Schools
Lemont’s Rick Prangen Awarded 2024-25 NFHS Illinois Coach Of The Year
Prangen's selection was based upon the positive work and success he has had with the Lemont boys' soccer program, LHS said.
LEMONT, IL — Lemont High School boys’ soccer coach Rick Prangen has been named the 2024-25 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Illinois Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year, the school shared in a news release.
Prangen is just the second Lemont coach to earn an NFHS state Coach of the Year award.
The NFHS Illinois Coaches of the Year in all sports are selected by Illinois High School Association sports administrators, according to LHS. Prangen’s selection was based upon the positive work and success he has had with the Lemont boys’ soccer program.
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Prangen guided Lemont to an historic season in Fall 2024, the school said. His team finished with a 23-5-1 record, setting a new school single-season record for victories and nearly tripling its win total from 2023.
It won the South Suburban Conference-Blue Division title with its 10-1 league record, reaching the 10-win mark in conference play for just the second time in program history, and posted its fourth 20-win campaign. Lemont captured IHSA Regional, Sectional, and Super-Sectional crowns, and earned its first state trophy by placing fourth at the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Finals, according to LHS.
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Prangen capped off a 34-year run as Lemont’s boys’ soccer coach in Fall 2025. He posted a 436-261-74 record (.613), which included four seasons with 20 or more wins. Prangen guided Lemont to 13 conference championships, 15 IHSA Regional crowns, seven IHSA Sectional titles, and two IHSA State Finals berths (2007, 2024), according to the school.
The 2026 season will mark the end of Prangen’s 32-year career as Lemont’s girls’ soccer coach. He has posted a 465-192-27 record (.700), making him one of a handful of coaches across the country to reach the 400-win mark in both boys’ and girls’ soccer, the school said. He has led the girls’ program to 21 conference championships – including an active streak of 20 straight titles – as well as 20 IHSA Regional crowns, eight IHSA Sectional titles, and six IHSA State Finals berths (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018).
He was inducted into the Lemont High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
Lemont’s first NFHS state Coach of the Year winner was Mark Hollatz, who earned the honor in boys’ golf for the 2021-22 season.
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