Fourteen to zero – the final score of Warren’s final regionals game against Center Grove on Nov. 10, 2023. This game eliminated Warren from contending for state and ended the team's motto, “All in for 10,” a goal to become the first team in their class to win 10 state championships. This year, however, the Warriors intend on not ending the season how they did last year.
Junior Kaiden Harris and senior Madden Beriault both agreed that the team needs to focus on composure throughout the game. This will ultimately help the team get to the next level and focus.
“You can tell when the team is focused before a game, and you can tell we perform a lot better when we're focused,” Harris said.
Last year the Warriors finished 5-7, with notable wins against Lawrence Central and two shutout games in sectionals against Perry Meridian and Southport. The Warriors finished 3-2 in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (M.I.C.). Warren successfully took down Lawrence Central, Pike and North Central. However, they lost to their cross-town rival, the Ben Davis Giants, and suffered a beating by 41 points against Lawrence North. This year the team's outlook on playing in conference games has changed.
“Ben Davis and Lawrence North are going to be different this year,” Beriault said. “We lost to them, and we felt embarrassed to lose to them last year. We plan to play against them harder.”
The team successfully shut out Fort Wayne Snider in the first week of the season 15-0, which was an improvement from the 2023-2024 season where the Warriors lost 42-20. The team was able to focus on key details like self improvement, and they plan to overcome challenges and adversity against opponents on all sides of the ball throughout the season.
“Our defense has a lot of returning starters,” Harris said. “Our O-line has definitely improved. Special teams as well has figured out formations and getting stronger.”
Other players believe that the team has also worked on non-physical aspects of the game.
“Definitely our mindset has improved a lot during the off-season as a team,” senior Donovan Dungy said. “At first in the off-season we were off [from] the loss to Center Grove and kinda divided. Now since the off-season came, we came together as a team, and now we are all playing together.”
Winning state is on everyone's mind, not just at Warren but across the state. Players on all sides of the ball recognize this and thus realize working harder in practice and growing closer with teammates is vital for them to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.
“Playing together, trusting our teammates, practicing hard every day, this will help us get better throughout the season,” senior Keith Jackson said. “We want to start off fast and get better as the season goes by.”