DeWITT, Ark. — Warren arrived at DeWitt Friday night carrying a 1-2 record, but the Lumberjacks have long viewed the beginning of conference play as something of a reset.
The first three games matter. The next seven determine where the season goes.
Warren made sure the second season began the right way.
The Lumberjacks turned defensive stops and short fields into points, built a three-score halftime lead and pulled away for a 38-14 victory over DeWitt in the opening game of 8-4A Conference play.
The win moved Warren to 2-2 overall and, more importantly, 1-0 in the league.
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After winning the opening coin toss and electing to defer, Warren’s defense immediately began setting the tone.
Jacob Marshall stepped in front of a DeWitt pass along the Warren sideline for an interception with 10:13 remaining in the first quarter, giving the Lumberjacks possession at their own 47.
Warren’s opening possession eventually stalled, but the punt may have been just as valuable. The Lumberjacks pinned the Dragons inside their own 1-yard line, and when DeWitt was forced to punt, Warren took over at the DeWitt 35 with 7:58 remaining.
Quarterback Jackson Denton quickly took advantage of the field position.
Denton fired a dart over the middle to Tayshawn Edwards, who carried the reception to the DeWitt 4. DeAngelo Herron finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run at the 6:20 mark, and Emanuel Pahuamba’s extra point gave Warren a 7-0 lead.
The Lumberjacks stretched the margin on their next possession.
Denton connected with Marshall on another sharp throw, with Marshall absorbing an immediate hit while hanging onto the football at the DeWitt 35. The drive ultimately produced points when Jacarlos Marquez drilled a 25-yard field goal with 4:03 left in the opening quarter.
Warren led 10-0.
DeWitt answered almost immediately.
The Dragons connected on a short out route with 3:33 remaining, and the play broke open for a 76-yard touchdown that suddenly cut Warren’s lead to 10-7.
Momentum threatened to swing even further when DeWitt blocked a Warren punt moments later, taking possession at the Lumberjack 16.
Instead, Warren’s defense delivered one of the defining sequences of the night.
The Lumberjacks refused to give up the end zone, producing a goal-line stand and taking possession at their own 1 with 1:07 remaining in the first quarter.
Warren turned that stop into separation during the second.
JaKoby Avery capped a drive with a 7-yard touchdown run at the 7:36 mark, and Pahuamba’s extra point extended the advantage to 17-7.
Again, DeWitt responded quickly.
The Dragons found a seam on the ensuing kickoff and returned it to the Warren 15. Two plays later, after a fumbled snap disrupted the play, DeWitt managed to throw a 15-yard touchdown pass. The extra point cut Warren’s advantage to 17-14.
That would be the Dragons’ final score of the night.
Warren failed to convert near midfield with 5:57 left in the half, but the Lumberjack defense answered once more.
Facing fourth-and-8, DeWitt mishandled the snap. Jaxstyn Ingram scooped up the loose football and returned it to the Dragon 35, giving Warren another short field.
Denton and Avery made DeWitt pay.
With 3:31 remaining before halftime, Denton found Avery for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Pahuamba converted the extra point, pushing the lead to 24-14.
Then came the night’s biggest offensive blow.
Facing fourth-and-1 with only 38 seconds remaining in the half, Herron broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown run. Another Pahuamba extra point sent Warren into the locker room with a commanding 31-14 advantage.
The pace slowed considerably in the third quarter.
Neither offense found much rhythm during a back-and-forth period, but Warren continued to win important downs defensively. The Lumberjacks came up with another key stop at their own 19-yard line with 3:43 left in the quarter, keeping DeWitt scoreless and protecting the 17-point margin.
Herron put the game firmly out of reach early in the fourth.
He scored his third rushing touchdown of the night on a 3-yard carry with 11:55 remaining. Pahuamba’s extra point made it 38-14.
Warren’s defense added one more takeaway for good measure.
With 9:06 left, Asher Weaver broke on a DeWitt pass, intercepted it and returned the football to the Dragon 34. Warren’s offense advanced to the 24 before turning the ball over on downs, but by then the outcome was no longer in doubt.
The Lumberjacks eventually went to the victory formation and kneeled out the remaining time.
For Warren, the night was not about overwhelming offensive production from beginning to end. It was about controlling the moments that mattered.
An interception created an early opportunity. A punt flipped the field. A goal-line stand erased a DeWitt scoring chance. A bad snap became another Warren possession. And every time the Dragons threatened to make the game uncomfortable, the Lumberjacks responded.
Herron finished with three rushing touchdowns, including his 41-yard fourth-down burst just before halftime. Avery scored twice — once rushing and once receiving — while Denton delivered several key throws and the Warren defense produced three takeaways.
Most importantly, Warren began conference play exactly where it wanted to be: unbeaten.
The Lumberjacks will now turn their attention toward one of the biggest games on the schedule.
Warren will host rival Monticello next Friday, Oct. 2, in the Union Bank and Trust Saline River Shootout.
