Warren Junior Ties Playoff Game to Childhood Cancer Fund

Mike Papouras wants the focus of Friday night's football game in Warren to be on families fighting disease. The University School junior organized a fundraiser called "Some Things are Bigger than Football" in partnership with the CK Foundation. The event will feature a gold out, with players wearing gold laces and decals during the match against Howland. Gold is the recognized color for childhood cancer awareness.

Papurao said the goal is to "raise money to support families in the fight right now." He is not the first local athlete to use the sport to honor a teen lost to the disease. The inspiration comes from a specific memory he formed three years ago in Mentor.

On October 20, 2023, Mentor High School named Jack Sawyer as honorary captain during a game against Euclid. At the time, Sawyer was 17 and fighting Ewing sarcoma, a form of aggressive bone cancer. The stadium announcer introduced him to the crowd. Euclid players, wearing yellow, presented him with a shirt bearing the phrase "Some Things are Bigger than Football."

Papurao was 13 when he witnessed the event. His father was the superintendent of Euclid City Schools at the time. He said he realized that some children face hardships far greater than his own. He stated, "I would like to make it a little easier for them." Sawyer died shortly after that game.

This fall, Papurao contacted Dawn Sawyer, Jack's mother, to ask for permission to honor her son. He wrote that although he never met Jack, he kept thinking about a kid his age who loved football and still found ways to lift others up. Sawyer described the effort as an amazing gesture and said she is deeply touched by how Jack's legacy continues.

Dawn Sawyer is expected to be on the field for Friday's gold out. Her son's personal motto, PACE, which stands for Positive Attitude Changes Everything, will also be part of the tribute. Papurao hopes others will hear the motto and carry it with them.

The tribute extends to Jack's former school as well. Dawn Sawyer said a Mentor High football player informed her that the entire Cardinals team will wear yellow socks in Jack's honor during their Friday night game against Euclid. The player noted that the seniors made a point of finding a way to remember him. Sawyer also credited Justin Hodge, a former Mentor student now at Miami University, with helping to keep the legacy alive.