Baseball  After sweeping a doubleheader against Sacred Heart-Griffin and Joliet West on Saturday, and defeating Mahomet-Seymour on Monday, the Ironmen baseball team extended their win streak to 13 games.  Closing out the season with a 9-3 Big 12 record, sitting at third in the conference, the...

Boys Tennis The Community boys tennis team is 5-0 to begin the season with team wins over Big-12 rivals Bloomington, Peoria Notre Dame and Normal West by a combined score of 24-3.  On Saturday, April 23, the Ironmen continued their domination, swinging their way to a first place finish at the JD...

Girls Track Ali Ince’s time of 2:05.42 in the 800 meter race at the Arcadia Invitational in California broke the all-time record for the event at the prestigious national meet. Ince joins elite company as an Arcadia Invitational record holder. Two time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin and...

Softball The Lady Iron (1-3) won their first game on Friday, April 1, defeating the Chatham Glenwood Titans (3-2) 6-5. Community jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding two in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. Emma Conover (’23), Leigha Luering (’22) and Kara...

Girls Soccer The Lady Iron opened their season with a 4-0 victory over Metamora (1-2-1), with freshmen Sarah Thompson (’25) and Rayna Powers (’25) scoring goals in their high school debuts. Teagan Fahy (’24) and Reese Anderson (’24) also sent the ball to the back of the net. In their second...

Girls Track & Field Members of the Lady Iron track and field team kicked off the indoor season at the Illinois Meet of Champions in Gately Park, IL on Saturday, March, 5.  Ali Ince (’24) teamed up with two commits from Stanford and one from the University of Arkansas to break a distance medley...

Down 45-23 with 5:48 left to play in the Sectional Final, Community boys basketball's (33-2) historic season appeared heading for a screeching halt at the hands of the Quincy Blue Devils (28-5). The Ironmen were not going down without a fight.  The comeback began with Community scoring 5 points...

The Ironmen (33-1) boys basketball team advanced to the Sectional Finals with a decisive 61-44 victory over the Moline Maroons (28-5) on March 1.  The Ironmen used defense to generate offense early in the first quarter, jumping out to a 7-0 lead with a Crofton Perry (’22) triple, a Zach Cleveland...

After a 35 point victory over the Pekin Dragons, Community (31-1) faces three-seed and Southwest Suburban Conference Champion Bradley-Bourbonnais (23-7) in the Regional Championship at 7 p.m. tonight. In search of his 10th Regional Championship, Head Coach Dave Witzig said that Bradley-Bourbonnais’...

The last time the Lady Iron competed in the IHSA Sectional Championship, half the current roster wasn’t even born yet. Tonight Community returns to the Sectional Championship for the first time since a 2005 victory over Champaign Central as the Lady Iron play the eighth-ranked Edwardsville Tigers...

Boys swimming The Ironmen hosted Sectionals on Saturday, Feb. 19., winning the team title and advancing athletes to State in three events. The Ironmen will send individual competitors in the 200 yard-freestyle and 500-yard freestyle and a 400-yard freestyle relay to the State meet in Westmont on...

Cleveland is a three year starter for the Ironmen, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore and a junior. Last season, Cleveland helped the Ironmen win the Big 12 Conference Tournament, averaging 20.5 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game. In addition to All-Conference Honors, Cleveland...

The Normal Community dance team’s 26th place finish at the IHSA State Dance Competition on Jan. 28 was the program’s best State finish since transitioning to the 3A division in 2016. On Jan. 15, 90 3A teams competed in sectional competitions across the state, each trying to secure a bid to...

Gentsch is undefeated and has helped the Ironmen to an 8-1 team record so far. He is ranked 7th in the IHSA 3A division in the 106 weight class. Gentsch holds first place finishes at the Lincoln Holiday Tournament, the Mascoutah Tournament, and the Zimmerman Invite. During the offseason, Gentsch...

The Ironmen are State Farm Holiday Classic champions after earning their fourth win in as many days with a 40-38 victory over the East St. Louis Flyers. After the third quarter ended with the Ironmen up 27-22, the fourth quarter was a back and forth battle. Tyler Dwinal (‘22) and Famious French...

After a 10-0 run put the Ironmen up 39-25 midway through the fourth quarter, a trip to the State Farm Holiday Classic Large School Boys’ championship game seemed set in stone.  The Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers gave one last surge in an attempt to remain undefeated, going on an 18-6 run and...

The first seeded Community boys basketball team, 12-1, defeated the Chicago North Lawndale Phoenix 68-48, advancing to the semifinals of the State Farm Holiday Classic Tournament. While getting out to an early lead has been the Ironmen’s MO this season, the score was tied 11-11 after the first quarter...

First Year Success: Jones and the Iron cheer team finished 2nd at the Boilermaker Cheer Competition and the Wilmington Invite, which qualified them for the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association (ICCA) State Competition.  This is Jones' first year cheering competitively for NCHS, as she previously...

Wood qualified for the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) State Tournament her freshman and sophomore seasons. She was ranked top ten in her class last season and began this season ranked top 40 in the state (regardless of class.) Favorite Memory of Career: Going undefeated...

The Community boys basketball team beat the previously undefeated Rock Island Rocks 67-60 at home on Tuesday night.  The Ironmen used a balanced scoring attack to jump out to early leads of 22-7 after the first quarter and 41-21 at halftime. The Rocks chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter,...

One name was noticeably absent when 1st Team All-Big 12 football honors were announced for the 2021 season. An omission that didn’t get past veteran Ironmen coach Mr. Bryan Thomas.                    The missing name?...

Girls Basketball The Lady Iron are 7-0, outscoring their opponents by double digits in six of those games. They opened the season by sweeping the Intercity Tournament, winning the title for the first time since 2017. Community plays host to Rock Island on Tuesday Dec. 7 before their first Big-12 game...

Freshman Season: Tucci competed at the State meet in the 200 and 500-Yard Freestyle as well as the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay. Sophomore Season: Tucci qualified for State in the 200 and 500-Yard Freestyle. He finished 7th in the 500. Junior Season: While the IHSA postseason was cancelled, Tucci helped...

After finishing last season with an eight-game win streak, the Normal Community boys basketball team looks to carry that momentum into the 2021-22 season.  The Ironmen, led by 23-year coach Mr. Dave Witzig, opened the 2020-21 season 4-5, suffering four of those five losses by a one possession margin.  “We...

Creasey is a four year varsity player. Her sophomore year she was voted team MVP and earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors. Her junior season she was named First Team All-Big 12 and helped Community win the Big 12 Tournament. Creasey averaged 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game last season. Pre-Game...

Community head girls basketball coach Dave Feeney didn’t plan on measuring last season’s success with wins and losses.   His aim, Feeney said, was to “establish what this program stands for . . . even if we don’t win every game.”  The Lady Iron must not have heard the message.  Winning...

Freshman Kenna Malinowski helped the Lady Iron swim team win Intercity, the Big 12 Conference meet, and their IHSA Sectional. Malinowski finished first at Sectionals in the 50-Yard Freestyle (24.32), second in the 100-Yard Freestyle (52.46) and first in the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (1:40.04) along...

Lady Iron Cross Country Ali Ince (’24) and Olivia Hartke (’22) finished 5th and 13th respectively at the IHSA Cross Country Sectional on Oct. 30, qualifying for the IHSA State Meet at Peoria’s Detweiller Park on Nov. 6.  The Lady Iron finished 9th at Sectionals as a team, seven points shy...

Team Stats: Ironmen are seeded third in the 7A IHSA State Playoffs. An undefeated regular season led to a Big 12 Championship. Individual Stats: Taylor plays both sides of the ball as a running back and a cornerback. He has scored four touchdowns over the last two games. Favorite Subject: Math Other...

Cancelations. Postponements. Rescheduling.  Disc golf was one of only a few activities immune to COVID-19 restrictions. The sport experienced a 33% increase in games played from 2019 to 2020, according to UDisc data, a disc golf scoring app.   The number of disc golf courses increased as well,...

After closing out an undefeated regular season with a 45-7 victory over rival Normal West on Oct. 22, the Ironmen earned the third seed in the 7A State Playoffs. The team faces 30th-seed Blue Island Eisenhower (5-4) in first-round play on Oct. 29 at Dick Tharp Field. The IHSA's postseason structure,...

Track Stats: Ince won three events at the 2021 IHSA State Track & Field meet. Ince was State champion in the 800m, 1600m, and the 1600m relay. Ince's 800m time of 2:03.98 stands as the fastest ever run by an Illinois high school female. Ince's mile time of 4:40.85 set a new State meet record.  Cross...

The implications of the matchup between Community and West's volleyball teams were clear well before the Oct. 19 competition: Tuesday night's winner would take home the Big 12 Conference title.  Heading into the teams' final regular-season matchup, the Lady Iron and Wildcats sat undefeated atop the...

Isabelle McCormick is a four year varsity starter for the Lady Iron volleyball team. McCormick has helped lead the Lady Iron to three consecutive Big 12 Conference titles. McCormick earned 2nd Team All-Big 12 honors her freshman year before being named 1st Team All-Big 12 her sophomore and junior...

At 2021 IHSA Regionals on Sept. 29, Ironmen golf placed 2nd as a team, advancing to Sectional play on Oct. 4. where Community ended their season with an 11th place finish. Senior Dax Yosten tied for 8th as an individual with two other Iron golfers in Regional play this season. Pre-Round Routine:...

After falling to Normal West in the annual Intercity Tournament on Sept. 25, the Lady Iron will have Oct. 19 circled on their calendars -- the next meeting between the crosstown rivals. The Intercity battle between Normal Community (19-6; 7-0) and the Wildcats (20-3; 7-0) would ultimately decide the...

Team Record: 10-2 Sudhir's Singles Record: 16-0 Sudhir's Doubles Record: 21-1  Class of 2024 National Rankings: 301st, via tennisrecruiting.net 2020 IHSA Sectionals: 2nd Place Favorite Moment of Career:  Last year's Big 12 Conference Tournament. Sudhir was the individual champion and...

Team Record: 5-0 Passing Yards: 597  Rushing Yards: 225 Passing Touchdowns: 12 Rushing Touchdowns: 3 Pre-Game Ritual: "I listen exclusively to Country music pre-game." Hardest Part of Football: "The mental side of the game. Having to dissect everyone on the defense and know what they’re...

Pre-race Routine: Before races, Paris likes to stay in motion, mentally preparing herself and focusing on the different phases of the race (kick, turn, start, etc.) Favorite Moment of Career: Finishing first in the 500-yard freestyle at the IHSA Sectionals in 2020, with a time of 5:16.38, was a long...

Castaneda has tallied 5 goals and 2 assists, helping his team clinch the Intercity Title as well as a 6-2-1 record so far. Fun Fact: Castaneda's record for juggling a soccer ball is 175. Pregame Routine: "I usually pray that everything could go well and hopefully no injuries happen to me or anyone...

The Normal Community Ironmen football team opens its 2021 campaign tonight, as they take on the Bloomington High School Purple Raiders at Fred Carlton Field.  After the fall season was postponed due to COVID-19, last year’s IHSA Football season took place in the spring. Facing a shortened schedule,...

Kingsley Junior High School students were greeted with a new mascot to start the 2021 school year -- the Cougar -- after announcing the decision to replace the Cavalier mascot in May. The change was motivated by the school’s value of community. The Mid-April edition of the Kingsley Connection, the...

Democracy, representation, and self-government are timeless American ideals. These are principles that have fueled some of our country's proudest moments -- the colonies declaring their independence; the ratification of the 15th Amendment, securing voting rights for African American men; passing the...

As stay-at-home orders were issued across the U.S. last year, animal welfare organizations saw pet adoptions spike during the second half of March. Industry data from PetPoint estimates that the national adoption rate of 58% at the beginning of March 2020 jumped to 85% by the month’s end.  But...

Junior Zachary Cleveland’s 25 points led the Ironmen to a 56-43 victory over the Peoria High Lions 5-5 (4-4) on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The win continued Normal Community’s dominance over the Lions, as the Ironmen are 7-0 vs. Peoria High since the Lions joined the Big 12 conference in 2014. After taking...

After a prolonged offseason, the Lady Iron basketball team, led by head coach Mr. Dave Feeney, return to the court on Feb. 6 to begin a shortened season. Feeney, no stranger to the Lady Iron program, served as an assistant under former head coach Mr. Marcus Mann from 2017-2019. After Mann stepped...

Rising unemployment rates and a record-breaking hurricane season increased food insecurity nationally in 2020, with more people relying on food pantry donations than in recent years.  Midwest Food Bank, which distributes over $23 million of food each monthly, has found the increased demand for food...

“As a teacher it feels like I’m drowning and instead of throwing me a life preserver the district is throwing me lead weights,” Mr. Patrick Lawler, a social studies teacher at NCHS, said at the Unit 5 board meeting on December 9. Lawler was joined by Normal Community seniors Conner McClelland...

Dr. Jackie Lanier would love to see her five siblings on November 26. However, there will be no holiday get together this Thanksgiving. “It’s going to look really different, and it should unfortunately,” she said.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Disease Control recommends that...

The University of Illinois Academic Senate passed a resolution in September, endorsing the Belted Kingfisher as the school’s mascot in place of Chief Illiniwek, who was retired in 2007. NCHS faculty who graduated from U of I weighed in on the contested topic. Math teacher Mrs. Amy Feeney, who...

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is moving ahead with plans for both a boys and girls high school basketball season, a decision that goes against the guidance of Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Health and Services (IDPH). Pritzker announced on October 27 that the basketball...

The University of Illinois Academic Senate is urging school officials to adopt a new official mascot, passing a resolution endorsing the Belted Kingfisher -- a blue and orange bird native to Illinois -- 105-2 on September 21. After Monday’s vote, U of I spokeswoman Robin Kaler said there was “no...