Normal West senior Terrance Fisher, front, runs with the ball as Normal Community senior Jowonis Edwards, back, follows close behind during Friday, September 21, 2012, game at Normal Community West High School. (You Name It Sports Magazine/Sandy Adams)

By Eric Stock

Normal West started the game without its top running back and finished the game without its star quarterback, but the tandem of Dominique Stevenson and Alex Jefferson still made their presence known.

Stevenson rushed for 178 yards and four touchdowns while  Jefferson threw for 150 yards and rushed for 52 more before leaving late in the second quarter with an ankle sprain as Normal West pulled away to a 35-23 win over Normal Community in the annual Chili Bowl game between the Unit 5 rivals. 

"This is big for our program and our kids," West coach Darren Hess said. "When you think about excellent football, you obviously think Normal Community. We are new on the scene in my 10th year here. We are trying to get to that level and I'm just proud that we could step up."

NCHS jumped on the board on the first play from scrimmage, a 3-yard run by Jowonis Edwards, which was set up by an 80-yard kick off return by Easton Schaber. After Stevenson answered with the first of his four touchdowns in his first game back since Sept. 7, Edwards responded by taking an option pitch down the left sidelines for the second of his three scores. 

Stevenson's third touchdown of the first half put the Wildcats on top for good at 21-14. 

Jefferson sprained his right ankle as he was tackled on a running play late in the second quarter. Any concerns that the depleted Wildcats would be vulnerable were immediately quashed when junior Greg Hiltbrand marched the Wildcats 80 yards on nine plays, connecting with Terrance Fisher for an 11-yard score with 7:59 remaining in the third quarter. 

Stevenson's fourth touchdown, a 75-yard jaunt in which he broke several downfield tackles, put the game out of reach. 

After losing 13 of the first 15 head-to-head battles with the Ironmen, Normal West has claimed the last three games in the series.

"We've still got to work to improve," Hess said. "We still have some great teams left to play, but to this point we'll take it and hopefully we can learn from it."

The 5-0 Wildcats will visit 4-1 Urbana on Sept. 28. Normal Community will host Decatur Eisenhower next Friday. 

N - Jowonis Edwards 3-yd. run (Grant Donath kick)

NW - Dominique Stevenson 3-yd. run (Zach Breen kick)

N - Edwards 64-yd. run (Donath kick)

NW - Stevenson 6-yd. run (Breen kick)

NW - Stevenson 6-yd. run (Breen kick)

N - Donath 35-yd. FG

NW - Greg Hiltbrand 11-yd. pass to Terrance Fisher (Breen kick)

NW - Stevenson 75-yd. run (Breen kick)

NCHS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: Jowonis Edwards 26-156; Austin Jones 10-20

Passing: Jones 10-16-1-68

Receiving: Chris Ford 3-14; Andrew Shoop 2-18; Jackson Leffler 1-24

NCWHS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS 

Rushing: Dominique Stevenson 18-178; Alex Jefferson 12-52

Passing: Jefferson 10-15-0-150; Greg Hiltbrand 5-6-0-90

Receiving: Terrance Fisher 4-48, Jacob Evans 4-65, Matt Hunsaker 4-55

Interceptions: Darin Bethke

Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.