Crosstown bragging rights and Big 12 title hopes collide when the Ironmen meet the Normal West Wildcats in the annual Chili Bowl Friday.

West, ranked No. 9 in the Class 6A AP poll, enters Friday’s matchup at 1-0 after a 34-14 win over Peoria Notre Dame. The Wildcats are looking to build on last year’s 8-3 season that ended in the second round of the playoffs against eventual state champion East St. Louis.

Community, the defending Big 12 champion, aims to extend its conference winning streak to 22 games, a run dating back to 2022, after opening the year with a 40-6 victory over Richwoods. 

Key Matchups

The Wildcats bring back two of the conference’s most dangerous playmakers in senior wideout Maliq Givens-Smith and junior running back Cody Muhlbauer. 

Givens-Smith, who returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown last week, added nine receptions for 87 yards and another score. 

“Maliq is really talented, really dynamic,” Community head coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz said.

Muhlbauer rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame after surpassing 1,000 yards as a sophomore.

 “Cody is extremely fast and physical,” Drengwitz said. “He’s really good between the tackles. At any time, he can take the ball to the house.”

The duo, Drengwitz said, “are going to present a lot of problems for us, but we just can’t let them make multiple explosive plays.”

Drengwitz stressed the importance of the Iron’s defense this week, a unit that forced five takeaways and held Richwoods scoreless through 43 minutes of action in the opener. He said that same intensity will be key to limiting Givens-Smith and Muhlbauer’s impact.

“We’ve got to get 11 guys to the ball and get them down.”

Quarterback Jrue Mangruem, a senior who has seen action in the rival’s last two meetings, adds another dimension to the West offense. 

Although sidelined for much of his junior season with an injury, he threw for 1,054 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore.

To contain Givens-Smith and limit Mangruem’s options through the air, the Ironmen will look to defensive playmakers like cornerback Micah Drengwitz, safety Jalen Smith, and linebacker Murphy Brennan. 

Against Richwoods, Drengwitz intercepted a pass in the end zone to halt the Knights’ best scoring chance, while Brennan returned an interception for a touchdown, later negated by a penalty. 

The Iron defense found the end zone in the third quarter against Richwoods courtesy of Smith’s 68-yard interception return.

Damarion Gardner, a three-year starter and all-conference presence on Community’s defensive line, is questionable for Friday, Drengwitz said.

Gardner, Drengwitz said, “is really important to what we do defensively. We want him to play, but we also have to look at the big picture.”

Gardner’s ability to clog running lanes could be key in slowing down Muhlbauer between the tackles. If he’s unable to go, senior Jeremiah Sawyer is expected to step into the role.

Ironmen Outlook

Community will look to counter the Wildcats with a backfield combination of junior quarterback Lucas Beaty and senior running back Cole Kretzinger. 

In his first varsity start, Beaty accounted for four touchdowns, showing poise through the air by completing 12 of 15 passes for 135 yards and three scores while also adding a new dimension to the Iron offense with his ability to run.

Beaty and Kretzinger combined for more than 120 rushing yards against Richwoods, with each finding the endzone. 

Kretzinger, in his debut as the feature back, averaging nearly seven yards per carry against the Knights last week, production Drengwitz said the Ironmen need to lean on early.

“We have to continue to do what we do and establish the run game early,” Drengwitz said. “The more touches they get early, the more they settle into the game.”

Rivalry Stakes

Drengwitz said the Ironmen’s preparation remains steady regardless of the opponent or the stakes. 

“It’s an important game because it’s the next one,” Drengwitz said. 

Still, the coach acknowledged the magnitude of the matchup.

“It’s a credit to two football programs doing things the right way, being competitive and being successful,” Drengwitz said. “If you want to win a Big 12 title, you’ve got to take care of business in this game. It’s a huge rivalry game—with kids who grew up playing together in youth football, baseball, basketball.”

But Drengwitz doesn’t expect that to impact the poise of players like Beaty.

“Some guys are built for big moments,” Drengwitz said. “It doesn’t overwhelm them and stress them out.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Normal West.