For the first time in more than two years, a player donning the No. 32 will take to the field for Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Underneath that uniform, 17-year-old Michael Burch’s heart will beat steady, faster and slower along with the rhythm of the game. His heart will swell with joy after a great play and might break a little bit after a bad one. Working just as hard as he is, it’ll pump blood throughout this body, from his feet digging into the turf to the tips of his fingers reaching out to tackle players from Out-of-Door Academy.

His heart will work exactly the way it was supposed to during the game, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, bumped from a Friday night slot because of Hurricane Matthew.

Two years ago, that wouldn’t have been the case.

During a routine 2014 check for a heart murmur he was born with, doctors delivered a devastating blow to Burch, who had just finished a very successful freshman year at Saint Stephen’s as a linebacker. He broke and set a new school record for tackles for loss. He had a trajectory planned out, hoping to play well enough to be noticed by a Division 1 school, get his college education paid for and maybe go pro.

“He really became the piece we were going to build around,” Saint Stephen’s head coach Tod Creneti said.

That routine checkup changed everything.

While the heart murmur was deemed fine by the doctor, there was a different problem. Michael was diagnosed with hypertropic cardiomyopathy, meaning the walls of his heart were abnormally thick.

“It slows down the ability to pump fresh blood to the body, basically,” Burch said.

The diagnosis stopped Burch in his tracks, literally. No football, no weightlifting, no running, no roller coasters. Anything that could excite and overwhelm Burch’s heart could be fatal with the condition.

“That day, I was so messed up in my mind,” Burch said.

The diagnosis left Burch with a new problem. If he couldn’t be a player, what came next?

“I couldn’t just walk away from the game completely,” he said.

That wasn’t an option for Creneti, who took Burch under his wing, keeping him on and involved with the program. He told Burch No. 32 was his until he graduated, regardless of whether he was able to play again or not. Burch became a type of student-coach, working with the middle school team and participating where he could.

“It gave me a new perspective on the game. You have to be a lot more patient,” Burch said.

That included accompanying Creneti on Heads Up Football trips as part of Creneti’s work with USA Football. The Heads Up program aims to help make football safer by teaching coaches and parents proper techniques to help players avoid injuries. Burch has been able to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers headquarters a few times in the last couple years as part of working with Creneti.

For Burch, the work with Creneti opened a whole new set of options. Coaching wasn’t even something Burch considered, but when it was the only way to stay involved with the game he loved, he grew to embrace it, all while holding onto hope he’d be able to get back on the field.

‘No other explanation for it’

Before his senior year, Creneti and Burch’s father, Emanuel, started scheming. They wanted to try to clear Burch for just one snap during his senior year. Given Burch’s dedication to the team, they were hoping the doctor would sign off.

During the summer, Emanuel began looking around, trying to schedule doctor’s tests, EKGs and MRIs earlier than the two-year routinely scheduled ones. When everyone was booked up, Emanuel got discouraged and decided to let fate take its course.

A couple weeks ago, Burch went for his regular checkup on a Wednesday, which included a stress test on the treadmill and an hour-long MRI. Results take a few days. Burch put it at the back of his mind and moved forward.

When Emanuel got the news that the doctor had cleared Burch to play, he was shocked. Emanuel surprised Burch with the news Friday night while they were out to dinner, asking a waitress to videotape Burch’s reaction. Both jaws dropped.

Emanuel said he couldn’t readily explain the change in the diagnosis over the two-year period, but noted there’s research that shows some African-Americans have hearts that appear to be slightly enlarged compared to white counterparts, which could have led to the original diagnosis.

“That’s the elephant in the room,” Emanuel said. “I believe the original doctor diagnosed him with the evidence he had in front of him. I can’t say for certain what happened.”

Burch and his family believe the change in diagnosis can be attributed to God.

“We believe that if his heart had some abnormalities, God healed it,” Emanuel said.

“There’s no other explanation for it, really,” Burch said.

“Just as explosive”

Cleared on a Friday evening, Burch hopped into some drills Saturday, pushing sleds and flipping tires alongside teammates. After two years of no physical activity, Burch could feel it.

“I was definitely out of shape. I picked one of the worst days to come back,” he said about the intense practice.

And while Burch may have felt out of shape, Creneti offered a different perspective.

“It’s like he never missed a beat,” Creneti said. “That very first day, in just shorts and shoulder pads, he was just as explosive.”

Burch took reintegration to football as fast as he could, although he had to practice a few days with no pads before being fully ready to suit up and play. He’s spent a lot of time with the playbook lately, making sure he’s up to speed. He wants to play as much as he can with the time he has left at Saint Stephen’s.

And now, all that’s left is the anticipation.

“I’m ready to go,” Burch said.