`It`s giving me hope`: Johnston player uses football, his coaches` help to fight his battle with depression

...."Hey, can I talk to you?"

It sounded like a simple request for a player to ask of his coach. But when the junior defensive lineman met with Heitland, he unloaded his burden.

He was depressed, he told his coach, and it was more than he could handle.

"When he was at his toughest point, he came to me and said he needed help," Heitland said.

Lemon was feeling lost. At one point last spring, he was failing six classes.....

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Bethany`s Notes: A great story on a student who had coaches put the student athlete first at the high school level. This story is key in what should happen when a student reaches out for help.