Warren playoff game turns gold to fund childhood cancer support

Mike Papouras, a junior cornerback at University School, is leading a fundraising effort during Friday night's playoff game against Howland in Warren. The event, titled Some Things are Bigger than Football, is designed to support families currently battling childhood cancer. Papouras is working with the CK Foundation to achieve this goal. He stated that the primary aim is to raise money to help families in the fight right now.

The team will adopt a Gold Out theme for the game. Gold is the official color for childhood cancer awareness. Players will wear decals and gold laces on their shoes. The visual change is intended to draw attention to the cause and the specific families it supports.

The initiative stems from a personal connection Papouras formed three years ago. On October 20, 2023, Mentor High School named Jack Sawyer, a 17-year-old student, as honorary captain during a game against Euclid. At the time, Sawyer was fighting Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. The Euclid players, wearing yellow, presented him with a shirt bearing the phrase Some Things are Bigger than Football. Papouras, who was 13 years old then, watched the event closely. He recalled realizing that some children face far greater challenges than his own. He wanted to make their burden a little lighter.

Sawyer passed away shortly after that 2023 game. This fall, Papouras reached out to Sawyer's mother, Dawn, to seek her permission to use the memory of her son for the new fundraiser. In a letter, Papouras noted that he had never met Sawyer but was moved by the story of a boy his age who loved football and still found ways to lift others up. He wrote that he wanted other children to hear that story as well. Dawn described the gesture as amazing and expressed deep pride. She is expected to join Papouras on the field for the game on Friday.

Sawyer's personal motto remains central to the campaign. During the 2023 game, an announcer read a note from Sawyer that included his motto, PACE, which stands for Positive Attitude Changes Everything. Papouras hopes spectators will remember these words and carry them forward. The support extends beyond Warren. A Mentor High football player contacted Dawn to announce that the Cardinals will wear yellow socks in Sawyer's honor during their own game against Euclid that same night. The player noted that the senior class made a specific effort to remember their former teammate.

Dawn also credited Justin Hodge, a former Mentor student who now attends Miami University, with helping to keep Sawyer's legacy alive. She expressed gratitude to the young people involved for their continued love and support of the PACE movement.