The Ironmen held a 10-0 over Kankakee after three quarters Friday night, but were outscored 21-0 in the game’s final eight minutes, falling to the Kays 28-17.

Community led for all but the final 57 seconds of the game before Kankakee cornerback Cedric Terrell III sealed the comeback with a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The loss drops the Ironmen to 3-1 on the season but leaves their Big 12 Conference record intact at 3-0.

“We played extremely hard. We played together. We played connected,” head coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz said. “We just came up a little bit short.”

The Ironmen took an early lead on Will Castro’s 28-yard field goal in the first quarter and extended their advantage to 10-0 on a two-yard touchdown run by senior running back Cole Kretsinger in the second.

Kretsinger finished the game with 111 rushing yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns, including a 15-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to put Community ahead 17-7.

Kankakee answered with an 11-yard touchdown run to trim the lead to 17-14 with just over eight minutes to play. 

On their next possession, the Kays orchestrated a 19-play drive to take their first lead of the night, 21-17, on a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Phillip Turner to Cedric Terrell III with less than a minute remaining.

“We talked all week about setting the tone and being physical,” Drengwitz said. “I felt like we did those things. But unfortunately, when we needed to execute and make plays in the second half… we didn’t.”

Community struggled with penalties and special teams miscues throughout the night, recording 15 penalties for over 50 yards.

“Our inability to execute on special teams, a couple breakdowns on defense and self-inflicted wounds with penalties really hurt us,” Drengwitz said. “Against good teams, you can’t afford to do that.”

Despite the loss, senior linebacker Murphy Brennan stood out defensively. Brennan, who Drengwitz described as “dominant,” was involved in multiple tackles and helped hold the Kays scoreless through three quarters.

Iron quarterback Lucas Beaty threw for 166 yards in the contest and was intercepted once.

Drengwitz said the teaching moment for his team lies not in the loss, but in the response.

“You can’t be defined by a loss,” he said. “You’re going to be more defined by how you respond.”

The Ironmen returns to action Friday night playing host to the Peoria Manual Rams (0-4).