The wrestling teams of Manchester and East Catholic secondary schools in Connecticut were locked in a fierce rivalry in 2010.
East Catholic was leading Manchester, winning every match in each meet in which the two teams competed. But during one meet, with four matches to go, East Catholic stood to lose because the team did not have the wrestlers available to compete in the remaining weight classes. In a surprising turn of events, Manchester coach Lou LaGuardia (shown at far right, with his team) decided his team would forfeit the final four matches, handing the victory to East Catholic.
Why?
LaGuardia and his team chose to show respect to an opponent for superior performance. LaGuardia said he would do it all again. “The lesson we all took from that particular match went a long way, and I'm grateful both teams learned and benefited,” he said.