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By Blake Haas and HOI ABC
NORMAL – The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and the Illinois Pork Producers Association announced Normal Community High School cooked up the best pork chop sandwich in the state of Illinois this past season.
The Ironmen’s A-Train concession team beat out nearly 80 IHSA schools to win the coveted Golden Spatula.
“We’re pretty proud of it. I don’t think we’ve had one returned in years,” Marty Pickett, A-Train Captain, told our news partner Heart of Illinois ABC.
The concession crew is tabbed as the A-Train after former Normal Community football player Adam Denzer.
The IHSA reports, Denzer was a pork producer, worked for the school district after high school, and passed away in a farming accident in 2008.
Along with winning the coveted Golden Spatula, the concession crew is receiving a $500 reimbursement on their pork purchase for next season and a state championship banner.
“The first-time winner, you know, it kind of gives me goosebumps just thinking about it,” added Dave Reynolds, a volunteer with the A-Train concession crew.
The team will be honored during halftime of the IHSA Class 6A Football State Championship game on Saturday, November 27, in DeKalb at Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].