Rival schools unite for a great cause

Typically, when two schools face each other on the playing field, only one team wins. Someone has to win, and someone has to lose, right? Not so, not on April 23. On that date, in that game, both the Kelly and Scott City baseball teams emerged victorious.

Both teams wore green for the Green Up game played in honor of Dominic Hooper, a former Scott City student-athlete, and Kaden Robert, a former Kelly student-athlete. Both young men died last year, and Organ Donor Awareness Month was the perfect opportunity to celebrate their lives and raise funds.

The girls also got involved in the cause, with the Scott City softball team taking on West County at the same time the boys squared off on the baseball field.

Both baseball coaches were pleased their players were excited about honoring the young men. Their commitment to raising funds for the Under Armour Baseball Factory-Kaden Robert scholarship fund is commendable, and their decision not to divide the money, but to combine it for one scholarship that would be awarded to any Southeast Missouri softball or baseball athlete is even more commendable.

Dominic's parents and Kaden's cousin, who threw out ceremonial first pitches, as well as the coaches of these two teams, are teaching these young men and women lessons far more important than how to lay down a perfect bunt, steal a base or turn a double play. They are teaching them that sometimes life throws curve balls, and when it does, we must support and find love in one another. The unity these teams displayed in their focus, their fundraising and their fervor demonstrate this truth well.

And this appears to be just the beginning. To continue raising funds and keep the memory of their former teammates alive, Kelly has challenged 17 teams to compete against them, including Southeast Missouri State's baseball team. How's that for commitment and confidence?

To look at the April 23 score card, it would appear that Scott City won while Kelly lost -- the final score being 12-6. The truth is that every person representing both teams, along with their fans, left the field as winners.