• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 29, 2016

Russell Athletic is launching a fall rebranding effort designed to have every high school football fan reaching for a hanky. Called “Team On,” the effort highlights six high-school football teams that lost championship games that were heartbreakingly close and are determined to win it all this year, with a #SettleYourScore hashtag campaign.

In focusing on losing teams, it says it will feature content on its microsite about what torments these coaches and teams, and how they plan to battle back from last season’s defeat.

The company -- owned by Fruit of the Loom, which is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway -- says it was looking for a way to defend team sports, and that the idea for the campaign came from a survey of high-school football coaches, which underscored the importance of how teams train. About half the coaches say they believe the strength of a team is either forged in practice, and 47% say it is off-the-field.

"'What haunts you?' is a tough question to ask high school coaches," says Matt Murphy, Russell’s VP/marketing, in its release. "The 8 seconds, one play or 99 yards that led to the loss hurts, but it could also become the perfect fuel for a new season. Their untold stories will resonate with any team that has a score to settle this season."

Inspirational billboards in each town will remind players of the specifics of their loss, and each team will tear them apart to uncover the season’s new motivation. And Russell is providing the teams with sweat-activated practice apparel, which will reveals more inspiration when players soak their shirts with sweat.

If the black-and-white video and photography on the microsite have you wondering when you’ll hear Coach Taylor yelling “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” through the locker room, it’s no coincidence: Robert Clark, the photographer who shot the photos for the original Friday Night Lights bestseller, is focusing on one of the teams—the New Palestine Dragons in Indiana, who lost their championship in an unforgettable 8 seconds. And he is recruiting student photographers at each of the #SettleYouScore schools to contribute content.