(PHOTOS BY RACHEL NAGEL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
YOUTH CAMP … Marcus Nagel, with the help of 19 teammates, recently hosted the 1st Annual Delta Chicken Festival Youth Football Camp. This camp was free in an effort to give Delta football players an opportunity to mentor the younger generation as an act of pure service.
LENDING A HAND … Some members of the Delta team helped unload a food and supply truck at the Open Door in Delta as part of commitment competition.
By: Rachel Nagel
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Being an athlete under the banner of the Delta Football Program and head coach, Mike Vicars, does not begin and end during the regular football season.
During the summer months, the football players participate in a commitment competition both individually and as teams lead by their senior captains.
Athletes receive points for attending team activities in the weight room, additional workouts done at home, and other various tasks.
This competition also puts heavy emphasis on community service as a means of giving back to others within their community.
With the competition well under way, the football team has completed projects within the Delta community such as landscaping homes, hosting a free youth football camp, unloading food trucks and supplies at the Open Door of Delta, washing fire trucks, mowing lawns, and working shifts at the Delta Chicken Festival.
While seeing his football players complete and report these projects, Vicars said, “The commitment contest component of community service is a gateway to expose these players to helping others without financial reward.’
“We find that when the guys help others, the sense of satisfaction they get from volunteering for others far outdistances any financial reward.”
With many of the football players participating in repeated acts of service, others within the school district and community have taken notice.
“I’m very proud of all the work these boys are doing. The fact that they are choosing to spend their summer giving back shows how much they care about their community. They are providing such a great example on the importance of giving back,” said Athletic Director Walt Steele.
Delta’s football program is returning a large number of athletes after graduating only nine seniors from the 2025 class.
The returning football players were eager to start the commitment competition and lined up service projects with local businesses and organizations.
One of those athletes, sophomore Jensyn Gillen, has been engaged helping with various tasks at the Delta Fire Department. Jensyn, whose father is Delta Fire Chief Jeremy Gillen, has been an instrumental part in helping with a running project painting fire hydrants.
“There are roughly 300 or so hydrants within the Village of Delta, and they were able to accomplish about 10% of those last summer.”
“This year, they are continuing the process to get at least 50% done. The process is somewhat labor intensive due to the amount of scraping that has to take place”, stated Gillen.
“The volunteers are “also replacing the reflective striping on the hydrants to make them more visible to the fire department.”
“We also were able to identify some broken hydrants that were replaced by the Village of Delta Water Department, ensuring a safe water supply for the residents in town.”
Newly appointed Superintendent of Pike-Delta-York schools, Doug Ford, has also received positive feedback from local businesses that have provided service opportunities to the football players.
“Each year, all of our student athletes give back to the community with coaches and student athletes volunteering their time to help with various events”, stated Ford.
“Our football program in particular, continues to represent the very best of what high school athletics should be, not just in competition, but in character.”
With the official start of the 2025-2026 season quickly approaching, the commitment competition will come to a close and the focus will be shifted to getting ready for Friday nights under the stadium lights.
As the Delta community prepares for this year’s football season, Ford stated, “Under the leadership of our head coach and coaching staff, our football players have embraced a team competition framework that extends far beyond the field, using it to inspire acts of service across our community.”
“Their commitment to giving back while building teamwork and leadership is something we’re incredibly proud of as a school, as a district, and as an entire community.”