Every time the 2024 Westford Academy Ghosts took the field under the Friday night lights, there was one voice commanding them. Whether he was playing offense or defense, a leader wearing jersey #1 called the shots with confidence.
After many years of fierce dedication in the weight room, classroom, and on the field, senior Alex Wilson is committing to Trinity College’s Division 3 football program, taking the next step in his life after high school. Wilson announced his commitment to the college in early April.
As the embodiment of versatility combined with a team-first attitude, Wilson has taken on many different responsibilities throughout his four years at WA. He has played several positions and both sides of the ball during his time on the Ghosts’ football team, and in his senior season, he made the switch from running back to quarterback. He became the team’s starting quarterback and safety in 2024, winning DCL League Player of the Year while leading WA to an 8-3 record and securing them a place in the playoffs.
Wilson grew up in a football household, and with six athletic brothers, sports have always been a part of who he is. However, Wilson initially leaned more towards basketball.
“At a young age, I was actually forced to play [football],” Wilson said. “It was middle school where I felt the enjoyment of playing for myself instead of just to make my [family] happy,”
After discovering his passion for football, Wilson joined the Ghosts in his freshman year of high school and hasn’t looked back since.
In Wilson’s freshman year, the Ghosts had a new coaching staff and he quickly cemented himself as a star in the minds of his new coaches.
“He’s everything you want in a football player. He bought into his coaches, he bought into the program, and he put so much work into everything for football,” Defensive Coordinator and 2024 MA Assistant Coach of the Year Elias Gioumbakis said. “He always seemed to ask the right question at the right time […] his competitiveness and his knack for being in the right place at the right time set him apart.”
Wilson believes that playing football at WA was the best learning experience he ever had, and he hopes to continue learning lessons on the field so he can apply them to the rest of his life.
“The way he grew from his freshman to senior year was remarkable,” Gioumbakis said. “[As a coach] you see kids grow from when they’re thirteen or fourteen years old until they’re eighteen and they’re young men. You see them transition from boyhood into young adults.”
Nominated as a team captain for both his junior and senior seasons, it’s not just his abilities on the field, but his leadership off the field that allows him to excel.
“[Senior year was] different from [my] junior year where I believe I was selected not [as much] for being a leader but [for] being just physically good at the sport,” Wilson said. “In my senior year I felt the role of captain much more. I felt like my teammates looked to me to lead, and not just looked to me, but believed in me. That belief is what fueled my drive to compete at the highest level I could.”
After a historic senior season, Wilson now looks forward to his future as a Trinity College Bantam. His coaches, family, and local community are ready to continue cheering him on.
“Trinity College is getting a guy that’s gonna work his butt off, that’s gonna put the team first, and he’s gonna do whatever it takes to be a primetime player at a primetime school,” Gioumbakis said.
