Times Observer Photo by Jon Sitler In this file photo, Warren’s Kody Vega looks for running room.

Warren received a week off before the start of the District 10 4A football playoffs. What better way to get ready than to add a home game at 7 tonight against Corry to finish off the regular season.

Especially after the Dragons had their previous final regular-season game at Seneca canceled last week.

“In the COVID era, we are just glad we have a game to play,” said Warren coach Mark Morelli of 0-6 Corry. “Each week you hear of games getting canceled and last week it was our turn to have a game scrubbed. But someone in D-10 must be smiling on us because we were able to pick up a home game that we did not expect and the seniors get to have an encore last game at War Memorial. So, from that aspect, we will be motivated. Corry is in the same situation as us, fighting the COVID numbers, having enough available healthy kids to play the game. So getting to play a game versus a team like Corry, who has some similarities as General McLane, can only help us down the road.”

The Dragons (4-4) will open the District 10 playoffs in the Class 4A semifinals in a rematch with General McLane (5-3) on Saturday, Nov. 6, at a time and site to be determined. McLane and Warren are both 4-2 in D10 Region 5, and the Lancers edged Warren on Oct. 1 in an exciting 34-31 game.

“We have to be concentrated on the short term, that is Corry, the old cliche of ‘one game at a time,'” said Morelli.

Morelli said, despite not playing since Oct. 16, the time off has been a positive in some ways.

“I guess you could say an unscheduled bye week has helped our overall team in terms of getting some rest and getting their health back to normal,” said Morelli. “Despite losing a game on our schedule, the silver lining is most of our key players are healthy and practicing but we do not have the entire team back yet.”

It’s a team that has come a long way in a short time.

“You talk about a tumultuous season and adversity, the ups and downs emotionally, yet this team has stuck together because of team leaders like Kody Vega, Gage Shaffer, Nick Pennucci and Alan McAlister,” said Morelli. “Those players and others have shaped and formed the culture that decided the direction this team was going. Some of earlier Warren teams that we were around would have thrown in the towel when tough times hit; not this group. They have a lot of resiliency.”