A simple act of sportsmanship prevails after high school game
In a social media world where brawls between players in the handshake line, brawls between fans in the stands and brawls in the locker room always seem to get the most clicks and attention, let’s hope that a simple act of sportsmanship and kindness from Saturday’s South Gate-Dorsey football playoff game goes viral.
After South Gate won the City Section Division I semifinal 28-20, several Dorsey players were distraught.
The winning quarterback, junior Michael Gonzalez, heard a strange sound while shaking his hand.
“I heard someone crying,” he said. “I looked to my right and saw two players, one I knew and one I didn’t know.”
He went to console them both. The player he didn’t know, William Smith of Dorsey, was resting on one knee, head down, without a helmet.
Gonzalez said he told him, “There’s more to life than football. You got a college education. Keep your head up. It was a good game.”
Losing a semi-final match is difficult. But winning and acting with class and respect can also be difficult.
When asked where he learned sportsmanship, Gonzalez said, “That’s what my mom and my coaches taught me. Be a good person no matter what.”
This is a daily look at positive happenings in high school sports. To submit news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
