Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Football players from Fort Dodge and Mason City gather on the field to support injured Riverhawk player Reed Kruger last Friday at Dodger Stadium.

When Mason City football player Reed Kruger suffered what appeared to be a very serious injury last Friday night at Dodger Stadium, some fans may have been surprised to see Fort Dodge players take a knee next to Kruger’s Riverhawk teammates in a touching moment of solidarity.

Student-athletes from rival schools turned a tense situation into an opportunity for prayer and reflection, and they were doing so together. The competitors then shook hands and talked briefly before heading back to their respective sidelines.

Thankfully, Kruger left the field under his own power a few minutes later. The large Dodger crowd gave Kruger an extended standing ovation, taking a cue from the sportsmanship they’d just witnessed on the field.

I snapped a quick picture of the exchange, and the photo was liked and shared by thousands of people on social media. The positive coverage was great for communities like Fort Dodge and Mason City, who are sometimes in the news for all the wrong reasons.

This wasn’t just a temporary snapshot or a publicity stunt, though. Truth be told, the Dodgers and Riverhawks are much more alike than they are different. This was an opportunity to see what their relationship is actually like, and it happened in real time.

Fort Dodge and Mason City square off annually from the time they first start officially competing in middle school all the way through their high school graduations. Friday’s football game was the 108th meeting in a series that dates back to the pre-World War I days. The programs have met on the gridiron every year — with the exception of the COVID-19 shortened season — since the early-1930s.

Basketball shares the same long and storied history. So does wrestling, baseball, track — you name it.

I’ve had off-the-record conversations with athletes from both schools countless times through the years. The Dodgers and Riverhawks won’t necessarily be exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon, but there is a mutual respect — even sometimes admiration — for what each other stands for and accomplishes.

And the way they go about doing it.

This rivalry has always been more heated than filled with actual hatred. They may not necessarily admit it publicly, but when push comes to shove and something bigger than the game happens like it did last Friday, Fort Dodge and Mason City will both let their guard down and display unity.

There’s a lesson to be learned here, both in sports and in life. Balancing tense competition with big-picture civility can be done. The Dodgers and Riverhawks — often mistaken to be bitter enemies at all times — showed that at the end of the day, we tend to have more in common with our neighbors than we may initially care to admit. Remember that the next time they may need a helping hand.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt