Wilson Athletics: Champions Both On and Off the Field – A Year of Community Impact

The true measure of an athlete isn’t just in their performance on the field, but in their dedication to making their community a better place. The 2024-2025 Wilson Athletics program has exemplified this principle through an impressive array of community service initiatives that span all seasons and sports.

Fall Season Highlights: The fall season kicked off with multiple teams showing extraordinary commitment to various causes. The Volleyball program, led by Coach Eick and Coach Buckner, united for their touching “Dig Pink” campaign, raising funds for breast cancer research and supporting a Newfane athlete’s parent currently battling the disease.

In a unique collaboration with local business, the JV Girls Soccer team, under Coach Kyle Lyon’s guidance, assisted Three Sisters Garlic with their seasonal garlic peeling – a true demonstration of supporting local agriculture. Meanwhile, the Field Hockey program touched hearts by creating and donating “Boo Bags” to Oishei Children’s Hospital.

The Varsity Girls Soccer team’s efforts were particularly moving, raising nearly $200 through a bake sale to support a local child requiring retinal cancer operations. The Fall Cheerleading squad showed remarkable versatility in their service, from supporting the Sydney Lohr Benefit to running concessions at community concerts and organizing youth cheer clinics.

Winter Warriors: As temperatures dropped, Wilson’s commitment to community service remained strong. The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team, led by Coach Brett Sippel, demonstrated their dedication through multiple initiatives, including the Senior Citizen Breakfast and the Youngstown Christmas Basket Program. The Wrestling team, under Coach Mike Carlo, organized a successful canned food drive, while the Cheerleading squad collected over 50 sets of winter wear for elementary students.

Spring Spirit: The spring season has seen continued dedication to service, with the JV Softball team, coached by Cassidy Geise, engaging in diverse projects from creating origami Christmas trees for senior citizens to participating in Earth Day cleanup at Tuscarora State Park.

Notable Achievements:

• Multiple teams supporting cancer awareness and research
• Environmental initiatives including park cleanups
• Youth development through sports clinics and mentoring
• Support for local businesses and community events
• Direct assistance to families in need

The Impact: These service projects not only benefit the community but also help develop our student-athletes into well-rounded individuals who understand the importance of giving back. Each team’s contribution, whether big or small, has helped create a stronger, more connected Wilson community.

Looking Forward: As we continue through 2025, Wilson Athletics remains committed to fostering not just athletic excellence, but also a spirit of community service that will leave a lasting impact on both our athletes and our community.

 

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Team	Coach	Event	Description
Varsity Volleyball	Eick	Dig Pink Game	Teams raised money to support breast cancer research; game @ Newfane to support an athlete’s parent going through it right now.
JV Girls Soccer	Kyle Lyon	Three Sisters Garlic Peel	The girls helped a local business in Wilson, Three Sisters Garlic, peel all of the garlic they had to plant this season.
Varsity Golf	Rich Meyers	Willowbrook	Players picked up trash behind and next to the tee boxes for all 27 holes.
Modified & Varsity Field Hockey	Jaime Lepsch & Kate Peck	Boo Bags for Children’s Hospital	The players raised funds and assembled Boo Bags to be donated to Oishei Children’s Hospital.
JV Football	Dan Lucinski, Marc Muoio, Sean Nevins	Homecoming	The players assisted all class advisors in tearing down and disposing of all Homecoming Hallway decorations.
Varsity Football	William Atlas, Matt Faery, and Zach Ganshaw	Sydney Lohr Benefit Coffee for teachers	Helped with set up and running the benefit. Served coffee to district employees on first day of work.
Modified XC	St. Onge	Wilson Tuscarora State Park	During our last practice before all-league, we cleaned up the trails at Wilson Tuscarora State Park
Varsity Girls Soccer	Hart	Bake Sale and Donations at Senior Night Game	Raised almost $200 for a local child who needs operations for retinal cancer.
Mod. Volleyball	Rogers	Dig Pink	Supported the dig pink game
Varsity Fall Cheer	Kerry Atlas Alexis Floyd Jaime Lockwood	Sydney Lohr Benefit Celebrate Wilson Community Concerts Coaches in Training and youth cheer clinic Breast Cancer Awareness	Helped with set up and running the benefit. Ran concession for 6 concerts throughout the summer Several of our athletes are coaches in training for our youth program and as a squad we hosted a youth cheer clinic to help encourage participation at sign-ups We participated in the Pink Wagon fundraiser and ran a breast cancer awareness campaign with several giveaways to our fans.
JV Volleyball	Sam Buckner	Dig Pink Game	Teams raised money to support breast cancer research; game @ Newfane to support an athlete’s parent going through it right now.
Winter Season
Boys’ Var B-Ball	Brett Sippel	Senior Citizen Breakfast	The team greeted senior citizens at the door and helped direct them to the right location.
		Youth B-Ball	The team helped each Saturday with the boys & girls youth hoops program.
		Youngstown Christmas Basket Program	The team volunteered on a Saturday to help carry Christmas baskets to the cars to be delivered to people in need in the community.
Wrestling	Mike Carlo	Canned Food Drive	Hosted a Canned Food Drive during a home match on Jan 14.
Competitive Cheer and Basketball Sideline Cheer	Kerry Atlas Alexis Floyd	Hat, glove and coat drive	Collected over 50 sets of winter hats and gloves and coats for elementary aged students
Girls V Basketball
Girls JV BB
Boys Mod BB	Steve Frerichs	Assisted at Methodist Church in Wilson, NY	Nov. 7th and 26th, assisted with setting up and taking down the community sale
Boys JV BB
Spring
JV Softball	Cassidy Geise	Origami club Kindness Rocks Earth day Art Show	11/18, 11/25, and 12/2, helped create origami christmas trees for the senior citizen breakfast Placing kindness rocks for the shared decision making team. Kindness rocks were made during our service day, and were placed in the three community gardens at Wilson. Earth Day clean up at Tusc. Art Show Set up/ Clean up