Hooten’s Arkansas Football Rankings

Class 7A, Week 1, 2022

Copyright Seventy Sevens Publishing, Inc.

1. Bryant (1-0)

2. Bentonville (1-0)

3. Conway (0-0)

4. Bentonville West (1-0)

5. Cabot (1-0)

6. Fayetteville (0-1)

7. North LR (0-1)

8. FS Northside (1-0)

9. Har-Ber (0-1)

10. FS Southside (0-1)

11. Jonesboro (0-1)

12. Rogers (1-0)

13. Rogers Heritage (1-0)

14. Springdale (0-1)

15. LR Southwest (0-1)

16. LR Central (0-1)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 10 of 13 games (77 percent) involving Class 7A teams. 

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 2 Bentonville at No. 3 CONWAY (3)

The Bentonville Tigers beat Broken Arrow, Okla. 56-46 while Conway was idle for Week 0. Bentonville QB Carter Nye threw 5 TD passes in the victory, including 3 to C.J. Brown. Josh Ficklin scored 4 times for the Tigers.  Conway is led by QB Donovyn Omolo, who passed for 2,626 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore. He threw 6 interceptions. Jamarion Carr rushed for 1, 356 yards and 9 TDs a year ago.  Conway beat Bentonville 55-41 in Week 1 a year ago. 

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS (favored teams in CAPS followed by points spread)

7A CENTRAL

Denton (Texas) Ryan vs. BRYANT (14): This game is in Shreveport, La. Bryant continued its winning ways, dominating Benton in a 38-17 win in the Salt Bowl. Sophomore QB Jordan Walker passed for 251 yards and 4 TDs. Ryan is 0-1, coming off a 34-33 loss to New Braunfels, Texas. 

Bentonville at CONWAY (3): See Hootens.com Game of the Week. 

North LR at Fayetteville (21): North LR lost to LR Catholic 23-6 last week. North LR QB Malachi Gober completed 13 of 20 passes for 140 yards. Torrance Moore rushed for 98 yards. Fayetteville came up short in a 31-28 loss at Cabot. QB Drake Lindsey completed 20 of 47 passes for 275 and 2 TDs. 

Cabot at BENTONVILLE WEST (7): Cabot avenged a playoff loss to Fayetteville, beating the Bulldogs 31-28 with a touchdown on the final play. QB Abe Owen led the Panthers to the come-from-behind win. West beat Tulsa Washington 28-7. West jumped out to a 14-0 lead, which included Nick Bell returning a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown. 

FS Northside at Class 6A GREENWOOD (6): Northside continued its dominance of FS Southside 42-24. The Grizzlies finished with 523 yards in the win. Northside QB Daemarion Savoy passed for 220 yards. Greenwood lost to Stillwater, Okla., 41-27. Quarterback Hunter Houston threw for 374 yards and 4 TDs but also threw 3 interceptions..

Jonesboro at LAKE HAMILTON (21): Jonesboro dropped a 21-20 decision to former 6A-East foe West Memphis.  Frederick Giles led the Jonesboro defense with 10 tackles. Lake Hamilton rushed past HS Lakeside for a 47-20 win. Wolves’ senior RB Kendrick Martin scored four touchdowns in the victory. 

ROGERS HERITAGE (3) at LR Southwest: Rogers Heritage notched its first win since Sept. 4, 2020, by beating Siloam Springs 16-14, snapping a 19-game losing streak. Tillman McNair returned a punt 90 yards for a TD and caught 5 passes for 117 yards. Southwest fell to Rogers 49-20. The Gryphons have won two games (1 via forfeit) since the program started in 2020.

LR Central at Class 5A PINE BLUFF (6):  Two of the state’s winningest programs (Central claims 32 state titles, including 7 in the playoff era; Pine bluff claims 10 state titles, with 7 of them in the playoff era) are trying to find themselves. LR Central went winless last season and has gone without a win in three of the past 14 seasons. The Tigers lost two projected starting linemen to injury in August camp. First-year Pine Bluff coach Michael Williams takes over a program that has won 15 times since the beginning of 2018. The Zebras will lean on a stout running attack in 2022.

7A West

Bentonville at CONWAY (3): See Hootens.com Game of the Week. 

Cabot at BENTONVILLE WEST (7): Cabot avenged a playoff loss to Fayetteville, beating the Bulldogs 31-28. Quarterback Abe Owen led the Panthers to the come-from-behind win. West beat Tulsa Washington 28-7. West jumped out to a 14-0 lead, which included a Nick Bell returning a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown. 

North LR at Fayetteville (21): North LR was upset by LR Catholic 23-6 in Week 0. North LR quarterback Malachi Gober completed 13 of 20 passes for 140 yards. Torrance Moore rushed for 98 yards. Fayetteville came up short in a 31-28 loss at Cabot. Quarterback Drake Lindsey completed 20 of 47 passes for 275 and 2 TDs. 

BIXBY, OKLA. (3) at Har-Ber: Har-Ber is coming off a 48-26 loss to LR Parkview. The Wildcats were within 20-17 at halftime. Har-Ber QBs Luke Buchanan and Rhett Richardson combined to throw for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bixby is coming off a 49-14 win over Owasso. 

ROGERS (7) at Tulsa Bishop Kelley (Okla.): The Rogers Mounties are picking up where they left off a year ago, playing well. They routed LR Southwest in the season opener. QB Dane Williams threw for 198 yards and 3 TDs. Jacob Jenkings rushed 9 times for 76 yards and 3 TDs. Bishop Kelley is 0-1 after a 24-6 loss to Poteau. 

Springdale at Class 5A FARMINGTON (4): Farmington has beaten Springdale the past two seasons. Springdale's defense played well in last week's 10-point loss to Harrison. Ta’jon Sparks threw for 248 yards and 2 TDs in the loss. Farmington beat Greenbrier last week by 29 points, as its defense yielding 8 yards. Senior WR Peyton Funk hauled in 13 passes for 129 yards, while sophomore Russell Hodge ran 14 times for 93 yards.

Class 6A Van Buren at FS SOUTHSIDE (7): Van Buren lost to Alma for the first time in five seasons last week. The Airedales were playing without standout receiver/cornerback Malachi Henry, who was injured. Southside lost to Northside for the seventh straight season. Southside QB George Harrell completed 22 of 47 passes for 346 yards in the loss. 

ROGERS HERITAGE (3) at LR Southwest: Rogers Heritage notched its first win since Sept. 4, 2020, by beating Siloam Springs 16-14. It snapped a 19-game losing streak. Tillman McNair returned a punt 90 yards for a TD and caught 5 passes for 117 yards. Southwest fell to Rogers 49-20. The Gryphons have won two games (1 via forfeit) since the program started in 2020.