His uncle Bill and his father Mike did it, and now recent North Montgomery graduate Kai Warren will be a two-sport athlete at Wabash College.
“I knew from an early age that I was going to go,” Warren said. “Every day I step foot on that campus, I love it, and they say you’re suppose to go to a place that you love, and growing up there and seeing all the things that it does to people, it’s nice to finally be a part of that brotherhood.”
Warren will play both football and baseball for the Little Giants following a standout career for the Chargers.
The decision to play both sports was an easy one for Warren even with the rigorous academics.
“I knew I’d have to buckle down on the academic, but now that I’m joining a fraternity, they’ll make sure that I’m not falling behind,” he said.
Warren had 452 receiving yards and 62 tackles during his senior football season, helping the Chargers to their first winning season since 2015. He also hit .386 or better in two of his three varsity baseball seasons, helping secure North Montgomery’s first sectional title since 2001 during his sophomore season.
The road to success at Wabash won’t be an easy one, but Warren is ready for the challenge.
“Giving 100%,” he said is what it will take. “Whether that’s in meetings for football, practice, team lifts. Giving it my all. That’s not going to go unnoticed. Nothing is given at Wabash, everything is earned.”
“Leaving an impact I feel is kind of what I’m built for, and that’s my destiny. I left an impact in the record books at the high school. Having people know my name means a lot to me, being a Warren and everything. We all have a super tight-knit bond.”
Warren believes the value of hard work and leadership he learned during his time at North Montgomery will translate well to Wabash.
“It’s hard work,” he said. “Coach Thompson, coach German, coach Bucher. All the coaches at the high school in all three sports that I played in, from day one you’re taught how to work hard. You’re taught that if you work hard enough you’re going to find yourself on the field no matter where you are.”
Warren says he owes a lot of his success so far to both Thompson (North Montgomery football coach) and North Montgomery athletic director Matt Merica, who coached him all three years in baseball.
“Just a big thank you to coach Merica and coach Thompson,” he said. “This year coach Thompson taught me what it meant to be a leader, and how to be a leader and an effective one. It was nice to have him as a mentor and have coach Merica as a coach for three years.”
Warren is officially a Little Giant.
