The bidding paddles were hot on Saturday night as the community turned out to raise money for the Pilot Point Booster Club.
One evening filled with a silent auction, a live auction, raffle and dinner brought in around $85,000, a record amount for the club that exceeded the roughly $66,000 it earned with the event in 2025.
“It’s about the kids,” President Chris Carr said. “We make as much money for these student athletes as we can. That way, when they go on road trips, they’ve got food, water and whatever else they need. That way, it just helps them be better athletes if they don’t have to worry.”
He also gave the credit to the other board members and volunteers who poured themselves into preparing the event.
One of the highest grossing items for the night came in the form of a surprise from Athletic Director Chad Worrell: a brand-new orange Bearcat helmet.
“I talked to a lot of Bearcat historians,” Worrell said as the helmet was unveiled. “I’m not sure that this is the first one ever in school history, but it’s been a long, long time, so there’s only one of these anywhere. … It’s our alternate helmet for this year. … This will be our varsity football helmet this year.”
On the back, there’s a nod to the district’s three state championship wins “to honor those teams,” he said.
The item went for $6,600, purchased by Daniel and Taylor Chandler of C4 Enterprises.
“I’m just glad to be able to support Pilot Point,” Daniel said.
Auctioneer Chad Chance then went on to sell the Anpabo kids UTV, which brought in $4,000 in a friendly bidding war between Realtor Kelsey Whitesell and Zach Grigsby of Chandler Cabinets that Grigsby own.
“Thank you, bidders, very, very much,” he said. “This raised $10,000 in the last two items, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, guys, very much. This organization gave almost $90,000 to the kids of Pilot Point last year. They’re very generous with their money, and it’s all because you guys come here tonight and spend your hard-earned money.”
Earlier in the evening, Chance had commented on his goal of getting double the value of every item he could.
“I always love helping the kids out,” he said. “We’re going to raise a lot of money for the Bearcats. It’s pretty special for me to be able to do this.”
Some familiar faces helped him with that goal— spotters Mark Harpool and James Pickrel.
Harpool, whose son Jack was one of the athletes displaying the items, said his new role as a board member helps him have an even greater appreciation for the support the community gave through the dinner and auction.
“There’s so many new faces here, people that I don’t know, and that’s what we need,” he said. “I think Coach Worrell and his staff have done a great job of … getting the community back involved with what they’re trying to do with all sports, not just football.”
He said the mixture of new and established families strengthens the community.
“It’s the same businesses— Nick’s, Ernesto’s, those type of people that are supporting everything that just get bombarded,” Harpool said. “I’m glad to see some new faces and hope everybody’s feeling generous tonight.”
Kiptin Goodin and Hastings Fischer also helped display the items throughout the evening. “It’s just great that they all want to support us and our football team and all the athletics that Pilot Point has,” Goodin said.
As one of the juniors who is taking the field for Pilot Point, Goodin is excited for the year ahead.
“It’s going to be a very exciting but also challenging year, but I’m ready for the challenge,” he said.
Not only did families and business representatives turn out, but also staff members from other departments at Pilot Point High School.
Bailey Greiner, lead ag teacher and FFA sponsor, sat at a table with her fellow ag department teammates and Principal Marzia Infante.
“ A lot of our FFA students are athletes, so it feels really great to get to see them be very diverse in their activities,” she said.
Superintendent Dr. Shannon Fuller, who donated the opportunity for someone to be superintendent for a day as the final item of the night, said she loved seeing the community turn out to support the district’s programs.
“I love that it’s in the beginning of the year and that it’s a fun time after a hectic time getting everybody started, that everybody gets to come together and have fun and celebrate,” she said. “… It’s for such a great cause, and … it’s a fun time to celebrate our students and do great things for them.”
Worrell, who is also the head football coach, said the impact for the students extends far beyond the dollar amount raised.
“The Booster Club allows our kids to be able to eat better and a lot of perks that people don’t see behind the scenes that the Booster Club pays for,” he said. “It makes it a lot easier on our kids and allows them to have things they wouldn’t otherwise have.”
He estimated that about 200 students are involved in boys and girls athletics combined.
Coach Jessica Ledbetter, who works with the girls in volleyball and soccer, also expressed her gratitude to the community for their support of the programs.
“It really just shows the camaraderie and how close this community is and how much they care about their ISD and their students and the athletic program, and it’s just great to see the support for the coaches and the students and the school altogether,” she said.
