Warren’s postseason toughness was tested again Friday night, and once more the Lumberjacks found a way through. In a 4A quarterfinal filled with momentum swings, big plays and defensive stands at key moments, Warren held off Prairie Grove 47-40 at Jim Hurley Jr. Stadium to book a trip to the state semifinals.
The win moved the Lumberjacks to 10-3 and set up a road matchup at Dardanelle next week with a spot in the championship game on the line.
Warren opened the night aggressively, opting to receive and immediately reclaiming the ball on an onside kick. But the early break didn’t translate into points, and Prairie Grove struck first with a 7-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion for an 8-0 advantage. The Tigers tried another onside attempt on the next kickoff, and Warren recovered that one too, though the Lumberjacks were again unable to score.
The game’s tempo shifted in the closing minutes of the first quarter. After a stop by the Warren defense, Jackson Denton connected with Josiah Steen on a 19-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to 8-6.
Prairie Grove extended its lead to 15-6 midway through the second quarter, but Warren responded with one of its most efficient drives of the night — a 70-yard series fueled by key passes to Bleyze Fellows and capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from Aaron Davis. Jacarlos Marquez’s extra point brought the score to 15-13.
With less than a minute left in the half, Warren seized control. De’Sean Adams intercepted a Tiger pass at the Prairie Grove 42, and Denton needed only two plays to convert the turnover into points, finding Steen again for a 16-yard strike. The failed conversion left Warren up 19-15 at halftime, but the Lumberjacks carried momentum into the locker room.
Prairie Grove opened the second half with another big gain that set up a short touchdown run and a two-point conversion for a 23-19 lead. Warren answered immediately — in under a minute — when Denton delivered a 48-yard touchdown pass to Fellows down the sideline, pushing the Lumberjacks ahead 26-23.
The Tigers then slowed the game down, grinding out a long drive that stretched into the fourth quarter and ended with a 25-yard field goal to tie it at 26-26. Warren countered with a quicker drive of its own, with Davis scoring on a 15-yard run to reclaim a 33-26 lead.
Prairie Grove tied it again with an 8-yard touchdown pass and extra point with 6:42 left, but Davis struck once more — his third rushing touchdown of the night — to put Warren ahead 39-33. A mishandled PAT left the door open, and the Tigers took advantage, punching in a fourth-and-goal touchdown with 2:19 remaining to go up 40-39.
On the ensuing kickoff, Fellows delivered one of the game’s pivotal moments, racing the return back to the Prairie Grove 35. From there, Denton orchestrated a calm, methodical drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown throw to Tayshawn Edwards with 1:17 to play. Steen powered in the two-point conversion, giving Warren a 47-40 cushion.
Prairie Grove had one final chance, but any hope of a late rally ended when Colton Steen intercepted a pass on the Tigers’ last possession, sealing the Lumberjacks’ semifinal berth.
Warren heads into next week’s matchup battle-tested and riding back-to-back shootout victories — exactly the kind of momentum a semifinal team wants in late November.
