37 years ago was 1989, and right around Christmas Day, I asked Pastor Bobby Niemstchk a simple question. Bobby was not a pastor at that time. No, he was just a high school sophomore who’d just won a state championship with the Thorndale Bulldogs, two days earlier. I was 11 years old, church service at St. Paul had just let out, and many folks were shaking Bobby’s hand and patting him on the back. Even in small school 1A, it was fairly rare for a sophomore to be on the varsity, and even more so given the caliber of athletes on this squad who would propel them to the state championship.