WARREN, Ark. – (3-13-26) — The Warren Lumberjacks turned in a complete performance Friday night, defeating the Arkadelphia Badgers 3-0 while controlling the match on both ends of the pitch at Jim Hurley Jr. Stadium.
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Warren showed attacking intent from the opening minutes, creating early pressure down the left wing through De’Sean Adams and Jacarlos Marquez. The Lumberjacks nearly found the opener in the 15th minute when Marquez whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal. Joshua Romero met it with a superb touch and attempted a delicate chip toward the far post, but the effort drifted inches wide.
The breakthrough came in the 37th minute. Marquez ran onto a perfectly weighted through ball behind the Badger defense and calmly slotted his finish past the keeper to give Warren a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Warren extended its advantage early in the second half. In the 51st minute, a ball delivered into the box found Adams unmarked near the goal, and the forward powered a header home from five yards out. The keeper had no chance as Adams buried the opportunity with a true goal-scorer’s finish.
Adams, a standout from Warren’s football program, has quickly become one of the Lumberjacks’ most dangerous attacking options. Based on a review of Saline River News’s archival records, he is believed to be the first skill-position player from the Lumberjack football team to suit up for the soccer squad that Warren’s records can remember. Football players have appeared for the soccer team before — including Marquez, who handles place-kicking duties for the Lumberjacks — but Adams is one of the first, if not the first, and is certainly the first known player to hold a starting role at a skill-position on both squads. Early in the season, he already looks a real danger for opposing defenses.
Arkadelphia struggled to create meaningful chances throughout the second half as Warren controlled possession and dictated the pace of play.
Warren sealed the match in the 77th minute when another Lumberjack football player made an immediate impact. Luis Woods, who had been playing on the right wing, drifted into a central position inside the box and finished the chance to extend the lead to 3-0.
Defensively, Warren was just as impressive. The Lumberjacks’ back four kept the Badgers from generating sustained pressure in the attacking third. Left back George Peña turned in one of the standout defensive performances of the night, commanding his wing throughout the match and repeatedly shutting down Arkadelphia’s attempts to build attacks down that side.
Behind the organized defensive line and goalkeeper Jaxson Hammons, the Jacks secured the clean sheet.
Warren’s men’s side now stands at 2-1 on the season.
