By Greg Halbleib
Clinching a playoff berth and staying on top of the Big Twelve Conference is at the forefront of Normal Community football as the Ironmen visit Danville in the featured game of Week 7’s WJBC Friday Night High School Football Extravaganza.
Normal Community (5-1, 5-0 Big Twelve) visits Danville (4-2, 3-2) to face a physical Vikings squad according to Ironmen coach Jason Drengwitz.
“Offensive, they’re explosive and they have some guys who can make pretty good plays,” Drengwitz said. “They’re a little more multiple than they’ve been in the past. Defensively, they’re pretty simplistic in what they do but they play what they play and they play it really well.”
Drengwitz said the Ironmen offense took positive steps in last week’s 43-26 win at Bloomington.
“We felt like the offense finally got going and played up to the capabilities of what we expected at the beginning of the year,” the second-year coach said. “It kind of carried its weight for what we really feel like was the first time all year.”
Live reports on the Week 7 Extravaganza will come from Normal West (4-2, 4-1 Big Twelve) hosting Peoria Manual (0-6, 0-5), Chatham Glenwood (6-0, 6-0 Central State Eight) at U-High (2-4, 2-4) and Central Catholic (2-4, 2-4 Illini Prairie) at Rantoul (0-6, 0-6) (live WJEZ-FM 98.9 and WJEZ.com–click here to listen).
Bloomington (3-3, 3-2 Big Twelve) plays Saturday at 7 p.m. at Peoria Stadium against Peoria Notre Dame (4-2, 4-2) in a crucial contest for both squads. The game can be heard live on WJBC.com at 6:45 by clicking here.
Week 7 schedule (all 7 p.m. Friday unless noted):
Big Twelve:
Normal Community at Danville
Peoria Manual at Normal West
Champaign Central at Peoria
Peoria Richwoods at Urbana
Bloomington at Peoria Notre Dame (at Peoria Stadium, Sat. 7 p.m.)
Illini Prairie:
Central Catholic at Rantoul
Illinois Valley Central at St. Joseph-Ogden
Prairie Central at Olympia
Pontiac at Monticello
Tolono Unity at Champaign St. Thomas More
Central State Eight:
Chatham Glenwood at U-High
Decatur Eisenhower at Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin
Jacksonville at Springfield Southeast
Springfield at Rochester
Springfield Lanphier at Decatur MacArthur
Apollo:
Mt. Zion at Lincoln
Central Illinois:
Clinton at Moweaqua Central A & M
Sangamon Valley:
Dwight-Gardner-South Wilmington at Iroquois West
Lincoln Prairie:
Cerro Gordo-Bement at Blue Ridge
Non-Conference:
Tri-Valley at Heyworth
El Paso-Gridley at Knoxville
Fisher at Deer Creek-Mackinaw
LeRoy at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
Fieldcrest at Ridgeview-Lexington (at Lexington)
Tremont at Eureka
Eight-Man:
Champaign Judah Christian at Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland
Sports Director Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
