The Ironmen football team put its undefeated record on the line Friday night, facing a Kankakee Kays team whose 1-2 start masks the caliber of its competition.

Community (3-0) will welcome the Kays (1-2) to Dick Tharp Field in a non-conference showdown—a rematch of last season’s 26-12 Kankakee victory, Community’s only regular season loss.

While the Kays’ early record raises questions on paper, their schedule tells a different story.

The Kays opened the 2025 season with losses to two of the state’s top programs: Lincoln-Way East and Nazareth Academy. The Lincoln-Way East Griffins are ranked No. 2 in Class 8A in the latest AP poll, behind only Mt. Carmel. Nazareth, the defending Class 5A state champion, fell only to Mt. Carmel in Week 3.

Adding to Kankakee’s challenging slate, the team faced perennial powerhouse East St. Louis in a preseason scrimmage Aug. 22. The Flyers have captured three 6A state titles in the past five years.

Kankakee head coach Ed Hazlett said the Kays intentionally stacked their non-conference schedule to simulate postseason play.

“We wanted to get a glimpse of what we might come up against in the playoffs,” Hazlett said. “That was the main focus behind creating our schedule this year.”

Ironmen head coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz agrees that high-caliber matchups provide a valuable test.

“You get a handful of those games throughout the year,” Drengwitz said, “to really try to see where you stand and how you match up.” 

Friday’s matchup stems from a scheduling quirk caused by Big 12 conference rotation. Drengwitz said it’s a rare opportunity to schedule a midseason test against a top-tier program.

“Kankakee is really talented—really big, physical, well-coached,” Drengwitz said. “It’s always a great opportunity to play a really talented team.”

And The Kays rebounded from their 0-2 start with an 82-6 rout of Thornridge.

“The message to the team was ‘stay the course,’” Hazlett said. “Everything that we plan on doing is still ahead of us.”

Hazlett, the Kays’ former defensive coordinator during their 2021 state runner-up run, returned this season as head coach after four years coaching in Indiana. He said this year’s team, like the 2021 squad, brings playoff experience and leadership.

“We’re probably not as big as we were during those years,” Hazlett said, “but just the amount of football these guys have played, that’s the main similarity.”

While Kankakee graduated several key contributors—among them leading rusher James Stampley Jr. and edge rusher Elijah Faulkner—the Kays appear to have reloaded.

“I think they just got new guys that step in that are really, really good,” Drengwitz said. “Teams like that just kind of reload.”

Among those returners is junior quarterback Phillip Turner, who rushed for seven touchdowns last season. Hazlett said Turner continues to develop as a dual threat.

“He’s real athletic, has a great build for a quarterback… he tries to make every right decision,” Hazlett said. “Sometimes that gets him in trouble, but he’s on the right path.”

Drengwitz said Turner poses challenges through the air and on the ground.

“The quarterback is dynamic with his arm and feet,” Drengwitz said. “He can hurt you both ways.”

Turner isn’t the only explosive athlete in the Kays’ backfield. Senior Cedric Terrell III rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries in Week 3.

“I just call him ‘Mr. Reliable,’” Hazlett said. “We go as he goes.”

Ezekiel Sherrod returns as a versatile weapon on both sides of the ball after catching five touchdowns and recording seven interceptions in 2024.

“He’s almost like Travis Hunter,” Hazlett said. “He’s playing every snap on both sides of the ball.”

Community’s defense will aim to contain those playmakers.

“We’ve got to be physical up front, physical on the perimeter, and get 11 hats to the football,” Drengwitz said. “We can’t let a 5-yard play turn into a 15, or a 15 into a touchdown.”

Drengwitz said defensive execution will hinge on discipline, playing “alignment and assignment sound” football.

On offense, the Ironmen plan to stay true to their identity.

“We’re going to throw the football, take shots downfield, run the ball and utilize our quarterback in the run game,” Drengwitz said. “We’ve got a few wrinkles up our sleeve to give them conflict.”

Among those wrinkles, Drengwitz said, are “reads in the run game and different formations, motions and shifts that [will] make them think.”

While Community isn’t framing Friday’s matchup as a revenge game, last season’s loss hasn’t been forgotten.

“We were down 21-0 at halftime last year. I was concerned, to say the least,” Drengwitz said. “But how we played in the second half kind of springboarded the rest of the year.”

“Our kids are excited to play a team that beat them last year,” he added. “They know it’s a big challenge, but it’s one we’re excited about.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Coverage begins at 5:50 p.m. on NCHSinkspot.com/live