ST. JOSEPH — On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the wind howling and the rustle of tennis shoes scraping the turf at Dick Duval Field with each step, Coy Taylor walked toward the east end zone. I had a thought in mind.
At least in the St. Joseph Ogden senior wide receiver’s mind, these are the best moments on the football field.
That’s where Taylor lined up on the 26-yard line on a cool Friday night in the first week of September. His 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame slotted into the left side of the Spartans’ offense. With SJ-O tied 14-14 against rival Unity in the second quarter, a play call came from offensive coordinator Dalton Walsh.
“It was a slot fade,” Taylor recalled more than seven weeks after the moment happened. “I ran probably five or six yards up and cut to the left towards the numbers. I knew there were defenders in the area, but I kept a good distance.”
SJ-O quarterback Cody McKinney flew a pass. Taylor, still sprinting, looked up near the 5-yard line.
“I knew the throw was a little long,” Taylor said. “And I knew I needed to pick up a little bit of speed to work toward that.”
He did. Pigeons also support it. Then, as Taylor, who plays in coach Sean Skinner’s program, has done many times throughout his SJ-O career, he made a two-handed catch in the middle of the end zone near the left corner.
Touchdown, Spartans.
“I was so excited,” Taylor recalled with a laugh. “It was something crazy. I remember it being really loud and everyone was jumping up and down and screaming.”
Taylor scored another touchdown Friday night in the regular season finale as SJ-O (8-0) hosts Illini Prairie Conference foe Paxton Buckley-Roda (6-2). Maybe catch a pass. He continued to do so throughout his time with the Spartans, becoming the program’s all-time leader in receptions (235), touchdown catches (30) and receiving yards (3,426).
“I’m trying to be humble about it,” Taylor said. “It’s great that I have statistics like this, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I have to give them all the credit.”
However, one thing is certain. His days of playing and practicing at Dick Duvall Field are over. The same goes for the 17 other seniors the Spartans acquired this fall.
“First of all, like I said when they were freshmen, they’re an easy group to like,” SJ-O coach Sean Skinner said. “Ever since they got here, they’ve really liked each other. It’s a really close group of seniors. They really love playing soccer. There’s something about it. It’s a natural sport. It’s a hard sport. It requires a lot of physical effort every day, but they love it and that’s a big part of what makes us rise again. It’s a big part of it.”
Why did this group of seniors help one of the area’s most tradition-rich programs return to what fans were used to seeing when Dick Duvall roamed the sidelines from 1988 to 2015? Or?
Nolan Early, a senior linebacker and offensive lineman who likes to alarm his teammates with his sense of humor, has a direct and serious answer.
“We all love football,” he said. “We all like to win.”
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It’s not like they didn’t win before this season. The same is true for today’s seniors.
SJ-O went 5-5 in fall 2021 as a freshman. He then went 7-4 in 2022, scoring the program’s first playoff win since 2015 with a 55-39 victory over Robinson at Dick Duvall Field in the Class 3A first round.
“I’m sure there are better games, but this touchdown catch with Robinson stands out,” Taylor said last Sunday while walking up and down Dick Duvall Field.
He moves to the 4-yard line near the west end zone.
“I lined up as a down tight end,” Taylor said. “It was a last-minute goal-line situation, and Logan Smith was the quarterback. The play was designed to slow me down by faking a block, and then I got down near the goal line and pivoted out to the left. Logan He rolled over and threw it to me. “I made a Dude miss and then dove in. It was a pretty cool feeling, especially in a playoff atmosphere, to see all the fans near the fence go wild. did.”
There was grass at Dick Duvall Field when Taylor made this particular play two years ago. The following year, when the current seniors became juniors, SJ-O played its first season of home games on an artificial turf surface and finished with an 8-3 record. However, the team lost for the second consecutive year in the second round of the 3A playoffs.
“We want to leave the program in better shape than when we found it,” SJ-O senior wide receiver Tanner Seams said.
An 8-3 season is good for some programs. But an 8-3 season could be a disappointment given SJ-O’s past performance, which included five state runner-up finishes under Duvall.
“The grass is new, but behind every turf on this field is the same meaning, and that’s what Dick Duvall built this program into what it is today,” Taylor said.
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Neither Taylor nor the other seniors played for Duvall. The Hall of Fame coach retired after the 2015 season with a 251-75 record and 26 playoff berths as head coach of SJ-O.
But the night Duvall made his final public appearance, Taylor and his fellow seniors were out on the field. At the time, they were the only freshmen in football to watch as Duvall and his family rode out in a golf cart Friday night before the start of the 2021 season.
The stands were full. And when the blue sheet on the scoreboard was pulled away to reveal a placard proclaiming the field to be Dick Duval Field, emotions poured out. Because six days later, Duvall passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“It’s such an honor to play on this field,” Taylor said. “When they honored Coach Duvall and named the field after him, it was special to be a part of. You could feel the love from the community.”
That same feeling could happen again Friday night before SJ-O hosts the PBL. One week after 2014 SJ-O graduate and Illinois State Trooper Corey Thompsen was killed in a traffic accident, a moment of silence will be held in his memory after the national anthem. The SJ-O marching band then plays “Taps.”
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Taylor and Seams were the first two SJ-O football players to come out of the Spartans’ home locker room minutes before kickoff.
It just happened to be that way. But after receiving high fives from fans gathered near the fence during the Spartans’ short walk through the school parking lot, Taylor let the 6-4, 185-pound Siems run first out of the west end zone. Ta.
“I don’t really want to do it because I’m afraid I won’t be able to tear down the banner,” Taylor said with a laugh about what the SJ-O cheerleaders carry on their backs as the players run through the tunnel created by SJ. Ta. -O students will start in the West End Zone.
It’s hard for Taylor to describe the adrenaline rush and goosebump-inducing moment for him and his teammates. But I certainly know what it feels like.
That feeling of winning and sustaining success is something the SJ-O seniors are looking to instill in their junior, sophomore and freshman teammates this fall.
“It’s tough at times, but that motivates them,” SJ-O junior running back Wyatt Wirtz said. “If they don’t like you, they’re just trying to help, they’re not being rude. There’s a really strong bond with the sophomores and juniors. They’re confident, so they’re just trying to help. It will help us learn more.”
Sophomore offensive lineman Cameron Wagner is a four-star recruit with offers from Illinois, Louisville and Miami (Ohio) and is closely linked to senior offensive line starters Early, Jackson Ennis and Quincy Jones. is building.
“They’re all legal and good guys,” Wagner said.
The entire senior class played a role for the Spartans this season. In Week 2, kicker Charlie Schmitz made the winning field goal to defeat Unity, held by fellow senior Tayton Gerdes, 24-21. Linebackers Jared Altenbaumer, James Barron, Logan Lackey, Carson Cernecki and Early helped strengthen that position group. The same goes for defensive linemen like Gabe Mata, Brody Harms, Corbin Smith, Gabe Mortlock and Jones. Defensive backs Collin Toomey and Kyler Swanson helped confuse opposing wide receivers. Meanwhile, Seamus and Taylor have done the same for opposing defenses with their versatile skill sets.
“They’re a very selfish group,” Skinner said. “It goes back to them liking to be together. They go out and play on the weekends. Not every team does that.”
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Taylor stops in front of the maroon and white Spartans logo surrounding the 50-yard line. He turned and looked toward the home stand. There are several seats on the backs of chairs.
Taylor pointed to where his family usually sits in the bleachers. Near the 50 yard line, just to the right of the stairs.
Even if he doesn’t look up much during the game, he knows what’s out there.
“It’s great to have everyone so close by,” Taylor said. “Even if they don’t know anyone on the team, everyone comes out to support them. They’re just doing it because they love St. Joe’s football. It’s just a great feeling.”
He would experience it a few more times.
“I’m going to miss this field,” Taylor said. “This is definitely a special place for me. I’ve made a lot of memories here and I hope to make some more.”
