Years from now, when someone mentions Sacramento high school football from the fall of 2009, I will remember two things in particular. How a coach left a game early to ride in the ambulance with his fallen player, and the resulting goodwill of one team reaching out to another.

Davis beat Valley on Oct. 23 in one of those midseason games in which both teams tried to find themselves. Valley junior wide receiver/defensive back Will Barker was critically injured on a tackle. His coach, Preston Jackson, held his hand as he rode with him to UC Davis Medical Center, something I have never seen or heard of, but absolutely the human thing to do.

Barker underwent spinal surgery and remains hospitalized. He can move his arms, and there is feeling in his legs, but progress will be slow.

Davis fans sent flowers to the hospital and raised $4,900 to help with medical costs in a week. They continue to send notes of encouragement.

Blue Devils coach Dan Gazzaniga and Jackson were UCD assistant coaches together. Gazzaniga attended a rally at Valley on Friday. Valley principal Keven MacDonald said he has been moved by the Davis support.

"You see someone on the ground like that, you care because he could be anyone's son," Gazzaniga said.

The good deeds continue. On Friday, Tina Nixon, wife of Elk Grove coach Chris Nixon, collected $700 in donations at the Davis-Elk Grove game for the Barker family.

Havner's breakout

Spencer Havner caught two touchdown passes Sunday for the Green Bay Packers against Minnesota – and took his first two Lambeau leaps. Havner hasn't played this much tight end since his Nevada Union days, when he was especially feared as a linebacker. Havner spent parts of the previous three seasons on the Packers' practice squad and moved to tight end because of his hands and superb routes.

Campen and Packers

Packers offensive-line coach James Campen was Brett Favre's first center in Green Bay – and still his close friend – so you can imagine the anxiety for the former Ponderosa great. What's more, Campen has long raved about the upside of Aaron Rodgers, Favre's successor, and Campen could only flinch as the Vikings sacked Rodgers eight times in the teams' first meeting this season and six times Sunday.

In the first meeting, Campen was explaining to a referee how he felt Jared Allen hit Rodgers late. Allen thought Campen was jawing at him, so he barked back. Ah, rivalries.

Around the region

Residents in the Rio Americano neighborhood filed an injunction prohibiting excessive noise during Saturday afternoon's Rio-Del Campo game. Ridiculous. As a result, there was no public address announcer and no music after the national anthem, making for a drab atmosphere. I would have urged both school bands to march up and down the neighborhood, prompting this complaint: the audacity of school spirit and fun.

• Sacramento City College won its first women's cross country team title as Kim Crouch took the Big 8 Conference individual crown. She was backed by teammates Mariah Miles, Alexis Pritchard, Jamie Openshaw, Brittany Birrer, Paula Estrada and Monserrat Tiempo. SCC's Marisa Avendano earned Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year honors, and she can show off her collegiate bling, too. She was an All-American at Sacramento State in 1996 and '97.

• Kings radio broadcaster Gary Gerould missed the last two games of the team's season-opening three-game trip because of drag racing obligations, but his replacement, Jason Ross, was steady and entertaining. In New Orleans, Ross pointed out referees have new uniforms: "I don't know if they sell those in the team store, but you can look for the Joey Crawford No. 17."

• There was a Ray Willett sighting at the Sac State football game Saturday as he chatted with the referees. Willett was a top-flight official in football, basketball and baseball on the prep front and is now retired after glaucoma surgery. And yes, he's heard the line. "Someone just told me I could never see straight anyway," Willett said.

Call The Bee's Joe Davidson, (916) 321-1280.