A walk in the park can get complicated for visitors to Jim Hurley Jr. Stadium.
Monticello was reminded of that Friday night, as Warren’s defense repeatedly shut the door in critical moments, holding the Billies scoreless for the final two-and-a-half quarters and grinding out a 17-7 victory to retain the Union Bank Saline River Shootout Trophy.
The win moved Warren to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in 8-4A Conference play, while extending one of the most lopsided stretches in the trophy era of the rivalry. Since the Saline River Shootout Trophy series began in 2011, Warren is now 14-1-1 against Monticello.
Friday night’s game, however, was considerably tighter than that record might suggest. Warren won it by making the most of a handful of offensive opportunities and leaning heavily on a defense that repeatedly answered whenever Monticello threatened.
The Billies won the opening coin toss and deferred, giving Warren the football first. The Lumberjacks started at their own 31 but quickly found themselves facing third-and-10 after a motion penalty. A dropped pass ended the opening possession, and Warren punted.
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Monticello took over at its own 42 with 10:39 remaining in the first quarter and received plenty of help early in the drive. Warren committed three penalties in the opening sequence — two offsides calls and a hit out of bounds — allowing the Billies to move quickly into scoring position.
Hayden Hampton erased the threat with 8:55 remaining, intercepting a Monticello pass in the end zone and giving Warren the football back without allowing a point. The Lumberjacks immediately found some offensive rhythm, as quarterback Jackson Denton connected with Ty Hembree for a 20-yard gain on the first play of the possession, then kept the ball himself for another 20 yards on the next snap.
On the following play, Denton found nobody open and threw the ball away, but a late hit out of bounds by Monticello moved Warren deeper into scoring territory. The Lumberjacks eventually faced third-and-goal, where DeAngelo Herron powered straight up the middle for a three-yard touchdown. Emanuel Pahuamba added the extra point to give Warren a 7-0 lead with 5:28 remaining in the first quarter.
Monticello answered early in the second. The Billies completed a six-yard touchdown pass with 10:40 remaining before halftime and converted the extra point to tie the game at 7.
Warren’s next possession began at its own 29 but ended with the Lumberjacks turning the ball over on downs at their own 36 with 9:07 left in the half, handing Monticello excellent field position. Again, Warren’s defense responded. With Xavion Miller helping set the tone up front, the Lumberjacks forced a turnover on downs at the Warren 20 with 7:04 remaining.
Warren could not capitalize offensively and eventually punted, but the defense continued to hold. With 1:56 left before halftime, Hampton came up big again, breaking up a fourth-down pass and giving Warren possession at its own 24.
This time, the Lumberjacks made it count. Denton and the Warren receiving corps began to find a groove, moving quickly and methodically down the field with several important completions. With only 13 seconds remaining before halftime, Denton connected with Tayshawn Edwards for a one-yard touchdown pass, sending Warren into the locker room with a 14-7 lead.
Monticello received the second-half kickoff and returned it to its own 27 before putting together one of its most promising drives of the game. The Billies marched into Warren territory and reached the Lumberjack 26, but the defense struck again when Monticello fumbled with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter and Warren recovered.
The Lumberjacks were forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but Monticello quickly gave it back with a punt of its own. Jacob Marshall returned the kick to the Warren 40 with 5:10 remaining in the quarter, setting up Warren’s biggest offensive play of the second half.
Facing third down, Denton connected with JaKoby Avery on a 55-yard cross-field completion that flipped the field and moved the Lumberjacks deep into Monticello territory. Warren could not finish the drive in the end zone, but Pahuamba made sure it still produced points, drilling a 37-yard field goal with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter to stretch Warren’s lead to 17-7.
That proved to be the final scoring play of the night.
From there, Monticello spent the fourth quarter trying to find a way back into the game. The Billies converted an early fourth down on their next possession and moved across midfield, but Warren continued to defend the passing game well and eventually forced another turnover on downs with 9:58 remaining.
Warren took over at its own 45 and immediately went for the knockout blow. On first down, the Lumberjacks dialed up a flea-flicker and completed the pass to Marshall, who took it all the way to the Monticello 8. The drive stalled quickly, however. Warren faced third down and threw incomplete, then went for it on fourth, where the pass slipped just off Marshall’s fingertips.
Monticello took over at its own 15 with 8:41 remaining and still had life. The Billies then put together a deliberate drive, working their way down the field in small chunks before reaching the Warren 29 with 5:28 remaining.
The Billies eventually faced fourth-and-5 from the Warren 24, and with 3:49 left in the game, Warren’s defense delivered one final stop. Monticello was brought down a yard short of the first-down marker, allowing the Lumberjacks to take possession and run out the remaining clock.
Friday night belonged largely to Warren’s defense. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone on that side of the ball that didn’t contribute in some way. However, Tucker McDiarmid, Hayden Hampton, Jaxstyn Ingram, and Xavion Miller all had a big night. Offensively, Warren showed a spark, that if fanned a bit, could spell a very interesting back half of the season. Nonetheless, on this night, the trophy stayed home.
The Union Bank Saline River Shootout Trophy series began in 2011 with a 6-6 tie and a shared trophy. Since then, Warren has won 14 times, Monticello has won once, and the inaugural tie remains the only shared result, giving the Lumberjacks a 14-1-1 record in the trophy era.
Warren will remain at Jim Hurley Jr. Stadium next week for Homecoming against Hamburg. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
