Late Coach Leaves Lasting Memories With Stanton Football Team

Patric Brechbill, who coached the Stanton football players in junior high, is seen with them in August — just days before his death.

​It was the first play of the football season, and Stanton set up in an A formation — just the way Patric Brechbill called it days before he succumbed to cancer.

“I told the guys, ‘You know what the first play will be,’ ” football coach David Stoddard said. “It was an A Power Keep Left, and Becker Pohlman got the first down. We took the team to see Patric a couple of days before he passed away, and he called the first play so we ran it for him.”

Pohlman picked up 12 yards and a first down against Riverside. That play started what has become a special season for the Stanton football team. At 9-0, they are the top seed in the Class D1 playoffs.

Pohlman, who is a junior on the team and was coached by Brechbill in junior high, said there’s no doubt the late coach is with the Mustangs this season.

“One hundred percent,” Pohlman said. “When we were there visiting him, he said he’d make it to our first game that following week, but he passed away before that. Our whole team was thinking about Mr. Brechbill, so we played for him. So 100 percent — he is part of our team.”

Stanton junior Becker Pohlman is seen running for a first down in the season-opening win over Riverside. Brechbill called the first play of the season.

​Brechbill, a longtime teacher at Stanton Community School, fought a courageous 22-month battle with cancer. Hundreds gathered to remember and honor the 58-year-old, who passed away Aug. 16 surrounded by family and friends at his home.

Brechbill was an open book about his battle, which began in 2021 when his femur suddenly broke as he got out of bed. It was after that the social studies teacher was told he had cancer in his leg and kidney.

As his health was failing, Brechbill’s wife, Amy, spoke with Stoddard about having the players meet with her husband at their home. They visited him just days before his death.

“He was ecstatic,” she said. “He powered through a lot of visits in his last few days. He never turned anyone away, and that smile on his face tells everything — how important those boys were and that team was. He coached all those kids in junior high, so it’s a great group of kids.”
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The Mustangs spent about 30 minutes with Brechbill, sharing stories and memories. Stoddard said it was the best and most difficult 30 minutes they had with him.

“When he saw the kids, the look on his face was everything,” Stoddard said. “It was a tough moment, but it was important. It meant a lot to him and to our kids.”

For Pohlman, who ran the play Brechbill called, it was a visit he’ll never forget.

“He was the greatest guy. He coached everyone on the team in junior high. He’s always supported us,” Pohlman said. “Knowing that, we wanted to support him throughout his battle with cancer. Seeing that smile, it meant a lot to him. It wasn’t just the football team there — it was the ENTIRE football team. Everyone was there for him.”

Garrett Hansen writes the initials for Patric Brechbill on his wrist before each game.

​It impacted Garrett Hansen as well. The junior center and defensive tackle tapes his wrist before each game. As long as he has a marker nearby, the initials P.B. are written on that tape to remind him of his former coach.

“It’s a little something to help me remember. He was one of our biggest supporters. When we made a touchdown in junior high, he gave every one of us a high five. He loved on us,” Hansen said. “As soon as our football team walked in that day, we had an impact on him. It was awesome to make him so happy. It was really nice to put that big of a smile on his face.”

When Brechbill was diagnosed, the community, especially his Mustang family, immediately embraced him. His students gave him a signed banner to hang in his hospital room. With more than 200 signatures wrapped around the words “Keep Fightin’ Mr. Brechbill,” the six-foot piece of paper held much more than the names of the middle and high school students. It held hope and inspiration.

“We taped that thing in my hospital room in Omaha,” said Brechbill, choking up as he spoke to the Stanton Register not long after his initial diagnosis. “It was really spine chilling to see our whole school on it. This is why we choose to live in a small town. This is where people come together.”

Originally from Aurora, Brechbill often said he was late to teaching. He graduated high school in 1983 and earned his degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1990. Brechbill had a stint in construction before settling on teaching.

He and Amy were married in 1996 and moved from Lincoln to Stanton in 2002. While Brechbill accepted a job teaching at Stanton, Amy began working for Norfolk radio station US92 as on-air personality Kristi Green.

With two young children, Brechbill said they wanted to find a small town to raise their family. Both children went to Stanton K-12 with Tommie graduating in 2015 and Sally in 2017. In the fall of 2004, Brechbill joined the coaching staff of Stanton’s high school football team.

“It warms my heart to know the kids loved him that much,” his wife said. “The football program was so important to Pat. I don’t think in the 21 years we lived here, there was a year that he didn’t coach some kind of football, whether it was little kids, high school or junior high.”

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Patric Brechbill is seen at a timeout during the 2020 junior high season. Many of those players are now on Stanton's undefeated high school team.

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​Hansen said every good football coach can be intense, but Brechbill was the type of coach who could have fun with the players but pushed them to be the best they could be. Hansen said he learned many lessons from Brechbill, but above all, it was to treat everyone with respect and compassion and like you want to be treated.

“That’s the way he was. He loved on everybody and was everyone’s biggest fan,” he said. “I guess that’s what he taught me. Treat everyone like you want to be treated.”

Amy said her late husband thought so much of the players.

“Pat wanted the kids to not only succeed on the field, but also in the classroom and in life,” she said.

Since his death, Amy has been sorting through her husband’s things. Seeing all the plays he drew up brings a smile to her face.

“He was constantly creating new football plays or writing down plays he knew. I keep finding all this scratch paper with these different plays,” she said with a chuckle.

The Mustangs have another reminder of Brechbill this season. Each helmet has a round sticker with his initials in it. Hansen said the stickers are a reminder that the season is much bigger than just the players and coaches on the team.

“It reminds us that we’re not just playing for a state championship. We’re playing for our hometown, our community, football program and our supporters, like Mr. Brechbill. It’s not a big thing, but it means a lot,” Hansen said.

Amy admitted she hasn’t seen the football team play in person yet this year. She hopes to, but she’s just not quite ready yet. Stanton will take on Summerland at home Friday in the second round of the playoffs. With a win, they’ll advance to the quarterfinals and continue their quest for the perfect season. As long as the Mustangs continue to win, Amy will have more time to work up the courage to attend a game.

Amy knows when the time comes, she’ll feel her husband’s presence beside his players.

“This is a special year for those guys, and maybe a little bit of it has to do with Pat,” she said. “I know he’s on the sideline with them.”