A high school track team lost a race and their chance to go to states -- all because a runner pointed to God as he crossed the finish line.
The runner, Derrick Hayes, had just completed a relay race for Columbus High School in Columbus, Texas, when he made the gesture, KHOU reports:
As he was crossing the finish line, Derrick Hayes pointed up to the sky. His father believes he was giving thanks in a gesture to God.
"It was a reaction," father KC Hayes said. "I mean you’re brought up your whole life that God gives you good things, you’re blessed."
Columbus ISD Superintendent Robert O’Connor said the team had won the race by seven yards. It was their fastest race of the year.
Though O’Connor cannot say why the student pointed, he says it was against the rules that govern high school sports. The rules state there can be no excessive act of celebration, which includes raising the hands.
