WARREN -- Nashville overcame five turnovers and a determined Hayden Lassiter to defeat Warren 42-37 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state playoffs at Jim Hurley Stadium.
Leonard Snell ran for 106 yards and threw two touchdown passes and running back Darius Hopkins ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns to lead Nashville into the semifinals, where they will host Pea Ridge next week. The last time the Scrappers reached the semifinals was in 2007, when they won a state title.
Snell's and Hopkins' efforts were barely enough to get by Lassiter, Warren's junior quarterback who threw for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 more touchdowns to keep the Lumberjacks in the game.
Nashville scored 21 points in the third quarter after Warren took advantage of several Nashville miscues in the first half -- 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles and 1 muffed punt -- to turn a 14-3 deficit into a 24-14 lead going into halftime.
The Scrappers wasted no time in the second half as they put together a six-play, 88-yard scoring drive on their first possession. Snell capped the drive with a 61-yard scoring strike that pulled Nashville to withing 24-21.
Nashville's defense stopped Warren on its ensuing drive, and the Scrappers needed just six plays to take a 28-21 lead.
Warren tried a fake punt on its next possession, but Nashville's De'ajeon Armstrong broke up a pass to give the Scrappers a short field at the Lumberjacks' 24. Five plays later, Terell Grundy went up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 35-24.
Sports on 11/28/2015