Warren Football Team Wears Gold for Childhood Cancer Fundraiser

A high school football player in Lake County has organized a fundraiser centered on the memory of a teenager who died of cancer three years ago. The event will take place on Friday night during a playoff game in Warren.

Mike Papouras, a junior cornerback at University School, coordinated the initiative with the CK Foundation. The fundraiser, titled "Some Things are Bigger than Football," aims to collect money to support families currently battling childhood cancer. Papouras stated the goal is to "raise money to support families in the fight right now." The team will participate in a Gold Out, wearing decals and gold laces to represent the official color for childhood cancer awareness.

The concept originated from a game in Mentor on October 20, 2023. During that contest, Mentor High named Jack Sawyer, then 17, as honorary captain while he fought Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. Players from the opposing Euclid team, who wore yellow, presented Sawyer with a shirt bearing the fundraiser’s name. The stadium announcer introduced him to the crowd. Papouras was 13 at the time and recalled realizing that some children face challenges far greater than his own. He said he wanted to make things a little easier for them.

Sawyer died shortly after that 2023 game. This fall, Papouras wrote to Sawyer’s mother, Dawn, asking for permission to honor her son. In his letter, Papouras noted that he never met Sawyer but remembered a boy his age who loved football and lifted others up. Dawn described the gesture as amazing and said she is deeply touched and proud. She is expected to join Papouras on the field for Friday’s game.

Support for the cause extends to Sawyer’s former school. A Mentor High football player contacted Dawn to announce that the Cardinals will wear yellow socks in Sawyer’s honor Friday night against Euclid. The player noted that the senior class specifically sought a way to remember Sawyer. Dawn also credited Justin Hodge, a former Mentor student who now attends Miami University, for helping maintain Sawyer’s legacy.

The message of the fundraiser includes Sawyer’s personal motto. At the 2023 game, the announcer read a note from him that said, "Remember my motto, PACE: Positive Attitude Changes Everything." Papouras hopes that others will hear the motto and carry it with them. Dawn expressed gratitude to the young people for their support and to those who continue to champion PACE and Sawyer’s memory.