This is a good story.

I say that without sarcasm and an entire batch of seriousness.

Last night, the Troy and La Salle soccer teams battled into extra minutes in a Big 10, cross-town rivalry. Akrum Mezza connected on the game-winning goal off an Adam Kaarstad free kick to eventually lift the Flying Horses to a victory and keep the squad undefeated.

That's not where this story ends though. If you want to read about the game you can check out Mike Cioffi's story here. It's what happened after the game that is the best part of all of this.

Despite falling in OT the La Salle coaches and team presented Troy goalkeeper Josh Rasmussen with a card and money they had raised for his brother who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia three weeks ago.

This is entirely my opinion, but I think that's pretty awesome. Troy and La Salle are rivals in every sense of the word, but when the moment came one stepped up for the other, supporting their fellow student athletes. Sometimes sports are more than just sports. Sometimes sports are about humanity. And that's awesome.

The Troy High team will also be walking for Josh's brother in next Saturday's Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk at Siena. A major thank you to Josh's mom, Luanne Rasmussen who shared this story with me following the game.

This is a chance to take a moment and see how much sports can affect our lives. In times when the rest of the world seems to be going crazy, sports still have a structure, they still have rules and they give our student-athletes the chance to build bonds that can help keep everything "normal" and add a whole new dynamic. Sports for the win.