The Ironmen, under Head Coach Jason Drengwitz, have tallied just six regular season losses in his five full seasons helming the team. 

Half of those defeats have come in non-conference play.  

While the Ironmen are an imposing 39-3 in conference games under Drengwitz, Community has struggled outside the Big 12, going 3-3 in non-conference matchups.

However, the record doesn’t tell the whole story—two of those losses were close contests against tough 8A opponents, decided by less than a touchdown.

This Friday’s non-conference matchup promises to again test the Iron’s mettle as Community (3-0) travels to take on the formidable Kankakee Kays (2-1).

The Kays, third in the Associated Press’s 6A polling, are fresh off an undefeated regular season in 2023 and a run to the 6A State Quarterfinals, where they fell to powerhouse East St. Louis. 

Kankakee is of a caliber, Drengwitz said, Community hasn’t faced in the regular season “in a really, really long time.” 

The Kays, led by second-year head coach Mike Osei, feature a roster of battle-tested players, filling 18 positions with returners from last season’s squad.

Their 2024 campaign opened with a thrilling 37-30 loss to Nazareth Academy, back-to-back 5A State champions. 

It was a back-and-forth contest between two of the state’s top teams, with the Nazareth Roadrunners up 20-16 at the half.

The Kays battled back after trailing 29-16 to take a 30-29 lead over the Nazareth with three minutes to play. But ultimately, Kankakee couldn’t hold on.

Since then, the Kays have rebounded, blowing out Washington (1-2) and Thornridge (1-2) by a combined score of 98-7.

Kankakee’s defense, led by senior standout Keyandre White, has proven more than capable of stopping opposing offenses from finding the end zone this season while demonstrating their ability to put up points themselves. 

On Kankakee’s roster, White’s position is listed only as “athlete.” 

His stats have proven that designation true. The senior has tallied four defensive scores this season: three pick-sixes and a fumble recovery return.

Elijah Faulkner and Zeke Sherrod join White with defensive touchdowns: Faulkner scored on a blocked punt return, while Sherrod returned an interception 60 yards for a score.

Linebacker Kennyan Chandler can’t be overlooked either, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Eastern Illinois commit is a threat on both sides of the ball. 

“They have a lot of guys that play both ways,” Drengwitz said, highlighting the Kays’ versatile lineup.

To counter Kankakee’s athletic talent, Drengwitz hopes the Iron can be “explosive” on offense and “physical” on defense, running to the football and making tackles.

Leading the Ironmen’s offense is the tandem of quarterback Kyle Beaty and running back Calen Taylor, dynamic players with big-play ability of their own.

Beaty enters the game with nine touchdowns and one interception, throwing for 468 yards on 23 completions. 

Taylor has seven touchdowns on the young season, five rushing and two punt returns for scores. The senior, despite recording just one rush last week, averages 98 yards a game, racking up 294 total yards on 22 carries.  

Senior wide receiver Ivoreon Austin thinks Taylor’s impact extends beyond the stat sheet. 

Taylor, Austin said, has the “ability to get in open space,” something that forces defenses to “play run-heavy” and opens up the passing game.

That passing game looks to feature Austin heavily this week, matched up against the Kays’ boundary corner, Drengwitz said, where he’ll need “to win some one-on-one matchups there.”

The 6-foot wideout has proven his ability to do so already this season, entering Friday’s game four catches for 89 yards and with two touchdowns. 

Complimenting Austin are Reed Hoover and Michael Mavek, all listed at 6-feet or over, something that Austin thinks gives Community an advantage against the Kays’ 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-10 defensive backs.

“I think we [can] go over the top,” Austin said, against Kankakee. 

While Community has shown a balanced offensive effort this season, scoring nine TDs through the air and 11 on the ground, Kankakee enters the game boasting a more one-sided attack. The Kays have recorded just one passing TD to their nine rushing scores, something that may be attributed to their last two blowout wins. 

The Kays boast a three-headed monster in the backfield in James Stampley, Jr., Cedric Terrell, III and Ethan Hunt,  who have combined for five touchdowns. Stampley and Hunt have each tallied two scores with Terrell recording one in the ground game.

The speedy Terrell demonstrated his electrifying ability in Week 1 with an 80-yard kickoff return against Nazareth Academy. 

Stampley, another multiple position player, contributes not only in the backfield, seeing time on defense and at receiver, where he recorded a 55-yard reception in Week 2.

The Kays’ biggest rushing threat might be quarterback Phillip Turner,  as the sophomore leads the team in rushing with four touchdowns. 

“He’s electric and dynamic,” Drengwitz said, “if you don’t keep him in a cage,” 

While Kankakee’s passing game hasn’t been fully showcased this season, it has potential, led by receiver Zyon Turner, who caught the team’s lone passing touchdown, a 31-yard connection from his brother Phillip. 

“Their receivers are capable of taking the football to the end zone, anywhere on the field,” Drengwitz said.

Ultimately, Drengwitz knows the Iron will have their hands full as they look to stay undefeated. 

“Kankakee provides a lot of challenges,” Drengwitz said, “we have to be prepared for a lot of things.”