High School Football Player Shows Class
Delicious Reddit

SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
David Johnson, Citizen Journalist

Yelleville-Summit is a co-op program, a combination of two small rural schools in the northern part of Arkansas, near the Missouri border. Combining the schools is the only way for them to field a football team. But even then, the squad is so small that coach Calvin Mallett has to bring extra uniforms in case a lineman gets hurt and someone needs to fill in.
Therefore when one player was killed and three other players were injured in a car accident, the next game was cancelled. The town held memorial services for Kymball Duffy, the young man who died, then decided they needed to continue the season as part of the healing process.
Players from Yellville-Summit and Cave City met at midfield before the game for a moment of remembrance. Players on both teams were a No. 72 decal - Duffy's number - on their helmet.
The game began and Cave City quickly scored. Minutes later, it scored again. And again. All hope for a storybook ending appeared lost. Thamail Morgan, star player for Cave City, is the type of player who can dominate a high school game on every play. Last year, playing for Newport in a state playoff game against Heber Springs, he had 15 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles on defense. He had 145 yards receiving and two touchdowns on offense.
"I did not know what to expect due to the tragedy," Morgan said. "You go into the game wanting to win, but then, you feel bad doing it. When we went up 21-0 in the first quarter, I just can't explain how I felt. The atmosphere was so weird. I just can't explain it."
Cave City was well ahead as the evening drew to a close. With just a few seconds left in the game Cave City received a kick-off. Thamail Morgan took the ball and headed up the field. By the time he hit midfield, only open space was ahead of him. The two-time Arkansas all-state selection was headed for a touchdown.
It was obvious his team was on the way to a victory over Yellville-Summit, comfortably ahead, 34-16. He also realized that this wasn't an ordinary game. So when he reached the 2, he stopped. He took a few steps back and took a knee at the 5-yard line.
The gesture was well received. "We weren't sure how gloomy they would be before the game," Morgan said. "They had gloom, but it was not as bad as we thought. We met before the game, and they told us that they did not want us to feel sorry for them, and they did not want us to back off just because of what happened. They wanted us to play them like we would have if Duffy has still been there with them, so we did.
"After the game, they complimented us, and even thanked us for the way that we played them. They are some really cool cats, and I wish them the best of luck with their healing process and the rest of their season. I hope they make the playoffs."
For more on this story, check out this link: arkansasvarsity.rivals.com