It was a mistake in the heat of battle. Dealt with properly.

A few days ago Mesa High battled Westwood in a hotly contested boys soccer match at the Jackrabbit Invitational.

Mesa, which trailed 3-1 late in the match, rallied to tie and reach overtime. Mesa won on the final penalty kick sending about 80 percent of its team after teammate Zach Vickery, who registered the winning PK.

A few other Jackrabbit players headed to a fence behind the goal and tore down a sign cheering on Westwood. Poor sportsmanship to be sure.

Immediately after the match Mesa coach T.J. Hagen took his team --- and especially those who chose to rip down the Westwood banner -- to task for  their antics.

Westwood and Mesa have been rivals for nearly a half century now so it is a rivalry no matter the sport. But good to see Hagen looked at what was at least as important as the win in chastising team members for a mistake in the heat of battle (one 16- or 17-year-olds are apt to make), but one he hopes is not repeated.

Many Westwood fans walked away from the event with poor sportsmanship on Mesa's part the last thing they remembered  -- not that  Mesa had won honorably in a nip-and-tuck battle. Hopefully the Jackrabbits' heeded Hagen's postgame words and will act accordingly the rest of the season.