WARREN — Only a freshman, Jackson Denton has passed every test he’s faced as Warren’s quarterback so far.
Denton threw four touchdown passes, all in the first half. Antonio Jordan caught two of them, and the Lumberjacks advanced to the semifinals of the 4A state high school football playoffs with a 45-7 win over Ozark at Jim Hurley Stadium.
Warren (13-0) will take on Rivercrest next Friday in Wilson. Rivercrest beat Arkadelphia 36-12.
Denton completed his first 9 passes and finished 11 of 13 for 247 yards and touchdown passes to Jordan (30 and 40 yards), Tramond Miller (41 yards) and Neondre Thomas (48 yards).
“He’s got a great supporting cast,” Lumberjacks Coach Bo Hembree said. “He had a great night tonight. The wideouts had a great night, and it was just a deal where they kind of lined up like we knew they were. He came out and had a really good night.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Warren scored on its first 7 possessions. Jordan caught 5 passes for 98 yards and ran for a 3-yard TD on a direct snap in the second half. Kam Davis hauled in 2 passes for 55 yards, including a 38-yard bomb from Denton on the opening series that set up Treylon Jackson’s 6-yard touchdown run.
Jackson had 71 yards on 12 carries.
The Lumberjacks took a 14-0 lead after a 5-play, 79-yard series before the Hillbillies (10-3) got on the board with a 13-play, 80-yard series. Quarterback Koby Wilbanks ran 13 yards for Ozark’s first score at the 10:15 mark of the second quarter.
Denton mastered quick strikes in the first half. Warren scored in just 3 plays on a 62-yard drive ending in Miller’s touchdown catch and made it a 24-7 lead with 5:06 left before halftime on a 24-yard field goal by Allen Juarez.
A shanked punt to the Ozark 28 set up the Lumberjacks’ next score two plays later. Warren got the ball back on downs with 1:01 left, and Denton wasted no time finding Jordan for a 40-yard strike on the very next play to give the Lumberjacks a 38-7 halftime lead.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO …
Denton, who has thrown for 3,181 yards this season.
OTHER STATS …
Warren outgained Ozark 395-220 in total yards.
Wilbanks completed 7 of 17 passes for 108 yards and ran 19 times for 44 yards. The junior finished the season with 1,902 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.
Gavin Gilbreth finished with 67 yards on 9 carries for Ozark.
NEXT UP …
Warren will take on Rivercrest in Mississippi County at 7 p.m. next Friday. It will be the Jacks’ third semifinal in four years.
Rivercrest beat Warren 55-35 in the 2020 4A semifinals.
“We were up in the fourth quarter,” Hembree said. “They’re a really good football team. We’ll have our hands full. It’s just one of those deals where we’ll have to keep playing.”
Jordan, a 6-foot-6 junior, summed up Warren’s drive for state title No. 5 in a short message of motivation — tired of losing in the playoffs. Warren has won championships in 2001, 2002, 2014 and 2016, all under Hembree.
“We were just locked in all week and we had our mind right,” Jordan said.
The other semifinal will be Harding Academy at Elkins.