When Michael Burch took the field for St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Bradenton, Fla.) on Saturday afternoon, it marked a huge personal victory for the senior linebacker that had nothing to do with the game’s outcome.

Saturday’s game against Out of Door Academy was Burch’s first game back on the football field since being diagnosed with hypertropic cardiomyopathy, which is a condition marked by an abnormal thickness of the walls of the heart.

Doctors told Burch that not only would football no longer be an option, but running, weightlifting and even rollercoaster-riding were all off the table as well.

It was a devastating blow to the then-freshman, who registered 83 tackles and six sacks as a ninth grader, production that likely would have piqued the interest of Division I colleges.

“That day, I was so messed up in my mind,” Burch told the Bradenton Herald.

Even though Burch could not suit up for St. Stephen’s, head coach and USA Football master trainer Tod Creneti worked with Burch to keep him involved with the team.

Burch became a quasi-coach and even accompanying Creneti to Heads Up Football training events. Even though he was not on the field, he displayed tremendous dedication to the team over his sophomore and junior seasons. As a result, Creneti wanted to reward him by figuring out a way to get Burch on the field for one snap as a senior.

Creneti hoped doctors would sign off on it. When Burch went in for his scheduled medical exam the news he received was dramatically more exciting.

Inexplicably, Burch was cleared to play and seemingly cured of the hypertropic cardiomyopathy.

“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’s father Emanuel told the Bradenton Herald.

The stunning news set the stage for Burch’s dramatic return on Saturday.

In his first game in two years, Burch made four tackles (three solo) and played 30 snaps. Perhaps no one was happier to see him back on the field than Creneti.

“It’s like being in a time machine,” he said. “Seeing Michael fill, and make the play and be such an energetic, and enthusiastic and physical player, that’s so exciting for our team, but more exciting for him.”

With Burch fully healthy and producing on defense for St. Stephen’s, what’s the next hurdle for him to clear? Getting back into tip-top shape.

“I’m going to have to keep working at my conditioning,” he said after the game.

Given Burch’s diagnosis two years ago, being slightly out of shape is a great problem to have.