By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
High school tailback, Michael Ferns, had just cleared the Edison High secondary and was sprinting unmolested to his 12th touchdown of the season. His undefeated St. Clairsville (Ohio) team was putting the final touches on a significant win over its rival and the senior footballer was trying to impress the University of Michigan scouts who were already considering offering him a full football scholarship. As he crossed over the opponent’s five yard line, Ferns did a curious thing. He slowed down and made a right turn out-of-bounds at the one.
The move was so unexpected that two trailing referees signaled touchdown, but St. Clairsville’s game captain, Dan Monteroso, charged down the sideline to argue the call. Realizing their mistake, the stunned refs placed the ball at the one and Ferns went back into the huddle. It was about this time that unheralded, undersized freshman Logan Thompson entered the game. Ferns changed positions with the newbie and Thompson followed the star player into the end zone for his lone varsity play of the season.
Pretty mundane stuff that occurs most every autumn Friday night somewhere in America. What made this one different is that Logan’s dad, Paul, had died from a sudden stroke on Wednesday. Saying his father would have wanted him to play, Logan suited up with a heavy heart never expecting to see any playing time. Behind the scenes, Coach Brett McLean had encouraged his seniors to get Logan into the game for a meaningful play from scrimmage. The word spread through the team. Despite the cut-throat world of big time high school football where college scholarships ride on every down, the team made a collective decision.
When Ferns made his right turn, all but one kid on the St. Clairsville sideline knew what had happened. “When I saw Mike break away down the sideline I just started yelling for Logan,” McLean said to USA Today. “He was surprised because he — like everyone else — figured Mike would just run it on in. Logan didn’t know anything about what we were doing. His was something that touched the whole team. Logan was going through so much and for a few minutes we helped him get his mind off of things. It honored his dad. It was just an awesome moment,” Mclean added.
Logan was ecstatic. “Looking straight up into the sky after scoring my first varsity touchdown…i know the old man was watching! love and miss you so much daddy,” he tweeted.
Source: USA Today
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
I kinda like the Jains. They, I think, are the ones who sweep the ground in front of them as they go, and wear gauze masks so as to not breathe in small insects and end the insects lives.
Let’s try this again…
OS – “Can anyone here imagine young Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan doing what Michael Ferns did? Not in your wildest dreams.”
Why interject politics into a wonderful story about “man’s humanity to man”. Ask a lot of people not operating HUA, and they’ll say that it seems the Messiah for the left has also forgotten about team work.
Count the “I’s” and “me’s” from his speech on 05/01/2011. He took a lot of credit that should have been shared. Credit for ObL; no responsibility / blame for Benghazi? Yeah, that’s the spirit…
While ID707 poured the gas, I think in this particular case, it was you who lit the match.
My coupla kopeks,
Bob
PS – Back to the original question… Yeah, I can imagine it. Watch http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7405692n And no, I’m not LDS, but if i were to rate honesty in business, they’re second, only to Sikhs.
Elaine
That is another great story!
OS – “Can anyone here imagine young Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan doing what Michael Ferns did? Not in your wildest dreams.”
Why interject politics into a wonderful story about “man’s humanity to man”. Ask a lot of people not operating HUA, and they’ll say that it seems the Messiah for the left has also forgotten about team work.
Count the “I’s” and “me’s” from his speech on 05/01/2011 left out a lot of credit that should have been shared credit to a lot. Credit for ObL, no responsibility for Benghazi? Yeah, that’s the spirit…
While ID707 poured the gas, I think in this particular case, it was you who lit the match.
My coupla kopeks,
Bob
Elaine,
Good for the jocks at Queen Creek High School. That is sportsmanship at its best. Thanks for that nice story.
Thanks, Elaine. Another great story about young people to counter the usual negativity.
Henman,
Are you listening. If you had been then I would not have had to say this again.
I love people, especially young ones who have not been completely spooiled by the system. So the football team has my support.
And folks can kiss and be happy as much as they like. Makes me happy too to see it.
But I was stupid to think that someone else than I gave a crap about this propaganda for the war sport called football.
Now the next tiem folks say skit, I will ask what color.
You are a smart guy, just like the ones who roasted me for social etiquette violations and not getting the meaning of the thread.
But people get so excited when someone disturbs the bell ceremony, where everyone is supposed to say “ting” in the same tone. Ting!
Where do people hang off their intelligence when they come here?
So, in the future, I will (promise!) not disturb youze folks in your ceremonies. And even adults will be treated as adults, even if they do not act like ones.
To use TA language, I will stop using you as parents to my child. And screaming, lying on the grocery store in front of the candy display, is over too.
Now hold your breath and see how long that resolution holds.
Thanks for the opportunity. Looking forward to more good ones from you.
Mespo.
Here’s another inspiring story that I thought you might like to read:
Queen Creek High School Football Players Protect Chy Johnson, Bullied Student With Special Needs (VIDEO)
The Huffington Post | By Ron Dicker
10/29/2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/queen-creek-football-players_n_2039212.html
Excerpt:
Rah! Rah! Rah! to Arizona’s Queen Creek High football team for its anti-bullying effort.
Players including the star quarterback have rallied behind Chy Johnson, a 16-year-old special needs student who was tormented by kids at school, reports 3TV News and azfamily.com.
The players now eat with her at lunch and watch her back.
Johnson’s daily life was far different before. She came home crying every day and the bullies “threw trash at me,” she said in the interview.
Chy’s mother, Elizabeth Johnson, contacted Carson Jones, the popular starting quarterback, for help. She reached out to the right guy. According to Fox Sports Arizona, Jones is not only a leader of the Phoenix-area school’s undefeated football team, but is a straight-A student who’s active in his church and in charity work.
All Chy’s mom wanted was a name or two of those responsible. Instead, Jones went the extra yard, joining Chy at lunch with other teammates. They keep an eye on her the rest of the school day, too. Varsity players Tucker Workman and Colton Moore also spearhead the effort.
I’m not reading another ‘news’ story today. This is just setting me off on a good track of getting things done with a smile.
Hopefully the college scouts recognize not only Fern’s talent but his character as well.
Its simply good SPORTSMANSHIP by some outstanding young people..
Shameless Emotional Manipulation!!!!!!
Except that it’s true… and it IS EXCEPTIONAL!…and so was Rudy.
Daniel Eugene “Rudy” Ruettiger is a motivational speaker and former collegiate football player for the University of Notre Dame, who is best known as the inspiration for the motion picture Rudy.
Both of these stories make me cry happy….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds7ePMtz9m8&feature=fvwrel
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds7ePMtz9m8&w=420&h=315%5D
Great story Mark. It is amazing what young people can do when the adults get out of the way.
Gene and OS.
That is a different Rafflaw posting today. I have been out of town until today and I am just catching up and noticed the “imposter”. The post at 11:59 pm was not done by me.
idealist707-
Doesn’t it just piss you off when people are nice to each other?
OS
Charter schools: Chavez came to Lousiana to study ours. Save money, take away paper towels, have the kids bring their own cloth ones. Replace music appreciation with a room with a CD player, and some discards from the public library. That’ll do.
And for every dollar the supt. holds down teach’s salary, then he gets ten.
The American way. Feeling like you have control of your world today?
If you want to see Young Men in Tears, watch them huddle after their Last Varsity High School football game.
They know that they will never be Brothers again. Many will never Suit Up for the Game for the Rest of their Lives. High School youth is over & they are Not coming back Next Season.
As the years pass, the bonds will fade, but will never completely Disappear. These Young Men were their own personal Heroes & will always remember the Happy Innocence of Glory Days.
raff,
Altruism? Not for profit? They’ll be having none of that in the GOP.
These kids should have a segment on 60 Minutes and Sports Center both.
Raff, I am sure the first questions bankers would ask is “How much profit is in that?” I see that Ann Romney in an interview is in favor of doing away with public schools in favor of private charter schools. How in the world do those people do math? It is cheaper to have a private for-profit company get taxpayer money for a service, versus non-profit public schools. The highest I know of a school superintendent making is the very low six figures, and most do not make that much. Charter schools have CEOs that make seven and eight figure salaries. Cheaper on the taxpayers? I don’t think so. They would also find a way to make a bundle off amateur athletics as well, and if the team is not profitable, just do away with it.
I’m sure the republican party and big corporations are very unhappy about this beautiful display of humanity.
Again . . .
This story is about Logan Thompson, a young man in a tough spot, and his friends who selflessly rallied behind him. Good people doing a good thing in a time when a good thing needed to be done without regard for their personal glory or other selfish considerations. People thinking about someone other than themselves.
And that is that.