Warsaw senior Morgan Swafford celebrates her moment in the spotlight alongside a tearfully proud mother, Debbie, during Warsaw girls basketball Senior Day in January. (Photos by Mike Deak)

WARSAW – You don’t have to be associated with Special Olympics, Warsaw Lady Tiger basketball, Warsaw Community High School or Midwest Xtreme cheerleading to root for one of Warsaw’s brightest stars.

A special ceremony was all hers back on January 29, when the lone senior on Warsaw’s girls basketball team, Morgan Swafford, led the Lady Tigers onto the court and was announced in her final appearance at the Tiger Den. It was a moment that made many forget about the tumultuous season Warsaw had endured, focusing on the good between mere wins and losses. That night was only going to be a win-win, regardless of what the visiting NorthWood Panthers and Warsaw presented on the court.

“It gave me goosebumps, and made me really excited to have her run out there with us,” said Warsaw junior Page Desenberg, who Swafford names as one of her favorite “all-time friends”. “She might not understand some of the significance of doing that, but I know she had a blast running out with us. She has touched the hearts of all of us on the team.

“When coach is yelling at us in practice and it’s bad times, Morgan will say something funny and put all of us in a good mood. We just all laugh and lighten up.”

Swafford served as the manager for the basketball team this past season, but has been involved with several endeavors. A three-year member of the Unified Track team, Swafford helped Warsaw to the state championship in 2014, the first year the IHSAA hosted a Unified State Finals. Swafford smiled as wide as Kosciusko County when asked about running track again this spring, “Can’t wait. I run fast.”

Down syndrome has not slowed Swafford at all, who was also an honorary member of the WCHS cheer squad and is a performer with Midwest Xtreme, a competitive dance and cheer organization in Warsaw. How about bowling? Running road races for the Special Olympics? Showing her footwork in Deb Collier’s dance classes? “I don’t know, I’ve got time.”

The video below includes Swafford, which features music from the Ted Painter Band.

Barb Martz, a special education teacher at WCHS as well as an assistant coach with the Warsaw girls basketball program, hasn’t seen any slowdown with Swafford despite the ramped-up workload. In fact, Martz notes she has thrived with the extra responsibility.

“She does anything any other manager would do,” Martz said. “It’s worth it for her just to be around the girls.”

Fiddling with a grande-sized beverage from Starbucks, Swafford fielded questions about her busy senior year in stride. Her pride was evident talking about the girls on the basketball team, especially Desenberg to whom she refers to in a playful phrase that ends with Judy. She really perks up about her dance team partners, including some of the peers in her class just outside Martz’s office door.

Swafford will graduate this spring and move to the Gateway program at Madison, which is a transition into adult life. The program will prepare Swafford to live completely independent, to which Swafford is currently working at the YMCA among the many things outside of school.

“Morgan really didn’t want to go to Gateway, she wanted to come back and work with me,” laughed Martz as Swafford yelled ‘mom!’ “She’ll probably come back here and work with me for a couple hours helping out here, then she’ll go back to Gateway. It’s really just about building those independent skills to help them be out in the community and transitioning into her adult life.”

Above all, Swafford is having fun. The stresses of a senior spring hasn’t bothered her a bit. With so much to do, good ol’ No. 42 has taken it in stride, even if she doesn’t know how big or small the moments might be. They’re all big to her.

“It’s fun. They’re all my friends!”