Looking to bounce back from a week one loss to White Hall, the Warren Lumberjacks put on a show Friday night, September 10, as the scoreboard lit with points in Warren’s 47-27 win over the Stuttgart Ricebirds at Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium in Warren.
There was the faintest of feelings of fall creeping into the grounds at Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium Friday night, as the Jacks hosted longtime non-conference foe Stuttgart. Warren was searching for it’s first win of the season. Stuttgart came into the ballgame off back-to-back wins over DeWitt and Star City in the previous two weeks. Senior quarterback Riley Cornish served as captain on the night for the Lumberjacks.
Warren kicked off to open the first quarter. An onside kick, a staple on the night for the orange and black, was fielded safely by a Ricebird receiver.
Warren linebacker Aiden Weaver immediately made his presence known, flying in from the right edge to make an early tackle for no gain. Stuttgart would hit back quickly on the next play however, connecting a pass over the middle on second down to move the ball to the Warren 30-yard line. With 9:14 to go in the first, Stuttgart struck first blood, hitting a field goal to go up 3-0.
The Lumberjacks showed their intentions clearly on their opening offensive drive. Cornish connected with Maddox “Mad Dog” Lassiter through the air for a 25 yard gain and putting the ball at mid field. A couple of plays later Cornish again found Lassiter. This time the play went for 16 yards and a first down at the Stuttgart 20-yard line. With 5:26 to go in the first, the Jacks put the first Lumberjack touchdown of the 2021 season on the board when Cornish hit Jarard Payne over the middle for a 17 yard completion into the end zone. Jose Jacinto’s extra point was good. Warren led 7-3.
Defensively, the Lumberjacks looked stout in the first quarter. Stuttgart was unable to get much going and were force to punt with 3:47 left in the period.
Lumberjack utility skill man Treylon Jackson got in on the action late in the quarter on the offensive side. In back-to-back plays he picked up a total of 28 yards through the air. Playing in the two-quarterback system, specifically Warren’s red zone power formation, Lassiter capped off the drive for Warren with a quarterback power off the right for an 8 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, but Warren led 13-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Midway through the second, after Warren’s defense made a stop or two, Cornish found his first half go-to-man Lassiter once more for 18 yards to the Stuttgart 19-yard line. Cornish would find Warren receiver Jacari Lee moments later to put Warren at the Stuttgart 7-yard line. Two plays later, Stuttgart sent a linebacker blitz off the right side. It wasn’t picked up and the rushed pass was tipped and intercepted by Stuttgart inside their own 15-yard line. It was a play that almost turned the game on its head, as the momentum swung the Ricebirds’ way in a matter of a couple of seconds.
Stuttgart took the chance, driving almost 90 yards. However the Lumberjack defense held firm, forcing Stuttgart to once again settle for a field goal.
At the halftime break, the Jacks led Stuttgart 13-6.
Warren received the kickoff to open the third period. They pushed all the way to the Stuttgart 1-yard line. On fourth down and goal, Lassiter stepped back in at quarterback, and with 8:00 to go in the quarter he bulldozed his way past the goal line to extend Warren’s lead to 20-6.
In a play that might have sealed the game quite early in the second half, Warren recovered the ensuing onside kick. However, the opportunity was missed as the Jacks turned the ball over on downs at the Stuttgart 28-yard line with 6:32 left in the third period.
The Ricebirds would capitalize on their next possession. A 4 yard touchdown pass brought the delta boys to within seven at 20-13 Warren.
Coach Bo Hembree’s Jacks kept their foot on the petal though. Early in the fourth quarter Cornish went deep to intended receiver Tayshawn Johnson, but Stuttgarts corner held him up, drawing a flag for defensive holding. Treylon Jackson would take the next handoff for a 19 yard gain to the Stuttgart 8-yard line, and with 10:55 left in the ballgame, Jarard Payne hauled in a short 8 yard catch for another Lumberjack score. The juke that Payne put on the final defender to get into the end zone was really sublime. Warren led 26-13.
Warren almost put the game to bed with 10:15 left, as linebacker Jalen Lee reached up to break up a Ricebird pass. Lee nearly picked it off with nothing but green grass ahead. The ball fell to ground however and Stuttgart remained alive. With 9:11 to go and Stuttgart backed up against the ropes, Warren’s defensive end Landon Wolfe pounced on the Stuttgart quarterback with a little help from Weaver. The sack looked to settle the game.
Warren’s next offensive drive sputtered as a couple of penalties forced the Jacks to punt. Treylon Jackson would pick off a deep Stuttgart pass with 6:04 left in the game, but again the Jack offensive couldn’t get rolling and were forced to punt.
Stuttgart took advantage, scoring off a quarterback draw with 4:27 remaining in the game to bring them to within six at 26-20 Warren.
Less than 30 seconds later Warren’s Jacari Lee ripped off a 50 yard touchdown on the ground. The burst was something special to watch, but its what we’ve come to expect out of a talent such as Jacari. Warren went for the 2-point conversion, but the attempt failed. The Jacks led 32-20 with the game looking likely out of reach for Stuttgart.
Matters were again upended moments later as the Ricebirds returned the deep kickoff all the way for a touchdown. The Warren lead was cut to 32-27.
However, fireworks went off again with 3:04 to go, as Jacari Lee resoundingly answered back with yet another 50 yard bolt into the end zone for a Lumberjack touchdown. The Jacks converted the 2-point conversion this time to extend the lead to 40-27.
Tayshawn Johnson put the icing on the cake with 55 seconds to go in the game, as he picked off a Stuttgart pass deep in Warren territory and sprinted 97 yards for a touchdown. Jacinto’s extra point was good. Warren walked away with their first win of the season, defeating the Stuttgart Ricebirds by the final of 47-27.
Jacari Lee led the Lumberjacks in rushing, carrying the ball six times for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Treylon Jackson booked 10 carries at tailback for Warren, gaining 89 yards on the night. Landon Wolfe had five carries for 42 yards, and Maddox Lassiter had six carries for 15 yards and a touchdown.
Riley Cornish went 12 of 21 through the air, throwing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception. Maddox Lassiter had three catches for 61 yards, followed by Jarard Payne, who was credited with three catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
Treylon Jackson had and interception, as did Tayshawn Johnson. Johnson returned his for a 97 yard touchdown.
Warren moves to 1-1 on the year, with an historic trip next week out of state. The Lumberjacks will hit the road for their final non-conference game of the 2021 season, set to face Franklin Parish out of Winnsboro, Louisiana next Friday night, September 17. Saline River Chronicle has yet to find a record, at least any modern record of Warren playing a regular season game vs. an out of state opponent. If that’s correct, this will be a first. That game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CST. We’ll have live updates on our Facebook page, plus a full game report Saturday morning, September 18.
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Top Photo: Tayshawn Johnson bolts forward on his way to a 97 yard interception return for a touchdown. Photo by Robert Camp.
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