The Glenbard East Rams will face off against the Normal Community Ironmen at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Glenbard East sitting on nine straight victories and Normal Community on 11.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Glenbard East walked away with it. They strolled past Addison Trail with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 28-13. Given Glenbard East's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 99th, while Addison Trail is ranked 232nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Matthew Larson had a dynamite game for Glenbard East, rushing for 288 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per carry. Larson was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 67 yards.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Normal Community ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 31-30 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Normal Community to victory, but perhaps none more so than Mar?quan Gary, who picked up 107 receiving yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyle Beaty, who rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Glenbard East has yet to lose a contest on the road this season, leaving them with a 10-1 record. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-9 Fenton and 2-7 Streamwood (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 40.3% over those games). As for Normal Community, their victory bumped their record up to 11-0.
