LITTLE ROCK -- With temperatures dipping below the freezing mark, Warren players bundled up under heavy gray blankets on the sidelines.
Hayden Lassiter didn't need one.
The Lumberjacks' senior Ironman left the field for only one play Friday night as he starred at quarterback, linebacker, safety and on special teams during a 54-37 win against Pea Ridge in the Class 4A state championship at War Memorial Stadium.
"I got hit pretty hard, so I had to come off the field for that play," said Lassiter, who was named Most Valuable Player after the game. "But I got it together and went right back out there."
The Blackhawks didn't have an answer for Lassiter, especially when he lined up at quarterback in Warren's One-Back Spread offense.
Many times, the play call was a read option where Lassiter handed it to Dennis Daniels (28 carries, 189 yards, 4 touchdowns), or kept it himself (13 carries, 64 yards, 1 touchdown). Then, just as it appeared Pea Ridge was figuring out how to stop the play, Lassiter would pull up and pass to one of his dangerous receivers.
It's the kind of multiple-threat offense that keeps opposing defensive coordinators up at night and also earns the respect of defenders like Pea Ridge junior linebacker Robby Pickthall, who bloodied both elbows while trying to stop Warren's weapons.
"They had a really good dynamic because they could run and pass," Pickthall said. "And when we thought we had them, they did something we couldn't stop. We didn't counter it well enough, and that's why they beat us."
Lassiter was 10 of 12 passing for 208 yards and a touchdown, although the Lumberjacks opened the game with 14 straight running plays. It was three minutes into the second quarter before Lassiter even dropped back for a pass.
That wasn't what Blackhawks' defensive back Drew Winn expected after Lassiter passed for more than 400 yards and six touchdowns in a 48-28 win at Prairie Grove in the semifinals.
"We had to wait for a while before we even got the first pass, and that was a surprise," Winn said. "They're a great offense. They have so many weapons ... and (Lassiter) is big and fast and he's definitely hard to defend. He normally runs straight forward, but every once in a while he bounces it to the side, so it was tough."
The run-first approach was what Warren planned to dial up entering the game.
"We knew we could run on them a little bit," Lassiter said. "So, we knew the run game would open up the run-pass option part of our game. That's exactly what happened, and we executed."
After the game, Lassiter needed a little help getting on top of 3-feet-high power boxes to hug his parents in the front row. Tears streamed down everyone's face, especially Lassiter's. In addition to his offensive performance, he also had eight tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and an interception while switching between the secondary and outside linebacker.
"This means everything," Lassiter said. "Every year the goal is to win the state championship for our town and for ourselves and we did. Every day we can call ourselves champions until the day we die."
Sports on 12/10/2016