In his first season as Burnsville’s head football coach, Ryan King is living out a goal years in the making.
He has players to develop, expectations to establish and a culture to build. After three seasons as Burnsville’s offensive coordinator, King knew the challenges facing the Blaze when he took over.
Despite dropping its first five games, Burnsville finished the regular season by winning two of its final three, including a comeback from 20 points down against Tartan that helped secure the program’s first home playoff game since 2016.
Building from the bottom is what King has done his entire life. A 2013 Hastings High School graduate, he saw firsthand how a coach could shape a program’s identity.
King played high school football for coach Dana Strain, whose lessons stayed with him long after his playing days ended. Years later when Strain called to congratulate King on his promotion in February, the moment stayed with him.
“I’ve said this to several people when I took the job in Burnsville, he called me,” King said. “And that one meant more than I think anything else. It was just a special moment.”
Strain remembers a player who showed up for summer workouts, film sessions, fundraisers and volunteer events, not just Friday nights.
“Ryan was always selfless,” Strain said. “Ryan never cared if he made the highlight or if it was a teammate.”
King coached in South Carolina and Florida before joining Burnsville, where he eventually succeeded Vince Varpness as head coach. Through those moves, Strain remained someone he could call for advice.
“Not many kids get to go on and kind of dabble into a career that people who have had such a profound impact on them have,” King said. “Strain has always been a guy that I can lean on, and bounce ideas off and bounce questions off. He always gave me really good advice, especially when I was coaching early on in my career.”
The two still meet for coffee. King watched Strain establish expectations at Hastings. Now he is doing the same with his own program.
Building the Blaze
Burnsville finished 2-6 after winning one game in 2025 and none in 2024. King did not want the team’s identity defined solely by its record.
“When I took over in February, the first thing we did was just try to reestablish our culture,” King said. “Who are we as a program? Our standards and our expectations.”
He wants team meals, summer workouts and accountability to matter beyond graduation.
“I think the first thing I talked to our kids when I took the job was creating the best possible high school football experience out there,” King said. “And that is extremely important.”
Senior quarterback Liam Henke has seen those expectations firsthand.
“He taught me how consistency is the biggest factor of success and taught me the intent of hard work,” Henke said.
Senior center Sam Liebl has noticed more productive, intense practices, while senior receiver, running back and defensive back Tommy Subah described a culture that “won’t be broken easily.”
On Oct. 9, that work delivered King’s first victory as a head coach. Burnsville adjusted its injury-hit backfield and beat Apple Valley 27-26. Subah scored on a 25-yard run and intercepted a pass on Apple Valley’s final possession, while Henke threw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Parham.
“I just remember kneeling it down and feeling relieved that we finally got in the win column,” Liebl said.
Five days after his first victory as a head coach, King faced the man who helped shape his approach to football. Across the field stood Strain and his 20-plus years of high school coaching experience, leading a Hastings program through its own historic season.
Hastings (7-1) won 42-6, but the matchup meant more than the score. King had gone from learning under Strain to coaching against him, carrying those lessons into the challenge of leading Burnsville.
That responsibility extends beyond the varsity roster. King has worked with Burnsville’s youth coaches, helped organize camps and a coaches’ clinic, and brought varsity players to youth practices. He wants younger athletes to feel part of the program before they reach high school.
“Foundational relationships are to me number one,” King said.
Henke, Liebl and Subah want younger players to inherit a program defined by dedication and resilience.
The Blaze won their regular-season finale at Tartan on Oct. 21, overcoming a 20-0 deficit to prevail 37-34. Senior quarterback Liam Henke passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards and two more scores. Alex Krumwiede added 204 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Subah contributed 106 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Down 27-20 entering the fourth quarter, Burnsville scored twice on 1-yard runs to take the lead. Tartan tied it at 34, but Burnsville won on a field goal with fewer than 20 seconds remaining. The No. 4-seeded Blaze will host their first playoff game since 2016 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m.
Two October wins have given King’s players something tangible to build on. But in his first season, he is also trying to create the kind of lasting experience he remembers from Hastings. Strain recognizes both the ambition and the difficult days that come with it. He has seen the qualities King brings to the job since King was a teenager.
“Those are the moments when it is most important to lead from the front,” Strain said. “It ain’t easy, but that’s leadership and that’s coaching… and that’s Ryan. He is made for this.”