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CARY, N.C. (WNCN) — Panther Creek High School and Green Level High School went head to head on the field Friday night.
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However, both teams were playing for more than a win, but to advocate for mental health.
“It’s a tradition that we just want to keep going on in the years,” Panther Creek defensive end Lacina Coulibaly said.
For the third year in a row, the two football teams played a game in partnership with NAMI-Wake, a mental health focused organization, in order to start the conversation.
“There’s definitely been a mental health crisis among young people for a while,” Executive director of NAMI Wake County, Mark Simon, said.
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According to the North Carolina Department of Human Services, four people die by suicide each day in North Carolina.
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“I feel like if you notice it there are people around you that go through something like that you should make an effort to say something,” Coulibaly said.
Fans Friday stood in the stands united in black t-shirts that said “live for more” as they accepted resources and information from NAMI-Wake when they first entered the gates to the game.
“We really need people to understand that it’s okay to not be okay. If you need help, reach out to someone,” Panther Creek Linebacker Finn Stevenson said.
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