<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0RqRXj_1GueHxyO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0RqRXj_1GueHxyO00" width="1063" height="524" ></figure>This year, the PHS Panthers football players united for something that extends beyond the playing field.The team raised awareness for suicide prevention this season, educating team members and the community through a team T-shirt campaign.“I think this changes the way people talk about mental health because it could make it an easier topic to talk about and to make people know that people are thinking about you,” senior wide receiver Breckyn Kobbe said. “I think it is important for the football team to do this because we have the most people on our team and are one of the most popular PHS sports, so when we wear them, people are going to notice.” Thanks to senior and tight end Broc Frank and his family, these T-shirts have been present in hall, classrooms and in the locker rooms of our school. The idea is to convey the takeaway “It’s okay to not be okay,” and the Panther team wants people to know they have their back as well as each other’s. “My mother pitched the idea to Coach Kistler and Mr.Despain,” Frank said. “They liked the idea, so we brought it up during one of the football meetings and every player on the team was fully supportive. When we first started wearing the t-shirts, a lot of teachers and students asked why we were wearing them. Most of them didn’t know September was suicide prevention month. Explaining this to students and teachers has helped the movement expand.”And it’s not just players driving home the message; coaches also help spread the word about suicide awareness. In addition to echoing Kobbe’s words about the widespread popularity of football, Coach Chase Kistler also provided recognition of how players, especially those involved in high-contact sports, often have a reputation for toughness; not just physically, but also emotionally. Kistler says it’s important everyone knows that’s simply not the case. “Football is a high-profile sport in most schools, and it is good to use that platform to encourage people to get help if it is needed,” Coach Kistler said. “Football traditionally has the idea that toughness usually means hiding pain or pushing through injury. It [suicide prevention efforts] proves that real strength isn’t about suppressing emotion; it’s about having the courage to speak up and support a classmate, family member, friend, or a teammate who is struggling. To be on a team, especially a football team, is about being a part of something bigger than yourself, and it teaches our players how to think about more than themselves.”For the team, this message is far more than simply a piece of clothing, and the statement behind it can hit a little bit close to home for some, including both Kistler and Kobbe. “Personally, like most people, suicide has touched me through a few close friends, students that I have taught, and my own family tragedies,” Coach Kistler said. “Most of the time after tragedy everyone always says the same thing: ‘I didn’t know they were struggling.’ Or if they just said something, I could have got them help.” Kobbe, who additionally felt the impacts of suicide in his life, shows hope in the team’s T-shirts helping move forward, and it’s evident he hopes the PHS community can open up about what can, at times, be an extremely sensitive topic. “I think the shirts are important to me because there have been people in my life, including me, who have struggled with these things,” Kobbe said. “ I hope that it makes people want to talk about their feelings and makes more people feel open to asking for help.” With the unwavering mission behind the Panthers and their T-shirts, the overarching ideas behind suicide prevention and mental health awareness spread throughout the halls of not only PHS, but wherever the team traveled, as they took on opponents across the state during the 2026 football season. “My family and I have personally been affected by suicide like many other families,” Frank said. “My mother and sister thought it would be an intelligent idea to create more awareness for Powell High School and hopefully other high schools around the state.”</div></body>

Block Source: phsprowl.com

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This year, the PHS Panthers football players united for something that extends beyond the playing field. The team raised awareness for suicide prevention this season, educating team members and the community through a team T-shirt campaign. “I think this changes the way people talk about mental health because it could...

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This year, the PHS Panthers football players united for something that extends beyond the playing field. The team raised awareness for suicide prevention t

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