He lost his house, won two games

By Ryan Zepeda --

Touchown!

That's exactly what you would have heard at Lighthouse Christian Academy’s Sept. 6 football game.

That big win had crushed LCA’s losing streak (from last year). What's behind the helmets and the protective gear?

Zach Scribner

The Brains, the Coach, the Geek in the hat, the Mastermind of it all, the true meaning of football -- love in his Blood.

Sadly, terrible news have happened to the Scribner family. On the same day he won against Discovery Preparatory School, Scribner lost his house of five years, victim of variable interest rates jacked up by a booming economy.

"It was definitely stressful," said Zach.

Actually, the night before the game, assistant coaches and some football players came over and helped him haul his stuff just so he could make it to the game.

Last night, the Lighthouse Saints again crushed 50-0 their opponents, Blair High School from Pasadena. It brought LCA's record so far to 2 wins, 1 loss. (Last year, the Saints only got one win. The guys who got overpowered as sophomores have grown into powerful juniors.)

Zach exudes easy-going demeanor.

“God has a plan, and He did it for a reason,” Zach said.

Any other football coach would have reacted with anger, with emotion and depression. Gone were the memories of his daughters and wife, of the foreign students hosted for the Lighthouse Christian Academy, where he teaches math and science.

“When you own a house you have a certain amount of relaxation because you own it," said Zach, 29. "And right now I'm living with parents (in-laws), so it's not really my house."

Whether he's explaining math formulas or football plays, Zach talks with passion and with patience. He enjoys both. He played quarterback for Santa Monica College until he transferred to UCLA.

Despite having many responsibilities, he enjoys the football coaching.

“Coaching doesn't make my life harder," he says. "If anything it makes my life easier because it gives me a place where I can be myself, and for the players they got my back when I need a favor.”

“If I want to own a house I probably will have to keep working more, but I think that if it's God’s will for us to own a house, then He will provide a way," Zach said. “I don't think I'll ever have to quit working here at LCA because teaching is my passion and it will always fill me with joy and happiness.”

Ryan Zepeda is a journalism student at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica. Pictured: Marcus Scribner, the tough and fast touch-down scorer, who is also Zach's nephew.

Here's Lighthouse's season-ending victory over Brethren Christian of Huntington Beach. Here's LCA's playoff hopes-dashing game against Hillcrest. Read about the lightning-interrupted first half of Lighthouse's game against East Valley High and how they finalized the victory the next Monday. Read about LCA's loss to Calvary Baptist La Verne. Here's an article about how sidelined team captain willed the Saints to victory over Cal Lutheran HS of Wildomar. This is the article of how LCA powerhouse Marcus Scribner was injured and how the Saints beat Teach Academy anyhow. Read about how one player learned to have a good attitude as LCA overcame Discovery Prep. Lighthouse Christian Academy opened with a loss here.