Brick By Brick

Verlin Dreiling built houses. His son, Randy, has built a football program. Coach Randy Dreiling, winner of the last four Class 6A state championships at Hutch High, developed a dogged work ethic at an early age growing up in Victoria, Kan. He watched his father construct masterpieces one brick at a time. Bricklaying is a profession that requires patience and a steady hand. "My dad was a perfectionist. He may have been the best bricklayer who ever laid them, but he was never quite satisfied with his work," says Dreiling. "There is no question he taught his sons how to work - there was no other option. He convinced us that if you worked hard enough in life, good things would happen." The traits passed on to him by Verlin, coach Dreiling taught to his sons Blake, Grant and Nate. Work hard until it gets better. Work harder until it is done right. Refine the details until it is done perfectly. Dreiling says coaching his sons in football has been a blessing, giving him a setting where he has taught them to be responsible and accountable on and off the football field. "Coaching your sons is not something you think much about while it's happening," says Dreiling. "But no matter what someone else says, it is a big deal for me to coach my sons to play football. It's been awfully special for us." Grant, like his father, was undersized for a quarterback at 5'9" and 144 pounds. It wasn't until his senior season last fall that he earned the starting quarterback position, following the act of all-stater Wes Kimmel. During the week leading up to Friday night, coach Dreiling focuses on preparing the offensive line. But he always makes sure he and the quarterbacks are on the same page by game day. He demands calm decision-making and execution from his quarterbacks, and he treated Grant no differently than the others. "I remember someone asking me how I treated Grant and my response was, 'I treat Grant the same way I've always treated my quarterbacks - poorly,''' says Dreiling. He requires them to stay turnover-free. Any major mistake is an open invitation for a colorful sideline chat. Dreiling has a knack for getting to the point quickly with raw emotion. "Whenever he critiques you, he reminds you it's not personal," Grant says of his father. "To him, it's all about passion for the game and doing things the right way. Really, everyone feeds off coach being sort of loud and crazy. I honestly couldn't see myself playing for anyone else." Away from the field, Grant says his father is easy to get along with. "It's a drastic change at home because my dad is a normal laid-back guy." While some people reasoned why Grant might not succeed at quarterback, he listened to encouragement from his coaches and teammates. "I'd heard I wasn't big enough or fast enough since I was in fourth grade," Grant says. "I learned to play with a chip on my shoulder and knew my teammates and dad supported me 100 percent." The Salthawks averaged a school-record 47 points per game with Grant at the controls last fall. "Last year, we had tons of offensive weapons from Romero Cotton to Deveon Dinwiddie to Josh Smith," says Grant, deflecting credit for Hutch's potent 2007 offense. "My favorite play was one time I sold a play fake and was running with the football to the end zone. We did it so well, the officials blew the play dead." Nate, Dreiling's youngest son who enters his senior season this fall, can tie his brother Grant for a fourth consecutive title if the Salthawks capture their fifth consecutive state championship in 2008, this time in Class 5A. Nate, an all-state linebacker, led the team in tackles last fall with 145, setting a school record. "We've enjoyed lots of good memories, but every year feels like it gets better and better," says Nate. Listed at 6'2" and 173 pounds as a junior, Nate makes up for his lean frame with speed, instincts and desire. "I'm very proud of Nate," says his father. "Nate's just a football player. He understands the game." Last season was the highlight of Nate's life. "I've loved every minute - from playing varsity football with my older brother to playing for my dad," Nate says. "I couldn't imagine any other way." Nate says his father stresses knowing the game, understanding your assignment and working together as a unit. "We study a lot of film and our defensive coaches always get us in the right defense," Nate says. "We know the other team's tendencies pretty well by game time." Winning four state titles in four years was more than Grant could imagine. Talk about a perfect career. Hutch's historic rise to the top has been a meaningful experience for the entire community. Less talked about is the fact that coach Dreiling's success with the program has peaked with his sons on the field. "I was more nervous before our last state game because I didn't want to let anyone down," Grant says. "After we'd won state last year, dad came up and gave Nate and me a big hug. It was a dream come true seeing that happen." Coach Dreiling's route to winning state titles and coaching his sons started long ago and far away from Hutch. Developing the Salthawks into one of the state's premier football programs was two decades away when he graduated from Victoria High in 1979. Victoria coach John Vincent, who would later coach at Fort Hays State, remembers Dreiling as an emotional leader. He respected his toughness on a Class 2A team that had to contend with 3A and 4A Mid-Continent powers. "Randy was a fierce competitor who maximized his ability," recalls Vincent. "Honestly, he wasn't a very big kid. But he worked so darn hard, he made himself into a competitive player. He was a natural leader who made his teammates play better." At 155 pounds, Dreiling was lightly recruited out of high school, but when teammate Jerry Vonfeldt signed with Benedictine College, he joined him in Atchison. Four years later, he had developed into a fearless 190-pound safety. (Dreiling thinks Nate will gain a similar amount of weight in college as he did.) Former Pratt High coach Rich Anderson, now a Hutch assistant, gave Dreiling his first coaching job. He says Dreiling's success is tied to hiring good coaches and preparing his team mentally and physically. "One thing we share in common as coaches is we both have a tremendous fear of failure. He's a coach who is never satisfied and never quite happy," says Anderson, who won a 4A state title at Pratt in 1995. "But he's been taught by his father to do everything the right way. You keep working until you get it right." No one outworks or outprepares Dreiling. "He has an immense capacity and ability to work," Anderson says. "He will throw more time and more energy into it than most people. Very few people have the stamina or determination to do that." Blake, Dreiling's eldest, moved on from Hutch to work in construction in Hays, but Grant, just graduated this past spring, has chosen a career path in coaching. He'll be a student assistant football coach at Hutchinson Community College this fall. "I figured if I wasn't going to play football anymore, I might as well find a way to start coaching football," Grant says. "HCC coach Rion Rhoades thought it was a great idea." Like father, like son.