New Berlin board set to hire Robert Dunn as head coach

New Berlin's football program was set for another reset Thursday night, as the school board prepared to officially hire Robert Dunn as head coach at its monthly meeting. The move put the decision squarely in front of the community, where the Pretzels name carries outsized weight and every coaching change is measured against the program’s ability to turn recent flashes into lasting success.

Dunn arrived with about 10 years of coaching experience and a North Mac pedigree, giving New Berlin a leader with both local familiarity and a track record long enough to matter in a small-school job built on continuity. His hire came after a turbulent stretch for the program. James Dambacher resigned in June 2025 after two seasons, and Trent Quarton had been announced as the next head coach pending board approval before the job shifted again and Dunn emerged as the choice.

The timing matters because New Berlin has not been starting from zero. The Pretzels reached the Class 3A playoffs in 2024, then ran into Benton and fell 48-7 in the first round. A year earlier, New Berlin finished 4-5 and missed the postseason. That sequence left the program with something more complicated than a rebuild: enough recent success to raise expectations, but enough inconsistency to make stability the first test for any new coach.

IHSA records show how long that challenge has been part of New Berlin football. The program has played 53 seasons and posted 239 wins, 256 losses and 17 playoff qualifications. Those numbers frame Dunn’s assignment clearly. He is not being asked merely to fill a vacancy at New Berlin High School. He is being asked to steady a program in Community Unit School District #16, protect a football identity that remains central in town, and show that last fall’s playoff berth can become the start of something more durable.

For a community that identifies closely with the Pretzels, the hire signaled more than a personnel change. It marked the next attempt to define what New Berlin football will look like when the turnover stops and the rebuilding has to produce results.