Wilson named Burnet Middle School girls athletic coordinator

CAPTION: One trait Burnet Middle School coach Sonny Wilson is known for is his ability to convey confidence and belief in each of his players to go make plays to win the game, much like he’s doing with Jackson Ray. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

After a year as a Burnet Middle School coach, Sonny Wilson has accepted a promotion. He is the new girls middle school athletic coordinator.

“We had the ability last year when I came in to bring Sonny on,” Burnet Consolidated Independent School District athletic director Grant Freeman said. “We asked him to do a couple of things. He actually kind of coached boys and girls last year and just being able to watch him and the passion that he puts into it. He does anything that you ask and is a before-you’ve-even-asked-kind-of person, and that’s what we want. Those are the kind of the coaches that step up and that you want to lead your programs, especially down at the middle school level. Do it before you are even asked and lead by example there.”

Wilson’s work with youth and sports is well documented. He started Next Level Sports, a youth organization where players of all ages could play select ball and improve. He has been a staff member at Faith Academy of Marble Falls, Marble Falls High School and Georgetown High School.

All of those positions allowed Wilson to share his passion for sports, help his players get better, and helped fulfill their own personal goals, whether that was as a high school athlete or beyond that. At every stop, Wilson devoted himself to leaving programs and athletes better than he found them.

But as a Burnet High School graduate, working at Burnet CISD was in a different category entirely for him. Freeman noted he witnessed that throughout the school year.

“He has done a good job of getting our girls’ side going and just showing that he’s down to do anything for Burnet kids,” the athletic director said. “I think the good part for Sonny and what he helps us with is the fact that he knows when to insert that into the sidelines and if you do that as a leader, like a middle school coordinator, if you are the passionate one, then other people can kind of find their place behind you. And it motivates all kids, and then you get the ones that really know how to plug them in and do what they’re supposed to. And that’s how a good business runs. That’s how a good athletic department runs. That’s how a good coaching staff runs is letting everybody be themselves and finding all the different kinds of people to make it work.”

Burnet High School girls athletic coordinator Crystal Shipley pointed out Wilson’s boundless energy made him the ideal choice for his new job.

“Coach Wilson can’t hide who he is with me because I’ve known him for a long time,” she said. “He’s coached my personal kids in almost every single sport on the girls side and the boys side. And the one thing about Sonny is I know he’s going to work, he’s going to go above and beyond. And that’s what you want. And he’s really organized. He plans and thinks ahead. He does extra.”

No better example of that, she said, was the track meet Wilson organized for sixth graders.

“We’ve never done that,” she said. “But it’s something he wanted to do to encourage the love of track. He’s real. He wants my (volleyball) program to be as strong as basketball. He wants it to be great. He wants everything possible to be great. And he’s shown that.”

All of those qualities are terrific and the No. 1 task on a middle school athletic coordinator’s to do list remains unchanged, Freeman said.

“That has to be somebody that helps get kids to the high school level,” he said. “The purpose of a middle school program is to get the most kids to the high school and teach them the basic fundamentals, get them excited about athletics, and teach them the basic fundamentals of whatever they’re doing, and then get them to the high school coaches, not cut them, not make them sour on athletes. Go be the kid magnet and then get them to the high school coaches, and I think that (boys athletic coordinator Mark) Zeigler does a good job on the boys’ side, I think Sonny does a good job on the girls’ side and that was really what we were looking for.”