Friday Night Lights: Bloomington High School hosts Normal Community

Image courtesy of Normal Community Athletics.

Normal, Ill.— Illinois High School football is set to kick off Friday night at Bloomington High School, where Normal Community High School and Bloomington High School will look to begin their seasons with a win. 

Normal Community is coming off of a 7-3 season in which they went 7-1 in the Big 12 conference, placing them second in the conference before suffering a first round playoff loss. The Ironmen’s offense is what stole the show all season long, scoring 414 points total and 41.4 points per game. that included a 56-42 home win over Bloomington, as they look to beat the Purple Raiders in consecutive seasons

NCHS head coach Jason Drengwitz spoke about the unknowns that come with week 1.

“Week 1 there’s always some unknowns. You’re playing a team in the first week, you don’t have much film and you’re going off what you saw last year trying to find a little tidbit on the internet.”

Bloomington High School looks to build on a 7-4 season in 2025 in which they went 5-3 in the Big 12 conference, finishing fifth and earning a playoff appearance. They beat Mascoutah in round one before falling to Oak Forest in round two to end their season. BHS looks to build on a last years strong season and get off to a good start against their rival.

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