The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is proud to announce its 11th class of recipients of the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award.
The 2025-26 honorees encompass three active media members, which includes venerable Chicagoland newspaper writer Rick Armstrong, Rockford television staple Scott Leber, and a man celebrating his 50th season calling downstate Mt. Carmel High School football on the radio, Scott McCallen. Additionally, the long-time voice of preps sports in Canton, Leon Groover, is being honored in the retiree category, as he put a bow on his nearly five decades in radio back in 2020.
The IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award was created to recognize media members who have covered high school sports and activities in Illinois for a significant period of time, while maintaining perspective on the amateur events they report on. See past winners by clicking here.
“Congratulations to each of these gentlemen on this well-deserved honor,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “Their contributions to high school sports in Illinois, and to their communities, is immeasurable. We know they are beloved figures within the areas and communities they provide coverage and look forward to having a special moment to honor each during the 2025-26 school year.”
IHSA member school personnel and veteran media members in the state are eligible to nominate individuals for the award. Beginning in 2024, the IHSA is seeking to honor at least one retired media member as a part of what is traditionally a class of four honorees.
“The IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award is only 11 years old, so we recognize that there are many deserving individuals who were retired by the time it came into existence,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha. “We wanted to start the process of trying to recognize at least one of those individuals each year.”
The IHSA’s media advisory committee, and a select committee of veteran media members in the state vote on the nominees. Each winner will be honored at a high school event of their choosing during the 2025-26 school year.
“A vital element of this award is the recognition within the community,” said Troha. “We look forward to seeing this year’s winners being recognized in front of the students, coaches, and communities they have impacted with their exceptional work.”
A bio on each of the honorees is below:
SCOTT MCCALLEN
A native of Peoria, Scott McCallen (known by his radio name Scott Allen) graduated from Richwoods High School, where he was a three-year letterwinner in swimming. As a senior, he helped guide Richwoods to a second-place finish at the 1972 state meet, the best result ever for a downstate program at the time, which later earned he and his teammates induction into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.
Scott went on to attend Eastern Illinois University, initially planning to pursue a medical career like his father. However, after attending a Radio Club meeting during his freshman year, he quickly realized his true calling was broadcasting. By his sophomore year, he was already behind the mic calling EIU games.
Scott’s professional career spanned more than four decades and included stops at WEIC in Charleston, WYER and WYNG in Mt. Carmel, and WSJD in Evansville, Indiana. Along the way, he became synonymous with Mt. Carmel Golden Aces athletics, first calling games in 1979 and continuing through his retirement in 2021. Despite “retiring”, he remains on the mic for Golden Aces football games, with the 2025 season marking his 50th calling Mt. Carmel football.
For Scott, the true reward was always in serving small-town communities. He cherished being the voice that braved snowy winter nights for away games, then returned home to deliver scores and stories to listeners by sunrise. Some of his most memorable calls include Mt. Carmel’s 1981 Class 3A football playoff comeback at Nashville, 2013’s infamous 71-70 shootout with Greenville, and the Golden Aces’ return to the state basketball championship game in 2017—a special thrill in a return to his hometown of Peoria.
Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame in 2009, Scott continues to give back in retirement. He maintains the Little Illini Conference website, announces select events and championship games, and remains active with his church, where he volunteers regularly. Scott says his life has always been about his passions: broadcasting, community, and service.
Award Presentation: On Friday, September 26 during pre-game of the Mt. Carmel varsity football game at approximately 6:50 PM.
RICK ARMSTRONG
Rick is a graduate of Sycamore High School where he lettered in golf, played a year of basketball, and participated in band, jazz band, chorus, and the student newspaper. During his junior year, Rick found his calling when the school began offering a new journalism class that included work on the school newspaper. After high school, he attended Northern Illinois University and began freelancing for local weekly papers before graduating into full-time reporting.
Rick’s career has spanned nearly five decades and several Illinois newsrooms. He got his start at the Hoopeston Chronicle-Herald in 1976, then joined the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, where he worked in multiple roles, including sports editor, until 1985. From there, he spent 14 years at the Joliet Herald-News before arriving at the Aurora Beacon-News in 1999, where he continues to cover high school sports. Through the years, Rick has told the stories of countless athletes, coaches, and teams, from state champions to Olympians.
Among the highlights of his career are covering Waubonsie Valley’s Morolake Akinosun, who went on to win Olympic gold in 2016, and West Aurora’s Lauren Carlini, a 2024 Olympic silver medalist in volleyball. He also chronicled the careers of prep basketball greats like Flying Illini member Kenny Battle of West Aurora and East Aurora’s Ryan Boatright, who became a co-Mr. Basketball in Illinois and later a national champion at Connecticut. Rick has also been on the sidelines for numerous state title teams across football, basketball, volleyball, and softball, making him a trusted chronicler of Fox Valley athletics.
For Rick, the best part of the job has always been getting to know young athletes and coaches and sharing their stories with the community. Married to his wife Debbie, he is also the proud father of Derek (Erin) Armstrong and grandfather to Clara, Barrett, and Sutton.
Award Presentation: On Friday, January 9 at the West Aurora High School as a part of the West Aurora-East Aurora varsity boys basketball game.
LEON GROOVER
A lifelong native of Canton, Illinois, Leon graduated from Canton High School in 1972. He set the stage for a future in the media during his time as a Little Giant, where he was a team manager and handled stats for the high school athletic teams. Leon went on to attend Lakeland Junior College, where he studied Radio Broadcasting with the intention of becoming a radio DJ. He was later given the opportunity to do radio play-by-play and found his calling there. He went on to serve as the voice of Canton High School athletics for 36 years, covering basketball, football, baseball and softball along the way. He concluded his career at WBYS 1560 AM in Canton on June 19, 2020, after 46 years.
Leon calls his career in radio “very rewarding” and said is favorite part of the job was “promoting the student-athletes’ accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.” He also mentions the positive experiences of interacting with the coaches, student-athletes and their families, as well as the athletic administrators he worked with through the years.
Leon said it was a thrill simply getting to broadcast his hometown sports on the radio, along with the neighboring communities like Cuba, Farmington, Lewistown, Illini Bluffs, North Fulton and South Fulton. “The local area has been a tremendous supporter of myself and Canton radio,” said Leon.
A few moments that standout from Leon’s career include Canton’s undefeated football season in 2003 and the Little Giants semifinal appearance on the gridiron in 2016. State basketball runs by the Illini Bluffs girls, Farmington boys, and the Lewistown boys and girls programs are also treasured memories.
A member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) and Canton Sports Halls of Fame, Leon has been supported in his career his mother Myrna, brother Rick, son Christopher, daughter-in-law Cait, and his two grandchildren, Camdyn and Cora. He stays busy in retirement watching his grandkids, dirt track racing, playing fantasy sports, and providing scores of area games on social media.
Award Presentation: On Friday, December 19 at Canton High School as a part of the Canton-Dunlap varsity boys basketball game.
SCOTT LEBER
Scott is a graduate of South Central High School in Greenwich, Ohio, where he was a standout runner in track and cross country. He set school records in the 3200 meters and in cross country, won conference titles, and was a state final meet qualifier. Scott matriculated to Ashland University after high school, where he majored in Communications/Radio-TV, and also got experience calling games on WLKR Radio in Norwalk, Ohio.
Scott’s professional career began at WHIZ TV/Radio in Zanesville, Ohio, where he worked from 1985–1989 covering sports, production, and even weather. In 1989, he moved to Rockford, Illinois, joining WTVO-TV as a sports reporter and anchor. By 1995, he was promoted to sports director, a role he continues to hold today. Around 2005, he also took on the same position at WQRF FOX 39, simultaneously serving as sports director for both Rockford stations. Over his 36 years in the Rockford market, Scott has become a trusted voice of high school athletics in northern Illinois, as he traverses Rockford and the surrounding communities to cover as many games and tell as many stories as possible.
Scott says his favorite part of the job has always been the coaches and the communities. Having grown up admiring his own high school coaches, he has enjoyed building relationships with Illinois coaching legends such as Mike Lalor, Ric Arand, Jeff Boyer, Sean Considine, Steve Goers, and Joe Murphy to name a few. He also treasures the small-town spirit of northern Illinois, where communities like Byron, Stillman Valley, Lena-Winslow, and Winnebago pack the stands to support their teams.
Through the years, Scott has covered multiple generations of athletes and families, taking pride in spotlighting their accomplishments on and off the field. Away from work, Scott enjoys walks, reading, and spending time with his son, Sam, who lives and works in Milwaukee.
Award Presentation: On Thursday, February 5 at Stillman Valley High School as a part of the Stillman Valley-Byron varsity girls basketball game.
