Lakeville High School alumnus Tyler Krebs has been hired as Lakeville South High School’s head football coach.

Krebs comes to the school after six years as head coach at Burnsville High School, where he is credited for rebuilding the long-sagging program into a powerhouse that rivaled its 1970s- and 1980s-era roots.

When Krebs came to Burnsville, the football program’s previous four seasons yielded seven wins and 30 losses.

Under Krebs’ leadership, the team went to three consecutive section championship games, including in 2015 when it won the school’s first conference (subdistrict) and section championships in two decades.

Burnsville’s record for the past two seasons is 16 wins and five losses.

Krebs said he is excited to lead the LSHS program started by Hall of Fame Lakeville head coach Larry Thompson, who moved from head football coach at Lakeville North High School when LSHS opened in 2005; he recently retired after 38 years of coaching that included three state championships.

Krebs played defensive end for Thompson while in high school, including in the 1991 Prep Bowl his senior year.

Thompson said Krebs was smart, aggressive and knew how to play the game.

“I think he carries that over into his coaching,” Thompson said. “He’s very smart. Understands the game, but back then he really could relate to his teammates, and I think that’s the same thing now. He’ll be able to relate to his coaches … and the players. It’s an exciting time, there’s no doubt about it.”

Krebs said Thompson is the reason he coaches football.

“I had a great experience when I was in high school, and that’s what I want to do as a coach is create a similar type of environment for this group of kids, so I’m excited to go back and it’s exciting to be around there. I’ve got some former teammates that are on staff, some former coaches that are on staff, so it’s going to be a little bit of a homecoming in some ways, but there are things that are different, too.”

Krebs said Thompson and the coaching team created winning teams, but more importantly, served as “fantastic role models and people.”

“I just absolutely loved my high school football experience, and when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for a career, I decided I wanted to coach,” Krebs said. “And I attribute a lot of that back to him.”

Lakeville North High School head football coach Brian Vossen also played under Thompson, and Krebs called that “part of Thompson’s legacy.”

Thompson said he “couldn’t be more happy and more proud” Krebs was selected for the position, calling his hire a “great catch for Lakeville.”

“I couldn’t be more ecstatic that he decided to come and be back home in the town of Lakeville,” Thompson said. “He’s a class person and he’s a hard worker, and I know that he’s going to do things and make Lakeville proud.”

Krebs described his coaching style as being a relationship builder and a hard worker.

He said he hopes to attract players to the strength program and plans to work with them by watching films, practicing hard and building relationships.

“We’re really trying to create an atmosphere of family,” Krebs said. “So that’s what we’re looking for in coaches and players. Everyone needs to be a hard worker and a relationship builder.”

He said a head coach’s No. 1 job is surrounding himself with great people, and he plans to pull people together and create a common vision.

He described leaving Burnsville as “bittersweet” and said it was difficult to tell players this is his last school year there.

Krebs will also work at LSHS as an English teacher, and he said he is planning to develop an audio-video program using LSHS’s state-of-the-art video production studio.

“I fully plan on being a part of that,” Krebs said.

In a statement, LSHS Principal John Braun said the school’s goal was to hire both an outstanding teacher and an outstanding football coach.

“Tyler’s previous principals identified him as an exceptional teacher whose impact went well beyond his classroom to positively and significantly impact their entire building’s culture,” Braun said. “In terms of Tyler’s coaching success, his teams’ accomplishments highlight his outstanding leadership skills in leading a high school football program.”

Braun said prior to Burnsville, Krebs was the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Eastview High School.

During his 14 seasons at Eastview, they won four section championships, one conference championship and had a record of 96 wins and 55 losses.

Krebs said the teams to beat are Rosemount and Lakeville North, and he plans to “recruit the halls pretty hard.”

He said he will be at spring sports practices to get to know kids.

“Football is a numbers game, and so we will definitely try to get as many kids out as possible and try to create an experience where they want to join the program,” Krebs said.

He plans to move to Lakeville from Savage with his wife, Ali, and their children, Ava, 11, Casey, 8, and Brady, 5.

“This was a family decision,” Krebs said. “And we plan on being fully invested in that school community for a long time.”