High School Football Players Rescue Tiny Cat From Storm Drain, Hours Before Big Game

Two Massachusetts high school football players are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a cat stuck in a storm drain.

Read: Two Doberman Pinschers Rescued After They Somehow Became Lodged in a Storm Drain

Bridgewater natives George Lampros, 17, and Max Sergio, 18, told InsideEdition.com they were on their way home to kill time before a football game when suddenly, they heard a loud squealing coming from behind them.

"We knew it was a cat," Lampros said. "We knew it was coming from behind us, so we turned around."

The boys then realized the meowing was coming from inside a sewage drain.

"I stuck my head, literally, in the drain and I could see the cat floating," Sergio said.

They called 911, but knew that had they waited for official rescuers to arrive, "It would have died. It was very close to death. It was very weak," Sergio said.

"Even if we failed at getting it out, we can at least try," Lampros added.

Thinking quickly, the pair sprinted to the house and grabbed a bucket and a shovel.

When they returned to the sewer, they had attracted the attention to someone working on the road, who helped them lift the grate.

"We used a shovel to get the bucket underneath the cat," Lampros said.

In footage taken by a witness at the scene, the cat can be heard hissing and meowing as they slowly lift the bucket up from the bottom of the drain pipe.

And their efforts proved to be successful. The group pulled the feline, who was soaking wet, back onto dry land.

Moments later, the cat could be seen dashing into the woods.

Read: Rescuers Pull 200-Pound Baby Elephant Out of Uncovered Storm Drain

Although their teammates teased them when they heard about the rescue, Lampros and Sergio told InsideEdition.com they paid them no mind.

"It feels good to know that we did something that was beneficial," Lampros said.

Watch: Couple Gets Stuck in Sewer for Hours After Following Puppy Down Storm Drain; Dog Not Found