Dick Duval, Illinois prep football coaching legend, dies after bout with cancer

With his wife Lynda at his side, former St. Joseph-Ogden football head coach Dick Duval holds a plaque above his head during the official ceremony naming the school's football field in his honor last Friday. Duval, 64, died on Thursday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Six days after attending a ceremony unveiling christening the St. Joseph-Ogden football field with his name, legendary Illinois high school football coach Dick Duval, 64, passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Duval, who was hired back in 1988 to coach football at the high school, would go on to build a respected Class 3A powerhouse football program. Before he arrived in St. Joseph, the 1974 graduate from Herscher was a teacher and assistant coach at Kankakee High School. When he retired 28 years later, the SJO Hall of Fame and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame honoree massed a career record of 251 wins and 75 losses.

The Spartans, under his watch, never suffered sub-.500 season. After a 5-4 finish in his maiden season, Duval led the St. Joseph-Ogden to their first state football championship game in school history in 1989. As head coach, with the help of his dedicated staff of assistant coaches, he engineered a run of 25 consecutive Illinois High School Association playoff appearances and guided the Spartans to four other state title games in 1997, 1999, 2006, and 2013.

St. Joseph-Ogden principal Mike McKinzie and head football coach Dick Duval celebrate the Spartans' 22-21 Class 3A semifinal win over visiting Anna-Jonesboro. The victory punched SJO's ticket into the 2006 record-breaking championship game against Plano. (Photo: PhotoNews Media Archives)

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Wearing his signature bucket hat, Duval announces the names of his players during the annual SJO Kickoff in 2007.

During the spring season for some 16 years, Duval, a well-liked math teacher by students, also served as head baseball coach where he accumulated 234 wins games, 165 losses along with three ties. He also did a stint as the athletic director and after his retirement from teaching could always be found at SJO athletic events running the scoreboard, stepping in as a game announcer, keeping stats, or supervising events when needed.

In his final season as head coach, Duval's Spartans finish with a 12-1 record, the Okaw Valley Conference title and advanced one step short of a sixth championship game appearance in Class 3A thanks in part to an early season blizzard during the state semifinals at Unity.

A remembrance and tribute ceremony for Duval is planned before tonight's football game between the Spartans and the visiting Monticello Sages at the field now bearing his name.

Duval receives a postgame congratulations from a grandchild after the Spartans' 2015 game against Monticello. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Prep Sports Notebook: SJO soccer wins with buzzer beater

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Spartan tennis earns first dual win

Head coach Kevin Martlage and the St. Joseph-Ogden girls tennis team pose for a photo after their dual match of the season on the road against Urbana on Tuesday. The two teams will square off again on August 31. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Urbana, IL - It was a hot time at Blair Park for the St. Joseph-Ogden and Urbana girls' tennis match on Tuesday. Despite a reported heat index of 106º, the two teams battled in the blazing heat with the upstart area program from SJO winning the dual match, 6-3.

Claire Huffman at #1, Abby Dow on the #2 singles court and Ashlyn Lannert on court 6 secured victories in their singles matches. Hope Rajlich and Kelsey Martlage paired up to win at #1 doubles. Meanwhile, Allison Kearney and Angie Chahine held off Urbana duo Eisla Madigan and Myra Stevens at #2 doubles. The Spartans also came out on top on the #3 doubles court with a victory by Katie McDermott and her partner Jacey Lewis.

The Tigers' won three single points with dominating performances from veteran Myra Stevens, Eisla Madigan and Alisa Tangmunarunkit.

Match results:

No. 1 - Claire Huffman, SJO def. Hannah Null, URBANA, 8-3
No. 2 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-6
No. 3 - Myra Stevens, URBANA def. Grace Schmitz, SJO, 8-1
No. 4 - Eisla Madigan, URBANA def. Ella Armstrong, SJO, 8-0
No. 4 - Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA def. Abby Behrens, SJO, 8-3
No. 6 - Ashlyn Lannert, SJO def. Matika Pounginjai, URBANA, 8-1

No. 1 Doubles:
Hope Rajlich/Kelsey Martlage, SJO def. Hannah Null/Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-6

No. 2 Doubles:
Allison Kearney/Angie Chahine, SJO def. Myra Stevens/Eisla Madigan, URBANA, 8-4

No. 3 Doubles:
Katie McDermott/Jacey Lewis- SJO def. Matika Pounginjai/Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 8-6

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Wilson lifts Spartans with buzzer beater

St. Joseph, IL - With the score locked at two-all in the second half, sophomore Spencer Wilson scored his second goal of the contest with .2 seconds left on the clock to give the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team a 3-2 advantage for win #2 of the season.

While goalkeeper Hunter Ketchum kept the visiting Argenta-Oreana shots out of the goal during the first half, SJO teammate Jackson Greer scored the first goal of the game on an assist from Will Page.

In the final half of SJO's home game, Greer fed Wilson the ball for the first of four second-half goals. The Bombers' Rylan Lawson and Landon Lawson added one goal apiece to later tie the score before Wilson spared both teams from a shootout.

Ketchum tallied eight saves for the Spartans.

Next up for Ketchum and Co., SJO will host Urbana University High on Thursday at 4:30p.

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Missed opportunities sink Rockets

Tolono, IL - Fielding an inexperienced contingent this fall, the Unity soccer team opened their season with a 4-2 loss to visiting St. Teresa on Tuesday.

Nolan Remole, with the assistance of senior Grace Brock, nailed the Rockets' first goal of the season in the second half. Freshman Teaguen Williams added the team's second score after the Bulldogs clawed their way to a 3-1 lead.

"We gave up a PK and also did not score on a PK. Those slight differences can make a huge difference in the box score," said head coach Unity Michel Stringer. "As far as in the moment I thought that they played well."

Sophomore Mason Davis had eight saves while guarding the net for Unity.

"Our offensive is young, and for those who scored this was their first high school game so it is understandable that it took them a half to shake off the nerves and find the net," added Stringer.

The Rockets' next three matches are all at home on their new turf field. Unity starts the three-game homestand with Argenta-Oreana at 10a on Saturday. Two days later on Monday, the program hosts Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 4:30p. Unity fans' last chance to catch the team at home until September 11 will be on Thursday, September 2 in a match against Meridian, also starting at 4:30p.

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