The road to a fourth straight regional title and sectional championship appearance begins with top-seeded Normal Community facing No. 8 East Moline United Township in the opening round of the IHSA 4A Rock Island Regional.

The Ironmen are heavy favorites in their Feb. 17 matchup, tipping off at 6 p.m. in Rock Island, against a 1-28 United Township squad. When the two teams met in early January, Community cruised to a 62-18 victory over the Panthers.

But beyond the first round, the competition stiffens.

Regional Championship Matchup

Should the Ironmen advance, they will face the winner of No. 4 Moline vs. No. 5 Rock Island in the Rock Island Regional Finale.

Community has already notched victories over both potential opponents, dominating Rock Island 54-26 on Dec. 12 and edging out Moline 35-32 in a defensive battle on Jan. 3.

Ironmen head coach Mr. Dave Feeney recognizes that the postseason presents new challenges, with teams adjusting their strategies.

“It’s a new season,” Feeney said. “Everybody scouts differently, and so we know that Minooka, Pekin and even teams like Normal West are going to be great challenges for us if we face them in a Regional.”

Community’s experience in tight games could prove crucial in returning to the sectional rounds.

 Earlier this season, the Ironmen edged out Moline and Pekin in hard-fought three-point victories. Even Normal West, despite struggling this season, pushed Community in a seven-point game at Intercity.

The team’s focus remains on executing the fundamentals,“We know these are going to be tough games,” Feeney said, “but we also know that we’ve been through those grinds.”

Sectional Semifinals: The Biggest Test Yet

A Regional championship would set up a Sectional Semifinal against the winner of the Normal West Regional, where No. 2 Minooka takes on No. 7 Bradley-Bourbonnais and No. 3 Pekin faces No. 6 Normal West.

Community has already taken care of West twice this season and beat Pekin 49-46 in December. However, Minooka (19-10)—the bracket’s No. 2 seed—looms as the Ironmen’s biggest obstacle to returning to the Sectional Final.

Minooka’s schedule suggests they’re better than their record. The Indians put up a fight against Washington (29-1), falling 48-41 in November. With Washington looking like a 3A state title contender, ranked first in Class 3A in the the latest Associated Press poll, Minooka’s ability to compete against elite teams makes them a legitimate threat.

Sectional Championship Rematch?

If Community reaches the Sectional Final, a familiar foe could be waiting. Alton (No. 1) and O’Fallon (No. 2) have established themselves as the teams to beat in the opposite bracket.

The Iron are 0-1 against the 19-9 O’Fallon Panthers this season, suffering a 63-47 defeat at home last month.

Alton appears to be the odds-on favorite, defeating the Panthers in the team’s two head-to-head contests this season. The Redbirds defeated O’Fallon 30-29 in a comeback victory in mid-December before a 59-43 win over the Panthers later that month.

Alton, the team that ended Community’s season last year, has built a strong résumé once again—going 26-2 at press time and ranked fourth in Class 4A. The Redbirds are battle-tested, defeating 2A’s No. 2-ranked Peoria Notre Dame, with their only losses coming to out-of-state opponents, among them Missouri’s Incarnate Word Academy, one of the top teams in the nation.

For the Ironmen, a fourth consecutive Regional title is within reach. But if they want to avenge last year’s loss and break through to the Super-Sectional, they’ll need to survive a probable Sectional matchup against a powerhouse.

Scouting the field

• Normal West, Rock Island and Moline have struggled in recent weeks, each going 4-6 in their last 10 games
• Pekin snapped a three-game losing streak in a 39-32 win over Limestone 39-32  
• Bradley Bourbonnais is 1-9 through their last 10 games, with one of those losses coming at the hands of Normal West  
• The 19-10 Minooka Indians are a few breaks away from being a 22-7 team, falling to Lincoln-Way East 51-42, Lincoln Way Central 49-41 and Metamora 47-42, all competitive contests that didn’t go the Indians way later
• Alton is coming off another win in a marquee matchup, dominating a 27-3 Quincy Notre Dame team, 56-35. Quincy entered the weekend ranked 3rd in the AP’s Class 3A poll
• O’Fallon, another contender, has faced a battle-tested schedule, matching up against PND, Whitney Young, Belleville East, Breese Central and Edwardsville—all teams with winning records. Notably, the Panthers defeated 2A’s No. 1 Breese Central by 11 points