The troops are rallying around Porter Hancock.

Calls from as far away as Texas have made their way to the desk of South Summit head football coach Jerry Parker asking what can be done to help.

The South Summit junior linebacker suffered a dislocated neck in last Friday night’s game against Emery and remains hospitalized with paralysis below his chest, according to Parker.

Parker said Utah State University head football coach Gary Andersen visited Hancock this week in the hospital.

“Gary called and went out of his way. He did it,” Parker said. “They got it arranged. It was awesome. (Porter) was pretty excited and pretty pumped about it.”

Andersen said Parker’s son, Jesse, who is a student at Utah State, e-mailed him to see if he’d be willing to help put together some fundraising items for the family.

That’s when the Aggies’ head coach asked if he could visit Hancock.

Andersen said in all his years playing and coaching football, he’s never seen an injury as severe as Hancock’s.

“I felt fortunate enough to see him and talk to him and his family,” Andersen said. “I’ll tell you one thing: That young man has some toughness in his eyes. He’s a fighter for sure.

“If I’m a betting man, I’m betting on him.”

Jill Hancock has been posting updates on her son’s condition on the South Summit football team’s website. In a post Thursday, she wrote: “Porter is still having some trouble clearing his lungs without a little assistance. Porter did take a great stride today. The physical therapist was able to get him into a wheelchair. He was also able to go outside today in the wheelchair. It has been an amazing but very tiring day.”

Parker also said the physicians were trying to move Hancock out of the intensive care unit Thursday.

“I saw him last night,” he said Thursday. “I was pleased with it. I thought he looked good.

“He’s getting stronger and using an apparatus on his hand, so he can feed himself now.”

Parker added that the team would have patches with Hancock’s No. 26 sewn onto each uniform for Friday night’s game at Gunnison. He said other South Summit teams and clubs will have patches featuring Hancock’s name.

Steve Smith of Oakley is one of many members of the community who is lending a helping hand. Smith said his son is also a junior at South Summit High School and is one of Hancock’s friends.

“If you’re a parent with kids, you feel it and you feel a little bit helpless, honestly,” he said. “You just feel like there’s not a lot you can do. I’m not a doctor or expert in the area, so I thought, ‘What can you do to help? What you can do is help alleviate financial stress.'”

Smith and his family came together and found a way to help.

“On our Deer Meadows Ranch, we do honey every year; we have a number of hives and just finished our annual honey harvest,” he said. “We have lots of honey we have not sold yet.”

A “Honey for Hancock” fundraiser will take place today at the Kamas Foodtown in Kamas and at Dutch’s Service Station in Oakley from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Smith said several hundreds of pounds of honey will be available for purchase, along with T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts featuring Hancock’s name and No. 26.

Smith said he and other fundraising organizers have contacted more than 20 businesses willing to match Saturday’s donations to a certain cap. By Saturday, he hopes to have more than 30 businesses in the mix.

“The community cares and at the end of the day, the community wants to do everything they can,” he said. “That’s the whole vision for fundraising.”

A student dance will be held today in the small gym at the high school and students from neighboring schools have been invited. The hours are 9 to 11:30 p.m. and the cost for a single ticket is $5; a couple’s ticket is $8.

Along with the events Saturday, there will be a number of fundraisers next week. A silent auction is planned for the first playoff game against Grand on Oct. 20, and will go from 1 to 6 p.m. in the small gym at the high school.

Funds will also be raised at a tailgate party on Oct. 20 beginning at 2 p.m.

For a full list of events and activities, visit: http://www.ssummit.k12.ut.us/HighSchool.cfm?subpage=1394569 .

To read the blog on Hancock’s condition, visit: http://www.sswildcatfootball.org/sswildcatfootball/Blog/Blog.html .