Ice cream and a cold beer.

Two items Dick Duval can’t wait to indulge in. When he’s able to.

See, fighting pancreatic cancer with chemotherapy sessions doesn’t lend itself to cold treats, which the 63-year-old former St. Joseph-Ogden football coach is dealing with.

“I asked my nurse, ‘What happens if I drink something cold?’” said Duval, who went 251-75 in 28 seasons coaching SJ-O that included five state championship game appearances in a Hall of Fame career that ended once he retired after the 2015 season. “She said, ‘You’ll feel like you’re dying because it’ll be like pins going down your throat.’”

Duval let out a hearty laugh after the last sentiment, with the man who helped turn SJ-O into one of the state’s premier football programs keeping a positive attitude even amid a year, coronavirus pandemic and all, he would much rather forget about.

He completed his eighth session of chemotherapy this past Monday and is taking a football approach to those grueling days.

“That’s eight out of 12, so I’m two-thirds done,” Duval said, “and when I get No. 9 done, I’ll be in the fourth quarter.”

He’s taking more naps these days. And asking for help when he needs it.

He wanted to lose some weight before 2020 started and his cancer diagnosis rocked his life. Well, he’s done that in the past four months since he started chemotherapy, down about 55 pounds.

“My appetite has been great,” Duval said. “The problem is it just doesn’t stay with me very long.”

But Duval is persevering. And plans on dominating cancer much like his fundamentally-sound and talented SJ-O teams did underneath the Friday night lights for decades. The outpouring of cards, text messages, phone calls and more from former players, former coaching foes turned friends, former students and former colleagues warms the old ball coach’s heart.

“It keeps me going,” Duval said. “It’s been so difficult at times. The hardest part with chemo is the mental part, knowing you’ve got to do this and get through it.”

Having three grown children living nearby in daughters Bobbi and Toni, along with son Kiel, helps. So does the sight of his grandchildren. And the constant presence of his wife, Lynda, isn’t lost on him.

“They’ve been so, so supportive,” he said. “It makes me feel very proud to be a part of this family.”

Duval is set to end chemotherapy on Nov. 9, with possible radiation treatments scheduled after that. He went to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis last month for a three-month checkup and received encouraging news from his doctors.

“All my numbers were fantastic,” Duval said. “They just think everything is going exactly like it should be.”

He’s not getting complacent, though. Or ahead of himself. He knows this foe he’s dealing with is greater than any high school football team he coached against.

But, still, he has his end goal in sight: ice cream and a cold beer.

“Nothing really special,” Duval said. “Just having an Oreo Blizzard would be great.”