Two Illinois High School Football Coaches Announce Resignations

Jon Hebb steps down from Springfield, Mike Lalor from Stillman Valley

Stillman Valley's head coach Mike Lalor talks to Kale Rauman on the sidelines on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Stillman Valley High School in Stillman Valley. RFD0827 Top Performers Of Week 1 / CHRIS NIEVES/ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two Illinois high school football coaches announced their resignations on Wednesday.

Jon Hebb at Springfield High School and Mike Lalor at Stillman Valley High School tendered resignations from their posts atop the football programs at their respective schools.

Jon Hebb Stepping Down As Head Football Coach At Springfield

Hebb had spent the past four years leading the Senators, winning 17 games during that time. Springfield reached the Illinois high school football playoffs twice under his command.

Prior to coming to Springfield, Hebb led Rushville-Industry for three years, going 19-11 with three postseason appearances. He replaced Roy Gully III as head coach at Springfield.

“This is a totally personal decision,” Hebb told The State Journal-Register. “There was nothing from anywhere else. Ultimately, it just came down to this past football season: I was not present at home at all. I was there, but I wasn’t there. If we’re gonna preach family over everything to our kids, then I have to model that.”

Hebb plans to remain teaching at Springfield High School.

This past fall, Springfield finished 5-5 overall, including a 4-1 conference mark. They lost to Providence Catholic in the Illinois playoffs.

Mike Lalor Won Five State Championships Leading Stillman Valley

Lalor has been the head coach at Stillman Valley since 1998, first joining the coaching staff as an assistant four years prior to that. The Cardinals won the 1999 Class 2A Illinois high school football state championship and reached the semifinals in 1998 under Lalor.

They went on to capture the 2A state title again in 2000 before winning the 3A state championships in 2003, 2009 and 2013. They were runners-up in 2010.

“I hope that they know that in the long term, we were just trying to do our very best to give them as much success as possible, and I’ll always say that I know I was not always the easiest person to play for,” Lalor told mystateline.com. “I try to be demanding and there was a certain level, a certain standard that had to be upheld, and I hope that they know long-term that it was meant for their good, and probably just how much they meant to me. There’s a lot of, a lot of great memories.”

Stillman Valley finished this past season 4-5 overall, going 4-4 in the Big Northern Conference.

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