,000, with proceeds being spread mostly in the local community…

--Julio Novo, father of two young daughters, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia early this year and is in the midst of treatments.

--Gabriel Downey, 4, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in April. He has been receiving chemo treatments since then.

--Krista Ryan, a Byron grad and mother of two daughters, was diagnosed with Stage 3 renal cancer in May. She has undergone multiple surgeries and other procedures.

Much of the money raised from Crush Cancer went to the three local families (Krista asked that the funds designated for her be given to the others). A donation of $2,500 went to the O’Briens; Casey is undergoing new procedures that are not covered by insurance.

One of the lessons here is that sports can mean a lot more than what the scoreboard says.

“The games are important, I’m not going to say they’re not, but it’s important for our kids to understand that you serve other people,” said Byron head coach Ben Halder, who also knows about dealing with tragedy.

Outside of Byron, most people aren’t aware that Ben has a prosthetic left leg. In 2005, when the Lake City native and former football player at Minnesota State Mankato was an assistant coach at Marietta College in Ohio, he was on a recruiting trip when his vehicle skidded on ice and collided with a semi.

The result was an amputated left leg, below the knee. Dan O’Brien was not aware of Ben’s situation until learning about it the day before Holy Family played in Byron.

“High school football and school communities need more guys like Ben Halder,” said O’Brien.

During the game, Byron coaches wore black t-shirts bearing the school logo, colors and the message, “In this family, no one fights alone.” The Bears had similar shirts made for the Holy Family coaching staff, which bore the Fire logo and the same message. After Byron came away with a 41-24 win, the head coaches posed for a photo.

Ben and Dan had talked on the phone earlier in the week, and Ben let Dan know about the donation from Crush Cancer Night. They talked about the importance of letting people help when they have a desire to help.

“When I was in a position when I needed help, it can stink to think you need help when you’re a strong, independent football player,” said Halder, who is in his ninth year as the Bears coach. “I think back to the communities that helped, the guys I played with in Mankato, the people back home in Lake City. Dan Runkle, who was my college coach and then athletic director at the University of Dubuque, he called me when I was in the hospital.

“No two people or situations are ever the same, but when you need help, the community of sport helps. If there is a similarity (between Ben and Casey), that’s probably what it is. The game of football can give back in such a big way.”

That philosophy is exhibited in a message from Halder that was printed as part of Friday’s game programs …

“Byron Football’s mission is to cultivate character both on and off the field by instilling the values of love, trust, commitment, and best effort. We are committed to developing principled leaders who excel in all aspects of their lives. Through dedication, hard work, and mutual support, we aim to build a football program that fosters personal growth, a strong sense of community, and prepares our players top be responsible and impactful citizens.”

The scene on game night in Byron was everything anyone could ever ask for. It was Homecoming, so the crowd was large and arrived early. Fans were served terrific food from The B-Town Bistro, a food truck that is operated by students. The school and stadium are on the south edge of town, with views of farm fields, hills, trees and the occasional deer and pheasants.

The Byron cross-country team delivered the game ball to midfield before kickoff, the band and cheerleaders were top-notch, the concert choir sang the national anthem and the black-clad student section – known as the Black Hole – cheered unrelentingly from behind the west end zone.

When game time arrived, the Bears took the field by streaming out of a giant inflatable cartoon bear head, with taller players being careful not to catch their helmets on low-hanging, air-filled teeth as smoke machines saluted their run-out. From that point forward, everything clicked in making the evening unforgettable: the giant digital scoreboard, the high-level sound system and music played between snaps, the throng of fans, the cool September air. Everything was superb.

And did anyone mention that Byron has a very good football team? After a close loss to Providence Academy in Week 1, the Bears have now won four in a row after defeating the Fire. Byron came into the game ranked seventh in Class 4A and Holy Family was No. 6 in Class 3A.

A year ago, which was Dan O’Brien’s first season as head coach at Holy Family, Byron defeated the Fire 28-0. Both teams are 4-1 heading into Week 6 games.

Week 5 might be a bit early to declare that any team played a complete game, but the Bears were very impressive. Byron, which did not punt, had 515 yards of offense to Holy Family's 257. They also were explosive, scoring 41 points despite possessing the ball for 18 minutes, 25 seconds to 32:37 for the Fire.

Bears junior running back Carson Heimer had 20 carries for 214 yards and touchdowns of 55, 11 and 1 yards, giving him season totals of 91 rushes for 804 yards and six scores. Carson’s 55-yard burst to the end zone came with exactly 18 seconds elapsed in the first quarter.

Byron sophomore quarterback Elijah Rodemeyer completed six of nine passes for a whopping 225 yards, including TDs of 56 yards to Mason Helland and 73 yards to Heimer.

Colin Hansen, a University of Minnesota commit from Byron, is a 6-foot-7, 240-pound senior lineman who brings mayhem on both sides of the ball.

For the Fire, sophomore quarterback Ethan Ryan completed 10 of 18 passes for 78 yards and also ran for a short score and Breck Neubauer returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

After the final whistle, the teams gathered around their head coaches, mingled with families and friends, then gathered for a meal together before the Fire headed home to their school in Victoria, 97 miles away.

On the field, Casey O’Brien had a Byron “No one fights alone” t-shirt slung over his shoulder, a gift from Halder. Everyone knew the final score while also recognizing the bigger picture.

Based on his own experience, Halder said he had told Dan O’Brien, “When you need help, you need to let people help. Casey’s obviously got a big platform, and at the same time it also shows you the power of sport, right? It’s not just football, it’s all sports. Football is such a large community and it’s such a big part of Friday nights in Minnesota and everywhere.

“My situation wasn’t life-threatening at any point and Casey’s probably is,” Halder said. “It’s easy for me to look back and have perspective, 20 years later. As a 28-year-old it was almost the end of the world, I thought. Now you look back and say, ‘Wow, it wasn’t that big of a deal.’ I put on a bigger shoe now. I’m not fighting for my life like Casey is. Things are precious; your relationships with people, those things are precious. You don’t fight it and win so many times if you don’t have the right attitude.

“Casey is inspiring. It’s a perspective on life, it’s a lot of things.”

Yes, it’s a lot of things, important things … no matter what the scoreboard says.

--To see more photos from Byron, go to the MSHSL Facebook page.

--MSHSL senior content creator John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at [email protected] or [email protected]