Students praised for sportsmanship as boy with cerebral palsy wins wrestling match

WEST BRANCH, Iowa - Footage of a boy with cerebral palsy winning a high school wrestling match in West Branch, Iowa, has gone viral.

Footage of West Branch High School student Lucas Lacina pinning his opponent was shared on Facebook by his mother, Jill Winger-Lacina, on November 25. She can be heard cheering her son on in the footage.

Winger-Lacina told KWQC that Lucas had been looking forward to the match all year, and was excited that his teammates were cheering him on.

Winger-Lacina said said her son’s opponent, named Austin, showed sportsmanship and kindness during the match. " He had an amazing heart and he was patient and helped Lucas try to put to work the moves he has been practicing all season," she wrote on Facebook.

“What I love the most though is the end when he helps Lucas off the mat where he is cheered on by his whole team,” she wrote. “Sportsmanship and inclusion at it’s finest.”