[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2307]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SPORTSMANSHIP ON DISPLAY IN EL PASO HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RIVALRY

  (Mr. O'ROURKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mitchell 
Marcus, Jonathon Montanez, and the Franklin and Coronado High School 
basketball teams in El Paso, Texas.
  Few teams have a more contentious rivalry than these two schools, who 
compete to claim the title: Pride of the Westside. So it was a hometown 
sports miracle when these rivals came together last month to support 
Mitchell Marcus, a special-needs student who was the Coronado 
basketball team manager.
  With 90 seconds left in the season's final game, Coach Peter Morales 
put Mitchell in the game to fulfill his dream of making a basket. 
However, after a few missed shots, Mitchell's opportunity seemed lost. 
But with seconds left in the game, rival Franklin player Jonathon 
Montanez passed the ball to Mitchell, and he scored the final basket as 
the clock hit zero. Fans stormed the court to carry Mitchell on their 
shoulders, chanting his name.
  It is a moment now famous in El Paso and around the world because it 
shows that character and compassion can transcend even the bitterest 
rivalries.

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