Warren Playoff: $5,000 Goal for Cancer Families

Mike Papouras, a junior cornerback at University School, has set a $5,000 fundraising target for a Friday playoff game against Howland. 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 specific monetary goal.

The fundraiser utilizes a Gold Out, where players wear gold laces and decals. Gold is the designated color for childhood cancer awareness. Papouras stated the objective is to raise money to support families in the fight right now. The game is scheduled for Friday night in Warren.

The initiative stems from an event in Mentor on October 20, 2023. Jack Sawyer, then 17, was named honorary captain of the Mentor High Cardinals while fighting Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. During that game, players from the opposing Euclid team, who wore yellow, presented Sawyer with a shirt reading "Some Things are Bigger than Football."

Papurias’s father served as superintendent of Euclid City Schools at the time of the 2023 game. Papouras was 13 years old and recalled realizing that children face challenges more difficult than his own. He expressed a desire to make the situation slightly easier for those kids. Jack Sawyer died shortly after that 2023 matchup.

This fall, Papouras wrote to Jack's mother, Dawn, to request her blessing for the fundraiser. In the letter, Papouras noted he had never met Jack but admired the teen's love for football and his ability to lift others. Dawn described the effort as an amazing gesture and confirmed she is proud of Jack's legacy. She is expected to join Papouras on the field during Friday's game.

Support for the cause is also coming from Mentor High School. Dawn said a Cardinals player contacted her to announce the team will wear yellow socks against Euclid on Friday. The player stated the seniors wanted to find a way to remember Jack. Dawn also credited Justin Hodge, a former Mentor student now playing at Miami University, with helping keep Jack's memory alive.

Jack Sawyer’s motto, PACE, which stands for Positive Attitude Changes Everything, is part of the fundraiser's message. Papouras hopes attendees will hear the motto and carry it with them. Dawn expressed gratitude to the young people for their continued support of Jack's memory.