Cancer Diagnosis Brings Together Rival Baseball Teams

DELTA, Colo. (CBS4)- A cancer diagnosis brings together two rival baseball teams from the Western Slope.

The Cedaredge Bruins and the Delta Panthers are rivals on the field but they share the same community. That's what drove the teams to look past the rivalry and support each other in a time of need.

A little more than three weeks ago, Delta High School baseball player Clayton Abila was playing in the league title game against the Bruins.

"We had to go head-to-head in a lot of different things," said Abila.

Delta walked away with the win, setting the stage for a much bigger fight on and off the field.

"My chest was in just a little bit of pain first and woke up one morning and it was excruciating," said Abila.

There was a large mass sitting on his heart, and within days he was diagnosed with a type of Lymphoma.

While he was preparing for chemotherapy in Denver, his team, school and community... along with the rival team, was putting differences aside.

"The first thing I thought was, 'Why did this have to happen to him? Why does this have to happen to anybody?'" said Jacob Lewis with the Bruins.

The Bruins passed the hat, raising $300, that they would hand deliver to the Delta team.

Before leaving, the two teams circled the mound and said a prayer.

LINK: Clayton's GoFundMe Page