Playing sports teaches students a lot about how to behave, both on the field and off.

Middle schooler Andrew Hawkinson had never run a cross-country race before, but he spared no 1  at a cross-country race against competitors from Liverpool Middle School. 

While near the finish line, the boy couldn't seem to catch his 2 .

Andrew took a knee and tried to 3 himself, crying from physical exhaustion due to the run. Cooper Kohanski, a runner for the other team, heard Andrew crying, and he didn't think twice about 4 him with words of encouragement. "When I turned around. I heard a kid crying, which is common because it really does hurt, so I wanted to 5 he was okay," said Cooper.

As Cooper 6  his opponent, someone snapped a(n) 7  of the two boys. The image was then shared online, where it quickly made the rounds on the Internet.

Andrew's mother 8 the whole scene and was 9 moved. "It just really fed my soul and I was really 10 ,"she said. "I wouldn't have expected somebody from the other team to 11 him."

Those who know Cooper best say they're not the least bit 12 , however. Coach Greg Hamilton says Cooper is always the first to be there when another runner is 13 . It's just in the boy's 14 to help others.

Cooper thinks running cross-country is about much more than 15 the match! It's about sportsmanship, character, and basic human kindness.