Believe it or not, Ripley stops racing for rival

Josh Ripley, a junior at Andover High School, was running at a varsity track meet on September 16th. He heard a man screaming in pain. Josh was a mile into the race when he heard this sound. Ripley saw runner Mark Paulauskas laying down screaming in pain. Ripley stopped picked up Mark and ran .5 of a mile to get Mark some help. Mark had a 3 inch gash in his leg from another runner's leg. Josh knew this cost him the chance to win the race, but Ripley was praised for his sportsmanship.  Mark required 20 stitches at the E.R. Ripley stated. "I just knew I needed to help him," Ripley said. "I think a lot of other runners would have, too, had they realized the situation. But they were really focused on their race. I just couldn't leave him there." Mark's dad wrote a letter to Josh and to the principal to thank them for their kindness.