Photo of High School Football Player Praying With Opponent Whose Mom Has Cancer Goes Viral

Illustration - Shutterstock

Two Texas high school football players went viral for shelving their rivalry after a game in favor of a moment of quiet, reverent contemplation. Sherman High School senior Gage Smith asked West Mesquite’s Ty Jordan if they could kneel and pray together, provoking a heartfelt response from the crowd, their parents, and the internet.

The reason Smith crouched in prayer with a player from the opposing team? Jordan’s mother is fighting cancer.

According to Today, the final whistle blew after the game on Nov. 1, 2019, marking the triumph of Sherman High against their rivals West Mesquite High with a score of 56–27. However, Smith delayed celebrating, instead seeking out his friend Jordan and asking if they could take a moment together in prayer.

“I just had a moment with him praying over him, his mom, and his family,” Smith later explained to CBS DFW. Smith had learned from a group online chat that Jordan’s mother, Tiffany, was battling stage 4 lung and bone cancer.

Tiffany, 42, was first diagnosed in December 2018. The frequency of her hospital visits ended up losing Tiffany her job on Nov. 1, 2019. In turn, she lost her health insurance.

Despite a GoFundMe campaign, which has raised more than $16,000 to date, Tiffany has expressed concern over the cumulatively debilitating cost of her cancer treatment.

“I just found out today that if I can’t get Medicaid, I can’t get treated,'' Jordan told Today. “I’m trying so hard, but right now I just don’t know.” Smith’s impromptu prayer with Tiffany’s son, however, served to lift her spirits in a time of dire uncertainty.

“It made me cry,” she said. “[Smith] didn’t have to do that. The fact that he took the time to pray with Ty for me, that took my breath away.”

“I would’ve done that whether we would’ve won or lost,'' Smith added. ”During the game we’re enemies, and we’re gonna play and try to win the game, but you still have that respect for the other opponent.

“I wanted to do that for him. Hope in a situation like this is a big thing.”

Sherman High School football coach J.D. Martinez said the pictures were taken by his wife before being passed over to Jordan’s aunt, Takka Jordan. Takka shared the photo of the two teens kneeling on Facebook, where it quickly amassed over 100,000 likes.

Photo courtesy of Patricia Smith

“He’s a true leader,” Martinez said of Smith. “He has compassion and it followed through for a lot of the guys on the team.” Takka’s post has since been removed from social media, but the heartwarming photo continues to circulate online.

“To see it blow up, I was very surprised by it, and I wasn’t expecting it to be like that you know,” Smith commented, adding, “I was just doing it for [Ty] and doing it for his mom and his family.”

According to the New York Post, Smith and Jordan’s friendship goes way back. The pair even played on a summer flag football team together before becoming rivals ahead of the Nov. 1, 2019, game.

As of the fall 2019 semester, Jordan is a star running back who has pledged his loyalty to the University of Texas. Smith is a senior safety and football team captain.

Despite their rivalry during game time, Smith and Jordan both know where their priorities lie once the game is over. The moment caught on camera depicted much more than the aftermath of a game of football; it was an expression of a higher allegiance.