Charleston’s Hutchings returns to Northeast Missouri roots in becoming Palmyra football coach

PALMYRA, Mo. — Justin Hutchings hails from Minooka, Ill., just southwest of Joliet and about four hours away from Palmyra, and he has lived in Charleston, Mo., also four hours away from Palmyra, for the last 14 years.

But in a way, the new Palmyra High School head football coach is returning home.

Hutchings, who was officially named Palmyra’s new football coach at last Friday’s school board meeting, spent four seasons as a fullback for Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., before graduating in 2011. It is also in Canton where Hutchings met his wife, Brittany, who played volleyball for the Wildcats. 

“I was excited for the new opportunity, excited to go back home,” Justin Hutchings said.

Earlier this month, Hutchings’ northeast Missouri connections — like current South Shelby football coach and former Culver-Stockton College teammate Adam Gunterman — alerted Hutchings of the opening left by former Palmyra coach Dalton Hill, who accepted an offer to become the head coach at Waynesville.

“I had some people contact me that I’ve been coached by at Culver-Stockton and played with at Culver-Stockton, family and friends, that (the position) was available, so I applied,” said Hutchings, who has spent the last six seasons as the head football coach at Charleston High School. “I felt like I had a great interview. I loved being up there and their energy and excitement for football.”

Three days after the interview, the school notified Hutchings he got the job.

“It went pretty quick,” Hutchings said.

Hutchings is leaving behind a football family he has grown close with since moving to Charleston immediately upon graduating from Culver-Stockton. 

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Hutchings said of departing Charleston.

Hutchings spent eight combined seasons between the special teams and defensive coordinator roles with the Bluejays before becoming head coach in 2019.

“I’m leaving a place that’s been home for 14 years, and they’ve always shown great support to me in everything,” Hutchings said.

But now Hutchings gets to build a new football family in Palmyra while also being closer to his in-laws, who live in Camp Point, Ill.

“Family is everything,” Hutchings said.

Justin, Brittany and their two sons, Dominic and Parker, likely won’t move to Palmyra until the beginning of June after Hutchings finishes his final season as the track coach at Charleston.

“We’re going to go to state, so it’s going to be pretty crazy,” Justin Hutchings said.

While it will be a difficult transition for his sons — who are 7 and 4 years old, respectively — Hutchings believes the move to Palmyra will be a net positive.

“Dominic plays all sorts of sports, and Parker is about to,” Hutchings said. “They’re a little scared, but they’re excited. It’s going to be a good move for our whole family.”

Dominic and Parker have slightly different concerns about moving four hours away.

“(Dominic) is having those best friends and everything, so that’s going to hurt,” Justin Hutchings said. “He has a really good friend right now who he plays soccer, baseball, basketball, everything with. He has a pretty tight-knit friend group there. (Parker) cried in the car because he didn’t know if the new place would have P.E. or not.”

Hutchings, who will also be a P.E. teacher at Palmyra High School, reassured Parker.

“I told him, ‘They have P.E., buddy. Don’t worry,’” Justin Hutchings said.

While Palmyra will be a new place for the boys, it won’t necessarily be so for mom and dad. Still, the move is challenging, but Hutchings believes it’s the right move that will breed success.

“I built a pretty good thing down here, and it’s hard to leave,” Justin Hutchings said. “I got to tell the players and friends and everybody (on Monday). That was pretty hard. I’ve had some very positive comments on Facebook about my time here. 

“It’s hard to leave something like that where you build all those relationships, but I’m looking forward to building new ones at Palmyra and hopefully have a great last half of my career there.”