BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
LARNED -- Great Bend's Jason Duvall has been hired as Larned's head football coach after a 31-year coaching career that includes multiple Texas high schools.
Larned finished 0-9 last year and own two winning seasons in the last decade. The Indians feature a talented sophomore class that won the Central Kansas League during middle school.
The Indians own a 4-13 record in the Kansas football playoffs.
"We've got small numbers in our senior and junior classes," Duvall said. "We've got good athletes in our sophomore class. They'll be thrown into the mix and see what they can do."
At Larned, Texas Tech graduate Duvall will teach weights and physical education. Most recently, Duvall has coached football at Great Bend Middle School.
Ellinwood's football teams coached by Duvall in 2015 and 2016 finished 3-6 and 6-3, missing a playoff berth with losses to St. John 22-20 and Goessel 50-48.
Duvall's Ellinwood softball teams finished as 2A state runner-up in 2016 and 2017, losing to Chase County 10-0 and Valley Falls 11-2. He's also coached baseball, track and field, and bowling.
At Texas Tech, Duvall was a starting offensive tackle, which is his coaching expertise.
"I coach primarily offensive line," he said. "I use the same drills we used at Texas Tech. We work on getting your linemen's steps correct where it gets to a habit."
Ellinwood will operate a 'spread' offensive formation with multiple wide receivers.
"We'll put some points on the board. I've evolved into a passing/zone blocking scheme where we'll use run/pass options," he said. "We'll do some pulling on traps, tosses and sweeps. We'll run a spread offensive look with packages that run 'I formation' and emphasize power football."
Assistant coach Kirby Westermann will direct a 4-2 defense with two hybrid defenders.
Duvall's goal is to build positive, lasting relationships with students, athletes, and the community, helping them succeed both in and out of school.
He offers a wealth of experience, energy, and passion for working with students and athletes. His goal has always been to help student-athletes develop not only their skills, but also teamwork, discipline and character.
"I want other teams to understand that when Larned comes to play, they're going to have to play hard themselves," Duvall said. "It's going to be a competitive and hard-fought game. It's not going to be what some teams think is a pushover game.
"Every game you have to go into battle. We want teams to realize that these guys are coming in to play. That's the reputation we'd like to get."
Larned will compete in a 3A football district with rival Hoisington, Pratt, Nickerson and Lyons.
"We'll hope to surprise some teams early in the season," Duvall said. "We hope to build some things at Larned. We hope to encourage players to compete in football. We're excited for the opportunity.
Duvall and his wife Shelly are parents to seven children and six grandchildren.
