WARREN, Ark. – In front of a full Jim Hurley, Jr. Stadium for the first regular season home game, the Warren Lumberjacks took down the White Hall Bulldogs by the final of 28-23 in comeback fashion Friday night, September 2, 2022.
The game was somewhat of a homecoming for former Warren Lumberjack, Razorback, and NFL wideout Jarius Wright, who was making his first return to the fortress of Jim Hurley, Jr. as an assistant coach. Wright is currently a member of the football staff at White Hall High School under the leadership of his former Razorback play caller, Ryan Mallett, now head coach of the Bulldogs.
Top photo: Warren’s Landon Wolfe bolts through a gap during the second half of Warren’s game vs. White Hall Friday night. Photo by Robert Camp.
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Warren came into the game looking to bounce back from a week zero defeat to a talented Stuttgart team. White Hall on the other hand arrived with a 1-0 record after a close battle a week ago with Sheridan, a game which White Hall took by the final of 27-24, scoring 14 unanswered fourth-quarter points to secure the win.
White Hall won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. After a booming kickoff sailed into the end zone, the Jacks took over at the 20-yard-line for their first possession of the ballgame. A quick three and out saw Warren forced to punt.
Bryson Harris set a good early tone on the defensive side of the ball for Warren on White Hall’s first offensive drive. The six-foot sophomore picked up a sack, and White Hall elected to punt back to Warren.
Although Treylon Jackson ripped off a 25-yard run on the next Jack drive, the orange and black were unable to convert.
They would get the ball back, but deep inside their own territory, disaster struck. With 5:28 left in the first, Maddox Lassiter dropped back to pass in Warren’s end zone. A couple of White Hall defenders broke through the line, Lassiter was nearly sacked, but threw the ball away. A flag was thrown for intentional grounding, which meant a safety was called, given where Lassiter was at the time of the grounding. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead.
After the following kick back, White Hall drove downfield quickly and scored with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter. They led 9-0.
Although Warren’s Tayshawn Johnson found 12 yards on a speed sweep, and Lassiter scrambled for another 11 a play later, a wayward snap in the shotgun sent Warren’s offense on the retreat with just about two minutes left in the first period. White Hall held Warren’s offense scoreless again.
Delfino Rivera and Neeyo Harding came up big for the Jack defense on the next drive, both with multiple tackles to their credit.
Both teams struggled to gain traction. White Hall missed a 35-yard field goal with 6:47 left in the second quarter. The play seemed to be a turning point.
With the game still stuck at a 9-0 White Hall lead, Warren Coach Bo Hembree made a few changes on the offensive side of the ball. Jackson shifted to quarterback, Lassiter to power back and receiver, while Landon Wolfe and Tayshawn Johnson spelled each other at running back. Wolfe ran the ball four straight times on the drive, picking up 27 yards. From there, Warren worked the ball deep into Bulldog territory to the two-yard-line. Johnson scored on the following play, and after the Jose Jacinto extra point, Warren trailed just 9-7.
Like a lightning bolt, White Hall hit right back. The ensuing kickoff was hauled nearly 70 yards to extend White Hall’s lead to 16-7.
Warren couldn’t add to their tally before the break, so the Jacks took a nine-point deficit into the half.
White Hall became a bit sloppy early in the third quarter. With possession in Warren territory and showing no signs of slowing down to potentially put the game away, the Bulldogs committed three motion penalties in a row, stifling their drive. It came to an abrupt end on the following play as the ball was put on the ground. Warren’s Neeyo Harding recovered the fumble to give the Jacks another chance at closing the gap.
Offensively Warren couldn’t capitalize, however. With 7:40 to go in the third, Warren was once again forced to punt.
About a minute later, White Hall again turned the ball over on a fumble. This time Lumberjack senior Delfino Rivera was there to pounce, giving the Jacks a good starting point very near midfield.
With 4:37 remaining in the third, Wolfe plowed through the middle for a six-yard touchdown. Warren converted a two-point try, now down just one at 16-15 White Hall.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over a third time less than 30 seconds later. Lassiter, playing at linebacker for Warren, fell on the loose ball to give Warren a golden chance late in the third.
The offense didn’t disappoint. After pushing inside the White Hall 10-yard-line, Tayshawn Johnson once again got the handoff. This time he bounced left of tackle, and scampered into the end zone to give the Jacks their first lead of the night at 22-16.
White Hall again answered. Early in the fourth, they drove from midfield, eventually scoring on a one-yard rush to retake the lead at 23-22.
Warren started their next drive at the 8:50 mark. With the clock dipping under five minutes to go in the ballgame, Wolfe again blasted through a middle gap, scoring and restoring Warren’s advantage. The Jacks led 28-23.
As the clock dwindled, the Bulldogs were forced to take a chance on fourth and six with less than a minute remaining. Warren’s junior defensive end Harding shot around from the right side, blowing up the play, dropping the quarterback for a sack, and securing the Lumberjack win.
Lassiter lined up in the victory formation and ran the clock out as the orange and black won by the final of 28-23.
Warren relied almost exclusively on the run game, especially in the second half, and that was the bulk of what turned things around. That, and some very good defensive play from start to finish. The defense’s role in this win shouldn’t be overlooked.
However, Warren picked up 280 yards on the ground offensively. Tayshawn Johnson led the way with 95 yards on 11 carries. Landon Wolfe picked up 74 yards on 11 carries. Treylon Jackson followed Wolfe, picking up 74 yards on 16 rushes. Both Wolfe and Johnson each booked two touchdowns a piece on the ground.
The passing game was a struggle in the first half. Maddox Lassiter went one for nine through the air, throwing for three yards. The lone completion was to Johnson. The Jacks committed to the run game in the second half, a decision that paid huge dividends at the final whistle.
Warren logged 283 yards of total offense.
Defensively, although Warren gave up 16 points in the first half, that number is a bit skewed, considering the safety as well, as the kickoff returned for a touchdown by White Hall. That’s nine points that might have been wiped off otherwise. In the second half, Warren’s defense gave up just one score.
Lassiter was again outstanding at linebacker. The 6’3″ 229 lbs. senior had nine tackles on the night and a recovered fumble. Delfino Rivera also put in a terrific performance on the defensive side of the ball. He was credited with eight tackles and a fumble recovery as well. Another big-time defensive performer was Sophomore Bryson Harris. The rookie defensive lineman was a headache all night for White Hall’s front five, banking six tackles and a sack. Defensive end Neeyo Harding made six tackles as well and recovered a fumble. Still, his biggest contribution came through that crucial fourth-down tackle on White Hall’s final drive.
Jalin Lee was all over the place too. The senior had at least one pass defended and six tackles to his credit. Landon Wolfe excelled on the defensive side as well, making five tackles on the night.
Cody Weatherspoon had four tackles and a pass defended, and Lee Johnson made three tackles and had a pass defended.
Treylon Jackson, Malik Day, Ervin Rivera, Westin Gavin, and Tyrone Grays each made a couple of tackles to round out a very good night defensively for Warren.
The Jacks held White Hall to 234 yards in total offense. 181 of those yards came on the ground, and 53 through the air.
The win moves the orange and black to 1-1 on the season. This game was their final nonconference matchup of the regular season.
The Lumberjacks get a week off next week. Conference play kicks off Thursday night, September 15 at 7:00 p.m. with Warren taking to the road at Star City in a big 8-4A clash. Star City defeated Stuttgart 45-35 Friday night in impressive fashion. The Bulldogs are now 2-0 after defeating Bauxite in week zero.