Hillcrest Heads Back to the 9-Man Championship: A Legacy That Spans Generations

Nearly a quarter century has passed since Hillcrest stormed onto the turf of the Metrodome and claimed its first state football championship. But that moment hasn’t faded with time. Instead, it has grown into a living legacy, carried now by sons, mentors, and a new generation of Comets.

This Saturday, Hillcrest returns to the 9-man state championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium, led by a team whose talent and grit echo the heartbeat of 2001. And on the sideline are two men who know the weight and wonder of this stage better than anyone: 2001 Comet quarterback Steve Moline, who once wore No. 3, and tight end JP Stender, No. 44.

In the 2001 championship game, Moline and Stender shared one of the most iconic moments in Hillcrest football history. Stepping up in a tight pocket, Moline threaded a pass into a tight window in the endzone; Stender elevated, stretched over a defender, and ripped the ball out of the air. It was a touchdown that still lives in highlight reels and memory alike.

Now, decades later, that same duo stands just yards from the action, but this time they’re not wearing helmets but headsets. They’re not making plays, they’re shaping players.

“I’m so very proud of these young men! Their focus on Christ first is inspiring!” Moline wrote in a recent social media post, reflecting on this year’s Comets. And coming from the man who led Hillcrest’s first championship run, the weight of those words is felt deeply by the team.

This year’s Hillcrest team knew early on that something special was stirring. Senior quarterback Ethan Swedberg, now the Offensive Section MVP, felt it before the first snap. “We knew this is our year. We have the guys.”

Swedberg has delivered all season long, commanding the offense with poise, athleticism, and a quiet confidence that has carried the Comets back to Minnesota’s biggest high school stage. His leadership mirrors Moline’s from two decades earlier, steady, with a committed faith in Christ whom he looks to elevate on the field and after the whistle.

Swedberg hasn’t been alone. Newcomer Sean Berge, a first-year receiver and linebacker, has become one of the breakout performers of the postseason, playing with a tenacity that seems woven into his DNA. His father, Daniel Berge, was an all-tournament team selection in his own state finals appearance in basketball in 1999. Legacy runs deep on this team. “There are some guys on this team whose fathers were on that championship team (in 2001), and they’re all looking back to it and encouraging us,” Berge shared. His voice carries both pride and gratitude, a sense that history isn’t behind them, but beside them.

Head coach Korey Fry speaks of this group with admiration that goes far beyond wins. “You know you have the talent. It’s just waiting for the guys to realize how good they really are,” he said. “This offseason, they came in confident and ready to go.”

That confidence has brought them to the doorstep of history, one win away from bringing home Hillcrest’s second state football championship.

But as powerful as the athletic storyline is, another thread running beneath it is even more defining. In 2001, the theme of the championship team was simple and strong: “To God be the glory.” Two decades later, that refrain has not changed.

“This game is temporary,” Swedberg noted in a recent interview. "The skills we learn in this game lead to so many other aspects in life, and so just just the life lessons that we learn and that just all this in our play needs to glorify God.”

This Saturday, the Comets will carry a legacy with them, stepping onto the field not only to chase a championship, but to continue a story that began long before them and, with God’s guidance, will continue long after.