WAPAKONETA — As the Wapakoneta Redskins football team prepares to take on Trotwood-Madison in a regional final game Friday, one thing has become clear — the entire city is behind them.
“We have a great fan base,” said Wapakoneta High School Principal Scott Minnig. “There’s pride in the community, there’s pride in our kids and there’s pride in our school. Not every community has that.”
In downtown Wapakoneta, several local businesses decorated their storefronts with signs showing support for the football team. Brigitta Hogan, an employee of Lange Photographics, said these signs are just one way the city is getting behind the Redskins.
“I think we have great community support here,” Hogan said. “We travel well — wherever they go, Wapak is usually there. The whole town is behind them 100 percent.”
Mark Gibson, a 1985 Wapakoneta High School graduate who was born and raised in the city, said Redskin fans seem to travel better than many fan bases around the state.
“At last week’s playoff game at Northmont, which is just north of Dayton, we filled up almost the entire home section,” Gibson said. “The visiting team had less than 100 people.”
As a 49-year resident of Wapakoneta, Gibson is a die hard fan of the high school’s football team. In fact, anyone passing through Bellefontaine and Wood streets in Wapakoneta can clearly see how dedicated Gibson is.
On a picket fence in Gibson’s yard are four plywood signs that read “WBL Champs,” “Playoff Bound” and “Go ‘Skins,” as well as the Redskins “W” logo. In between each sign are red and white Christmas lights that spell “WAPAK.”
“We just wanted to show our support, and show the kids how proud we are of them,” Gibson said. “We want to do our part to let them know that we see what they’re doing, and we love what they’re doing.”
Gibson has been displaying Wapakoneta pride signs on his fence since 2011. This year, he hung them up after the Redskins clinched a spot in the playoffs. He said he usually takes down the signs a week after the season ends.
If the Redskins win a state championship, however, Gibson said the decorations might stay up a little longer this year.
“If we’re state champs, I’m going to leave that stuff on the fence through Christmas,” he said. “A state championship in football is something we’ve never experienced in this town, and we would love it.”
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