Currituck appreciates Gibbons' hospitality

 Currituck County High considered forfeiting its first round playoff game to Cardinal Gibbons. The Knights played and were beaten 47-0.

But Alex Gottschalk, a member of the Currituck squad, appreciated the hospitality shown by Gibbons.

He sent this letter to Gibbons after the game.

Dear Sir:

My name is Alex Gottschalk, and I am a member of the Currituck County High School Knights varsity team. I just briefly decided to write this letter to you, as well as to the Cardinal Gibbons Football team, and the school as a whole, to thank you for the tremendous amount of class, respect, and sportsmanship that your school exhibited last night.

In every facet of the game, Cardinal Gibbons, is by far, the classiest team I have ever played against in my life.

From thoroughly understanding the precarious situation which our team was in, to choosing not to pursue a blowout unlike many of the other teams we have faced this season, all the efforts of Cardinal Gibbons were much appreciated on my part, and I am sure the rest of our team.

Your coach is to be fully commended for his actions with acts such as taking a knee and removing your starters before the game got out of hand. A 47-0 final score is something I can fully live with, and the game will be something that I remember for life without anger and without deep regret unlike several previous contests this season.

Further, Cardinal Gibbons did the little things, that most schools would not think to do, such as offering us a joint team meal originally, to putting a welcome Currituck message on your scoreboard to providing us with multiple pizzas (and real, actually New York style pizza at that, not just the fast food kind) for the long bus ride home.

Throughout this entire week, and especially in the game last night, Cardinal Gibbons fully, in my view upheld the honor of the Catholic faith and the fundamental teachings of the Church in many different ways. My respect for Catholics is quite high, as I grew up in a strong Catholic area (New Jersey), but Cardinal Gibbons and all of those associated with your school did nothing but further my respect for Catholics as a whole.

Once again, I wish to thank you immensely for everything your school and your football program did for Currituck and for me in my final football game during this week full of unexpected surprises. I wish the very best of luck to your team the rest of the playoffs, including this week against Carson, and I will be rooting heavily for the Crusaders to win the 3A State Championship here in 2009.

Sincerely,

Alex Gottschalk

Currituck County Varsity Knights #54

PS: Your scoreboard is quite amazing, and by far the best scoreboard I have ever seen at the high school level. It was a quite impressive sight, indeed.