EAST END, NY — Sometimes, the lessons learned on the field are far more important than who wins and who loses.
And that's exactly what happened recently when competitive athletes from Southampton and Greenport teamed up to make a seventh grade life skills student's dreams come true.
According to the Southampton Union Free School District, when middle school seventh grader Samuel Arevalo Sangurimo joined Southampton Junior High School's football season this fall, “no one knew the lasting impact he would have on his teammates and He was such an impact that his teammates teamed up with players from Greenport to make his final game of the season memorable,” the district said.
“We wanted to do something memorable for Samuel as he attends every training session with a smile and a willingness to participate,” said Southampton manager Matthew Bubb. “Although we always make sure we get him in every game, usually just on defense, we wanted to give him that really special moment and let him know he belongs.”
That memorable moment came on Oct. 26, the district said. Greenport had the ball with a minute and a half to play and, as agreed upon before the game between the coaches – including senior coaches Greg Tully and Joe Corrado – players and officials, Greenport “scrimmaged” on the next play. and Southampton picked it up, with officials “blowing the game dead,” the district said.
That generosity of spirit set up what would become Samuel's memorable 50-yard touchdown run, with Greenport running “dive attempts” as Samuel came down the field, the district said.
“He was extremely happy afterwards,” Babb said, adding that Sangurima made the season memorable for everyone. “The team fully supported him in every training session without any prompting from the coaches,” he said.
The season was Sangurima's first, and his experience led him to participate in other clubs at his school, including the Community Club, Woodworking Club and Yearbook Club, the district said.
