FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — Hillcrest Lutheran Academy needed a defensive stop against Mabel-Canton in the Minnesota 9-player quarterfinals last Thursday, Nov. 6, to guarantee a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium.

The undefeated Comets survived, keeping alive their storybook season.

Their offensive coordinator Zach Stich could certainly be the one writing it.

Stich, you see, is a former journalist and longtime football coach, sometimes doing both.

He became a stringer for the Fergus Falls Daily Journal while in high school.

“I've always been kind of proficient in writing,” Stich said.

Football too. He has a master’s degree in education with a focus on coaching and teaching, but the writing bug was there.

“When I first actually was looking at college and stuff, that wasn’t the plan,” said Stich, wh

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