In a flash, the joy of the moment was swept under by a wave of sorry.

It happened in the Class D-2 playoff opener at Falls City, where Sacred Heart was hosting Emerson-Hubbard. On a play where an Emerson-Hubbard foreign exchange student would make Nebraska high school football history, the life of Emerson-Hubbard senior Tanner Haberman would change immediately, maybe forever.

The game long decided - Sacred Heart would eventually win the game 52-13 - Leo Lauko, Emerson-Hubbard's foreign exchange student from Slovakia, booted a 57-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half, setting a new Nebraska eight-man playoff record. With little else to celebrate to that point in the game, the Emerson-Hubbard sideline went wild, enjoying the moment with their popular new teammate.

While the celebration took shape, however, there was trouble on the field. Lauko's teammate and friend, Haberman had been blocking on the play and was taken straight back over by a Sacred Heart rusher. He was clearly hurt badly.

Haberman had suffered a broken leg, a broken femur to be exact, and he was in excruciating pain. The joy surrounding Lauko's historic kick subsided almost as soon as it started, all eyes on Haberman as he lie convulsing on the field. All eyes, including Lauko's.

Leo Lauko, an avid soccer player back home, had never played American football before coming to the States. He joined the team, in part, because his host family had a freshman who was on the team, and they figured being part of the football team was one more way for Leo to become involved in the high school experience. He'd turned out to be an outstanding kicker and enjoyed being around his teammates.

Including Tanner Haberman.

Medical personnel surrounded Haberman and eventually got his leg into an air cast and moved to take him off the field. In the long quiet minutes after Haberman's injury, Lauko became very emotional, racked with self-inflicted guilt, believing he'd somehow played a role in getting his friend hurt.

Even in all his pain, Haberman would have none of that. As he was being carted off the field, Haberman waved Leo over, and in a touching moment consoled him, telling him the injury had nothing to do with him. His injury was a matter of fate.

So was what happened next.

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Tanner Haberman is the oldest of nine children in his family, a well-respected and popular student who served as a role model for his younger siblings, including the second in line, junior Tyler, who besides being Tanner's brother is also his football teammate.

Haberman had enjoyed a strong senior season, proving to be an outstanding defensive back, leading the team with five interceptions. Another of his roles on the team was to serve as a blocking back for place kicks, and he was performing in that capacity when he was injured on Leo's historic kick.

"It was a tremendous kick. It would have been good from 60 yards," says Sacred Heart head coach Doug Goltz. "Their team was going crazy because they knew it was a state record but that all become secondary when we saw Tanner on the ground.

"After the injury they still had to kick off to us and we had to keep playing despite all the emotion of the moment. It was hard on our kids, too, because knew Tanner had a serious injury, even though it didn't look like the kind of hit that would lead to that type of injury."

Emerson-Hubbard head coach Ken Swanson says the turn of events knocked the wind out of him, and his team. "It was crazy how it all happened. With all the excitement of Leo kicking that field goal things took a 180-degree swing when we saw how badly Tanner was hurt. He was in a lot of pain, you could tell that, and it just broke your heart to watch. It was a pretty helpless feeling for all of us."

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Now in his second year at Emerson-Hubbard, Troy Haberman is a well-liked teacher who has become quite visible on campus and around school activities. That happens when you have nine children, most of them school age, and also happen to drive the fan bus to an away playoff game, like the one at Falls City.

With Tanner's injury, Troy was relieved of his bus driving duties for the way home, so he and his wife Janelle to tend to their son. Tanner was transported to the Falls City hospital, where his leg injury was deemed severe enough that local doctors elected to have him flown to a Lincoln hospital, 100 miles away, so he could receive further care. Janelle would go to the hospital, Troy would take the other Haberman children home on the bus.

Tanner was going to need surgery, a rod inserted in his broken femur.

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Once at the hospital, Tanner was prepared for surgery and doctors attempted to place the rod in his leg, but something was wrong. The rod went into the boy's leg far too easily. Something else was in play, they figured.

They were right. Tanner Haberman had more than a broken leg, he had developed bone cancer, osteosarcoma, a type of childhood cancer that is commonly found in children and adolescents. Patients who are 10-20 years of age account for 60 percent of osteosarcoma cases.

One of the most common symptoms or signs of the disease is a sudden fracture, caused by a bump.

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A little over a week later, Troy is back to teaching and all the Haberman children but one is back in school. Tyler hasn't left Tanner's side. As much his hero as his brother, Tanner is the person Tyler's looked up to his entire life, and now he was sick, real sick, and hurting.

Tyler hurt too. Too much to leave his brother's side, at least not yet.

Immediately after Tanner's diagnosis, Emerson-Hubbard teachers pitched in for a quick donation of $500.00 or so, to help the Haberman's keep their house in order, literally. With eight kids at home, every day needs still needed met, and Troy's co-workers helped take some of the pressure off the Haberman's shoulders.

Meanwhile at Falls City, there remained great concern for Tanner, as medical officials found out about his secondary diagnosis, HIPAA rules be damned. Each morning at Sacred Heart Tanner and his family are remembered in prayers and the school pep club is organizing a fund raiser for the Haberman family. There has been other contact between the Falls City community and the Haberman family, letting them know of their prayer and support.

"Tanner is a real great kid with a lot of friends. He's one of those kids others are drawn to," says Coach Swanson.

That seems especially true in his hour of need.

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A fund has been established in support of Tanner and his family. You can send checks made out to the Haberman family to: First Nebraska Bank, 1000 Main Street, Emerson NE 68733.