Local Sports

Finally on the gridiron

After matching up in other sports for years, Dragons and Knights will meet in football

EDITOR'S NOTE: With the highly anticipated Warren at Eisenhower football game set for Friday, Times Observer correspondents Steve Younger and Nate Sandberg have collaborated to write daily articles pertaining to the matchup of the Warren County rivals. Today's topic: Community members who have been part of the rivalry over the years.

The Warren vs. Eisenhower athletic rivalry goes all the way back to the wrestling dual meet between the Dragons and Knights in 1984. This was the first-ever scheduled varsity matchup between the two schools. The two schools did wrestle each other during a junior varsity matchup in the late 1960s, as well as a Christmas tournament in the 1970s.

Now for over 40 years, there has been some sort of contest between the two schools. The foundation of wrestling paved the way for matchups in basketball, golf, cross country, track and field, baseball scrimmages, and the highly anticipated soccer games of the early 2000s. Coached by Mike Decker, the Knights soccer team faced Mark Evans' Dragons in games that are still talked about to this day.

Speaking of Evans, he provided some insight on the upcoming game, and reflected upon his past clashes with the Knights.

"When we played Eisenhower, the atmosphere was always electric," said the 14-year coach of the Dragons, who won 214 games. "The rivalry between our teams, as it will be on Friday, was intense. The level of support for both teams from parents, fans and students always made for a noisy, boisterous cauldron-like atmosphere. For this upcoming game with the Pasture of Pain filled, I would expect a similar elevated level of support that will translate into a louder, almost deafening environment that will raise heartbeats and drive the players on.

Who better to talk about a county clash rivalry than the ones that experienced it. Ben Maljovec, one of the greatest athletes to ever come through Warren County gave his input.

"I think it's great for the community to see these two schools meet in football," Maljovech said. "It should be a fun and celebratory night for the players and fans. I'd expect a lot of positive energy from everyone. For us, those games were fun because we knew the guys on the other side. We'd played pickup (basketball) together in the summer, been teammates in tee ball or soccer, or gone to elementary school together. You wanted to win, but those friendships made the games special. Hopefully, this gives Warren County another chance to come together and celebrate that special sense of community."

Although the end goal was always to win, Maljovec reflected on his favorite memories.

"My favorite memories are the summer AAU road trips with the guys," he said. "Playing ping-pong between games and 'scouting' LeBron James at the Columbus tournament still stand out. Many of my best memories come from just hanging out at the YMCA or in between games."

Jeff Flickner was a standout running back for the Dragons from 1980-82 and the Bloomsburg Huskies from 1983-86, as well as a former principal at Warren Area High School.

"This could be the beginning of a new rivalry game," he said. "There has been some awesome competition between the two schools in other sports. I coached at Youngsville in the mid-90s so I am familiar with how important the county games were. The players from Sheffield and Youngsville may remember the past rivalries in the county, and if they don't their parents definitely will."

Mark Schoenborn, an all-state soccer player at Warren, also elaborated on his memories of the heated rivalry.

"I'd expect a pretty charged atmosphere. The teams may not know each other, but the kids probably do," he said. "I remember from my time on the soccer field, that the Eisenhower games just meant a little more. Those matchups gave us a unique opportunity for bragging rights. Friday should be as good of a local sports environment as you can get. It should be a special stage on which to compete."

It is appropriate to say that a tense, but community-like atmosphere is in store for the Fall Brawl of 2026.