The SYRL Championships for cross country was held on November 14 at Riverwalk. What made this competition stand out was a runner from Frontier helped a player from Stockdale cross the finish line. Junior runner Chris Wells helped Senior runner Elijah Zepeda cross the finish line. Stockdale went on to winning the league and are competing in the Valley Championships on November 21. Chris and Elijah have been competing against each other for multiple years, in track and cross country. BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:Imagine competing in a cross country meet, and as you approach the finish line, you see a competitor has fallen. I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter. That's what happened to one runner from Frontier High School. He did something that kept the crowd talking well past the finish line.Chris Wells a junior from Frontier High School competed at the SYRL Championships. They competed against Stockdale High School on November 14, at The Park at River Walk . Wells and a competitor from Stockdale were head-to-head the whole race.Chris Wells Junior Cross Country runner from Frontier High School said "So for the first two miles we've been racing next to each other, and then the last mile he pulled ahead of me."But then something unexpected happened.Wells said "He had been ahead of me the whole time and then right before the finish line he went down. I didn't feel like it was right for me to pass him, so I helped him up and got him across the finish line before me."Wells tells me he has been racing against Elijah Zepeda for a little over 3 years. They both run track and cross country for their respective schools. Zepeda says he was surprised that his competitor stopped to help him cross the finish line."It feels amazing, we definitely need more people like that. It's one thing to finish the race and have a good time, but it speaks a lot more to your character. As of who you are, if you're going out your way to do these amazing acts." said Elijah Zepeda Senior Cross Country runner from Stockdale High SchoolThe senior at Stockdale tells me.... "Winning league was definitely amazing on Thursday. It sucks I had to collapse but I am much more grateful there was somebody there to demonstrate that kindness."Athletic Directors and coaches from both teams, tell me they were impressed about the humility that Chris possessed to be able to put someone else before him.Mike Gibson Athletic Director at Frontier High School said "I was very proud. Its not always about coming in 1st, 2nd, 3rd its just how you finish the race. Chris did a fantastic job helping the other runner. Picking him up when we couldn't finish and letting him cross before him. It showed responsibility, integrity, and he did a fantastic job representing Frontier high school."Tyus Thompson Stockdale High School Cross County Coach said "It felt really nice cause we were in a fight to try to win league. So from a competitive stand point, having my guy dragged across the line, and still be top seven is nice. Then from a sportsmanship side it shows I think how good our running community here is in Bakersfield"If you're a frontier athletics fan on Friday November 22nd, they will face Bakersfield High School at the CIF Central Section Championships. For 23 ABC I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube