hootens.com Rankings
Class 7A, Week 1, 2018
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

1. North LR (1-0)
2. Bryant (1-0)
3. Fayetteville (1-0)
4. Bentonville (0-1)
5. Cabot (0-0)
6. Bentonville West (0-1)
7. Springdale (1-0)
8. Conway (1-0)
9. FS Southside (0-0)
10. FS Northside (1-0)
11. LR Catholic (0-0)
12. Har-Ber (0-1)
13. Rogers (0-0)
14. LR Central (0-1)
15. Van Buren (0-0)
16. Rogers Heritage (0-1)

GAME OF THE WEEK
Class 6A Pine Bluff at No. 4 Cabot. Coach Mike Malham begins his 38th and final season at Cabot with the most team speed in school history and a bigger, yet inexperienced offensive line. Running backs T.J. Ross and Bradley Morales combined for 2,000 yards last season. “We think we can be better than we were last year (offensively),” Malham says. Cabot returns seven starters on defense, including four juniors and Landers Auto Group Super Team defensive back Zhane Harper.
Class 6A Pine Bluff, motivated by a 52-14 loss in last season's Class 6A final to Greenwood, returns many skill players but must rebuild its offensive line where senior Malcolm Howard (6-0, 240; 4.0 GPA) is the lone returning starter. The Pine Bluff defense returns all-conference players on the line, linebacker and in the secondary.

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly predicted just 6 of 10 winners in games involving Class 7A teams.

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS followed by points spread)
7A CENTRAL
Pine Bluff at CABOT (3): Game of the Week.
BENTONVILLE (4) at Conway: Conway won this matchup 35-16 Week 3 last year and started 2018 with a dramatic double OT win over Class 6A El Dorado 48-41 last Friday. Bentonville, which went on to play in last year’s state championship game, lost in OT to Midwest City, Okla., 28-25 last Saturday.
Fort Smith Southside at BENTONVILLE WEST (1): Bentonville West, voted by league coaches to win the 7A West, led at Owasso, Okla., by 13 points going into the fourth quarter last week before standout QB Will Jarrett was sidelined by injury and lost 56-40. Jarrett completed 10 of 17 passes for 170 yards and two TDs in the first half. Southside’s Taye Gatewood returns for a third season at QB after passing for 3,000 yards and 36 TDs with 17 rushing TDs as a junior. Longtime assistant Jacob Cox takes over as Southside’s defensive coordinator this fall after the Mavericks allowed 40 points per game last season.
LR CATHOLIC (1) at Sylvan Hills: Catholic beat Sylvan Hills 44-7 last year after losing to the Bears  48-34 in 2016. Sylvan Hills rallied last week for a 16-14 win at defending Class 4A state champion Arkadelphia. The Bears trailed 14-0 late into the third quarter but limited the Badgers to 48 yards in the second half. Senior QB Nate Floyd ran for 120 yards and classmate Darmon Hubbard blocked an Arkadelphia punt through the end zone for the game-winning safety.
LR CENTRAL (4) at Rogers Heritage: Theses teams lost last week by a combined 104-0. Heritage trailed FS Northside 56-0 at halftime last week and has lost 29 of its past 31 games. Central has lost 24 of its past 31, including Coach Kent Laster’s debut last week vs. Class 6A West Memphis 35-0.
GREENWOOD (3) at Fort Smith Northside: Northside led Rogers Heritage 56-0 by halftime last week.
Bryant is open this week. The Hornets beat rival Benton 28-14 last Saturday and plays next Friday at Bentonville West. Greenwood has won 5 of 6 meetings with FS Northside, including 34-7 last year.
North LR is open this week. The Charging Wildcats rallied from 14 points down in the final 5 minutes and barely got an extra point through to beat Tulsa Washington 29-28 last Saturday. North LR plays at Shreveport Evangel next Friday.

7A WEST
Owasso, Okla. at FAYETTEVILLE (1): Bentonville West led Owasso 31-14 late in the third quarter last week before losing starting QB Will Jarrett to injury. Landers Auto Group Super Team quarterback Darius Bowers passed to Connor Flannigan for four TDs in Fayetteville’s 51-28 win at St. John Vianney (Mo.).
SPRINGDALE (13) at LR Parkview: Springdale rallied from a halftime deficit to down Class 4A Joe T. Robinson 48-28 last Thursday. Springdale’s beastly yet unheralded Garrett Vaughan (5-11, 185) carried 29 times for 210 yards and 5 TDs last week. Class 5A Parkview battled Class 6A No. 1 Pine Bluff to a 7-7 tie at halftime in last week's scrimmage.
LR CENTRAL (4) at Rogers Heritage: Heritage trailed FS Northside 56-0 at halftime last week and has lost 29 of its past 31 games. Central has lost 24 of its past 31, including Coach Kent Laster’s debut last week vs. Class 6A West Memphis 35-0.
BENTONVILLE (4) at Conway: Conway won this matchup 35-16 Week 3 last year and started 2018 with a dramatic double OT win over Class 6A El Dorado 48-41 last Friday. Bentonville, which went on to play in last year’s state championship game, lost in OT to Midwest City, Okla., 28-25 last Saturday.
Fort Smith Southside at BENTONVILLE WEST (1): Bentonville West, voted by league coaches to win the 7A West, led at Owasso, Okla., by 13 points going into the fourth quarter last week before standout QB Will Jarrett was sidelined by injury and lost 56-40. Jarrett completed 10 of 17 passes for 170 yards and two TDs in the first half. Southside’s Taye Gatewood returns for a third season at QB after passing for 3,000 yards and 36 TDs with 17 rushing TDs as a junior. Longtime assistant Jacob Cox takes over as Southside’s defensive coordinator this fall after the Mavericks allowed 40 points per game last season.
Rogers at JOE T. ROBINSON (10): Rogers got a good look at Robinson last Thursday when the talented Senators pushed Springdale for three quarters. Rogers lost its final four game last season by an average score of 45-17.
Van Buren at ALMA (6) (Tues.): Alma spoils former Razorback QB Casey Dick’s head coaching debut at Van Buren with its eighth straight win in the “Battle of the Bone.” Alma safety Coltin Bowerman (135 tackles and intercepted three passes last season) anchors a defense that gave up two TDs or less in four games last season.
Har-Ber is open this week, plays next Friday at Class 6A Russellville.