Whitesboro asks fans to wear red for Lucca Dill at Pilot Point game

Whitesboro ISD has asked fans at its home varsity football game against Pilot Point on Oct. 16 to wear red in memory of Lucca Dill, a 6-year-old first-grader. According to the organizer of a fundraiser for his family, Lucca died in a car crash on Sept. 28. The district's game announcement lists a 7 p.m. start.

The tribute covers the whole day. Whitesboro's district calendar names Oct. 16 a Red Out Day for Lucca and lists the observance from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pilot Point High School's own calendar lists the same 7 p.m. game as an away contest at Whitesboro for its varsity team.

Lucca had just started first grade when he died, according to Tatiana Koontz, who organized the family's online fundraiser. Koontz says his mother, Daniela, underwent surgery after the crash and faced additional procedures.

The fundraiser says Lucca enjoyed flag football.

Koontz says donations are intended to cover medical care, recovery, funeral and memorial costs, and everyday living expenses.

GvilleTX could not confirm that the two football programs are raising money together for the Dill family. Whitesboro's game announcement describes the red tribute but does not mention fundraising.

Pilot Point coaches have appeared in a fundraiser like this before. An appeal launched Jan. 12, 2023, stated that the coaches had joined together to support teacher and coach Kaitlyn Medley and her 3-year-old son after her husband's unexpected death. Its stated purposes included funeral expenses, day care and everyday costs.

State and federal crash records offer wider context. They are statewide and national figures, and they do not describe this crash. The Texas Department of Transportation recorded about 4,150 traffic deaths in Texas in 2024, a bit under the 2023 total. Rural crashes accounted for roughly half of the 2024 deaths, the agency's data show.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that traffic deaths among children 14 and younger fell about 10% from 2022 to 2023, to just over 1,000. For the same two years, the agency estimated that injuries in that age group rose about 3%.