As the PHS boys varsity soccer team warmed up for their game on September 26, the regular blue jerseys of the team were nowhere to be found. Instead, #IStandWithEvan was plastered in bold letters across their white T-shirts.

This was one of many tributes to Evan Gershkovich ’10, the imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter and former PHS soccer captain, that took place during a pre-game ceremony, where former PHS soccer coach Wayne Sutcliffe, Wall Street Journal financial enterprise editor Ken Brown, and former teammates of Evan all made speeches to spread awareness about his ongoing detention.

The ceremony began with lead event organizer Brown, speaking about the efforts the Wall Street Journal is taking to raise awareness about Gershkovich’s situation.

“We [the Wall Street Journalists] have hired lawyers in Russia and have been working with the Biden administration, who’s trying to negotiate to get him out,” said Brown. “We’ve [also] done a lot to try to spread the word about the situation … so that people know what is happening and that he’s being unjustly held. He’s not a spy. He was doing his job. Journalism is not a crime.”

After Brown spoke, Sutcliffe made a speech about Gershkovich’s abilities as a soccer player, his leadership, and his humor. The ceremony culminated with former teammates, Max Reid ’10 and Thatcher Foster ’10, speaking about their relationships with Gershkovich both as a friend and a teammate.

“I think his superpower is the ability to connect with all different types of people. It made him a really good captain, but also makes him a really good friend, teammate, and reporter,” Foster said.

Brown reached out to boys soccer Head Coach Ryan Walsh, Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson, and Principal Cecilia Birge to organize the event. Since this was one of the biggest games of the season, Walsh felt it was best to schedule the ceremony on that date. He highlighted how the biggest impact can be had by just keeping Evan’s name in the news.

“The best way to get Evan back safely is to continue to put pressure on the United States government to get him home. They’re the ones who can get him home,” said Walsh. “If [Evan] is forgotten, then the U.S. won’t feel the pressure and they’ll stop fighting.”

When the boys’ soccer team found out about Gershkovich’s situation, they immediately extended their support and demonstrated collective solidarity for the former player.

“It’s important that we send a message to the world saying that we have not forgotten Evan … He’s an alumn[us], which means a lot. This program has been built on a tradition of creating strong teams [and] strong brotherhood,” said PHS varsity soccer player James Reynolds ’24.

Even with constant press coverage, Gershkovich’s freedom in the near future is still far from being guaranteed. However, Caitlin Ostroff, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal who worked closely with Gershkovich in the Journal’s London office, believes that there are still reasons to be optimistic.

“I’m honestly mostly hopeful based on the people we meet at random, who asked me about my “Free Evan” button. I’m inspired by the people who’ve all come out to the soccer game. I’m inspired by random people who messaged me and say ‘I heard about Evan, what can I do?’” said Ostroff. “It’s just a matter of keeping pressure.”