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Utah high school football rivals put differences aside to pray for injured player

Posted at 8:44 PM, Oct 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-16 12:31:41-04

SANDY, Utah – Corner Canyon remains undefeated in high school football after beating Alta 38-21 Thursday, but you could say both teams walked away with a W.

The bitter rivals came together in prayer to show support for an injured player.

“It's a young rivalry, year three, but there's a lot of history with these guys,” said Alema Te’o, Alta’s head football coach.

“A lot of kids played together when they were like 8 or 9 years old, so they know each other,” said Eric Kjar, Corner Canyon’s head football coach.

The tone of Thursday’s showdown at Alta came to a head in the second half. That’s when Corner Canyon freshman Jackson Light was injured. He remained on the field for 20 minutes.

“He wasn't moving so we were all really scared on the sideline,” said Will Dana, Alta’s quarterback.

Dana walked toward Corner Canyon’s side.

“I said, 'Hey, let's get you guys together. Let's just say a group prayer for this kid.'"

Both teams gathered at midfield and took a knee as Dana offered a prayer.

“I was saying it loud so everyone could hear," Dana said. "It was kinda cool, you could hear the whole stadium go silent. It was a pretty cool experience. I'll never forget that.”

In the middle of a heated football game, both teams put their differences aside and focused on something bigger than football.

“I didn't know what they were doing, but when I turned around I saw Will praying,” said Coach Te’o. “It was a pretty special feeling to see that closeness.”

Coach Kjar was proud of both teams.

“It's neat to see with football because it can be violent. Gets a little rough that way.”

Jackson was taken to Primary Children’s Medical Center. He suffered a concussion but is back home recovering.

His family tells Fox 13 they’re grateful for the outpouring of support from fans on both sides – a testament to them that football is just a game.

“I'll remember that for the rest of my life,” Dana said.

“I think we'll take away we're all rivals on the football field, but we're all friends together. We all know each other,” Blake Emery said, Corner Canyon football player.