Tyler Krebs is new Burnsville football coach after 14 years as defensive coordinator at Eastview
Justin Magill, Neighbor Posted Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 11:41 pm CT | Updated Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 3:18 am CT
Stability in the coaching staff, dedication off the field and a stronger youth program are three key objectives for new Burnsville football coach Tyler Krebs.
First and foremost, Krebs is hoping to establish a coaching staff that will stick with the program for a while and not immediately leave if the Blaze run into some rocky points during the season.
“(Burnsville) has had a lot of change in coordinators and assistants,” Krebs said. “I want to be able to find coaches that will stay on our staff for a long time.”
Krebs hopes to find a coaching staff that will follow his example—he has spent 14 years on the coaching staff at Eastview High School, much of which was spent as the Lightning defensive coordinator.
Krebs insists that there a direct correlation between the rapport of the staff and Eastview’s consistently winning record.Subscribe
“I believe that is why we were successful,” Krebs said. “You look at what we had on that staff, guys that have been a part of the program for a long time. We were a better team because we had coaches that were on board and could trust one another.”
Jeff Marshall, interim athletic director at Burnsville, said the level of excitement Krebs brings to the Blaze football program is already clear. Marshall has seen Krebs at most offseason workout days at Burnsville despite the new coach continuing to teach English at Eastview.
“You can already see how much he loves it,” Marshall said. “He is a young, energetic guy with a lot of experience already. We think our football team is in good hands.”
Passing the torch
Mark Riggs was the Burnsville football coach for the past four seasons. Prior to that, he was an assistant with the Blaze for 14 seasons.
While Riggs will not be involved in the everyday operations of the football program for the 2011 season, he will remain a key figure in Burnsville’s athletic department. Riggs has two daughters involved in sports at Burnsville and he left the program to spend more time supporting their sporting endeavors.
Despite what could have been an awkward transition, Krebs maintains that Riggs has gone out of his way to be accommodating.
“I talk to him on a daily basis,” Krebs said. “He has been great. His office is right across from the weight room, so you see him right when you walk in. He has shown me around and has been extremely helpful.”
Filling the holes
While Krebs will likely handle many of the defensive coaching responsibilities, he is looking to fill gaps on the offensive side of the ball.
“I think high school is different than college and the pros because head coaches can still coordinate,” Krebs said. “I think I can handle most of the defensive side of it, so we want to make sure we get a good offensive coordinator and staff.”
Marshall recognized the potential for change under Krebs.
“Tyler is going to want to get some of his guys in here and that is fine,” Marshall said. “He has proven that he can do a great job at Eastview and hopefully he can do it here and get things turned around.”
If things in the Burnsville football program are going to change for the better Krebs knows that a commitment from his players is just as important as that from his coaches.
“Every good high school football team has a solid foundation in their strength program,” Krebs explained. “Teams that are willing to put time in to get stronger and faster have an advantage. Kids have to want to go in there and be dedicated to help the team out.”
A youthful approach
The third objective in Krebs’ program-building strategy is to get Burnsville youth more involved in the game. According to Krebs, achieving that objective involves more on-field success for the varsity team but also cultivating excitement among local middle school and elementary players.
“That is how a program keeps going,” Krebs said. “That is the future. You want those younger players to be excited and dedicated to the varsity football team, so we hope that can happen here.”
A new sheriff in town
After spending a decade and a half with a successful Eastview football team, Krebs takes over a Blaze team that has not had a winning season since its 8-3 record in 2006. Since then, however, the Blaze have amassed an overall record of 6-30.
“We hope to turn things around,” Krebs said. “It will be a lot of hard work, but as long as everybody on board is dedicated to doing that, we will be just fine.”
“There is a lot of excitement with Tyler coming in,” Marshall added. “People are talking about him and they like what he is already doing. He talks with the players and has built trust with them.”
Burnsville hired Krebs on March 17 while Eastview was on spring break. At the time Krebs was on vacation with his family in Florida. Coincidentally, when he got back from Florida, Burnsville was on spring break.
“I was excited when I heard they wanted me,” Krebs said. “When I got back, I felt I was a two weeks behind, but the guys have been great since they got back.”
The last piece of the puzzle is for Krebs to find a position in the School District 191. “When I was hired, there wasn’t an opening for a teaching position yet,” he said. “I teach all the English classes at Eastview, but do a lot of video work, too. I know Burnsville has a video center there, so there should be something that I can do.”
Krebs brings to the Blaze a much needed combination of experience and dedication—crucial qualities in a hard-nosed football conference that includes Class 5A runner-up Rosemount. But with time and dedication, Krebs insists Blaze football can be competitive again.
“It’s a tough conference, but there isn’t any doubt that we can be there,” Krebs said. “We just have to have the coaches, players and support to make it happen.”
