By Maren Ingram, Staff Writer

With a conference championship on the line, First Flight’s cross country team couldn’t think of anything but winning as runners flooded the 5K course. Then, freshman Jackson Hannon saw an opponent laying in a ditch, desperately trying to stand up, and all thoughts went out the window except for one:

I need to help this kid.

“He was grabbing his ankle and he couldn’t get up,” Hannon said. “I instantly thought to help him up and carry him the rest of the way.” 

While many athletes might be conflicted with the decision of whether to stop and be there for an opponent, or continue and power through for the team, that split-second decision was easy for Hannon to make. 

“I helped him up, and when another teammate caught up to me, I told him to run ahead to the finish line and tell them to be ready for the kid,” Hannon said. “Then I got another person on his other side and the two of us carried him to the finish line.”

A photo of Hannon and Currituck’s Andrew Dowdy-Green helping Hertford County’s RaQuan Leary to the finish line went out on Facebook and Twitter and grabbed a lot of attention, including a retweet from the N.C. High School Athletic Association with the the hashtag “SportsmanshipTogether.”

“The shared respect among the runners of the Northeastern Coastal Conference, who face each other every week during the cross country season, was evident not only by Jackson’s actions, but also with the applause that greeted them all as they crossed the finish line,” Nighthawks cross country coach Chris Layton said.

“I think everyone was moved by the compassion that Jackson showed, especially in a sport where self-discipline is the only discipline,” First Flight athletic director Chad Williams said. 

It’s evident that the injured Hertford runner was nothing short of grateful for Hannon’s act of kindness.. 

“He couldn’t do anything himself, but he kept saying how he really wanted to finish the race,” Hannon said. “He was pretty happy.” 

Despite the rivalry between schools and the pressure for the teams to make it to the state championships, Hannon showed that sometimes, slowly crossing the finish line can be even more courageous than a sprint to the end. 

“I feel like you should help whoever you can,” Hannon said. “It’s just the right thing to do.” 

Sophomore Maren Ingram can be reached at 22ingramma01@daretolearn.org.