PALMYRA, Neb. -- A pair of southeast Nebraska rivals came together on Friday night to honor a former teacher and coach.

Palmyra and Weeping Water held a ceremony prior to the schools' football game to honor Kade Reiman, who died last year in a hunting accident.

Reiman, a 2016 graduate of Auburn High School, taught in the Palmyra-Bennet Public Schools System. His father, Kevin, is the superintendent at Weeping Water.

"It was so heartwarming to see the two districts that are true rivals come together the way they did," said Reiman's mother, Deb. "When Kade was looking for his first teaching job, he knew he wanted to teach in a small town. He was all about the relationships, the camaraderie, the competition. Palmyra-Bennet was the perfect fit for him."

Reiman, who was 23 at the time of his death, was a high school coach at Palmyra and a second-grade teacher at Bennet Elementary School.

A scholarship has been set up in Reiman's honor, with the first recipients receiving the honor in July. Reiman's family presented five early-career teachers with $250 to set up their classrooms and a book that had been given to Reiman by his mother.

"The way our small town communities in southeast Nebraska continue to wrap their arms around our family and honor Kade means the world to us," Deb Reiman said. 

Deb Reiman said her family hopes to continue "paying it forward" with the Love Like Kade Foundation.