GETTYSBURG, Pa. — A father and son duo is leading the Gettysburg varsity boys soccer team to their best season in nearly a decade.
Scott and Ian Hancock have been coaching Gettysburg's soccer program together since 2010 and 14 years later they couldn't imagine co-coaching with anyone else. Their players share a similar sentiment.
"The Hancock coaches are the face of Gettysburg soccer and I wouldn't want to play for any other coach," said Gettysburg varsity soccer team captain and senior forward Quaide Clarke.
Ian and Scott's team is having their best season since 2016 and- as of September- remain undefeated.
However, to the pair, the record reflects much more than just the group's success on the pitch. It shows just how connected they are as a team.
"We define a successful season in a lot of different ways," said Scott. "If we can create a community, that's what [the players] are going to remember. They're going to remember that as much as the winning and other stuff."
During his high school days, Ian was a member of the Gettysburg varsity boys soccer team and now has come full circle with both Scott and Ian volunteering their time to coach that very same team. The extra time and effort they invest is a small price to pay for the impact they know they have on the next generation of young soccer players in a community they have grown up loving.
"It's a worthwhile investment because they're the young men that are part of the community," said Ian. "They are the future."
The family environment does not stop at just Scott and Ian. Ian's son Isaiah regularly attends games to help out where he is needed.
The team also has two sets of brothers on the roster and a sophomore keeper who is coached by his older brother. It's three generations of Hancocks and a brotherly connection on the pitch that emphasizes the importance of family and community to this team.
It's a feeling that undoubtedly rubs off on the players they coach.
"Seeing Scott and Ian, just being close together keeps us tight-knit as a group, because we know, ultimately, win or lose, we have each other," said Clarke. "That's more important than winning and losing. Is that brotherhood we have."
A brotherhood forged from both family blood and the warriors colors worn on their jerseys that extends past just Scott and Ian.
"Doing something I love with people I love," said Scott. "It doesn't get much better than that."
