Sportsmanship Brigade recognizes city high schoolers

From L-R: Je'Marre Duncan (Lift For Life), Shawan Dreyfuss (Cleveland), Nathaniel Archie (Lift For Life), Solomon Alexander. Not pictured: Marquez Buck (Lift For Life).

The Hawks of Lift For Life Academy took on the Commanders of Cleveland NJROTC Saturday afternoon. Both teams were evenly matched and showed great heart and skill. Cleveland won 30-28 in overtime. While there must be winners and losers in terms of the scoreboard, both teams were winners relative to sportsmanship. Football involves very violent collisions and players endure a good deal of pain. Lift For Life teammates Je'Marre Duncan, Nathaniel Archie, and Marquez Buck consistently helped opposing players get to their feet after fierce plays and especially from beneath piles. It's very rare for football players to help up an opponent. These young men definitely bucked the trend.

Shawan Dreyfuss plays center for Cleveland and is the ultimate teammate. He could be heard from the stands shouting words of encouragement. Dreyfuss ran Gatorade out to his teammates and could be seen working on snapping the football when Cleveland was on defense. He told me after the game, "I act like this if we win or lose. I just like to play football." Rewarding respectful, hardworking young people makes our work worthwhile. Brigade members were unanimous in their selection of these players. Our season has just begun and we'd love to see the quality kids in your organization too. 

The Sportsmanship Brigade is a group of Sports Commission volunteers who visit youth sporting events looking for acts of good sportsmanship. When volunteers identify an athlete, coach, or parent who commits an act deserving of recognition, that individual will be rewarded at the conclusion of the contest with a certificate of recognition and a gift card from a local business. If you'd like the Sportsmanship Brigade to visit your school or league, please call 314-345-5130 or email salexander@stlsports.org. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol