BYRON, MINN. - On a night when it appeared Byron might meet its match, a standout performance by their biggest star set the Bears apart from the pack in Class 4A football.

Byron two-way standout Carson Heimer rushed for more than 200 yards, found the end zone three times and added an interception on defense as the Bears hung on at home to defeat the Kasson-Mantorville KoMets 34-20 in front of a record crowd of more than 2,000 people.

“That’s why he’s one of the best players in the state,” Byron head coach Ben Halder said.

“Because he said, ‘Give me the ball. I want to win this game for us’ … and they did tonight.”

Both Bryon, No. 1 in Class 4A, and No. 3 Kasson-Mantorville entered the game undefeated with their sights on state championship appearances. And in the first half, both teams looked the part of title contender.

K-M jumped to an early 7-0 lead after an interception from defensive back Camryn Tottingham set up a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Grady Babcock. But Byron battled back with a 63-yard rushing touchdown from Heimer on the ensuing possession.

That back and forth continued throughout the first half, with K-M’s Logan Louks later finding the end zone with a 40-yard rush off an option pitch. Heimer added another score for Byron to even things up heading to halftime.

But what a difference a half can make. The Bears came out of the intermission refusing to give an inch to the Kasson-Mantorville offense and didn’t relent for two full quarters. The Bears dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Heimer, who gave the Bears their first lead of the night early in the fourth quarter, also began to show why he’s considered one of the best two-way players in the state. He recorded three tackles for loss in the second half after the Bears made adjustments at halftime to get Heimer involved against the run.

“Carson’s one of the fastest players in the entire state,” Halder said. “And so we just let him roam the middle of the field and he really had zero responsibility other than tackling the [player with the] football.”

Kasson-Mantorville had chances, but Byron’s defense was just too stingy in the second half. Already ahead by a score, Byron forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter that was picked up by junior Mateusz Kawczynski, who took it more than 40 yards to seal the victory for the Bears.

Byron, No. 1 in Class 4A in the media poll, staked a claim as a clear favorite to win the state title. But before the Bears can pencil in plans for November, they will face another big challenge next week, when they travel to Stewartville to take on the reigning 3A champ Tigers.

“That’s a big section game, too. They’re two-time defending state champs,” Halder said of a Stewartville program that moved up to Class 4A in the offseason. ”They are good — really good. But we feel like we’ve been battle-tested … and our kids are going to be really focused and dialed in.”