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WARREN, Ark. — For two months, Josiah Steen had been missing from the Warren Lumberjacks’ lineup. Thursday night, he made his return impossible to overlook.
Playing for the first time since suffering an injury against Fountain Lake in early September, Steen caught three touchdown passes, intercepted a pass on defense and helped propel Warren to a 49-26 victory over Crossett in the regular-season finale Thursday, November 5.
It was the kind of performance Warren had been missing, and the timing could hardly have been better.
With quarterback Jackson Denton finding his returning playmaker for touchdown connections of 25, 25 and 62 yards, the Lumberjacks overcame a turnover-filled opening quarter and seized control with a dominant second-quarter performance.
The victory sends Warren into the Class 4A State Playoffs with a 6-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in 8-4A Conference play. The Lumberjacks finish third in the conference standings behind Stuttgart and Hamburg.
For Warren’s seniors, all of whom served as team captains Thursday night, the victory provided a fitting conclusion to the regular season. But with the postseason approaching, Steen’s return offered something potentially more significant: another explosive weapon for an offense finding its rhythm.
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A shaky start, then a response
Warren’s opening possession suggested the Lumberjacks intended to test Crossett’s secondary early and often.
After Hayden Hampton returned the opening kickoff to the Warren 37-yard line, Denton immediately went deep on consecutive plays, first targeting Jacob Marshall and then Steen. Both passes fell incomplete, though neither missed by much.
On third down, Denton was intercepted near midfield, handing Crossett possession at the Warren 49 with 11:25 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Eagles moved into Warren territory behind quarterback Cash Forrest, whose scrambling ability helped extend the possession. But the Lumberjack defense stiffened near its own 24-yard line.
Facing fourth down after Warren had denied Crossett on third-and-five, the Eagles again looked to Forrest to keep the drive alive. Martinez forced the quarterback out of bounds short of the marker, giving Warren the football.
The Lumberjacks responded with their first sustained offensive drive of the night.
Denton converted a critical third-and-long situation near midfield with a scramble for a first down, and Warren eventually turned to its heavy offensive package near the goal line.
With 3:14 remaining in the first quarter, De’Angelo Herron powered into the end zone from 2 yards out. Pahuamba added the extra point, giving Warren a 7-0 advantage.
Crossett’s next possession ended in a punt, but the Eagles quickly found another way onto the scoreboard.
Beginning at its own 18-yard line, Warren attempted a pass that was tipped into the air and intercepted. The Eagles returned it for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.
It was Warren’s second interception of the quarter and a frustrating setback for an offense that had otherwise shown flashes of big-play potential.
The Lumberjacks, however, were just beginning to find their stride.
Steen takes over as Warren pulls away
Warren’s next scoring possession carried into the second quarter, and it was Denton’s mobility that helped keep the drive alive.
Facing fourth down, the quarterback scrambled 8 yards for a first down. On the very next play, he found Steen over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown reception.
For Steen, it was his first touchdown since returning from the injury that had sidelined him since Warren’s Week 2 matchup with Fountain Lake.
For the Lumberjacks, it was the beginning of an offensive surge.
The extra point put Warren ahead 14-7, and the Lumberjacks created nothing but daylight afterward.
With 6:51 remaining in the half, Denton connected with Zaydin Grider on a 4-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 21-7.
Warren’s defense continued to frustrate the Eagles, preventing Crossett from capitalizing on opportunities and repeatedly returning the football to the Lumberjack offense.
The Eagles briefly interrupted Warren’s momentum with an impressive interception on the first play of a Lumberjack possession. But just a few plays later, Warren’s Aiden Lewis returned the favor.
Lewis, a 5’11” junior, intercepted a Crossett pass near the Eagles’ 29-yard line with 3:25 remaining before halftime, setting up another opportunity for the Warren offense.
Denton and Steen wasted little time taking advantage.
With 2:42 left, Denton delivered a screen pass to Steen toward the right side. Steen caught the football, cut sharply inside and broke through the defense for a 25-yard touchdown. It was a play that demonstrated just how much Warren had missed his ability to turn a short completion into an explosive gain.
Pahuamba’s extra point made it 28-7, completing a stretch in which the Lumberjacks scored 21 unanswered points to transform a tie game into a commanding lead.
The final minutes of the half brought more turnovers but no additional points.
Warren coach Bo Hembree used timeouts to preserve an opportunity for his offense, which regained possession at its own 39-yard line with 1:59 remaining. But a fumble with 1:15 left handed Crossett another chance.
Once again, Warren’s defense answered, holding the Eagles scoreless and returning the ball to the offense with 29 seconds remaining.
Crossett intercepted a deep Warren pass in the closing seconds, but the final play of the half produced one of the night’s most memorable defensive moments.
Warren’s Hayden Hampton, who is quickly becoming a name to remember, intercepted a Crossett pass as time expired and raced approximately 80 yards downfield, nearly returning it for a touchdown before being stopped.
The Lumberjacks headed into halftime leading 28-7.
A 62-yard statement to open the second half
Any hopes Crossett had of mounting a comeback suffered a significant blow almost immediately after halftime.
The Eagles opened the third quarter with the football, but Warren’s defense remained aggressive. Tucker McDiarmid broke up a deep pass attempt with 11 minutes remaining, helping keep Crossett from generating momentum.
Less than a minute later, Steen delivered another major play.
With 10:22 on the clock, he intercepted a Crossett pass at the Warren 38-yard line, securing possession for the Lumberjacks.
Ten seconds of game clock later, he was celebrating in the end zone. Denton launched a deep pass down the near sideline, finding Steen in stride on a go route. Steen raced 62 yards for his third touchdown reception of the night.
Pahuamba converted the extra point, stretching Warren’s lead to 35-7 with 10:12 remaining in the third quarter.
The sequence captured the full impact of Steen’s return. After spending nearly the entire regular season sidelined, he had produced a critical defensive takeaway and immediately followed it with the longest scoring reception of the evening.
Crossett continued to compete, eventually putting together a scoring possession late in the third quarter. An 18-yard touchdown pass with 2:06 remaining trimmed the deficit, though the extra-point attempt sailed left.
Warren entered the fourth quarter with a 35-13 advantage.
Warren closes out the victory
The Lumberjacks wasted little time answering Crossett’s touchdown. Just four seconds into the fourth quarter, Herron scored his second rushing touchdown of the night, this time from 3 yards out.
Pahuamba’s successful extra point extended Warren’s lead to 42-13.
With a substantial advantage and the playoffs approaching, Warren began turning to its second-team players with 9:47 remaining.
Crossett continued fighting, reaching the end zone again with 5:48 left to reduce Warren’s lead to 42-20.
But the Lumberjacks responded with one final touchdown of their own. Chris Alford Jr. scored on a 3-yard run with 4:20 remaining, and the extra point pushed Warren’s total to 49.
The Eagles completed the scoring with a long touchdown pass at the 3:20 mark. Their extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Warren with a 49-26 victory.
The Lumberjacks finished the evening with seven offensive touchdowns, including four through the air and three on the ground.
Denton’s three touchdown connections with Steen highlighted the passing attack, while Grider added another scoring reception. Herron contributed two rushing touchdowns, and Alford supplied the final score.
Defensively, Warren intercepted Crossett three times, with Lewis, Hampton and Steen each recording a takeaway.
Those defensive contributions proved particularly important in a game where Warren’s own turnovers repeatedly threatened to give Crossett opportunities to close the gap.
A different Warren team heading into November
The final score reflected an offense capable of producing points in a variety of ways, but Thursday’s victory also offered a glimpse of what Warren could become with a healthier roster entering postseason play.
Steen’s return was particularly significant.
The Lumberjacks had been without him since their early-September loss to Fountain Lake, forcing Warren to navigate much of its conference schedule without one of its most explosive offensive threats.
Yet the Lumberjacks managed to finish 5-2 in conference play, securing third place in a league topped by Stuttgart and Hamburg.
Now, with Steen back in the lineup alongside emerging contributors such as Grider and an offense that continues to generate explosive plays, Warren enters the playoffs with additional options.
At the same time, the defense repeatedly answered when placed in difficult situations, and Warren’s ability to score quickly helped overcome its early mistakes.
The Lumberjacks also enter the playoffs on a two-game winning streak, having defeated Watson Chapel the previous week before closing out the regular season with Thursday’s victory over Crossett.
Warren now advances to the opening round of the Class 4A State Playoffs, carrying renewed momentum, a healthier offensive lineup and the confidence of consecutive victories into the postseason.
