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Inkspot

Whatever you are interested in, we've got it covered.

Inkspot

Whatever you are interested in, we've got it covered.

Inkspot

Giana Rawlings continued to pad the schools three-point record on Thursday night, hitting three more shots from range in the Irons Regional title win. 
Photo Courtesty: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

3-point barrage propels girls basketball team to 3rd straight Regional Title, dominating Dragons 57-30

Iron to face winner of Rock Island/ East Moline contest in Sectional Semifinals
Inkspot Staff
Feb 16, 2024

The Ironmen girls basketball team secured their third consecutive Regional title on Thursday with a resounding 57-30 victory over Pekin, slaying the Dragons on their home court.  While Giana Rawlings wasn’t in the lineup for Community’s Regional Semis win on Feb. 14, the school’s all-time three-point...

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Digital Illustration // Mr. Brad Bovenkerk

Ironmen trio returns to IHSA 3A State Wrestling Championship looking to improve on last season’s results

Inkspot Staff and Brayden Blackwell
Feb 15, 2024

Three members of the boys wrestling team return to the IHSA 3A State Wrestling competition in Champaign on Feb. 15, looking to build on last season's results, after earning top-three finishes in last weekend’s Quincy Sectional. Cooper Caraway will make his third consecutive appearance at the State...

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Rawlings set Communitys school three-point record earlier this month, a record previously established by Summer Stoewer in 2018 at 219.
Tyler Siebring, a 2015 graduate, holds the boys program record with 166 threes.
Photo Courtesy: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

Girls basketball chases history amidst record-setting season

Rawlings, Corson hit major milestones ahead of postseason play
Bella Green, Staff Writer
Feb 14, 2024

Last season, the girls basketball team set a program win record, going 31-4. Now, the Iron have the opportunity to make history again, adding to the class of 2024’s already impressive list of accomplishments. After knocking off Normal West in the Pekin Regional Semi-Final contest on Feb. 12,...

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Olivia Corson led Community in scoring in the regional win over Normal West. Six of Corsons 14 points came in the first quarter, helping establish the Irons lead.

Photo Courtesty of: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

Ironmen girls basketball dominant against Normal West, Eye third straight Regional title

Inkspot Staff
Feb 13, 2024

The Ironmen have their sights set on a third consecutive Regional title after knocking off Normal West 49-26 on Feb. 12, improving to 29-3 on the season. While Community and West traded leads for the first five minutes of play, the Iron began to pull away after Olivia Corson banked a layup of the backboard...

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Nike Newsome led the Ironmen in scoring with 10 points, his final three points gave Community the lead and the win. 

Photo Courtesty of: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

Ironmen boys basketball rallies to upset Moline Maroons 31-29 in nail-biter

Inkspot Staff
Feb 13, 2024

The Ironmen came away with a 31-29 win over defending 4A State Champions, the Moline Maroons, battling back from a nine-point first-half deficit. Community (25-5) and Moline (23-6) posted season-low scores in what was, at times, a slow to no-tempo game. The Ironmen trailed 8-5 at the end of the...

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The Ironmen and Maroons are tied at 2-2 the last two seasons. Community swept the season series against Moline in 2022, eliminating the Maroons from the postseason. 
Last season, the Maroons repaid the favor, ending the Ironmens season. 
// Digital Illustration

Ironmen seek redemption against reigning 4A boys basketball champs Moline Maroons

Jeffery Woodard, Senior Staff Reporter
Feb 9, 2024

The Ironmen boys basketball team (24-5) hosts defending 4A champions the Moline Maroons Community’s final regular season home game, tipping off Saturday at 3 p.m. in a potential postseason preview. The Moline matchup has morphed into a rivalry in recent years, Iron assistant coach Mr. Matt Schweinberg...

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Community fell to defending 3A champions Metamora Saturday, Feb. 3 in the finale of the Midwest Crossroads Shootout at Normal West. The contest was back-and-forth until midway through the 3rd quarter when the Cardinals pulled away. 

// Photo Illustration

Beyond the box score: 5 things we learned from boys basketball’s loss to Metamora

Zachary Knox-Doyle, Senior Staff Reporter
Feb 9, 2024

A nine-point scoring differential–in football, that’s a two-score game; in baseball, it’s a team hitting the cover of the ball; and in hockey and soccer, a rather rare feat.   In the realm of high school basketball, where every possession counts and every point can tilt the scale, a box score...

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Wrestling head coach Mr. Trevor Kaufman took over the program ahead of the 2015-16 season. 
In the years since he has established the Ironmen as a premiere program locally.

Q&A with Ironmen wrestling head coach Mr. Trevor Kaufman

Brayden Blackwell, Senior Staff Reporter
Feb 8, 2024

Advancing six wrestlers to sectional competition is just one of the wrestling program’s many accomplishments this season under head coach Mr. Trevor Kaufman. The team won a second-consecutive Big 12 Conference title and second-straight Intercity championship. They went 18-2 as a team at dual meets,...

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Senior Cooper Caraway was the lone first-place finisher at regionals. The veteran is looking to return to State after finishing 6th last season, despite medically forfietting with a broken bone in his hand. 
Photo Courtesy of: Ironmen Wrestling Instagram // @Ironmenwrestle

Ironmen boys wrestlers aim for State at Quincy Sectional

Strong showing at Joliet Central Regional propels 6 to sectionals
Inkspot Staff
Feb 8, 2024

Six wrestlers advanced from Feb. 2’s Joliet Central Regional, moving on to compete in Friday’s Quincy Sectional, where they will vie for a shot at the IHSA 3A State Wrestling Tournament. Senior Cooper Caraway is looking for a third consecutive trip to the State meet after taking first in the regional’s...

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On Senior Night, the Ironmen clinched the Big 12 Conference title with standout performances from seniors Dexter Niekamp and Braylon Roman. 
Photo Courtesy of: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

Ironmen boys basketball clinch Big 12 Conference title

Niekamp dominates Danville in perfect performance
Inkspot Staff
Feb 7, 2024

The Ironmen boys basketball team secured the Big 12 Conference championship with a 73-48 win over the Danville Vikings on Feb. 2. With the victory, Community improved to 9-0 in conference play, placing the Big 12 title beyond the reach of the 8-1 Richwoods Knights. Despite one conference contest remaining,...

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Community won a third-straight Big 12 Conference title on Saturday, Feb. 3. They head into the swim postseason looking to build on their late-season success.

Photo Courtesy of: Mrs. Heather Budak

Boys swim team eyes historic 3rd-consecutive Sectional title after Intercity, Big 12 Championship wins

Inkspot Staff
Feb 7, 2024

The boys swim team, after clinching a fourth-straight Intercity title and a third Big 12 championship in as many years, looks poised to compete for a historic third-consecutive Sectional title when Community heads to the Pekin Swimming and Diving Sectional on Feb. 17.  Fueling the team’s late-season...

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The Midwest Crossroads tournament will feature five state ranked teams Saturday. The annual Normal West shootout began in 2022.

Top-ranked showdown: Ironmen boys basketball face Metamora Redbirds at 2024 Midwest Crossroads Shootout

Jeffery Woodard, Senior Staff Reporter
Feb 2, 2024

The Ironmen boys basketball team takes on the Metamora Redbirds in a clash of two state-ranked teams in Saturday’s 2024 Midwest Crossroads Shootout at Normal West. The Redbirds, as of Jan. 31st’s Associated Press rankings, are third in Class 3A and the Ironmen seventh in 4A, with both teams...

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Adopting a shot clock, Communitys head basketball coaches said, is complicated by the cost of installation and finding skilled workers to operate them during games.

Community basketball coaches think it’s time for shot clock

Jeffery Woodard, Senior Staff Reporter
Jan 26, 2024

Is time expiring on the no shot clock era in Illinois high school basketball? Community’s head varsity basketball coaches Mr. Dave Witzig and Mr. Dave Feeney hope so. While the IHSA approved the use a 35-second shot clock for regular season shootouts and tournaments two seasons ago, the shot...

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Witzig v. Feeney – Battle of basketball brains [video]

Normal Community's head basketball coaches face off in this rapid-fire test of their basketball knowledge
BJ Dumas
Jan 26, 2024
Normal Community's head basketball coaches Mr. Dave Witzig and Mr. Dave Feeney face off in this rapid-fire test of their basketball knowledge.
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Community last qualified for State in 2021, when the contest was held virtually. The teams last in-person trip to State came in 2019 when the team finished 24th. 
Photo Courtesy of: HR Imaging

Competitive cheer works overtime pursuing postseason success

Abby Ruebush, Editor-in-Chief
Jan 23, 2024

The competitive cheer team took second in the Big 12 Conference competition Wednesday, Jan. 17, finishing behind Normal West.  The finish marked an improvement over 2023's conference results, an indication that the team's dedication and determination is paying off.   Last season, the team took...

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