Dick Duval inducted into SJO Hall of Fame

Dick Duval was one four individuals inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Athletic Hall of Fame at Friday's Homecoming game Bloominton Central Catholic. He is joined by Stan Harper, Kelly Duitsman Hunt and Keith Sjuts in the Class of 2021 inductees.

A well-deserved honor, Duval built a football dynasty that saw five IHSA football state championship games, six semi-finals playoff games, and the IHSA football quarter-finals 16 times. In addition to coaching and teaching math, Duval was also served as athletic director before his retirement.

Biography

Dick Duval attended Herscher High School. In high school, Dick was a member of National Honor Society. He was a three-sport athlete in basketball, baseball, and football. He was the Captain of both the baseball team and football team. He was also President of the Letterman Club.

Coach Duval graduated from Illinois State University in 1978 where he majored in Mathematics, with a minor in Physical Education. After college, he taught for three years at Herscher Grade School and coached grade school basketball and high school football. He then taught for seven years in the Kankakee School District, where he coached three sports at the high school level: football, basketball, and baseball. During this time, he was also the defensive backs coach at Olivet Nazarene University.

In 1988, Coach Duval took a position at St. Joseph-Ogden High School as a math teacher and was both the head football and baseball coach. Coach Duval coached baseball at SJO for 16 years, winning more than 200 games during a time when schools played a lot fewer regular season games. At SJO, Coach Duval was the head football coach for 28 years from 1988-2015 and in that time, never had a losing season. In 1989, his second year as head football coach, he took the Spartans to his first state championship game.

Dick Duval and players talk to the media after the Spartans' 2013 state title game against Stillman Valley. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Before his career was over, SJO went to the playoffs 25 consecutive years, and made it to the IHSA football state championship game five times, the IHSA football semi-finals six times, and the IHSA football quarter-finals 16 times. His final record was 251 wins and 75 losses. During his career at SJO, Coach Duval earned a position as an assistant coach in the 1990 and 1998 Illinois football All-Star games. He was awarded the Chicago Bears High School Coach of the Week on October 9th, 2000. On April 5th, 2008, Coach Duval was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame where he was recognized for his ability to inspire his athletes to the highest in discipline and spirit.

Sara Ulbrich Greenstein, a member of the SJO Hall of Fame class of 2014 recently cited Dick Duval as one of her five influences that helped her become a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.

After retiring from teaching and coaching, Dick Duval was the main scorekeeper for the SJO boys basketball team. He also was scorekeeper and announcer for many of the basketball tournaments hosted by SJO.

Surrounded by family members Lynda Duval holds a plaque with a photo of her late husband Dick who was inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame. Standing with Lynda are her daughter Bobbi and husband Cory Busboom and son, Kiel and his wife Katie, and three grandchildren. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

On August 20, 2021, the SJO football field was dedicated to Coach Duval and is now the Dick Duval Field.

Coach Duval fought a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer, but passed away on August 26, 2021.

Dick is survived by his wife, Lynda, daughters Bobbi and Toni, son Kiel, their spouses and his four grandchildren.

* Biography provided courtesy of St. Joseph-Ogden High School

Photo Gallery |
Rivals clash, Spartans defeat Rockets to remain undefeated

Another classic gridiron clash between historic rivals in the books. Here's 30 photos from Friday night's game between Unity and St.Joseph-Ogden.

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Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

by Clark Brooks
Sentinel Sports

TOLONO - With spectators packed nearly two deep along the end zones and temperatures still in the low 80s after sunset, St. Joseph-Ogden gave the capacity crowd something unusual to watch Friday night: a Spartan offensive campaign that barely needed its potent passing game.

SJO scored four touchdowns on the ground and added just one through the air in a 38-23 victory over Unity.

Lane McKinney led the Spartans with 16 carries for 110 yards and added 7 receiving yards on a trick play. Kaden Wedig finished with 56 rushing yards, including 49 on SJO's opening series for a touchdown, and led the receiving corps with 47 yards. Brock Franzen had one catch for 15 yards.

Logan Umbarger provided the workhorse effort, carrying 17 times for 57 yards.

McKinney's only passing touchdown came on a 13-yard completion to Logan Wedig. The Spartans scored three times in the opening quarter, added another touchdown in the second and put the final nail in the coffin with a fourth-quarter score.

Unity's offense struggled to keep pace early. The Spartan defense held the Rockets to a field goal in the first half before Unity finally reached the end zone with 1:42 remaining in the third quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Cheely. The Rockets added two more scores in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough.

Michael Hardin led Unity's ground game with 15 carries for 79 yards, while quarterback Carter Schmid ran 11 times for 47 yards.

Next up for both teams

The victory improved SJO to 4-0. The Spartans return home Friday to face Rantoul in the Homecoming weekend game.

Unity dropped to 2-2 and will travel to Pontiac on Sept. 18.

TAGGED: St. Joseph-Ogden football vs Unity, St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans 38-23 victory, Unity Rockets high school football, St. Joseph-Ogden 4-0 football season, Champaign County high school football scores

Illini Prairie 2026 |
St. Joseph-Ogden football preview

St. Joseph-Ogden enters the 2026 football season with plenty of talent, led by Oregon recruit Cameron Wagner and 1,000-yard receiver Kaden Wedig. A deep junior class gives the Spartans reason for optimism, while a smaller senior class could present a challenge as SJO pursues another playoff run.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

As a sophomore, Logan Umbarger saw playing time on both sides of the ball in 2025. Look for the junior to make big plays leading St. Joseph-Ogden into the postseason.

Head Coach: Shawn Skinner
Record: 59-42

Probable Senior Class: Maddux Musselman, Alex Vaughn, Kaden Wedig, Brayden Waller, Paityn Mann, Zach Benoit, Willis Canamore, Jameson Ennis, and Cameron Wagner.

2025 Record: 8-5, 5-3

Program Record: 411-233-3

State title game appearances: 1989 (runner-up), 1997 (runner-up), 1999 (runner-up), 2006 (runner-up), 2013 (runner-up)

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO head coach Shawn Skinner talks to a referee during the 2025 home playoff game against Vandalia. Winning 38-24, Skinner and the Spartans advanced to face Unity in the IHSA semifinals with a spot in the Class 3A title game on the line. See more St. Joseph-Ogden football photos at www.sjophotos.com.

Reasons to Cheer: A lot of eyes will be on senior Cameron Wagner. The Oregon recruit and four-star offensive lineman is stronger and quicker than ever. Few, if any, defenders in the conference will get by him, offering plenty of protection for SJO's passing game.

Speaking of passing, 6-foot-2, long-armed wide receiver Kaden Wedig is ready to go big. The senior caught 52 passes in 11 games last fall for 1,020 yards. Expect him to fight for passes under double coverage by every team SJO faces this season. Will he be able to surpass his 10 touchdown catches in 2025?

Finally, the Spartans have a huge, talented junior class, making the team a conference title contender for the next two seasons.

Reasons to Fear: Small upper class. Typically, playoff teams that make it to the state finals boast a roster of 15 or more seniors. The Illini Prairie Conference is the state's premier football conference, sending a member to the state title game four of the last eight years since its formation.

Senior Jameson Ennis is the Spartans' most dangerous defensive weapon. He has played 16 varsity games, racking up 68 tackles, 27 credited as solo. He has three sacks playing in the middle linebacker spot.

We are looking for junior Liam Carter to step up on defense. Gaining a lot of experience in his seven appearances as a sophomore, now with more size and speed, expect to hear his name often over the PA or in radio broadcasts.

Opponents won't sleep on St. Joseph-Ogden's most versatile playmaker, Brayden Waller. The senior is a playmaker on either side of the ball. On defense, he tallied 45 tackles, with 23 solo and three for a loss. He can pass, run, receive and cause havoc on special teams.

Worth Noting:
• The Spartans and fans enjoy five regular-season home games at Dick Duval Field. Home or on the road, pack umbrellas, rain gear and extra dry clothes (swimwear optional) in case the current weather pattern continues through the fall.
• Week 7, the Spartans face Andrew of Tinley Park. If you're counting, the Thunderbolts' total enrollment of 2,147 is greater than SJO's first three opponents combined.

Outlook: When SJO was a member of the Sangamon Valley and Okaw conferences, making season predictions was easy. The Illini Prairie Conference, which has been represented in four of the last eight state championship games since the league was formed, is no cakewalk, with Unity, Monticello and Central Catholic in the mix with the Spartans for the conference title.

The schedule is favorable, with Prairie Central, PBL and IVC on the front end of the season before traveling to Tolono to seek redemption against the Rockets, who prevailed in both contests in 2025. After the Week 5 game against Rantoul, the Spartans have a three-game gauntlet starting with Monticello on the road, followed by a home game against Central Catholic and Andrew.

Regardless of whether St. Joseph-Ogden has no losses or four heading into the postseason, given the strength of its schedule, look for the Spartans to be one of the eight quarterfinalists in Class 3A.

2026 SJO Football Schedule

Aug 21 • 7:00 - vs Prairie Central
Aug 28 • 7:00 - @ Paxton-Buckley-Loda
Sep 04 • 7:00 - vs Illinois Valley Central
Sep 11 • 7:00 - @ Unity
Sep 18 • 7:00 - vs Rantoul
Sep 25 • 7:00 - @ Monticello
Oct 02 • 7:00 - vs Central Catholic
Oct 09 • 7:30 - vs Tinley Park Andrew
Oct 16 • 7:00 - @ Pontiac

2025 Results:
Aug 29 - Prairie Central • W 44-7
Sept 5 - Paxton-Buckley-Loda • W 35-12
Sept 12 - Illinois Valley Central • W 51-16
Sept 19 - Unity • L 40-10
Sept 26 - Rantoul • W 56-21
Oct 3 - Monticello • L 28-21
Oct 10 - Central Catholic • L 67-28
Oct 17 - Seneca • L 39-36
Oct 24 - Pontiac • W 53-21
Nov 1 - Benton • W 17-14
Nov 8 - Roxana • W 42-32
Nov 15- Vandalia • W 38-24
Nov 22 - Unity • L 51-44

TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans 2026 football preview, SJO high school football 2026 season, St. Joseph-Ogden football Illini Prairie Conference, Cameron Wagner Kaden Wedig SJO football, St. Joseph-Ogden football playoff outlook 2026

Photo Gallery | St. Joseph-Ogden 38 - Carlinville 15

James Barron (18) and Ryker Lockhart (7) celebrate in the end zone with after Tim Blackburn-Kelley's 83-yard TD in the first quarter of their home football playoff game against Carlinville. Blackburn-Kelly, a sophomore, finished the game with 89 receiving yards and 54 rushing on six carries. The Spartans went on to eliminate the Cavaliers from the IHSA playoffs, 38-15. SJO advances to face Roxana on the road this Saturday at 3pm.