Ben Burk was hired as the third head coach in the history of Lakeville South before the 2020 season. After being named Interim Head Coach in 2019, he was the 6A Section 3 Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to the state semi-finals and an 8-1 record. In his first two full years of being a head coach, he led the Cougars to 21 straight wins and two state championships. Before being named Head Coach, he served as the Offensive Coordinator for the Cougars since 2017 leading an offense that set school records for rushing yards and points per game which helped the Cougars reach the state semifinals in each season Coach Burk was in charge. In addition to coaching football, Ben coaches Track & Field, Olympic Weightlifting and works as an English teacher at Lakeville South High School. He is married to his wife, Anna, and has two children, Lola and Luke.
2023 Section 3AAAAAA Coach of the Year
2022 Section 3AAAAAA Coach of the Year
2021 6A State Coach of the Year
2021 Section 3AAAAA Coach of the Year
2021 6A Metro Gold South Coach of the Year
2021 Minnesota Vikings Coach of the Week
2020 Kare 11 All-Metro Coach of the Year
2020 MFCA 6A Coach of the Year
2020 Section 3AAAAAA Coach of the Year
2019 Section 3AAAAAA Coach of the Year
2020- Head Coach, Lakeville South
2019 - Interim Head Coach, Lakeville South
2017-2019 - Offensive Coordinator, Lakeville South
2015-2017 - Quarterbacks Coach, Lakeville South
2014 - Pass Game Coordinator, Burnsville High School
2012-2013 - Quarterbacks Coach, Lakeville South
2011 - Student Assistant Coach, University of St. Thomas
Jon Bakken has been the offensive coordinator for Lakeville South since 2019
Prior to coaching at Lakeville South, Coach Bakken coached for two seasons as the tight ends coach for St. Olaf in 2019-20 after being named to the position in June 2018.
Prior to coming to St. Olaf, Bakken spent the previous 34 years coaching at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School in Waterville, Minn. He was the team's defensive coordinator for the first three seasons before being named head coach and offensive coordinator until his retirement in the fall of 2017.
At Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Bakken also was the head baseball coach for three seasons and the head boys track & field coach for 25 years. He also spent time as the junior high basketball coach and directed the one-act plays for seven years, while teaching chemistry and physics.
During his coaching career, Bakken has won 21 conference titles, 15 section championships and three state titles (one Class C and two Class AA). His overall coaching record was 279-89 (.758). He won Coach of the Year awards in 1989, 1997, 1999 and 2009 and was the Minnesota Coach of the Year in 2009.
Prior to WEM, Bakken spent time coaching at Spring Lake Park High School, Esko High School, Onamia High School and Fort Dogs Junior High (Iowa).
Bakken played high school football at Esko High School before playing two years at Golden Valley Lutheran College and two years at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Bakken resides in Waterville with his wife, Mary. They have two daughters, Megan and Kirstin.
Varsity Defensive Coordinator
Coach Dean was named the defensive coordinator going into the 2021 season. Prior to serving as the defensive coordinator, he was the defensive backs coach for three seasons and a volunteer coach for one season.
He graduated from St. Cloud State University where he was a four-year starter and captain in football and track from 1995 to 1999. After college, he coached defensive backs at Augsburg College for 2 years from 2000 to 2001. He then moved to St. Thomas University where he coached outside linebackers and safeties for two years from 2001 to 2003. He left coaching to focus on his family but got back into coaching at the youth level when he moved to Lakeville in 2009. Since 2009 he has coached at all youth levels from flag to eighth grade. He has been on the Lakeville South Football Association board as the Player and Coaching Development Coordinator for several years. He developed the Cougar Academy spring program, along with other development programs for quarterbacks and wide receivers. He is married to his wife, Tessa and they have three active boys: Camden, Gaven, and Griffen. Mark works professionally as a Sr. Account Executive for Taylor Communications.
Varsity Receivers & Tight Ends Coach
Phone: 952-232-3999 x2196
Coach Hilliard has been coaching Varsity tight ends and wide receivers at Lakeville South since 2015. Prior to that he served as the head sophomore coach and sophomore offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2014.
Coach Hilliard teaches math at McGuire Middle School. In addition to coaching high school football in the fall, he also coaches youth football. In the winter he coaches the girls strength and conditioning program at Lakeville South and youth basketball. In the spring, he serves as Head Girls Track & Field Coach at Lakeville South. Since starting the program in 2005, the Cougars have won state championships in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Coach Hilliard is a 1999 graduate of Woodbury High School, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. He played football, ran track, and graduated from the University of St. Thomas, where he also met his wife Heidi. He and Heidi live in Lakeville with their three children Lucy, Teddy, and Frances.
Varsity Outside Linebackers
Phone: 952-232-3999 x6337
Coach Arlt coaches the varsity outside linebackers. Previously, he was the varsity defensive line coach and 9th-grade defensive coordinator. He has coached baseball and in the weight room during the offseason training periods.
Coach Arlt played football for Lakeville High School before graduating in 1995. During his football career at LHS, he obtained honors as All-Lake Conference and Academic All-State as a Defensive Back. He played baseball for Lakeville High School from 1994-1995 & then went on to play for the University of Minnesota Gophers from 1996-2000. Coach Arlt was also was a varsity high school basketball player at Lakeville.
In addition to coaching, he teaches AP United States & AP World History at Lakeville South High School.
Coach Arlt is married to his wife Karen.
Varsity Inside Linebackers
Phone: 952-232-3999 x6847
Coach Minske is the varsity linebacker coach for LSHS. He was previously the defensive coordinator since South opened in 2004. He has spent every season of his teaching career coaching football in Lakeville.
Coach Minske is a 1990 graduate of Lakeville High School (played for Coach Thompson). Following high school he went on to play linebacker at St. Cloud State University.
In addition to coaching football, Coach Minske is a U.S. History teacher at LSHS. Coach Minske is married to his wife is Erika. They have two sons, Jack and Luke who participate in football for the Cougars.
Varsity Running Backs
Coach Draper has served as the Varsity Runningbacks coach and Special Teams Coordinator since 2018. Coach Draper began his coaching career at Jordan High School. He spent 9 years as the Varsity Running Back and Defensive Back coach and also was 9th Grade Head coach and Junior Varsity Offensive Coordinator. He also spent 7 years as the Varsity Running Back and Junior Varsity Offensive Coordinator at Prior Lake High School.
He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Rochester John Marshall High School where he played football. He also attended Rochester Community College where he earned his Associates's degree in Electrical Engineering. In the winter and spring, Coach Draper enjoys being MSHL/MYAS, basketball referee. Coach Draper works as a Senior Systems Engineer at Dell/EMC. He and his wife Andrea have two sons named Damon and Jalen.
Varsity Offensive Line
Phone: 952-232-3999 x6830
Coach Rousemiller has been a Football and Strength Coach in Lakeville, Minnesota for the past 20 yrs. He is currently the Varsity Offensive Line coach for the Cougars. Coach Rousemiller has coached at multiple levels, including College, High School, Middle School, and Youth. He has coached offensive and defensive line as well as offensive backs. During that tenure, he coached on two teams that participated in the Minnesota State High School Football Championships, and was the strength coach for a team that won the Class 5A State Championship is 2003. He has been training athletes for the past 20 years at various levels.
Coach Rousemiller is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He currently serves on the MN NSCA Advisory Board as the Assistant State Director. He has been a presenter at, and assisted in the organization and hosting of, multiple clinics on Strength and Conditioning. Coach Rousemiller is also a USA Weightlifting National Coach. During the last 15 years, he has coached numerous State Champions, Six National Champions, multiple National place winners, and Two Pan-American Team members in the Sport of Olympic Weightlifting. He is a coach for Team Minnesota, the National Team for competitive Weightlifting in Minnesota. He currently serves as a Director of the Minnesota High School Weightlifting Organization. He was recently named Meet Director for the 2015 National Youth Championships, held in Bloomington, Minnesota, in June of 2015.
Coach Rousemiller has also coached Wrestling and Track and Field. He was an Offensive Lineman at Minnesota State (Mankato) in college and at Burnsville High School. Coach Rousemiller's wife Katie teaches at Lakeville South High School. They have five children (Connor, Amanda, Eric, William, and Nicholas)
Varsity Offensive Line
Coach Wells will help coach the varsity offensive line. His career as a coach, fitness professional and a teacher has spanned 30 plus years and has taken him around the world. In 1978 Dirk received his Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Physical Education from Augsburg College. Shortly thereafter he became a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He began his career as a coach in 1978 and through the years he has coached football in many capacities - during these formative years he coached at his Alma Mater - Spring Lake Park and at Irondale High School. Dirk received his Master’s Degree in Psychology of Exercise from the University of Minnesota in 1991. Dirk managed a fitness center in Singapore from 1983 to 1985. While there he was the Head Coach of the McDermott Bulldogs (International School). From 1985 to 1994 he owned he owned and managed health clubs in Minneapolis. During this period he was the Defensive Coordinator in Football and Head Track Coach (Boys) at Eden Prairie High School (1989-1993). From 1994 to 1998 he taught high school and coached in Guam - Head Football Coach and Assistant Track and Field at George Washington High School – the Gecko’s! He received certification in Special Education, EBD, SLD and DAPE in 1998/2011. He has spent the last 15 years teaching and coaching (Burnsville, Prior Lake, Holy Angels, New Prague - whichever school is closest to his teaching). For the past several seasons he has coached football, Olympic weightlifting, track (throwers), and has worked in the summer strength and speed program at Burnsville. Dirk, his wife Vanessa, and his son Lander live in Elko New Market.
Varsity Defensive Backs
Coach Schmitz graduated from Gustavus Adolphus college in 2013. After 3 seasons he stepped away from playing due to injury and was a student coach for the next two seasons. Before Gustavus, he graduated from Cleveland High School in Cleveland, MN while playing football, basketball and baseball throughout high school.
After leaving Gustavus, Schmitz taught for two years in Ellsworth, MN where he coached girls basketball. After moving on from Ellsworth, he taught and coached football at his former high school in Cleveland, MN for one season. Then from 2017-2019, Schmitz was a teacher at Pioneer Ridge Middle School and varsity assistant coach at Chaska high school where he was a part of the team that won the 2019 5A State Championship.
Schmitz is currently a Health teacher at Kenwood Trail Middle School in Lakeville. He and his wife, Jordan, live in Farmington with their two daughters Blake and Maddix.
Defensive Line Coach
Coach Strand is a varsity defensive line coach. He graduated from NDSU where he studied education, health, nutrition, and exercise science. He works at the airport for a logistics company that provides all the products for restaurants and shops. Coach Strand coaches football and Olympic Weightlifting at Lakeville South High School. Before joining the Cougars staff in 2017, he coached football, track and field, and weightlifting at Burnsville High School.
Rick Fritz joined the varsity program in 2024. For 8 years previously, he coached and was an active board member for the Lakeville South Youth Football Association.
Fritz played high school football at Eden Prairie, where he was the quarterback for back to back state championships in 1996 and 1997. He then went on to be a four year starter at UMD from 1998-2002, and was captain his senior year. Fritz stayed on at Duluth as the Quarterbacks Coach from 2003-2005.
Fritz then decided to step away from coaching and focus on his family and career. Together with his wife Mary, they have three boys Drake, Hudson, and Wilson, and own a medical device distribution company.
Coach Reeves
Coach KB joined the Lakeville South coaching staff in 2024. Coach
KB spent the last 15 years as the Varsity secondary coach at Chaska High School helping Chaska to three State appearances and one 5A State Championship in 2019.
Prior to his coaching career, he played football for South Dakota State University from 1999-2003. Before settling in at cornerback, Brown started his career out as a running back then developed into one of the top kick returners at SDSU. Along with earning All-
American honors both as a cornerback and return specialist. He finished his career with 2,854 All-Purpose yards, 2,065 yards coming on kick/Punt returns (6 TD’s), 95 tackles
(79 solo), 7 interceptions, and 36 passes defended.
Professionally, Brown helped lead the Rio Grande Valley Dorados to the playoffs (2005) as the team leader in tackles (60) and pass break-ups (19) from his defensive specialist position. In 2004, Brown helped lead the Peoria Pirates to the Arena Cup
Championship game. He played a large part in the Pirates top-ranked scoring defense. Following the 1st and 3rd weeks of the playoffs, Kevin was honored as the AF2-ADT
Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the AFL2, 2004 post season leader with two interceptions, finishing the season with six. He also earned Defensive Player of the Game vs. Green Bay Blizzards and Named Team Defensive MVP.
Coach KB is the Head of Sports Performance and football development at H4 Sports Academy. Coach KB is passionate about helping athletes excel in their respective sport and life. KB’s passion is driven by past experiences as a dedicated athlete and the aspirations of giving student-athletes the best opportunity to succeed.
KB’s goal is to assist and guide athletes to reach their dreams and/or goals by providing years of experience, knowledge, and expertise. Coach KB is arguably one of the most renowned Speed, Agility, Power, and Quickness programs around developing the talent of
all levels and abilities with 20 years of experience.
