A sign hangs from the scorer’s table at Eisenhower High School during Tuesday’s ‘Whiteout’ match against Warren. The two teams came together to ‘whiteout’ cancer, honoring Warren coach Dean Johnson, who is battling the disease.

There may have been a dusting of snow on their vehicles when fans left the Eisenhower gym following Tuesday’s match between the Knights and Warren Dragons.

It probably seemed like nothing compared to the whiteout they had been part of moments earlier.

Both the Knights and Dragons encouraged their fans to wear white to the match Tuesday to support Warren coach Dean Johnson’s battle with cancer. The John M. Neese Memorial Gymnasium was standing room only by the time the junior high wrestlers got started.

“We can always count on this match to draw,” Warren coach Paul Streich said. “These are two passionate fanbases, but this just proves what kind of guy Dean is. Everyone loves him.”

Eisenhower skipped the usual 50/50 raffle and took up a collection to help offset the cost of Johnson’s medical bills.

“The cause is bigger than the event,” Eisenhower coach Kris Black said.

“That’s the great thing about living in a community like this. That we can come together for a better cause speaks volumes.”

The cause had special meaning for the Knights as well. Wrestlers consider themselves all part of a big family, but for the Knights, it’s especially true in this case as assistant coach Denny Johnson is Dean’s brother.

A conversation between Denny and Black served as an inspiration for the event.

“(Dean’s) one of the guys who has been around (Warren County wrestling) a long time,” Eisenhower sophomore Cael Black said. “I heard my dad and Denny talking about him and I thought we should do something.”

Cael came up with the whiteout idea after seeing the “Clash for Cancer” shirts the teams had made for a fundraising event in a previous year.

“I just thought it would be cool to see white for this,” he said.

Cael came up with the idea, then others took it and ran with it.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Jen Neall and my wife, Natalie, for organizing this,” Kris said. “They did a lot of different stuff and really pushed to get it done, and it was all first class.”

A final total wasn’t announced, but the estimate was in the hundreds.

For Streich, it’s all about getting Dean back to the mat.

“We miss him,” he said. “We hope he heals quickly. The guys would love to see him back out here.”