In the wake of the devastating school shooting at Apalachee High School, which took the lives of four people, and wounded nine others, the school's head football coach, Mike Hancock, is rallying his team and the community with a message of unity and resilience. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Hancock has been focusing on the mental well-being of his players, stating "I want to make sure my boys aren’t just ready physically, but mentally as well." He elaborated on the school’s motto, "Apalachee strong means we are together. We are one Apalachee."

The collective mourning has brought forth an outpouring of support from neighboring communities, demonstrating regional solidarity in the face of tragedy. Hancock has been moved by the genuine care extended towards his team and himself, feeling heartened by gestures from fellow coaches, "And it’s not just thoughts and prayers—those are nice. It’s genuine. What can we do? And they’ve done some of them. We’ve already used some of the resources," Hancock told WSB-TV.

One of the victims of the attack was Richard Aspinwall, an assistant football coach and math teacher, whose presence is deeply missed. "There’s not a whole bunch of football coaches that teach high-level math, but he was one of those," Hancock shared in FOX 5 Atlanta. In the interim, all sports activities remain suspended with no definite timeline for their resumption.

Hancock emphasized the importance of community support, "They are going to need time to heal and take care of their mental health. I think that’s overlooked in this—people are here for us now, but two weeks, three weeks from now, we have to make sure we are checking on our young people," he told FOX 5 Atlanta. 

School officials announced plans to gradually return to classes, starting the week of September 23.