Before Friday night’s high school football game between LaGrange and Callaway High School, the teams came together to remember Nar’Quevious Tucker, a rising LaGrange High freshman who drowned in July.

The LaGrange-Callaway game is a county rivalry that dates back to 2002 and has been played evenly. Matter of fact, the last six times the teams have played (counting Callaway’s win Friday), the rivalry is tied 3-3, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

Rivalries are what make athletics special. They get us fired up and usually bring out the best performance from each side.

But rivals should also be able to set aside all of that when the other needs a helping hand. After all, we all live in the same community and if the district lines were drawn just a wee bit different, some of the players might’ve been playing for the other team last night.

On Friday, LaGrange and Callaway players were able to come together to honor Tucker, who was noticeably absent Friday night. Regardless of what his role would’ve been, he was supposed to be there Friday, cheering on his teammates, perhaps even finding his way onto the field.

The teams came together before the game and Tucker’s family was presented with his jersey as a way to honor his memory. The entire Callaway team signed a football for Nar’Quevious’ mother.

If anything, the gestures showed the true strength of this community.

Football games and rivalries are fun, but when it’s time to come together, we can do that.