The Ironmen improved to 4-3 on the season with Saturday’s 47-26 victory over Dohn Community High School, keeping Normal’s playoff hopes alive. 

Junior Brady Augstin was a decisive factor in the Ironmen’s win, playing a pivotal role on both sides of the ball. 

In the first half of the “Clash of the Communities,” Augstin recorded an interception and recovered a botched punt in the endzone for an Iron TD. Under center, Augstin scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Ironmen a 41-8 first half lead. 

Head Coach Jason Drengwitz praised Augstin’s contribution to Community’s ground game:  “[he’s] getting physical, tough yards and making some big plays.”

Augstin leads the Ironmen in rushing touchdowns with four, averaging 3.9 yards a carry. 

Splitting time with sophomore QB Kyle Beaty, Augstin has found ways to contribute in “all three phases” of the game. “Which,” Drengwitz said, “is pretty special. We typically don’t have guys like that.”

In Saturday’s win, Beaty was the featured quarterback — throwing for three first quarter touchdowns. 

Community took a 41-8 lead into halftime. 

The Dohn Community Panthers cut the Iron lead to two scores – scoring three touchdowns in the 3rd quarter, cutting the lead to 41-26.

“We didn’t have the right mental approach coming out of halftime,” Drengwitz said, “that was on me…, that’s my job to make sure we’re in the right state of mind to finish up the game like that.”

Community would answer the Panther’s second-half scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Beaty to Diavion Smith in the fourth quarter.

Beaty completed 9 of 14 attempts on the day for 133 yards and an interception.

The Ironmen head into Friday’s contest against Peoria Notre Dame without running back Tommy Davis and wide receiver Elliot Oliver.

Oliver’s 203 receiving yards and 20 recpetions had him second on the stat sheet among Community’s wide receivers behind  Cam Thierry’s 320 yards on 21 catches. 

Davis leads the team with three receiving scores, and is tied for second behind Augstin with three rushing touchdowns this season. 

Injuries to Oliver and Davis will leave the Ironmen looking elsewhere for offensive production. 

The tandem of Diavion Smith and Chris Taylor will see time in the Ironmen backfield. The pair have combined for four rushing touchdowns and 344 yards this season.

Last season, Taylor was instrumental in the Ironmen’s win over Peoria Notre Dame — scoring a 1-yard TD run to give the Ironmen a 29-22 lead and recording an interception with less than 2 minutes to play to seal the win for Community.

With two games remaining in the 2022 season, the team will “take it one game at a time.”

“This game is the most important game of the year,” Drengwitz said, “just like last week’s game was.”