WARREN, Ark. — The road to a Class 4A state championship is officially mapped out, and for the Warren Lumberjacks, that journey begins on familiar ground.
Warren will host the Heber Springs Panthers on Friday, November 13, at Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium in the opening round of the 2026 Arkansas Centennial Bank State Football Playoffs. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Lumberjacks enter the postseason at 6-4 overall after finishing third in the 8-4A Conference with a 5-2 league record. Heber Springs, the third-place finisher from the 4A-2 Conference, arrives with a 7-3 overall mark and an identical 5-2 conference record.
For Warren, the home playoff game is a reward for a strong finish to the regular season, but the newly released bracket also reveals a potentially challenging road through November.
A first-round test against Heber Springs
The Panthers present an interesting matchup for a Warren team that has found renewed offensive momentum in recent weeks.
Heber Springs finished its regular season with a 58-14 victory over Clinton on November 6. The Panthers have demonstrated considerable offensive firepower throughout the fall, averaging more than 43 points per game.
According to statistics published by MaxPreps, Heber Springs has averaged nearly 292 passing yards per game, with sophomore quarterback Spencer Sugg directing a productive passing attack.
That could present a significant challenge for a Warren defense that has faced its share of dangerous passing offenses this season.
The Lumberjacks, however, enter the playoffs with momentum of their own.
Warren has won its last two games, defeating Watson Chapel 42-12 before closing the regular season with a 49-26 victory over Crossett on November 5.
Perhaps most encouraging for Warren fans has been the return of several key offensive contributors following a season complicated by injuries.
Senior receiver Josiah Steen made a remarkable return against Crossett after missing nearly two months with an injury suffered against Fountain Lake in early September. Steen caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Jackson Denton and added an interception on defense.
His return, combined with the recent reappearance of receiver Zaydin Grider, gives head coach Bo Hembree additional offensive weapons at precisely the time Warren needs them.
An unbeaten opponent could await in round two
Should Warren defeat Heber Springs, the Lumberjacks would advance to a November 20 second-round matchup against the winner of Ozark and Ashdown.
Ozark enters the tournament undefeated at 10-0 after winning the 4A-4 Conference championship. The Hillbillies will host Ashdown, the fifth-place qualifier from the 4A-7 Conference, in their first-round contest.
If Ozark and Warren both win their opening games, Warren would travel to Ozark for the second round.
An Ashdown upset would change that arrangement. Under the tournament’s home-field rules, Warren would host Ashdown if both teams advance.
Either way, the bracket places a potentially formidable opponent directly in Warren’s path after the opening round.
Nashville looms as a possible quarterfinal opponent
The challenges do not end there.
Also occupying Warren’s section of the bracket is undefeated Nashville, which completed a 10-0 regular season and claimed the 4A-7 Conference championship.
Nashville receives a first-round bye and will host the winner of Gentry and Central Arkansas Christian on November 20.
The survivor of that section will meet the winner of Warren’s section in the November 27 quarterfinals.
That creates the possibility of Warren facing two undefeated conference champions, Ozark and Nashville, in consecutive playoff rounds.
Of course, both teams must first advance through their own matchups, and postseason football has a way of producing unexpected results.
For Warren, the immediate priority remains Heber Springs. But the bracket offers fans a glimpse of just how demanding a deep postseason run could become.
Familiar 8-4A opponents scattered throughout bracket
Warren is one of five teams representing the 8-4A Conference in this year’s state tournament.
Conference champion Stuttgart, which finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0, will host Berryville in the opening round.
Hamburg, the conference’s second-place finisher at 8-2, will host Prairie Grove, while Monticello, which finished 6-4, travels to Bauxite.
DeWitt, the fifth-place representative, faces a road trip to 4A-2 champion Lonoke.
The placement of those teams creates some intriguing possibilities for Warren supporters.
Stuttgart is positioned on the opposite half of the bracket from Warren, meaning the two conference rivals could not meet again unless both reached the state championship game.
Hamburg and Monticello, however, are positioned on Warren’s half of the bracket. Depending on how the early rounds unfold, either could eventually become a semifinal opponent for the Lumberjacks.
For a conference that produced five playoff qualifiers, the next several weeks offer an opportunity to demonstrate its strength against competition from across Arkansas.
The road to War Memorial Stadium
The Class 4A playoffs begin Friday, November 13, with subsequent rounds scheduled for November 20 and November 27.
The semifinals are set for December 4, with the Class 4A State Championship scheduled for noon on Saturday, December 12, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
For Warren, reaching that stage would require navigating a challenging field, potentially including some of the state’s remaining unbeaten programs.
But the Lumberjacks have reason for optimism.
After spending much of the regular season adjusting to injuries and relying on developing talent, Warren enters the postseason healthier and riding consecutive victories.
The offense has produced 91 points over its last two games, while the return of experienced playmakers has given Denton more options in the passing game.
Whether that momentum translates into a deep playoff run remains to be seen.
For now, the focus turns to Friday night, when the Lumberjacks return to Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium with their season on the line and an opportunity to take the first step toward Little Rock.
