WYOMING, Ohio — The Wyoming High School football program represents family to senior running back Joel Hancock.
“It means everything to me,” Hancock said. “I love this sport. The culture here is amazing. Everything. All my friends. It’s perfect.”
The 17-year-old has been a Cowboy for as long as he can remember. The four-year varsity player is the youngest son of Wyoming head coach Aaron Hancock.
“He does a great job,” Aaron Hancock said. “He’s always enjoyed football. Football has been a major part of his life. He’s grown up in this locker room and it’s exciting to watch him play.”
The storied Wyoming football program is a tradition in the Hancock family.
Jacob Hancock, a 2018 Wyoming graduate, played linebacker and running back at the school. Jared, a 2022 graduate, played linebacker and tight end.
Joel started playing football in the first or second grade. He was initially a center then later moved to running back. Later, he was a water boy for the Wyoming football team.
A 2018 state championship photo hangs in Aaron’s office. Joel, then a sixth grader, is in the front row near his dad.
“I’ve grown up watching all the games,” Joel said. “I remember the state championship year was a very special year.”
That’s why Joel is grateful for each Friday night of his high school football career. It’s been a memorable journey his senior season. He’s rushed for 801 yards and 10 touchdowns through four games.
“He’s having a great senior year,” Aaron Hancock said. “I’m very happy for him. He’s battled through some adversity and come through and works very hard and deserves all the recognition.”
Last week, Joel rushed for 231 yards and four downs in a 35-7 win at Madeira. That performance earned Hancock the WCPO 9 Gold Star Athlete of the Week.
“I look for wherever a hole is; I read my blockers,” Joel Hancock said. “That’s basically it. It’s pretty simple.”
What the statistics don’t show is the amount of time and effort Joel has put into the game. He suffered a left arm injury during Week 1 of his junior season and persevered to return later in the year. It helped to shape Joel's character as a student-athlete.
“It was really hard,” Joel said. “I had to go to physical therapy almost every day. I came back six weeks later.”
This season, Joel Hancock wants to help Wyoming earn a Division IV, Region 16 championship and a Cincinnati Hills League title.
"Joel is a tremendous leader who is having a lot of fun playing football," Wyoming athletic director Matt Weber said. "He gives his very best on every play and is constantly encouraging and helping his teammates. The players on the team look up to Joel, and his focus and work ethic has spread amongst the players. He is also helping coach others from the sideline on what he is and is not seeing on the field, which helps the overall team."
Beyond football, Hancock has a 4.25 grade-point average and wants to become a mechanical engineer. The Hancock family has emphasized the importance of education. Joel has taken that to heart.
“I take a lot of pride in it," Joel Hancock said. "I want to do my best for family and for college, for my future.”
While the Hancock family watches plenty of football at home, dad and son try to keep the Wyoming team discussion on the field. A life perspective is at the forefront.
"I try to support him in his education and try to help him out to reach his goals and help guide him in any way I can to be the best he can be on the field and off the field," Aaron Hancock said.
"I couldn’t be happier with the type of young man he has become.”
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