By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Luke Berblinger, a Buhler High School graduate and former college assistant coach, has been named the 28th head football coach in the 125-year history of Salthawk football, the Board of Education approved Monday.
For Berblinger, the opportunity is both a professional milestone and a homecoming.
“We’re really excited about it,” Berblinger said. “I’ve spent the last seven years as an assistant at the FCS level and learned a lot from great mentors, but I’ve always wanted to be a head coach. Hutchinson High School is an awesome opportunity. To run your own program, set the culture and set the standards, that’s something I’m really excited about.”
Berblinger grew up in Reno County and starred at Buhler, where he helped guide the Crusaders to the Class 4A state championship in 2013 during a 13-1 season. He graduated in 2014.
His former coach, longtime Buhler leader Steve Warner, said Berblinger’s path into coaching felt inevitable.
“I was very excited for Luke. I know this is a great opportunity for him,” Warner said. “Last spring my staff and I met with him and SEMO. He told us then that he was ready to try and coach at the high school level.”
Warner said Berblinger’s leadership qualities stood out even as a player.
“In Luke’s senior year we won the state championship. Luke was a very strong leader on the team,” Warner said. “Luke would do anything we ever asked of him. He was a very hard worker.”
Berblinger said returning to Reno County was a major factor in taking the Hutchinson job.
“That’s the reason we wanted to take this job,” he said. “My wife and I both have family here. We started our family away from everybody, but being back in the community is something we’re really, really excited about. We had great experiences growing up here and we want the same thing for our family.”
After high school, Berblinger played four seasons as a slotback at Emporia State from 2014 through 2017. He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance in 2018 and immediately transitioned into coaching, first as a student assistant and later as a graduate assistant working with slotbacks and strength and conditioning.
Those early responsibilities ranged from breaking down film to handling practice logistics, experiences he said helped shape his work ethic.
His career continued at Southeast Missouri State, where he spent the past seven seasons on staff in a variety of roles. Berblinger served as offensive quality control, video coordinator for three years, recruiting coordinator, running backs coach for three seasons and most recently tight ends coach.
“I’ve kind of done everything,” Berblinger said. “Head coaches need to know how to do everything. Doing the jobs nobody wants to do really teaches you a lot and prepares you for this.”
Warner said Berblinger’s coaching instincts were apparent long before college.
“I knew Luke wanted to coach when he was in high school,” Warner said. “He had a love of the game. He studied a lot of film in high school. I knew he would be successful for that reason but also because he was a great leader for the team. Leadership and love of the game can carry a coach a long way.”
He also believes Berblinger’s ability to connect with players will translate well at the high school level.
“I felt like Luke was able to relate to all of the players on the team,” Warner said. “I feel this will help him be a successful high school coach.”
Berblinger now takes over a Hutchinson program with a proud history and high expectations. The Salthawks compete in Class 5A and have long been considered one of the state’s premier jobs.
He replaces Mike Vernon, who went 46-33 over eight seasons from 2018 through 2025.
“I’ve seen what it’s like when Hutch High is rolling,” Berblinger said. “The excitement it brings to Hutchinson and all of Reno County is special. I’ve got a lot of pride in this community, and hopefully you see a team that plays hard and is physical.”
Offensively, Berblinger plans to feature a run-first spread attack rather than the flexbone system Hutchinson used for years.
“I want to run the football,” he said. “Most of my experience has been in a run-first spread offense. We’re going to try to establish the run and get the ball to our playmakers. Every team is different, so we’ll fit what we do to our personnel.”
Defensively, he emphasized stopping the run and playing with toughness up front.
Beyond schemes, Berblinger said relationships will drive the program’s success. He hopes to stay visible in the community and work closely with youth football programs to build long-term continuity.
“I want kids to love football and have a great experience from a young age,” he said. “If they’re excited about the program early, that carries over when they get to junior high and high school.”
Berblinger and his wife (formerly Baylee Heitschmidt), a Hutchinson High graduate, will move back to the area with their daughter, Lucy. He said the chance to lead a hometown program with such tradition made the decision clear.
“I didn’t want just any job,” he said. “I wanted this job.”