Warren escapes Gosnell with a 44–42 playoff win – Jacks to 4A quarterfinals
Warren 44, Gosnell 42
On Thursday night in Gosnell, Warren escaped with a 44–42 playoff win that sends the Lumberjacks to the 4A quarterfinals. Jackson Denton’s big‑play passing and a fourth‑down‑tough defense helped Warren build a 44–12 lead midway through the third quarter, before Gosnell charged back with four straight touchdowns to set up a tense, last‑minute stand.
Early on, Warren looked completely in control. Gosnell recovered an opening onside kick, but the Pirates were quickly forced to punt. Denton then hit Josiah Steen for a 58‑yard touchdown for a 6–0 edge after a blocked PAT. Later in the quarter, Aaron Davis sprinted 85 yards to the house, and the Lumberjack defense stacked multiple fourth‑down stops to make it 12–0 after one.
In the second period the passing game stayed hot. On fourth down, Denton again found Steen, this time from 46 yards, and Jacarlos Marquez added the PAT for a 19–0 cushion. Gosnell answered with a 28‑yard scoring run, but Denton immediately connected with Bleyze Fellows for a 22‑yard strike, and Davis powered in the two‑pointer to push the margin to 27–6. The Pirates punched in another short touchdown to cut it to 27–12, but Marquez drilled a 20‑yard field goal as time expired in the half, giving Warren a 30–12 lead.
The Jacks came out of halftime swinging. On the second snap of the third quarter, Fellows hauled in a 68‑yard bomb from Denton. After a Marquez PAT and a recovered onside kick, the same combo hooked up on fourth‑and‑long for a 39‑yard score and a 44–12 advantage.
Gosnell refused to fold. The Pirates ripped off touchdown runs of 35 and 41 yards in the third quarter, hitting one two‑point try and forcing a Warren turnover to steal the momentum. Early in the fourth, a 28‑yard TD plus another conversion cut the gap to 10. Following a second Lumberjack fumble, Gosnell capped a short drive with a 21‑yard scoring run and a third straight successful two‑pointer, pulling within 44–42 with just over six minutes remaining.
From there, Warren’s defense had to win it. The Jacks got one stop, but Gosnell’s final march drove to the Warren 22 in the closing minute. On fourth down in the red zone, the Lumberjacks swarmed the play with 42 seconds left, then Denton knelt out the clock to finish off a wild win. Warren now turns its focus to a home quarterfinal matchup with Prairie Grove at Jim Hurley Jr. Stadium.