SHERMAN, Tex. (KXII) - A Sherman football player has gone viral on social media after praying with his opponent after the game.
Sherman High School senior Gage Smith had a couple of key plays at the game against West Mesquite on Friday, but it was what Smith did after the game that most people remember.
"When you're playing the game, you're playing to win and the other team is the enemy, but afterwards you still have respect for the other opponent," Smith said.
Smith said he knows West Mesquite player Ty Jordan from a select 7-on-7 team they both played on.
Jordan's mom is battling cancer, and Smith asked to pray with him after the game.
"I just had a moment with him praying over him, his mom, and his family," Smith said.
Smith said in that moment it was not about the score or being opponents, but about showing compassion.
Jordan's aunt posted the pictures to Facebook expressing how much the gesture meant to their family.
The post had over 140,000 shares by Sunday night.
"To see that it blew up I was very surprised by it, and I wasn't expecting it to be like that you know, I was just doing it for him and doing it for his mom and his family," Smith said.
Sherman head football coach J.D. Martinez said Smith has been a team leader on and off the field.
"He's a true leader, and he has compassion, and it followed through for a lot of the guys on the team," Martinez said.
Martinez said his wife happened to capture the special moment. She sent the pictures to Smith's mom who passed them on to Jordan's family.
"It's pretty special that kind of everybody gets to see really what he is, he's that type of kid all the time, it's just not in front of the cameras or anything like that, he's like that every day," Martinez said.
"Football brings people together in so many different ways, and that was just one example of it that night," Smith said.
By Braylee McCoy | KXII / Image KXII
COMMUNITY NEWS
ERIC MEDDERS REALTY GROUP
www.txhomesandland.com