NORMAL – Every team begins its season thinking in terms of hope, improvement since the previous season, and displaying a positive outlook as they face their opponents for another season. Those ingredients were on display as Normal Community West High’s football team opened the season at Wildcat Field Friday with a 42-0 shutout over Big 12 Conference opponent Champaign Central.

Normal West’s positive beginning to the season began with a 10 yard touchdown pass from Wildcats senior quarterback Jayden Mangruem to sophomore wide receiver Cooper Temples, followed by a successful extra point addition by senior kicker Owen Senn, giving the Wildcats a fast 7-0 lead with 8:32 left in the first quarter.

Each team with next have a possession ending in a fumble, giving their opponent the ball, but not long enough to make headway. The Maroons would have a short yardage punt which put Normal West (1-0 Big 12) on Champaign’s 21 yard line. Three plays later, senior running back Larell Fisher dodged Champaign defenders to get into the end zone with 3:22 left in the first quarter to increase the Wildcats’ lead, followed by Senn’s extra point, helping Normal West lead, 14-0, with 3:22 left in the first quarter.

The ensuing possession for Champaign Central (0-1) would end in a fumble recovered by Wildcats senior defensive lineman Kaleb Gibbs at 11:46 in the second quarter. Two plays later, Mangruem’s 25 yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jackson Seal, followed by Senn’s next extra point, increased Normal West’s advantage to 21-0, with 11:31 left in the second quarter.

After the Maroons couldn’t very far inside their half of the field and punted, Normal West began their next possession deep in Champaign Central’s territory where Mangruem contributed a score of his own from a yard out followed by Senn’s extra point. That increased Normal West’s lead to 28-0.

Champaign Central’s next possession began at the Maroons’ 20 yard line but ended as quickly as it began with a punt which landed at the visitor’s own 24 with 4:56 left in the first half. Four plays later, Mangruem’s pass to junior wide receiver Gavin Camp saw Camp dash into the end zone for another score followed by Senn’s extra point, giving Normal West a 35-0 lead with 3:07 left until halftime.

Champaign Central received the ball to begin the third quarter, but as their earlier attempts had been to get to mid-field, the attempt the half opened with also failed as a touchback had the Maroons starting play at their own 20 and four plays later, the Wildcats again received a punt which started Normal West at their own 48 yard line. It took just one play for Normal West’s next score courtesy of Edwards as he outran defenders getting into the end zone followed by Senn’s extra point resulting in the game’s eventual final score.

Because Edwards’ touchdown gave the Wildcats 40 points, game officials employed IHSA’s “Mercy Rule,” – using a continuously running clock, stopping it only for timeouts taken by a team or because of an injury.

“Our offense did exactly what we wanted them to do,” explained Normal West head coach Nate Fincham. “After our first drive, the defense came back and got us the ball back right away. There are a lot of things to clean up but that’s what practice is for.” Asked about his offense having a short field to work with at times during the contest, Fincham added, “We’ll take that every single game.”

Fincham credited the size and speed of his defensive players for aiding in getting a first victory of the season for the team. “I’m happy with our effort and with how our first game went,” explained the Wildcats’ fifth-season head coach.

“It was a tough game but I think our team learned some things,” explained Champaign Central head coach Tim Turner. “We’re a young football team so there’s going to be some bumps in the road. Our guys kept playing hard and that’s all you can ask for out of a young team. It’s a matter of getting one percent better every day.”

If there was an upside to his team’s loss, Turner said, his players, although they lost, still were smiling and ready to learn.

Two Straight Road Games Are Next: While Friday’s season opener may have appeared easy for the Wildcats, the next two games have Normal West as the visitor facing tough foes at Bloomington Friday and at Normal Community for the annual “Chili Bowl” game Sept. 9.

NORMAL – Normal Community High School continued its winning streak, increasing it to five games following their Big 12 Conference home game Friday night, defeating Big 12 Conference foe Champaign Central, 57-31, continuing adding to their undefeated streak at the Intercity Tourney two weeks ago. On the other hand, the game was the season opener for the Maroons who started the season at 0-1.

Champaign Central Ta’Shawn Butler got his team off quickly with a game opening trey putting the Maroons up, 3-0. But NCHS was quick to respond thanks to a pair of deuces by senior forward Zachary Cleveland putting the Ironmen up 4-3. Cleveland followed that up with an unanswered trey, increasing NCHS’ advantage to 7-3. Champaign Central senior forward Maurice Thomas Jr.’s deuce cut the lead to 7-5, but a deuce for NCHS by sophomore Noah Cleveland put the Ironmen up, 9-5. Thomas’ jumper cut that lead to 9-7, but that was all the offense the visitors could muster, as a deuce from sophomore guard Braylon Roman and a trey from Noah Cleveland nearly doubled the Ironmen’s lead to 13-7 going into the second quarter.

NCHS (5-0 after this game) opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run thanks to one basket by senior guard Crofton Perry, and a pair of baskets by Dwinal, followed by another basket by Perry opened the Ironmen advantage to 21-7 with 6:27 in the quarter prompting Maroons head coach Leconte Nix to call timeout. Thomas would score his team’s only other points of the half, cutting NCHS’ lead to 23-9 with 4:55 left in the half. Two baskets for NCHS by senior forward Zachary Cleveland and one by Roman followed and were all unanswered by Champaign pushing the home team up 27-9 with 3:55 left in the half, prompting Nix to call another timeout. But the temporary stop didn’t appear to be much help as NCHS pressed on as sophomore forward Noah Cleveland closed out the half with a deuce and an unanswered trey, giving NCHS a 32-9 halftime lead.

A foul called against NCHS’ Dwinal sent Butler to the free throw line to open the third quarter, where he only made 1-of-2 which cut the Ironmen lead to 32-10. But from there, NCHS’ offense pushed forward on back-to-back unanswered baskets by Zachary Cleveland, increasing the lead to 36-10. Only a trey by sophomore forward Axel Baldwin for the Maroons stopped that, cutting NCHS’ lead to 36-13 with 5:56 in the quarter.

Junior guard Robbie Brent and senior forward Famious French sandwiched baskets for NCHS around a trey for Champaign Central by Butler, increasing the Ironmen lead, 40-16, followed by another Maroons bucket from senior guard Dwayne Hubbard, reducing the Ironmen lead to 40-18, prompting the Maroons to call time with 2:40 left in the quarter. Following the timeout, sophomore Jaheem Webber’s jumper increased NCHS’ lead to 42-18 and was followed by a 3-point play of deuce and free throw by Butler to close out the quarter with NCHS holding a 42-21 advantage.

Butler opened the fourth quarter for his team with a trey and NCHS senior guard Eli Benson replied with a trey of his own followed by an unanswered deuce by junior forward Owen Pogge putting NCHS up, 47-24. Butler’s ensuing trey cut that lead to 47-27, but that was short-lived a basket by senior center Tye Niekamp followed by a Butler trey sent NCHS up, 52-27, with 3:58 remaining, prompting a Champaign timeout.

Following the timeout, an NCHS foul sent Central senior guard Javier Cooper to the foul line with 2:51 left making only 1-of-2, reducing NCHS’ lead, 52-28. But a trey by Benson put NCHS up, 55-28. Senior forward Klaeton Davis hit a jumper for Central, cutting NCHS’ lead to 55-30 and Niekamp responded with the Ironmen’s last points of the night, increasing their lead to 57-30. Champaign Central’s last point of the night came when senior guard Lawrence Parks went 1-for-2 from the free throw line having been fouled by an NCHS player.

NCHS head coach Dave Witzig touted how well his players have helped get their team off to their undefeated start after this game. “We have some height, we have some speed, and we just hope we can keep winning like this. We wanted to win in front of our home crowd and I thought our guys did a good job all the way around staying focused and working on things we have been working on it practice.”

Witzig said his team “missed some layups, but I really like how our defense played. We have seven seniors who are dedicated to getting better. When you have seven seniors who are really into playing, it helps your team. We hope we can keep going.”

Champaign Central head coach Leconte Nix said his team had only had two practices over the previous two weeks before this game because of players who contracted COVID and, as a result, was only were able to suit eight players for this game. Despite that and the outcome from this game for his team, Nix said, “Our kids played hard and I loved their effort, so that’s all I can ask for.”

Streak Continues: Saturday, the Ironmen traveled to southern Illinois to take on East St. Louis High at the annual Mount Vernon Shootout tournament. NCHS extended their winning streak to six with a 50-37 victory. The game’s first half was a tight battle, with the Ironmen holding a 21-20 halftime lead. But the Ironmen managed to pull away in the second half, outscoring the Flyers, 29-17, toward the consecutive victory.