Community fended off Collinsville to claim the IHSA sectional championship—the program’s third and first since 2017—setting up a home supersectional against No. 1 in-state Naperville North on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The match against the Kahoks brought what head coach Mr. Matt Chapman called “adversity,” something he said the Ironmen know well, as both teams navigated a string of penalties.

Each side was shown a straight red card, calls that drew controversy from both benches and the stands.

Community struck first in the contest. Senior Believe Avida headed in a loose ball after junior Cooper Lee recovered a corner kick, giving the Ironmen a 1-0 lead.

Moments later, Community received the game’s first straight red when Logan Lelm collided with the Collinsville goalkeeper.

“The red card was simply what they call a serious foul play,” Chapman said, “nothing unsportsmanlike.”

Playing a man down, the Ironmen absorbed what Chapman described as “a ton of pressure” from Collinsville but protected the advantage into halftime.

Early in the second half, Collinsville was issued a straight red, returning the sides to 10-on-10 and easing Community’s defensive burden.

The Ironmen doubled the lead when defensive midfielder Braxton Orrick flicked on a header from near midfield to Avida. The senior dribbled past three defenders and tucked a shot inside the bottom left corner for his second of the night and a 2-0 cushion.

Collinsville pulled one back on a penalty kick with eight minutes remaining, trimming the margin to 2-1 and setting up a tense finish.

Community closed the door “behind the terrific play of our backline,” Chapman said, adding that Collinsville struggled to break down a balanced lineup that held firm across the pitch.

With the win, Community improved to 19-3-4 and will look for a home-field boost in the supersectional against undefeated Naperville North, which enters at 22-0-4.

“They’ve definitely had an amazing season,” Chapman said of the Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in Illinois and No. 7 nationally.

Community has appealed Lelm’s red card and hopes to have him in the lineup for the supersectional, though his availability remained uncertain at press time.

“If you look on paper, we’re definitely the underdog,” Chapman said. “We’re going to give it our best shot and see what we can do.”

A victory would deliver Community’s second supersectional title—and first since 2014—and send the Ironmen to the state tournament while handing Naperville North its first loss of the season.