Every year the Warren Central Athletic Department hosts Pink Out Week in order to raise money for cancer awareness and prevention, a disease that takes over half a million lives a year. The Warriors have held this strong tradition for the past decade and do not plan on ending it anytime soon. Each team that participates in this week will receive pink jerseys to wear during their designated Pink Out game, and all ticket sales will go directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Last year, students and the athletic department raised approximately 8,500 dollars and over the past decade, over 37,000 dollars have been raised. 

    Athletic department director Marques Clayton and PIT sponsor Candy Handy have been a significant part of the Warrior’s efforts to raise money and awareness for the cause. As the tradition goes into its eleventh year, Handy stresses the importance of awareness and the difference it can make when it comes to all types of cancers.

    “Education is everything,” Handy said. “If you feel something that feels different, go to your doctor and get it checked out, don’t act like it will go away. You have to be a Warrior. You have to be fearless, you have to go in, listen to your doctor, do what your doctor says and don’t wait.”


Monday Boys Tennis

    Warren Central tennis faced Lawrence North at home for County during Pink Out Week. Unfortunately, the Warriors were unable to come away with the win, losing by a close score of 2-3. 

    “Pink Out Night means a lot to a lot of the players,” senior captain Andrew Baker said. “It means representing and giving recognition to those that have been affected by cancer whether that be breast cancer, liver cancer or lung cancer. No matter the outcome, we were able to help draw attention to those who are currently fighting their battle or those who may have lost.” 

    Overall, the boys are currently 6-6 on the season defeating strong opponents such as Scecina Memorial, Lutheran and Decatur Central and placing fourth in the MIC tournament. The boys are proud of what they have accomplished so far this season and the growth that has come to them from their hard work. 

     As the boys look forward to their sectional run on Oct. 2, they hope to improve on consistency and grow their bond as a team no matter the result of their postseason run. 

    “We definitely have the potential to win at sectionals. We’ve had some people really step up and do what they need to do both on and off of the court. I think that is really going to help take us where we need to go in order to be successful in our postseason,” Baker said.


Monday Flag Football

    New to Pink Out Week this year is the Unified Flag Football team who played Franklin Central on Monday. Even though the Warriors lost the game by a score of 24-27, they kicked off the Fall 2019 Pink Out Week with a strong start raising 235 dollars for the fight against cancer.

    The Unified Flag Football team is a program through Special Olympics and IHSAA and its season contains a IHSAA Sectional Tournament that will be held at Carmel, Regionals and a State Tournament that will be held on the Colts Practice Field. This team allows individuals with and without disabilities to play together on a single team while having fun and developing their skills.

    As this is their first year participating in Pink Out Week, the team is excited to see what they can do to help find the cure while also having fun on the field. However, head coach Dena Condra emphasizes the importance of being educated about the dangers of cancer as it affects thousands of people every year. By raising money to fight this disease, the Warriors hope to contribute to finding a cure. 

    “Our team is very excited about Pink Week and being a part of this week of cancer awareness,” Condra said. “We get to play on our field, wear pink, run through the helmet and beat the Flashes, yeah our team is pretty hyped and ready to compete!”

    As a relatively new sport to the Warrior Nation, Unified Flag Football is hoping to get more attention and support as the program continues to grow. They are highly competitive and hope to bring more wins home to Warren Central as their season continues on. 

    “I’m so excited for the exposure of this program, to our students and staff. I think everyone will see that students with disabilities can be competitive and play IHSAA sports like every typical person,” Condra said. 


Thursday Volleyball

    The Warren Central volleyball team continues to make improvements from last year’s season and although, the Warriors have not had the success they planned to have, they have grown in various areas including volleyball skills and knowledge as well as team culture and environment.

    Junior Jasmyn Watson and sophomore Imani Stokes have been two standout players for the Lady Warriors as they battle tough opponents in and out of their conference. The two girls combined contributed almost half of the team’s kills and nearly three quarters of the team’s blocks against the Bears. 

    “Both of these players on the IHSVCA preseason watchlist have not disappointed,” Brown said. “The LC game was just a great example of both performing to the peak of their ability simultaneously.”

    Last night the Warriors took on the Ben Davis Giants in the South Gym in front of a large crowd of Warriors, fans and students alike. 

    “Pink out is important to me because I know someone close to me that’s been affected and so many others,” Senior Co-Captain Taylor Thomas said. “I think it hits home for those who have seen loved ones pass away due to a disease they have no control over.”


Friday Football

    The Warren Central football team has continued to spread their name across the MIC as they play strong conference opponents such as Center Grove and North Central. The Warriors are currently 3-1 in their conference and tonight look to play the Pike Red Devils who are 1-4 on their season. 

    On Aug. 30 the Warriors took on Trinity High School Shamrocks at home in the Warrior Arena. The Shamrocks were the first to score during this game, but the Warriors soon scored a touchdown of their own halfway through the first quarter then quickly took the lead in the second quarter. However, as the Warriors were unable to keep their lead, they took a tough non-conference loss and turned it into a strong win against the North Central Panthers 28-7. 

    “It’s football and games are lost. It’s not the end of the world,” senior Jake Wellmann said. “After the loss, we started focusing more on the little things.”

    As the Warriors look forward to tonight’s game, it holds a deeper meaning to many of them as they have been personally affected by cancer. Wellmann’s grandmother is a breast cancer survivor who inspires him to play football and supports him as much as she can. 

    “I’ve seen the effects it’s had on past teammates and will never forget the pain and grief it can cause a family,” Wellmann said. 

    The Warriors will be taking on the team in red in their special pink jerseys during the last day of Pink Out Week. Typically, the football games contribute the largest amount to the Susan G. Komen Foundation out of all of the sports via ticket sales.           However, to the players and coaches alike, this game is about more than just football and ticket sales and each year this game allows the Warriors to aid in the fight against the disease.

    “Cancer has affected us all at some point through our family and friends,” head coach Jason West said. “It’s a good time to come together, reflect and grow together as a community.”