Staff photo/ Bob Coupland Girard High School football player Dante Byrne, 16, meets with Dr. Charles Verbanic and Kellie Csernik, dental assistant, at Pristine Dentistry in Liberty, where more than 40 Girard football players had free impressions done to create protective mouthguards.

LIBERTY — A Liberty dentist is providing free protective mouth guards to each of the more than 40 varsity football players at Girard High School.

Dr. Charles Verbanic of Pristine Dental in Liberty wantsto be sure the players’ teeth are safe when they play this season.

This is not the first time Verbanic is providing the guards. He did so last fall for Liberty High School football players and previously to Newton Falls High School players.

On Wednesday, Girard players arrived to have impressions made of their teeth and mouths by the dental staff. As they left, they were given a free picnic snack.

Verbanic said the staff opened the office for three hours late Wednesday for players to stop by at designated times and have the impression done and the mouth guards made in the lab.

“I did this first in Newton Falls for a few years and then moved practice to Liberty a year-and-a-half go and decided to help the players here,” he said.

Verbanic said although it is hard to say how the football season will go this year during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, at least the players will have the protective mouth guards.

Amy Pittman, dental hygienist who was getting the impressions, said the players stopped in at a scheduled time.

Kellie Csernik, dental assistant, said the players could select their school colors, and do different tones of those Girard Indians colors of black and red.

She said they also can put the school logo and football number on the mouth guard.

Dante Byrne, 16, of Girard, who is a fullback for the team, said he was surprised that each member was to receive a free mouth guard.

“I think all the players are glad this is being done,” he said.

Isaiah Brazofsky, 17, of Girard, said what was done is appreciated — and his mother, Dawn, who was with him, agreed.

“This is awesome. This was really nice of them to help all the team members and to also have a picnic for us,” Isaiah Brazofsky said.

He said he and other team members are hopeful they will have a football season starting in late August.

Scott Landy, who does marketing for Pristine Dental, was cooking hot dogs outside the office for each player.

He said the NFL-grade protective mouth guards can be used by the players for their football season protecting their teeth, tongue and gums.

“We did this last year for the players from Liberty. This year we are helping Girard. The football league mandates this so we wanted to make the mouth guards a little nicer with their team colors,” Landy said.