Yelleville-Summit is a football team in northern Arkansas, the combination of two smaller schools that on their own wouldn’t be able to field teams of their own due to their size. Prior to a planned game with Salem, another team, five members of Y-S drove off to enjoy a pre-game meal, when they were involved in an accident, leading to the death of the driver, one of the team’s players.
Later deciding that going on with the season would be beneficial to the healing process for all involved, the next match-up against Cave City went ahead as scheduled. However, the Y-S crowd simply wasn’t in the game, playing dispiritedly and falling far behind. It became clear to the opposing team that a victory here would not feel like a triumph.
However, not even the coach expected player Thamail Morgan, during a fantastic run from far afield, to shake off pursuers, nearly cross the goal line, then stop to kneel down at the 5 yard line in respect for what Y-S was going through.
Cave City did not go so far as to completely throw the game; Y-S had made it clear that they did not want charity. So they played as hard as they ever would have against any opponent. But Morgan’s gesture spoke for the entire team, and it was acknowledged in the spirit in which it was given.
Doing the right thing is sometimes difficult, and always appreciated. It behooves us to instill in our children the concept of fair play, whether or not they play sports. Sometimes a good heart makes all the difference when all else is equal.
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