VIDEO: High school football players help man in wheelchair up Mission Peak
FREMONT, Calif. (KTVU) - The sport of football is all about camaraderie, and that was on full display when players from an East Bay high school helped a wheelchair-bound man fulfill his journey of making it to the top of Fremont's Mission Peak.
Cedric Lousi, a football coach for James Logan High School in Union City, said his team was on their way down the summit on Saturday when they met Felipe Kali Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, who had embarked on the mission with his family, was so close to the top but because of the steep and rocky terrain, it would be difficult to go all the way, Lousi said on Twitter.
"He had made it that far and asked if we were willing to help him make it all the way," the coach said.
The football players, comprised of former and current James Logan High School students, jumped at the call to action.
The team learned of an alternate route that would get Felipe to the top, so they walked down a bit and gave it another go.
"It wasn’t easy but to have Filipe say he made it to the top of mission peak was worth it," Lousi said.
Chase Sims, who will be starting as a running back for Laney College in the fall, was one of the players who made it all happen.
He tweeted, "It was an honor helping someone, and I learned and found out more about my self and the impact I can have not only on the individual but an entire community. Blessed!"