For the first time, the Liberty County High School football team held a Pink Out to raise awareness of breast cancer Friday.
And according to Panther Booster Club President Steve Gilbert, it may not be the last.
During Liberty’s 47-0 win over Windsor Forest, a slew of spectators wore pink shirts, and all the football players wore neon-pink socks. Even the Knights came to the game sporting light-pink socks.
Just before the start of the game, 11 breast-cancer survivors stood outside the Panther tunnel and walked the team onto the field. The players held their hands and walked the women to midfield, where they were applauded by the crowd.
Gilbert said the inspiration for the event came to light when Panther cheerleading coach Kimberly Thompson Brown returned to work last week after taking time off to battle breast cancer.
School administrators and booster-club members rallied and decided to recognize Brown and local survivors. At the last minute, an arrangement was made to bring the local Pink Heals fire truck, “Carolyn,” to the school’s pep rally. The truck is named in memory of Liberty County Commissioner Marion Stevens’ wife, who lost an on-again, off-again, 30-year battle with cancer.
Brown was handed a marker and wrote “I kicked cancer’s butt 5 month survivor” on the front of the fire truck.
“This was a complete surprise,” Brown said about the pink fire truck.
The Liberty cheerleading squad took markers and wrote messages of love and support for their coach, who still has to continue with roughly five more weeks of treatment.
The Panthers have this week off and will host Richmond Hill on Nov. 7 for their final home game of the regular season.
Panther coach Kirk Warner believes the team will play Griffin in the first round of the playoffs, but said they will know for sure after week 10.
The team watched film Monday to prep for their next opponent.
“You always want to have a win going into the playoffs to have that momentum, but we just want to try and be better and get that fourth win of the season and have a good ride going into the playoffs,” Warner said.