Who is the panther?

P-town the Powell High School panther mascot has been around for years bringing energy to different sporting events. But who could be under the mask and why has it always been a secret?

While some know the story behind the mascot, many don’t. P-Town the Panther came around about 10 years ago when a panther suit was donated by the Powell Athletics Roundtable. A vote for a name was organized and thus P-Town was born. The identity of the person in the mask is generally kept a secret.

“I like to keep it a mystery as to who is in the suit, but the identity is not always a secret,” Cheerleading coach Mrs. Vicki Walsh said, “It is more fun for it to be a secret to keep the crowd wondering.”

Being the panther has pros and cons, the good and the bad.

“The hardest part of being the mascot is having the big head; it’s gets stuffy in there and it’s super-hot in the suit,” senior and previous mascot Rylee Moore said, “And the little kids like to pull on my tail, but I have fun with them anyway.

‘The most fun is making people smile and laugh and just interacting with the crowd…I have had a lot of close calls, and that’s what makes it fun but at the same time terrifying. But it’s always a good and interesting experience every time is different and that’s what I love about being the mascot.”

Even though the identity is kept a secret people still have fun trying to figure who it could be. Many people have many different theories.

“I believe the mascot is Kailey Jurado,” junior Dylan Cordes said, “I heard her talk about wanting to be the Panther mascot at the start of the football season, but since home games have started being played, she hasn’t talked about the mascot position at all.

“Plus, I never see Kailey in the stands when the mascot is performing. When Kailey is in the student section, there doesn’t seem to be a mascot helping the cheerleaders pump up the crowd then.”