Settling a score from their lone loss of the regular season, the Warren Lumberjacks won in emphatic fashion Friday night, November 18 over the Stuttgart Ricebirds by the final of 62-24 at Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium in Warren to advance to the quarterfinals of the 4A State Playoffs.
Warren hosted Stuttgart Friday evening in what was a quintessential rematch from the first game of 2022. Earlier in the year, the two teams squared off in Stuttgart with the home team coming away a three-point victor in a tight ballgame.
Top photo: Neeyo Harding and JD Tillman bring down a Ricebird runner in Warren’s 62-24 win Friday night. Photo by Robert Camp.
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This second game between the two would be a completely different affair, however. Separated by eleven weeks of growth and development, Warren came into Friday’s game a confident side. Stuttgart arrived sporting a 9-2 record, having just come off a big 48-21 win over Crossett in round one.
The Lumberjacks elected to receive the opening kickoff, which set the tone early as Malik Day brought it back past midfield to the Stuttgart 47, setting the Jacks up wonderfully on their opening drive. Coach Hembree’s Jacks’ mantra from the outset was attack. Just a minute or so into the first quarter, quarterback Maddox Lassiter hit receiver Jalin Lee on a jailbreak screen on the left side. Following a couple of good blocks, Lee sprang the play for 30 yards to the Stuttgart 17-yard-line. That set up the first score of the night. Just over two minutes in Lassiter took it himself into the end zone from seven yards out on a quarterback blast. Jose Jacinto knocked through the extra point to make it 7-0 Jacks.
Stuttgart couldn’t get anything going on the following possession. Both teams traded a couple of punts back and forth over the next few minutes.
The Jacks doubled their advantage in the later minutes of the quarter through a Landon Wolfe run up the gut. The score was made possible in part by a couple of strong runs from Lassiter in the buildup. Even at such an early moment, the game felt as though it was being dominated by the orange and black.
Defensive end Neeyo Harding wreaked havoc on the Ricebird running game. The junior seemed to blow up anything in his direction. Having his way with the Stuttgart offense, it looked as though the Lumberjacks might have a chance to go up three scores near the end of the quarter as a punt was forced by the Warren defense. However, the Jacks fumbled the return, giving new life to the delta birds.
Senior Stuttgart tailback Cedric Hawkins made Warren pay for the fumble with 9:25 left in the second quarter through a two-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 14-7 Warren.
The Lumberjacks answered back two minutes later. Lassiter blasted through once more for his second touchdown on the ground. The extra point was no good. Warren led 20-7.
On the ensuing kickoff, Jacinto dribbled a near-perfect onside kick. The surprise caught Stuttgart off guard, as the ball took a perfect bounce over a Ricebird up-man, and fell into the arms of Cody Weatherspoon of Warren. Weatherspoon caught it in stride, setting Warren up with great field position once more.
About a minute later Lassiter restored Warren’s two-possession lead. He dropped back and lofted an on-the-money pass to Neon’dre Thomas for a 36-yard touchdown pass. The ball was weighted perfectly. The Jacks went for two but were unable to convert. Warren led 26-7.
On the following Stuttgart possession, the Ricebirds found no answer for a tough Warren defense, who were playing up a level. They were forced to punt, although Warren turned the ball over two minutes later on a snap transfer, giving the birds a short field.
They again took full advantage, as Hawkins scored from two yards out minutes later to cut the score to 26-14.
The Lumberjacks’ two-minute drill was successful on the following drive. The orange and black scored once more before the halftime whistle courtesy of another Lassiter rush. This time the gap was opened by Landon Wolfe.
Stuttgart didn’t go quietly to the locker room, however. The Ricebirds took under 30 seconds to score one of their own to cut Warren’s lead to 34-21 at the break.
The Ricebirds received the opening kickoff of the third quarter. They burned nearly half of the period, methodically moving the ball into the red zone. Warren’s defense held strong. Stuttgart would eventually be forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal to cut the orange-and-black lead to 10 at 34-24.
From that point on Warren took control. Lassiter connected with Antonio Jordan on the next Warren drive, hitting the sophomore for a 22-yard gain to the Ricebird 43. The pair connected again just moments later, this time for six points. The Jacks converted a two-point try to make it 42-24.
Sensing the gap becoming increasingly difficult to overcome with the time allotted, Stuttgart tried a double pass on their next possession. The desperate move went nowhere, as Warren made the stop and forced a punt, which pinned the Jacks back to their own 12-yard-line.
With three minutes remaining in the third, Lassiter took a quarterback keeper off the right edge 88 yards for the score, breaking tackles and dragging defenders along the way. Warren went up 49-24.
The Jacks scored twice more in the fourth quarter. Landon Wolfe got in on the action with a one-yard dive. Then late on, a Stuttgart fumble was picked up and returned by Warren defensive lineman Race Frazer.
The Lumberjacks won by the final of 62-24.
Although Warren put up 62 points, the defensive play from the timbermen was equally fantastic. Warren’s defense, led in part by the Saline River Chronicle Player of the Game, Neeyo Harding, held Stuttgart to just 186 yards of total offense.
Warren on the other hand totaled 534 yards, 326 of which came on the ground.
Quarterback Maddox Lassiter led the ground game effort with 12 carries for 179 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior tailback Treylon Jackson rushed 10 times for 63 yards.
Landon Wolfe scored two touchdowns for the Jacks, running the ball seven times for 48 yards.
Lassiter threw for 208 total yards, going 10 of 15.
His favorite target was Jackson, who made four catches for 60 yards.
Warren’s second leading receiving was Antonio Jordan. The sophomore tallied two catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Neon’dre Thomas had a touchdown catch as well.
Defensively Warren made life incredibly difficult for the Ricebirds. The Jacks were led by Neeyo Harding with 12 tackles.
Other defensive standouts were Maddox Lassiter with eight tackles, Lee Johnson with six, and Delfino Rivera with five.
The win advances Warren to the quarterfinal stage of the 4A State Playoffs. They next host Malvern at Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium in Warren next Friday in a day-after-Thanksgiving battle. As Coach Hembree has noted in the past, if we’re playing after Thanksgiving, it’s been a good season.
Editor’s note: Please note that our stats are unofficial.
