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Unity Seats Brings One Community Together for Shenango-Mohawk Football

Vincent Martwinski | Lawrence County Sheriff's Office | Sep 4, 2026

On Friday, September 11, 2026, Friday night football in Lawrence County will mean much more than the final score.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office is honored to join Shenango High School, the Shenango Township Police Department, the Shenango Touchdown Club and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association in supporting the Unity Seats initiative through Friday Night Lights, a special evening of remembrance, unity and community honoring the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The evening will bring together school administrators, students, families, law enforcement officers, first responders, veterans and community members. Together, they will remember the lives lost on September 11 and recognize the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who answered the call to serve. The occasion will also serve as a powerful reminder that honoring sacrifice means continuing to strengthen the relationships that hold our communities together.

Unity Seats is built around a simple but meaningful idea: bringing people together. The program pairs sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders with residents who may hold different viewpoints, provides tickets for them and seats them together at a sporting event. By sharing the excitement and traditions of a football game, participants are given an opportunity for conversation, connection and understanding allowing them to meet not as opponents, but as neighbors and members of the same community.

Shenango High School Athletic Director Jan Budai

“A total of 2,977 victims died in the attacks. This number includes people in the buildings, passengers on the planes and first responders,” Budai said. “Hundreds of firefighters and police officers died while trying to rescue people. Thousands more suffered injuries or later developed fatal illnesses from the toxic dust at Ground Zero. This changed daily life forever.”

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office believes strong community relationships are built by being present, supporting our local schools, talking with residents, working alongside fellow first responders and taking an active role in the communities law enforcement officers have sworn to serve and protect.

That spirit will be on display on September 11 as the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and Shenango Township Police Department stand alongside Shenango High School, the Shenango Touchdown Club, the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association, students, families, veterans, first responders and community members in remembrance of those we lost and in recognition of the unity that followed one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

There will still be plenty of Friday night football when the Shenango Wildcats and Mohawk Warriors take the field.

But on this Friday night, before there are two teams on opposite sidelines, there will be one community in the stands.

We Remember. We Honor. We Stand Together.

Sheriff Vincent Martwinski

“September 11th is a day we can never allow ourselves to forget,” Sheriff Martwinski said. “We remember the innocent lives that were lost, the first responders who ran toward danger when others were running away, and the families whose lives were forever changed.” “Twenty-five years later, we have a responsibility to tell that story to the next generation. Our young people need to understand what happened that day, but they should also know what happened afterward. People supported one another, communities came together, and first responders demonstrated what service and sacrifice truly mean.” That message of unity is especially meaningful when shared with today's students, many of whom were born years after the attacks.

Chief Darrin Cwynar - Shenango Township Police

“Like most people, when I think of the September 11th attacks, I immediately remember exactly where I was when I heard about it. I had already enrolled in the police academy and was about to start in a few short months,” “I watched with the world as first responders ran toward the chaos, as others ran away from it. In the days that followed, I watched them continue their selfless efforts to save lives. As I prepared to enter the police academy, these efforts by first responders only reinforced that I had made the right decision and wanted to be a part of this family.”

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Vincent Martwinski

Sep 4, 2026

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