Five-year-old Ryker Hoppe was watching the rural Byron High School football team at a game this fall when he had trouble with his eyes, which began to misalign. His family took him to an emergency room, which led to a shocking diagnosis: Ryker had inoperable brain cancer.

       A few weeks later, after hearing the news, the team took a bus to Ryker’s house, where players and cheerleaders got out to cheer on the 5-year-old and give him fist bumps.

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       “I made sure to give him a high-five,” player Carsen Behn said. “I just wanted to make that night very special for him. He was in our thoughts the whole way.”

       Fans celebrate during Byron’s Class 3A state championship win over downstate Mt. Carmel at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal on Nov. 24, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune )

       In one game of passing a collection bucket and selling T-shirts, the crowd gathered $12,000 for the boy’s family. A GoFundMe raised more than $100,000 in a week. The team ran out to its remaining home games with a flag that read, “Rally for Ryker,” and the players wore the boy’s initials on their helmets.

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       They would go on to an undefeated season, set an Illinois high school record for points in a season and win the state 3A championship.

       Their support for Ryker was a reflection of the treatment the players themselves had received from the community through a series of tragedies. No fewer than nine students, seven of them football players, lost parents during their time in school. The deaths were unrelated and generally due to natural causes such as heart attacks, strokes and cancer, but those parents generally had been in their 50s or younger.

       Byron is a small town, just southwest of Rockford, with a population of about 3,600. Its high school has fewer than 500 students, but receives significant funding from the local nuclear power plant, which was recently saved by a state bailout. Residents say many folks know each other, and when hard times come, they are quick to help one another.

       “It’s always been a tight community, like most small towns,” Cornerstone Family Church Pastor Randy Snyder said. “Because the team feels like family, it’s more personal. Anytime you go through a tragedy, having people who love and care for you makes a difference.”

       The football team is a source of pride for the town, having won championships in 1999 and 2021. Its star running back is the son of a former NFL player. Its star quarterback transferred from another school. Top players took positions on both offense and defense, and the team won lopsided victories throughout the season.

       Coaches credit the players’ focus and work ethic. After they lost in the playoffs last year, the players went right back to training. They hit the weight room regularly at 5 a.m. to get bigger and stronger, and ran acceleration drills to get faster. They’ve played football together since grade school.

       Byron’s Ashton Henkel (5), center, listens to his coaches during a timeout during their Class 3A state championship game against downstate Mt. Carmel at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal on Nov. 24, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune)

       The goal from the start of the season was to win another state title. The team stresses unity, meeting outside of town in a barn, and having dinner together once a week from local restaurants. After each victory, players tie symbolic shoelaces together and nail another rung onto a 14-step ladder marking each step of the way.

       But the team has been tested repeatedly off the field by tragedy. Each time a student’s parent has fallen ill, neighbors have rallied to show their support, help with child care and form meal trains to deliver dinners to the families.

       Among the parents lost was Matt Henkel, manager of the local golf course, who died of brain cancer in 2021 at age 42. His 13-year battle included multiple surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, headaches, infection and exhaustion, with the cancer disappearing at one point, only to return. But he died with his family by his side.

       Residents helped the family with meals, support and child care for their two daughters and a son, Ashton, who plays on the football team. Matt’s wife Cammie Henkel wrote a message to the community.

       Byron senior Ashton Henkel (5), center, laughs as he and his teammates listen to their coaches for one last post-game huddle after beating downstate Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A state championship game at Hancock Stadium in Normal on Nov. 24, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune )

       “Life may not look like what we planned, but life can still be good,” she wrote. “What happened to Matt and our family has unlocked empathy I would never know, it magnified my gratitude and reminds me daily of the magic in every moment.”

       “The important thing to remember is through the tragedy life can still be good,” Cammie Henkel added. “Our chapter was hard but boy did we learn about how good the world can be.”

       Ashton, now a senior, said he and his teammates treasure the memories of the parents they lost.

       “I feel like we all gained lessons from our parents,” Ashton said. “Every day after work, my father would take me to the baseball or football fields and spend time with me trying to perfect my craft. Even if I had a bad game, he knew it was a part of being an athlete, and he helped me with my confidence.”

       After he graduates, Ashton plans to either go to college or possibly work as a lineman for the biggest local employer, ComEd.

       He credits the team’s success to heart.

       “Every person cared,” he said. “We wanted to do it for each other, and we wanted to go out with a bang.”

       When Megahn Behn passed away in 2022 at the age of 37, she left a son, Carsen, who has dealt with her loss through playing football, hunting and fishing with his friends.

       Byron’s Carsen Behn, center, celebrates as the team leaves the field after taking a group photo after the championship game on Nov. 24, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune )

       “They’ve all come together as a brotherhood and supported each other,” his grandmother, Kris Hagemann, said. “If one boy is down, another one brings him up. If somebody else scores, they’re just happy for each other all the time.”

       The school has also faced controversy around the team. In 2019, a former player filed suit against the school, its coaches, administrators and one player, alleging a culture of bullying and hazing. The complaint alleged players were forced to run naked and that one player sexually abused another on the team bus. The case is pending in court.

       For those who remain believers in the team, it’s been a place of victory through a time of loss. Some of the players are still grieving, but they have each other to get them through it, coach Jeff Boyer said.

       “No high school kid should have to deal with that,” Boyer said “These kids found a way to get through difficult times and excel at everything they do, in the classroom and on the football field. What I’m most proud of is what great kids they are.”

       Meanwhile, 5-year-old Ryker continues to get radiation to treat his tumor. Ryker’s aunt, Jennifer Smith, can’t thank the team or the community enough.

       “There aren’t enough words to truly express our gratitude for everyone’s generous donations to our family,” she wrote on the boy’s GoFundMe page. “Thank you all for your kindness and compassion as we continue this fight.”

       rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com