The Union Bank Saline River Shootout trophy stayed in Warren after their victory against the Monticello Billies 42-21.
“Early we didn’t play well offensively I thought we sputtered a little bit,” said Head Lumberjack Coach Bo Hembree. “They had two weeks to get ready for us and you could tell. I thought we settled down in the second half outside the first drive. We started running the football and just said ‘hey if they are going to line up that way then we’ll just pound it’ and we were able to do that.”
Before the game, there was a community pep rally and tailgate party sponsored by the Bradley County Medical Center. The Warren High School Band and cheerleaders kept the crowd excited for the game.
The seniors for the Lumberjack football team, band, and cheerleaders were also recognized.
The Billies opened the game with a kickoff to the Lumberjacks. A flag was thrown on the play, forcing a redo. The ball was caught by Tramond Miller at the 40-yard line. He was able to run it to the Billies’ 42-yard line.
At the next play, Kam Davis ran the ball to the 17-yard line. Treylon Jackson grabbed the ball and ran it to the tw0-yard line.
At 9:58, Jordyn Ingram grabbed the ball and ran it to the end zone for the first touchdown. The extra point by kicker Allan Juarez was good, giving the Lumberjacks 7-0.
The Lumberjacks defense forced the Billies to punt at the 30-yard line.
At 3:14, the Billies’ wide receiver fumbled the ball and rolled out of bounds putting the Lumberjacks back on offence.
With 26 seconds left in the first quarter, the Lumberjacks had a fourth down at the seven-yard line. Coach Hembree called a timeout.
Quarterback Jackson Denton threw a pass at the end zone, but it was intercepted by the Billies, putting their first and ten at their 20-yard line.
The Lumberjacks led going into the second quarter with 7-0.
The Lumberjacks were forced to punt at the 43-yard line at 7:12.
Later, the Billies fumbled the ball rolling out of bounds at the 50-yard line. The Lumberjacks’ offense got the ball at their 26-yard line.
At 3:44, the Billies intercepted the ball from Denton and ran to the end zone for a touchdown, tying the game 7-7 after their extra point.
The Billies punted at their 40-yard line which was caught by Davis for an 11-yard run at the Billies’ 37-yard line.
Denton connected with Neon’dre Thomas at the 15-yard line. Thomas ran the ball to the end zone for a touchdown. Juarez was tackled before he could make the kick, preventing the Lumberjacks from getting the extra point. The score was then 13-7 breaking the tie.
At 1:27, the Billies made a 38-yard run before being tackled at the one-yard line. The Billies called timeout.
The Billies were able to score for a one-yard play. Their extra point put them in the lead 14-13.
Jordan scored a touchdown putting the Lumberjacks back in the lead. The Lumberjacks performed a successful two-point conversion ending the first half with 21-14.
At 9:43, the Billies punted at the 18-yard line.
At 8:35, the Lumberjacks punted at the 40-yard line.
The Billies’ quarterback pass to their wide receiver ran to the Lumberjacks’ 25-yard line. The Billies pushed to the three-yard line and were able to score a touchdown at 4:54.
Their extra point was good making another tie with 21-21.
The Lumberjacks were at the 10-yard line. Antonio Jordan ran the ball to the end zone. However, a flag was thrown against the Lumberjacks for holding. The penalty made the touchdown not count.
With 46 seconds left in the third quarter, Jordan burst through the Billies’ defense for a successful touchdown. The kick by Juarez was good, breaking the tie 28-21.
The Lumberjack went into the fourth quarter in the lead.
At 9:37, the Billies punted at the 32-yard line. It was caught by Jordan before running out of bounds at the 42-yard line.
At 4:07, Ingram scored a touchdown with an 11-yard run. The kick by Juarez was good making the final score 42-21 for the Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks will travel to Helena on Friday. The Lumberjacks continue their undefeated streak in the season.
