Hastings College selects Kuta as Outstanding Alumni Coach

(Hastings, Nebraska) – The Hastings College Alumni Association has announced that Andrew Kuta ‘17/MAT ‘19, head football coach at Sandy Creek High School, will be presented with the Outstanding Alumni Coach award in conjunction with the Athletic Hall of Fame induction during Homecoming weekend at Hastings College on Saturday, September 27. 

A social hour at Kiewit Gymnasium (715 E. 7th Street) will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by a banquet at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults, $20 for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 3 and under. They can be purchased online at hastings.edu/homecoming or by contacting the Hastings College alumni office at 402.461.7363 or [email protected].

The Outstanding Alumni Coach of the Year award was established by the Hastings College Alumni Association in 2004 and is presented to Hastings College graduates who have shown exceptional achievement in an athletic coaching profession.

Kuta is an Edgar, Nebraska, native, who returned home to his alma mater, Sandy Creek High School, to teach mathematics and served as an assistant coach for the basketball and football programs before being promoted to head football coach in 2023. During his first year at the helm, the Cougars transitioned from 11-man to 8-man football and moved from Class C-2 to D-1. In 2023, Kuta led the Cougars deep into the playoffs before eventually falling short in the state semifinals to the Stanton Mustangs. 

Hungry for more, the Cougars rebounded in the 2024 season with an explosive offense which averaged more than 50 points per game and capped off a perfect 13-0 season and the program’s first Class D-1 State Championship in school history, avenging its 2023 semifinal loss to Stanton with an exciting 44-42 victory. 

The Cougars were named the All-Tribland Boys’ Team of the Year at the All-Tribland Sports Banquet in June.