Derek Franzen always connected with football and had the ability to relate to young people.

It helped him forge relationships even while serving as an anti-tank missileman in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“My dad [Gregory] had me watching football since I can’t even remember how old I was,” said Franzen, 27, who’s in his second year as an under-level football coach at McHenry High School. “Even when I was in the military, I’d always have on [TV] all the college and NFL games. My door would always be open. Other Marines would stop in my room for 20 minutes or the whole day.”

When he graduated from Grayslake North High School in 2016, like a lot of young people, Franzen didn’t know what path in life he wanted to pursue. It took less than a semester at the College of Lake County for him to realiz

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